(and a shameless plug for a book and an August PMI Training class)
By Carl Pritchard, PMI-RMP®, PMP®
Good luck with that. Nothing in life is risk-free. I wanted to build a patio in my backyard, using native rock for the hardscaping and winter street gravel for the underlayment. Total cost? Pretty close to zero. Deadline? There is none (except the one I imposed on myself). Success criteria? Hide the bulk of the mudhole along the existing concrete patio where NO grass will grow. It’s a project. And from most perspectives, there’s no risk.
Again, good luck with that.
I’m not quite halfway through with the effort, and I’m finding my risk-free project pretty risky. Smashed fingers (caught between the stones), ruined gloves and clothes, delays because of superseding activities, and little bits of gray grit pretty much everywhere.
Having built a stone wall, I should have anticipated these things. But I fell short, largely because I assumed it would be risk-free this time.
As I work on the components of the project, I have a few “supervisors” who stop by to check on my progress. Their consensus is that it looks great and I should be happy with how it’s going. What they fail to see is the angst I have about whether or not there will be adequate supplies, sufficient energy and constancy of vision to carry it through to fruition.
What I think bothers me the most is that I failed to follow my own (or PMI’s or ISO 31000’s) guidelines on how to religiously incorporate risk management practice into every project undertaking.
Of all times in my life, this is when I should be risk-focused like a laser. I just finished (last year) writing the Pearson Publishing Risk Management Professional (PMI-RMP®) Cert Guide. I’m in the middle of the sixth edition rewrite of Risk Management: Concepts & Guidance (Taylor & Francis) with a new AI component. I have my first two-day PMI Training on Risk Management in over four years coming up in August.
And with all of that, for some psychotic reason, I thought my own little personal projects should be risk-free. Earth to Carl. Not a chance.
While I still think it’s all going to turn out well, there are things that I should have done to build in my little risk insurance policy, and they’re things that we should actively be doing on all of our projects—large and small.
- Make the list of risks (Using ChatGPT AI, I generated the list below in about 10 seconds)
- Improper drainage leading to water pooling against the foundation.
- Soil erosion due to inadequate support or landscaping.
- Structural instability if stones are not properly secured.
- Injury risks from sharp edges or uneven surfaces.
- Potential damage to existing utilities buried underground.
- Incompatibility with local building codes or regulations.
- Increased maintenance if not properly sealed or treated.
- Wildlife attraction if not designed with proper barriers.
- Cost overruns due to unexpected complications.
- Environmental impact if native plants are disturbed.
- Evaluate the risks for probability and impact (and yes, two have already come to pass)
- Develop risk responses for the most likely and impactful
- Implement the responses
- Feel clever for actually doing what you teach
It’s a pretty simple gospel to follow. It’s also easy to say “I’ll just deal with this stuff as it comes.” Just a word of warning: When it comes? It’s going to be expensive and painful.
What We Really Want
What we really want on our projects is not the risk-free ideal. We want projects that afford us the ability to get the job done with a reasonable level of foresight and clarity on how serious the risks might ultimately be. If we can predict and manage with just a little clairvoyance, people will not only marvel at the outcomes, but at our ability to generate the best possible outcome with the least amount of pain.
If you’ve never challenged yourself to be a risk manager as well as a project manager, I encourage you to give it a whirl. You’re going to manage risks anyhow, so you might as well follow a sound structure. Join us for two days of virtual training in August! Read the Pearson book on PMI-RMP® Prep that I wrote. You don’t have to sit for the exam to get benefit from the insights in the book. No matter how you’re going to go about it, get to work risk-wise. And when you minimize some really obnoxious threat or leverage some amazing opportunity, you’ll realize that you didn’t want “risk-free”, you wanted to be a champion in the risk arena.
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Carl Pritchard has been the risk guy for over 30 years now, leveraging his risk management insights for clients around the globe. He’s written ten texts, presented keynotes, and is currently thrilled to be a Stage 4 cancer patient whose “expiration date” keeps moving further and further into the future. He’s still teaching (both in-person and virtual) and welcomes your questions and comments at carl@carlpritchard.com or with a visit to his website at www.carlpritchard.com.
