Identifying Project Risks

The rewards of investigating potential project risks always outweigh the time investment made in doing so; therefore, no project manager should overlook this vital step. Identifying potential risks and their causes and impacts can spell the difference between a project that reaches a successful conclusion and one that does not. In this course, learners will continue to learn about processes within the Project Risk Management knowledge area. It covers the best practices outlined in A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Fourth Edition published by the Project Management Institute (PMI®). Specifically, learners will be introduced to the second of six processes: Identify Risks. The course covers risk identification methods such as group information gathering techniques, diagramming techniques, and SWOT, assumptions, and checklist analyses. The results of these methods are compiled in the risk register, which is also covered in detail. This course provides a foundational knowledge base reflecting the most up-to-date project management information so learners can effectively put principles to work at their own organizations. This course will assist in preparing the learner for the PMBOK® Guide certification exam. This course is aligned with the PMBOK® Guide – Fourth Edition, published by PMI®, Inc., 2008. Copyright and all rights reserved. Material from this publication has been reproduced with the permission of PMI®.

Target Audience

Existing project managers wishing to get certified in recognition of their skills and experience, or others who wish to train to become accredited project managers

Expected Duration (hours)
2.0

Lesson Objectives

Identifying Project Risks

• Identify inputs to the Identify Risks process
• Identify activities that should be part of a documentation review to identify project risks
• Use the appropriate information gathering technique for identifying risks on a given project
• Identify the characteristics of a project risk information gathering session
• Indicate the risk information gathering techniques that would be appropriate in given situations
• Recognize examples of the contents of a risk register
• Categorize items that would be used to perform a SWOT analysis
• Identify the questions that would be asked during an assumptions analysis
• Identify the two documents that are used to complete a risk checklist
• Match types of causes of project risk with examples
• Assess an example of a cause-and-effect diagram
• Identify the risks and causes for a process given a process flowchart
• Interpret a basic process flowchart