To maintain a project, one needs to check all possible issues and risks. With that, they need to resolve with an effective plan. An issue may cause hindrances in the project and can affect the result of the project.
However, a risk may not have any effect on a project. Thus, these are very different from each other. Yet, people tend to see them as similar things.
Key Takeaways
- Current problems negatively impact a project, while risks represent potential future threats.
- Risk management involves identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks, whereas issue management focuses on resolving current problems.
- Proactively addressing risks can prevent them from becoming issues, ensuring a smoother project execution.
Issue vs Risk Project Management
An issue in project management is a problem or impediment to the progress of a project that must be addressed immediately with a plan of action. A risk is a potential future problem that could negatively impact progress and needs contingency plans.
Issue Project Management deals with the issues faced by the team at present. It is needed to be immediately resolved to complete the project as soon as possible. There might be a possibility of delay in receiving material.
The issue has a lower impact on the project, although it may be unfavourable but easier to tackle. However, a plan is still required to resolve the issue for the smooth flow of the project.
Risk Project Management deals with the risks which the team can face in the future. It doesn’t need to be resolved immediately. But, it needs to be considered as the project moves forward.
The issue may have varying impacts on the project, although it may be harder to tackle. Thus, a plan may be required with an elaborative explanation is required to guarantee the completion of the project.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Issue Project Management | Risk Project Management |
|---|---|---|
| Deals | Issue management deals with problems that are being faced by the team presently. | Risk Project Management deals with the problems that can be faced by the team in the future. |
| Impact | Issues have a negative impact. | Risks may or may not have a negative impact. |
| Action plan | The Issue requires an effective and action plan immediately to resolve it as soon as possible. | Risk management requires an action plan with an elaborative explanation. |
| Easier to tackle | Issues are easier to manage as they are already discussed in risk project management. | Risks are harder to tackle as it requires a clearer action plan with an explanation. |
| Resolvation duration | Issues need to be resolved immediately within a short span. | Risks are resolved later. |
What is Issue Project Management?
Project management involves a lot of steps, such as planning, organizing, strategizing, monitoring, and execution. To complete a project, every issue needs to be resolved to get the ultimate result.
While monitoring a project, one can get an insight into what is causing an issue in it.
Issue project management is used to resolve any issue the team faces. The issue is needed to resolve as soon as possible since they can hinder the process of the project.
Resolving an issue gives surety of no delays in the project’s completion. Although, the issue is not risky.
Yet, they are needed to be checked and resolved. Issues are easier to resolve and less impactful. But, they might be unfavourable.
The issue’s significance is occurring at present, unlike risk. It has a negative impact on the project, therefore it needs to consider.
Issues can be the resignation of a team member, a team member taking a vacation, new functionality, new changes, delay in material, etc. Thus, issue project management is always focused on the present, and the impact is always negative.
An issue can be minimized if project managers identify all possible issues in a project and come up with an effective plan to tackle those issues.
What is Risk Project Management?
As project management includes several steps to complete a project without any hassle. A part also tackles the risks that can come across.
Risks project management deals with the risks that might happen in the future. Thus, a plan is being made to tackle that only. But it should be elaborative, clear, and effective.
It doesn’t need to resolve immediately, however, it may have a positive or negative effect. The effect of the risk is unknown in the project. Since it doesn’t happen in the present, therefore it doesn’t need an immediate resolution.
However, coming up with a plan may help in the future as the project goes on smoothly.
Identifying all possible risk minimize the major impact on the project. Further, it can be more impactful, although it may or may not have a negative effect on the project.
Risks can include critical resources that might leave the project, a team member may leave or might take a vacation during the critical time of the project, unanticipated changes, and new changes.
The risk doesn’t happen in the future, although it may be negative or positive.
If project managers identify all possible risks and devise an effective and clear plan to tackle that risks.
Main Differences Between Issue and Risk Project Management
Issue and risk are some of the problems faced during handling a project. Thus, project management is required to tackle those issues or risks. However, risk and issue are very different from each other. Yet, people seem to take them as similar.
- Issue management deals with problems that are being faced by the team presently, while Risk Project Management deals with the problems that the team can face in the future.
- Issues have a negative impact, while risks may or may not have a negative impact.
- The Issue requires an effective action plan immediately to resolve it as soon as possible. In contrast, risk management requires an action plan with an elaborative explanation.
- Issues are easier to manage as they are already discussed in risk project management. Meanwhile, Risks are harder to tackle as they require a clearer action plan and explanation.
- Issues need to be resolved in a short period. While risks are resolved later.
References
- https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/875697280003100103
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0263786399000368
Last Updated : 13 July, 2023
I’ve put so much effort writing this blog post to provide value to you. It’ll be very helpful for me, if you consider sharing it on social media or with your friends/family. SHARING IS ♥️
Chara Yadav holds MBA in Finance. Her goal is to simplify finance-related topics. She has worked in finance for about 25 years. She has held multiple finance and banking classes for business schools and communities. Read more at her bio page.
The comparison of issue and risk project management is thorough and insightful. However, a more concise presentation of the differences could further enhance the clarity of the concepts discussed.
The article provided a clear and informative differentiation between issue and risk project management. I appreciate the emphasis on the importance of resolving issues proactively for smooth project execution.
The comparison table is particularly helpful in distinguishing between Issue and Risk Project Management. It provides a structured format for understanding their differences. However, the article could be more engaging with real-life examples.
The article’s academic references help establish its credibility and authority in discussing issue and risk project management. Its scholarly approach enriches the understanding of the concepts.
The article’s detailed explanation of issue and risk project management is commendable. It effectively communicates the importance of proactively addressing risks to prevent them from becoming issues.
This piece provides a comprehensive understanding of issue and risk project management. The clearly defined impact, action plan, and resolvation duration clarify the nuanced differences between the two.