How do you manage risks when your engineering team disagrees?

1 Understand the sources of disagreement

The first step to managing risks when your engineering team disagrees is to understand the sources of disagreement. Why do your team members have different views on the risks? Are they based on different data, methods, experiences, or perspectives? Are they influenced by personal, professional, or organizational biases? Are they aware of the project goals, constraints, and stakeholders? By clarifying the reasons behind the disagreement, you can identify the gaps, conflicts, or misunderstandings that need to be resolved.

2 Facilitate constructive dialogue

The second step to managing risks when your engineering team disagrees is to facilitate constructive dialogue. You want to create a safe and respectful environment where your team members can share their opinions, listen to each other, and learn from each other. You can use various techniques, such as brainstorming, risk matrix, fishbone diagram, or SWOT analysis, to help your team visualize, compare, and evaluate the risks. You can also invite external experts, consultants, or mentors to provide objective feedback or guidance.

3 Seek consensus or compromise

The third step to managing risks when your engineering team disagrees is to seek consensus or compromise. You want to reach a common understanding and agreement on the most important and relevant risks, and how to prioritize and address them. You can use various methods, such as voting, ranking, scoring, or weighting, to help your team make decisions based on criteria, evidence, or logic. You can also use various strategies, such as negotiation, trade-off, or concession, to help your team find a balance between their preferences and the project needs.

4 Document and communicate the decisions

The fourth step to managing risks when your engineering team disagrees is to document and communicate the decisions. You want to record the outcomes of the risk management process, including the identified risks, their impacts, probabilities, and responses. You also want to communicate the decisions to your team members, stakeholders, and sponsors, and explain the rationale, benefits, and implications of the chosen risk management plan. This will help you build trust, transparency, and accountability among your team and other parties involved.

5 Monitor and review the risks

The fifth step to managing risks when your engineering team disagrees is to monitor and review the risks. You want to track the progress and performance of the risk management plan, and measure its effectiveness and efficiency. You also want to review the risks regularly, and update them as the project evolves or new information emerges. You can use various tools, such as dashboards, reports, or audits, to help you collect, analyze, and share the risk data. You can also use various techniques, such as feedback, lessons learned, or retrospectives, to help you improve your risk management practices.

6 Encourage continuous learning

The sixth step to managing risks when your engineering team disagrees is to encourage continuous learning. You want to foster a culture of curiosity, innovation, and collaboration among your team members, and help them develop their risk management skills and knowledge. You can use various opportunities, such as training, coaching, mentoring, or peer review, to help your team learn from their successes and failures, and from each other. You can also use various incentives, such as recognition, reward, or career development, to motivate your team to embrace risk management as a core competency.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?