Risk management is not project management • Hacker News Board

Re: Risk management is not project management

#81

Post by el0hel » Mon, Dec 18, 2023, 7:05 PM UTC

mhss wrote: post #38

I've always seen risk management as essential to project management, not a separate concept. It's a way to manage expectations. The same work and results will get you a very different outcome if you managed risk and expectations from the start.

OP here. I think I did a poor job of communicating this exact point. I agree with you - risk management is a part of good project management. The point I was attempting to convey is when organizations consider projects (or project tasks) as managed when all they've done is shift risk without consideration of the ability to _actually_ accomplish said project/task. The myopic focus on risk can get in the way of _actual_ accomplishment.

Re: Risk management is not project management

#82

Post by bumby » Mon, Dec 18, 2023, 8:59 PM UTC

el0hel wrote: post #80

bumby wrote: post #27

I would argue that what the author describes is not risk management. It's a CYA game. Risk management is a part of project management. Real risk management identifies risk and defines mitigations to bring the risk down to an acceptable level. Passing the buck doesn't address the true risk; it only addresses the risk of who is accountable. Imagine a scenario where you need a new water heater in your home. One of the r…

Thanks for the feedback. I agree that risk management is a part of project management. What I, perhaps unclearly, was communicating is that people and organizations can often conflate the two. A project is not managed if all you've focused on are the risks. They are related, but distinct things. Let's take your example and apply it to my post. Imagine I need a new water heater. I found a contractor/company to come an…

It's a good blog post and highlights a real issue. As discussed well in this thread, there may be incentives that make PMs weigh certain risks higher, but I'm struggling to come up with a project manager task that isn't, in some way or another, about managing risk. I would be curious if you have specific examples you're thinking of. I agree with you in terms of many people conflating the two; i.e., they pretend they've mitigated a risk but all they've done is pass the buck. As you point out, they've confused themselves about what risk management really is.

Regarding the extension of the water heater example, I get what you're aiming at, but I'm not sure I agree. I deliberately used the term "licensed" because that is a risk management mechanism. Credentials and legal structures are a way we can manage risk. In this case, a license is a mechanism to ensure the work is insured in case it's done incorrectly. A bonded contract is another mechanism that mitigates the risk that the contractor won't complete the work. An inspector is a mechanism to manage the risk that the installation wasn't performed to code. None of these require me to know about mechanical systems, or hoop stress vs. longitudinal stress, or any other design elements. Now I agree on a simple example, this may be stretching the analogy. But when we get to really complex projects, I don't think it's entirely reasonable for a PM to be familiar with the aspects to that degree. Of course it's preferential, but on some projects I've been a part of, it's all but impossible for a PM to be knowledgable about control theory, and environmental compliance, and aerodynamics, and material science, and contract law etc. to a sufficient degree to manage the risk themselves. That's why they have systems engineers, codes, inspectors, and quality assurance plans, etc. These are the frameworks for risk management.

Re: Risk management is not project management

#83

Post by mhss » Tue, Dec 19, 2023, 2:26 AM UTC

el0hel wrote: post #81

mhss wrote: post #38

I've always seen risk management as essential to project management, not a separate concept. It's a way to manage expectations. The same work and results will get you a very different outcome if you managed risk and expectations from the start.

OP here. I think I did a poor job of communicating this exact point. I agree with you - risk management is a part of good project management. The point I was attempting to convey is when organizations consider projects (or project tasks) as managed when all they've done is shift risk without consideration of the ability to _actually_ accomplish said project/task. The myopic focus on risk can get in the way of _actual…

Appreciate the clarification. It's a good write up either way!

Re: Risk management is not project management

#84

Post by mhss » Tue, Dec 19, 2023, 2:28 AM UTC

spc476 wrote: post #62

mhss wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree, but it's a hard balance to strike and depends on the writer's target audience. RACI is a pretty common acronym for anyone doing project management professionally. I'd not define REST, HTTP, etc; in an engineering doc.

How hard is it to use ?

Details can be hard, even if small. Don't get me wrong, I try to do it myself every time I write, but I often find myself wondering if it's worth to link to a definition or will it be too obvious and come across as condescending. Maybe is just me.