Managing project issues is an example of proactive project management. Through solid planning, effective stakeholder management, and insightful risk management, you can reduce the number of issues your project will encounter, but you cannot eliminate them. The goal of project issue management is to detect issues as early as possible. The earlier an issue is identified, the greater the chance of resolving the issue before it can affect any of the project’s critical success factors.
The objective of project issue management is to identify, record, track, resolve, and communicate all issues that might adversely impact the project. Translated: write them down (so you don’t lose sight of them) and take care of them (get on it). To accomplish this objective, we need to review the associated principles. The principles of issue management fall into two main categories: an administrative process and a project manager mindset.
- Administrative process principles—To properly manage project issues, there are a few administrative fundamentals to adhere to:
- Document the issues—You need somewhere to log the issues as they are identified. We discuss the log details later.
- Track until closure—Use the log to make sure issues remain visible until they are resolved.
- Align with project needs—Ensure the overall process matches the communication and workflow needs of the project.
- Cost-effective approach—Keep things in perspective. Don’t buy a BMW when a Chevrolet is all you need.
- Project manager mindset principles—More than anything, effective issue management is an attitude and an approach. The following terms describe the mindset principles that a project manager needs to have in this arena:
- Ringmaster—As the project manager, you operate as the focal point for tackling project issues. You are the gatekeeper. You are the one who must get the right people involved at the right time to make sure issues are resolved. In addition, some issues require the input of several different parties to resolve. You need to facilitate this process.
- Smiling bulldog—Your goal is to resolve issues as quickly as possible and to stay with them until they are resolved. Be persistent. This is the “bulldog” mentality. However, you need to do this with a smile. Leverage your interpersonal strengths to do this, while still building relationships.
- Swivel-head—Just as with risks, you need to constantly be looking for trouble—that is, trouble for your project. Sometimes issues come disguised as questions or nonverbal communications. When in doubt, ask questions and verify. The effect of most issues can be mitigated if they are detected early and resolved quickly with the right buy-in.
- Goaltender—Just as good goaltenders do not let anything get by them, good project managers let no issue go unnoticed or unresolved. In addition, the subtle intensity displayed by the project manager here helps to set expectations with the project team and signals to all stakeholders that they will be held accountable for getting issues resolved.
- Disciplined—To be effective, you need a fair amount of discipline. You need the discipline to log the issues and follow the process. In the whirlwind of most project environments, it is easy to let these slip.
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