Stacy set down her camera bag and joined Jim and Bob at the table, “I just heard a very thoughtful quote from Admiral Ernest King. He said, ‘The mark of a great ship handler is never getting in a situation that requires great ship handling skills’. That started me thinking about projects and risk management.”

Jim replied, “I used to think that risk management meant knowing when to have the team work over-time and scheduling a weekend. That Admiral is talking about avoiding the need. So, how do you two avoid the issues before you have to solve them?”

Stacy answered, “When they talked about the Admiral’s quote, one example they discussed was to call a tug to bring the ship into port instead of doing it yourself. It seems like more effort and time, but it is much lower risk. So, I’d say that one answer is knowing when to get expert help.”

Susan joined in the conversation, “I like to look ahead at the project and try to spot the weak points. Tasks assigned to a ‘light’ resource, maybe somebody with less experience. Or inherently difficult tasks, or possible bottle necks in the critical path.”

Bob chimed in, “Or resource availability, whether human resource or material. If you need something for a task, and it’s not available, you end up with a work crew that is just standing around.”

Jim asks, “So what do you do about that?”

Susan replied, “When I plan ahead and spot a potential risk, I like to have one or two backup plans thought through and ready. If the risk is serious, I’ll even put the contingency right into the project plan documents. That way, I’m not trying to solve a problem at the time it occurs. Often, because I’ve thought it through, I see the risk becoming a reality, and can go to the backup plan before it is a realized problem.”

“Sure,” said Bob, “for instance, I’d rather have a crew assigned to doing something else if I really suspect that some material will be a day or two late. That’s a lot better than realizing that the material will be late when the crew shows up. It takes more planning up front, and sometimes planning for things that never happen, but prevents a lot of wasted time.”

Jim jumped in, “But, when it does hit the fan, you already have a plan in place. Sounds, like you try to put your plan into action even before it hits the fan.”

Stacy finished her lunch saying, “That’s what works for me, knowing when to have a contingency, just in case. Knowing when to get an expert, thinking through the ‘what-ifs’.”

As they were getting ready to leave, Jim wrapped up, “Sounds like a pretty smart Admiral there.”