Keeping your IT project risk assessments agile

 Pace with change.

Photo by Lala Azizli on Unsplash

As anyone who’s ever managed a large IT project knows, change is the only constant. No matter how meticulously you plan, unforeseen issues are inevitable. When I first started in this industry over 15 years ago, I learned this lesson the hard way.

Like many young project managers, I approached risk assessment with a “set it and forget it” mindset. We did our due diligence upfront, mapped out all possible risks, and made contingency plans. Then I called it a day, confident we had covered every base. Big mistake! Requirements shifted, key people left, and optimistic assumptions fell through — yet our risk document gathered dust on the shelf. Problems snowballed with no framework to adjust the course in real-time.

It wasn’t until I crashed and burned on a few projects that I realized risk assessments need ongoing flexibility to truly serve their purpose. So these days, agility is my number one priority from day one. A living, breathing process beats tucked-away binders any day. Here are some tactics I’ve found keep things nimble through ever-changing times:

Frequent Check-Ins

Now I schedule biweekly risk meetings where we re-examine our list. Even little tweaks like changing a severity level end up guiding priorities wisely. These check-ins also catch subtle evolution that static docs miss.

Dynamic Parameters

We use a color-coded impact/likelihood scale calibrated meeting-to-meeting. Things like network security ranked low initially but grew critical; our scaling adjusts astutely.

Distributed Accountability

Each risk domain has cross-team point people who flag any needed updates. Transparent owners drive holistic, real-time awareness versus siloed blind spots.

Stakeholder Workshops

We bring together end users, customer success, and vendors every quarter to leverage diverse perspectives. New pain points surface dormant exposures for proactive triage.

Agile Responses

Our initial mitigation strategies remain semi-documented for flexibility. Plans change, as does pivot nimbly versus rigidity.

Collaborative Platform

Ditching spreadsheets keeps our living risk bible hosted jointly online versus disjointed static snapshots.

Dynamic Prioritization

Continually ranking risks based on the newest intel allocates resources smartly. Emergent high threats may bump others down accordingly.

Open Communication

Routinely updating all involved makes evolving dynamics clear to everyone for shared navigation of uncertainties.

Maintaining an adaptive approach means constantly revisiting dynamics collaboratively yet agilely. Accuracy stems from real-time responsiveness, not assumptions made long ago. An evolving process proves more navigational than preconceptions, as plans diverge from predictions. Flexibility keeps risk assessments pace-setting rather than pace-lagging in ever-changing times.