There is no project that I have experienced till now which did not have issues and I believe none of such projects exists either. Risks and issues are part and parcel of every project and there are wide number of books written explaining how to deal with them.

Looking at various project managers working on the issues and loosing track many a times, I thought of writing some simple tips I followed in those other projects.

Let us understand clearly what is issue? Issue is any situation or condition where an identified or unidentified risk materializes beyond control and need to be handled at that moment. There are also situations wherein you see it as issue but like to overlook or ignore because you don’t have any control over them.

Issues

There could be very detailed process and procedures in organizations to deal with but these tips are generic in nature and could be applied at any point of time.

When you have these issues that need to be attended then some simple actions can show how serious you are dealing with them and effectively.


  • Meetings - As soon as you feel that there is an issue  and needs a discussion, go ahead and schedule a meeting with concerned or if you feel it can take some time, put a reminder in your calendar about it. In some cases you may need to go ahead and discuss with some individuals instantly then go ahead, don’t hesitate. It is your project.
  • Call up your internal team and discuss about the issue. It is very important that you and your team are in synch.
  • Discuss issue thread bare to understand each detail without jumping into any decisions. Many times I have seen the decision maker involves himself so much into it such that he sees issue from only one side. Listen to all and keep up your emotions and decisions apart till you feel discussions are completed.
  • When you feel its time to make decision then go ahead and communicate it clearly and precisely such that no ambiguity exists among others.
  • Do not hesitate to send out follow up meeting invites then and there in the meeting to all or with whomever required while members are along at the end of meeting.
  • If you have tasks for different folks at different time then clearly mention it out communicate in whatever means of official communication you adopt.
  • If you need to schedule a reminder in others calendar, go ahead with it. This could only show how serious you are about the matter and following it up rather than bugging others calendar.
  • Once issue is set to close, send out mail or setup meeting to thank all. During subsequent meetings make a point to discuss about it and thank them and identify lessons learned. Let members know the role they played by them in resolving and their actions are appreciated.