Managing Project Issues

In this chapter

• Learn why an effective issue management process is vital to project success
• Understand why the project manager is the most important element in the issue management process
• Understand the subtle differences between managing risks, issues, and defects
• Learn the key principles and best practices for managing project issues
• Learn which data points are essential to your issue management system
• Understand the limitations of the common Issue Log approach

Projects are dynamic, projects often deal with the "new" and the "leading edge," and projects involve people. As a result, circumstances are going to change, misunderstandings occur, assumptions don't hold, political agendas collide, problems arise, and risk events happen. These situations are categorized as project issues, and they all have the potential to adversely affect the project's ability to accomplish its objectives.

To minimize the potential impact of these obstacles on our project objectives, we need to have a proactive plan for effectively managing project issues. In this chapter, we will focus on the key elements of that plan. We will review the principles, best practices, and project manager skills that are essential to effectively managing project issues. In addition, we will touch on the important elements of your issue management system and make sure you are aware of the common challenges faced by project managers in this arena.