The Myth of the Risk-Free Project

TheRE ARE NO Risk-Free ProjectS

. . . But proactive risk mitigation strategies can make your life so much easier!

There's no such thing as a risk-free project, and unanticipated roadblocks are an inevitable part of the project management ecosystem. Luckily, proactive risk mitigation strategies can substantially reduce the impact of these issues.

One of my favorite tactics (which is hardly a trade secret) is to map things out ahead of time. Identify everything that could possibly go wrong with a project, think about how it could go wrong, and plan your response. If your risk mitigation strategy involves at least three bullet points, and if those bullet points start with verbs, then you’re on the right track!

Take it a step further by identifying the triggering event for the problem, and try to imagine what data points might signal to you that the trigger is imminent. For example, if someone on your team is shy about asking for help, their reluctance to give status updates on the tasks assigned to them might be a sign that they’re falling behind. A more direct approach in communicating with that individual can help them stay on track, which will stabilize the project as a whole.