Knowing the right questions can make or break a technology project. How do you know you’re getting what you paid for? How do you know that a prescribed solution will fit the needs of your organization? Seasoned project managers will agree that project oversight is becoming more common as the complexity of technology projects increases each year. TAG can provide the necessary oversight services for you technology projects no matter their size.
As each project phase is initiated, the Amicus project manager will create an initial Risk Breakdown Structure, which is similar to a project work breakdown and organizes risks in a hierarchical structure. The project teams will review these risks and identify additional, more specific risks during the detail work-planning process. Once the risks have been identified and categorized, it is important to document these risks for tracking and monitoring throughout the project life cycle. A continuous process must be established in the project to help ensure that project risks at each level of the project structure correlate and are integrated. Risks can arise from several different sources but can be generally categorized into one of the following categories.
| Category | Potential Risks |
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Objectives What is the size of the project? Does this project fit our core business? Is the project functionally simple? Are there many people who can accurately define requirements? Is the subject area well documented? Are related projects well documented? |
The project scope may be too large to control. Loss of business or business failure. Complexity may create insurmountable implementation problems. Key personnel could leave. Delays occur because of misunderstanding crucial subject areas. Problems associated with previous projects may haunt the effort. |
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Change Does the project use existing user procedures? Will organizational changes be minimal? Are most users located in a single area? |
Users may resist new business processes. Users may sabotage the effort. Inaccurate information may delay the project. |
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Technology Is proven hardware being used? Is proven software being used? Can custom programming be avoided? Does the project use common technology? Is the quality of existing data good? |
Hardware proves incompatible with operating environment. Software bugs delay or prevent implementation. Documentation for custom-designed programs is poor. Overcoming technical complexities causes delays. Substantial data cleanup delays the conversion. |
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Scope Is the project scope well-defined and agreed on? Is the project approach well-defined and agreed on? |
Project may actually be much larger than envisioned. Project may be delayed because of disputes over approach. |
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Organization Are people’s roles clearly defined? Are users committed to the project? Is staff able to commit sufficient time to the project? Are the required skills available? Are backup personnel available for all project roles? Are political and personal relationships good? Is the project dependent on subcontractors? Can a small team accomplish the project? Does the project have strong and visible sponsorship? |
Conflicts among team members may create turmoil. Users may not complete assigned tasks. Critical path activities may be delayed. Extra costs may be incurred acquiring the required skills. Non-availability of key staff may directly affect delivery. Project failure may be desirable for political reasons. Subcontractors may perform poorly. Poor-quality deliverables may be produced because the team is too large. The project may have inadequate senior-level support. |
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Experience Is the team familiar with the technology? Are the users familiar with the technology? Is the technology well supported? |
Learning curve may be much longer than anticipated. Required training may be resisted. Vendor financial instability may result in low level of support. |
TAG can help you plan for and address these risks, allowing for your project hours to be spent on what matters most – results. Contact us to learn more about how we can help keep your projects on track and on budget.