Customer Reviews

Identifying and Managing Project Risk: Essential Tools for Failure-Proofing Your Project

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This volume may be the best one I have ever read on the subject of risk in the project arena. Kendrick has captured the best of current practical thinking on project risk and how to identify and manage it. And the author has carefully linked theory and practice to the Project Management Institute's "Project Mangement Body of Knowledge." In addition this book is exceedingly well written and very readable (a rarity in this genre).
Kendrick approaches risk identification from the perspective of the project manager in the areas of scope (project deliverables and product), resources (people, materials, and money), and schedule (time). He addresses each area in a separate chapter with practical advice on how to identify and document potential risks. An aspect of these three chapters I particularly appreciate is the depth of information that allows the reader to address each area of risk at different levels. Kendrick does this by providing an array of analytical tools. For example in Chapter 4, "Identifying Project Schedule Risks," the reader could use the list of common schedule risks and probably account for 80% of the schedule risks for their project, or move to a deeper analysis of risks associated with delays, dependencies, and errors in estimation. In the area of estimation the reader is presented with an array of estimating techniques that can be used as appropriate to detect potential risks in estimation.
Chapter seven on "Quantifying and Analyzing Activity Risk" appears just in time. After reading the first six chapters the reader may throw up their hands and declare "I can't manage all of this!" As an experienced project manager, Kendrick gives us tools to help select the risks to manage. All potential risks on a project are not manageable or worth the time and effort to manage. This chapter gives sage advice on how to select the vital few.
A key element in Kendrick's approach is distinguishing what he calls "activity risk" from "project risk." It is easy for the project manager to focus on risks associated with various activities and forget the larger picture. In fact there may be times when the risks associated with each activity seem minor but when the project is viewed as a whole the project is very risky. Kendrick provides tools for quantifying and analyzing risk at the project level as well as a chapter on managing project level risk.
I end this review with three overall comments. First, pages 17-24 should be required reading for all senior managers and anyone who sponsors a project and there should be a test at the end. The biggest risk for too many projects is unknowing, unthinking, or uncaring managers who are driven by near term profits and stock prices. Second, readers should not be put off by Kendrick's inclusion of statistical and mathematical information. Such information comprises less than 5% of this book and it would be a shame to miss the other 95% due to a fear and loathing of numbers. Finally, if you can't find any other reason to read this gem, read it for the intriguing history of the building of the Panama Canal. If Kendrick ever decides to stop managing projects, he has a bright future as a writer of interesting history.

Reviewed by Al DeLucia
Director
Project Management Division
GSA, Philadelphia

Anyone who - like me -- has struggled to relate the abstract discussion of Risk Management in the PMBOK to actual project management practice will welcome this down-to-earth presentation. This book shows how to incorporate risk management into the planning of your project along the way - the entire way -- of the project development sequence.

Mr. Kendrick had many years of practical project management experience with Hewlett- Packard and headed their in-house project management training and consulting program. Over a period of 10 years, he trained hundreds of project managers at HP, in other organizations world-wide, and at the University of California at Berkeley and systematically collected information about the most significant risks they had encountered in their projects. The result is a database called PERIL (Project Experience Risk Information Library), that contains 222 projects sorted into risk categories based on type and impact. In this book, these results are integrated with the PMBOK processes of project development in a way that shows what project management is really all about.

Anecdotes from the construction of the Panama Canal are interestingly presented at the ends of the chapters. These describe how the concepts of each chapter were applied - or not - first by the French in their failed attempt to build the canal, and then by the Americans in their successful endeavor under the sponsorship of Teddy Roosevelt.

This book provides an overview on how to manage certain types of project risks (some risks are not covered, e.g. financial) and, implicitly, only IT projects and not other types of projects (e.g. construction). Like many books on this topic, the treatment is uneven. The strengths are its logical structure and clear exposition. I knocked off 2 stars because a) there is a disconnect between the text (mostly IT-related) and case study (building of Panama Canal), and b) neglect of contractual issues, the key instrument of risk management. This is the book for you to read if you have no idea about project risk management.

As the other reviewers have indicated, this book is an excellent addition to your library.

It is well-written, well-organized, and supported by real-life data from his PERIL database (compiled from hundreds of projects, world-wide, over the past decade). The book makes good use of bullets and diagrams to emphasize and/or explain important points.

I particularly liked the way he correlated his material with the Project Management Institute (PMI)'s PMBOK.

Further, I appreciated his discussion of some of the most difficult issues that arise when implementing a formalized project management methodology (including some that are seldom addressed in books), e.g.:

o Tips for persuading senior level management of the necessity of a formalized project management methodology

o Recognizing the power shift that occurs within a company when formalized project management/portfolio management processes are implemented and followed

o Metrics, derived from the PERIL database, relating to things such as the impact of the permanent (or temporary) loss of a project team member. (I'm always looking for metrics to support some business case, or other request to senior management, for additional ... time ... resources ... budget, etc.)

o The Appendix, which listed some of the Schedule, Resource and Scope risks from the PERIL database

o The sample Risk Questionnaire, and the many other tools, tip and procedures included in the book

Overall, I give it five stars and expect that it will become "dog-eared" very quickly, from heavy use, as I refer to it often in my work.

This book was very dry and did have sentence structure that was hard to follow at times. Kendrick gives some good examples and walks you through risk management well, but this book is for the more advanced project manager. This book is not ideal for a student learning risk management for the first time.

This risk management book provides a good overview of the risk management process from start to finish, and provides examples from technical projects. The text guides the reader through the three steps of risk identification, assessment, and management, and discusses the difference between macro-management of risk at a corporate or portfolio level, and micro-management of risk at the project level.

The book stresses the need for an understanding of each facet of the project in order to identify areas of risk. There is a very strong emphasis on scheduling, with many good suggestions regarding risk reduction, and the timing of risky activities during the course of the project. The information provided is largely qualitative, with some brief discussion about quantitative analysis, methods, and risk assessment tools. Some of the quantitative methods described are specifically for IT projects, with criteria such as technology, architecture, and system complexity. The material in the book relies heavily on the PMI Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, 2000 edition (PMBOK).

The bulk of the book focuses on good risk management techniques, decision-making, and project planning. Management tools, such as root cause analysis, diagnostic project metrics, and financial metrics, are described in detail. The author provides the reader with a broad scope of information regarding risk management, and the book is an excellent resource for those who seek an introduction or refreshment of good project management and risk management concepts.

This book is a great read on identifying potential pitfalls in risk assessment. Identifying project risk is essential to successful project management.

I use Tom's book as supplemental reading to the basic PMBOK for students in my PM Risk classes. I love the fact that it is illustrutive of the concepts introduced and discussed in the PMBOK. His book enhances the learning experience. They gain knowledge from his own experience as well as the additional knowledge from the case study used throughout the book. It is helpful for all to put concepts together with real-life events in order to make it all come full circle.

This is a very readable book that provides some good overviews of managing risk. There are more in depth books out there, but this is a worthy addition to a project manager's bookshelf.

Recommended.

I found the book well written, easy to read and follow and packed with a lot of good information. I used the book to help respond to a proposal for IT risk management. I used a lot of information from the book to help write our response to the proposal. The author does a good job of explaining the process and procedures for a sound organizational risk management program. I definitely recommend this book to anyone wanting to start a risk management program at their company.