How do you communicate project risks and issues to senior management and clients?

Risk management is not just a photo of the moment. It is a live process, which should be update and analyzed at least in a weekly basis. Every single identified risk must have: - A risk owner - Impact / severity - Risk response - An action plan, with date and responsible - Escalation matrix if necessary The same should be use to issues.

One thing I find helpful when sharing issues and risks with executive-level leaders is grouping related issues/risks by trending department, organization or industry common items. The ability for example to group risks or issues related to industry specific resource limitations, covid impacts, or demands on supply chain can help steer actions larger than the individual project or program.

Communication is critical in project management. I believe that a pragamatic approach is the best as well as simplification of the message. We need to clearly identify and prioritize risks and issues - to have an issues log with information of the risks by project area, department and theme is a great tool for the project management and facilitates grately the task of structuring a presentation. It's important also to consider the environment/context of the project and the organization. Risks and their impact and probability can vary with a change in the environment/context of both the project and the organization.

Antes de comunicar qualquer risco ou problema, você precisa identificá-lo e categorizá-lo de acordo com seu impacto, probabilidade e urgência, um risco pode ou n?o ocorrer, ent?o defina suas prioridades e se planeje para evitar os mais importantes.

I like to set up to regular meetings to communicate risks and issues: >> A weekly status report meeting to communicate risks and issues to the project team and some stakeholders >> A monthly Executive commit meeting to communicate escalated risks and issues to c-level and main stakeholders. But if you have discovery that you have a serious risk or issue, maybe the best way to communicate it is a phone or video call to the project sponsor / project executive, to discuss if you need an emergency executive meeting.

De acordo com a gravidade de cada situa??o, você precisa escolher como comunicar e a frequência que vai informar a administra??o e os clientes do status dos riscos e problemas, evite surpresas ou atrasos que possam enfraquecer a confian?a e os prazos acordados.

Quando você comunica um risco ou problema, precisa adaptar sua mensagem ao seu público e considerar suas expectativas, preocupa??es e preferências, se coloque no lugar do seu público, seja objetivo e foque nos principais impactos no custo, escopo e tempo do projeto.

I have found that dashboards facilitate this communication starting with summary information a great way to start with drilldown views for audience specifics. This grounds everyone to looking at the same data but in different snapshots or perspectives relevant to audience. For example a count by company with breakdowns into department. Executive, Program or Project and then issue or impact.

A comunica??o eficaz é fundamental para manter todos alinhados e garantir o sucesso do projeto. Use preferencialmente uma linhagem clara e objetiva, onde além de apresentar os problemas e riscos, apresente as possíveis solu??es corretivas, inclusive já calculadas as medidas de execu??o (tempo x custo x esfor?o). Se possível apresente o mesmo documento/dados identificados a todos os envolvidos, porém adapte a agenda de apresenta??o e o discurso ao público que receberá a notícia. Exemplo: para o time mais técnico, talvez seja necessário algumas informa??es mais técnicas e detalhadas, diferente de uma comunica??o aos executivos.

Risk or issue management are just not a photo in a document. It is a live process, which should be update and analyzed at least in a weekly basis. In my projects I like to have a weekly Risk session with the project team, where for every risk with high probability or impact, we could discuss the status, if something changed, analyze the risk response, and update the action plan. All these information is communicated to the project team in the weekly status report meeting and to senior management in the steering committee meeting.

Communicate project risks in subsea and renewable energy by providing clear, concise updates. For example, in wind projects, highlight potential delays due to adverse weather during turbine installation. In grid connections, emphasize challenges in transmission planning. Use visual aids, risk matrices, and regular meetings to ensure transparency. Tailor communication to senior management and clients, focusing on impact and mitigation strategies for effective risk management.

In risk management, timely communication is a must. If you discovered a severe risk, with high probability to happen, don’t wait to discuss with the team and main stakeholders. Prepare the risk analysis, risk strategy and contingency plan and schedule an emergency steering meeting.