Resilience Safeguarding
Now imagine achieving those results without having to fundamentally change the way you do things.
That’s the promise of our Project Risk Maturity (PRIMA) method. Enhancing your ability to identify big-ticket catastrophic risks while avoiding the ‘death by a thousand cuts’ which, even if not ultimately fatal, insidiously eat away at your profit margins.
A rule-based project management system has its merits. It’s required for organizational governance and control, for starters. But compliance doesn’t guarantee a successful project. Preventing value erosion during project execution requires a more ‘right-brained’ attitude.
In a changing and uncertain, complex project environment, risk detecting means developing vigilance. In some ways, it’s more passive than active, a receptiveness to novelty—being alert to a ‘glitch in the Matrix’—and trusting gut feelings. This requires a ‘no-blame culture’ where people can feel safe flagging issues. Many organizations already have this as part of their occupational safety, so it’s not a stretch to attune antennae with greater sensitivity to project risk.
Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you
To deliver a large complex project takes a certain kind of optimism. But this must be tempered with a low-level dose of worrying that can counter overconfidence. This is often where we bring the most value. Very often we know the terrain, or at least are alert to the signals, recognizing patterns and seeing the usual project information through different lenses. We can act as a guide while introducing lead indicators, such as a drop in productivity rates, that help join the dots.
Keeping on track
When we’re brought in mid-project, we quickly get a sense of maturity levels by how quickly technical queries and simple information requests are answered. Performance assessing can indicate anything from engineering issues that could be problematic down the line or potential hold ups in equipment delivery. Uncovering areas of less competence could indicate problems or ‘claims building’ for some future dispute.
When events on the ground force you from your plan, you need to consider alternatives. While scenario planning helps foresight, options analysis is part of the oversight process. These services ultimately help teams move from a ‘command and control’ model to one of empowered execution (‘commander’s intent’ in military terms). Teams develop an ability to perceive and preempt risks, eliminating the need for ‘heroic endeavour’ and moving to predictable professional performance.
To better understand what we actually do, dive into the stories below.