Risk management - Human relations - negatives
Human relations - negatives
Risk management is not everyone’s cup of tea.
There will almost certainly be resistance to using it. There will be many reasons for this, lying not only within a project team but also senior management.
Affront to experience
People are, not unnaturally, employed to do a particular job. For this they may have not only qualifications but a lot of experience. Risk analysis can suggest a lack of confidence in the project team to provide correct cost estimates. It can be viewed as an affront to their experience.
Too early in the project
If you wait until a project plan (schedule) is perfect prior to beginning you will never start. There is a compromise and you will need to get the plan together as quickly as possible with a degree of confidence in the budget. We have referred to this before when trying to quote for a bid.
Remember, that the risk management process is best carried out during the planning phase. This allows the risk management input to the subsequent base plans. Many will always believe that trying to carry out a RISK ASSESSMENT early in the project is a waste of time. We have discussed these issues earlier [see Why carry out risk assessment?].
My job to handle the risks
Many individuals that carry out the ‘work packages’ believe that it is their job to manage the risk involved in their activities. What they often mean is that it is up them (a form of accountability) to decide on the responses to potential problems and then sort them out.
No time to do it
Most people are too busy ‘doing the job’ to find time [see 'The Complete Time Management package'] for a risk assessment which they know is not needed anyway as they know what they are doing.
Get the project started
No time to do it… “let’s get the project underway” is often a cry.
What can it tell me that I don’t already know?
They might well ask:
- What is its purpose?
- What’s in it for me?
- What can I get out of it?
It will be up to you to justify the risk management process and demonstrate the benefits.
When trying to implement risk assessment your project team and senior management are you customers and may need to be sold on the idea [see Human relations - benefits].