On a recent project, Sally, the test manager, said to me, "How can I
talk about risks with my project manager? He says I’m being overly negative
and that all I’m talking about is bad news when I mention risks. Then he says
I’m not being a team player. But at the end of the project, he blames us, the
entire test group, for not finding and fixing all the problems. How can I
win?"
Sally can’t win in her current organization. Not without changing
something. Unfortunately, Sally’s project manager is part of what needs
changing. And we’re all aware of how easy it is to change other people!
In More Secrets of Consulting, Jerry Weinberg says, "The ability
to act on calm and correct assessments of risks and rewards is the first of
human qualities because it is the quality that guarantees all others."
Sally is exercising this human quality. Can Sally bring up risks in a way so
that her boss can also exercise this quality?
Can we have a conversation about risks?
First, Sally needs more information. Why doesn’t Sally’s project
manager want to discuss project risks? Here are some potential reasons:
- Other people in the organization react in an incongruous way to project
risks. For example, Sally’s project manager might receive blame from his
boss if the project’s risks were written down and managed, and still the
project was late.
- Sally’s project manager is concerned that acknowledging risks of any
kind will discourage people from working hard to complete the project.
- Sally’s project manager doesn’t know what to do about the risks and
so pretends that they don’t exist.
Sally can take the bull by the horns and say, "Project Manager, I can
see that a discussion about risks is not a conversation you want to have.
However, I’m not sure how else to bring these problems to your attention. Do
you want to know about potential problems?"
For the moment, let’s assume that your project manager does want to know
about problems before they start. Now, Sally can ask her project manager how to
have that conversation about risk.
How do we have that conversation?
Sally needs to talk with her manager about how to present risks. Here
are some questions Sally can use to understand how her manager wants to learn
about risk:
- "If I can, should I discuss a few solutions along with risks?"
Many project managers are already overwhelmed with project problems. If you
are helpful with three possible solutions, your project manager may be more
likely to hear about your risks. Every problem has three potential solutions,
even if the thought of at least one of them turns your stomach. For example,
if you are concerned about a particular defect not being fixed in time, you
can say, "I’m concerned about our ability to fix <x> defect. We
have these possible solutions: fix it, and schedule be damned; fix it in a
branch, so that we contain our risk and can manage the testing; ship without
fixing it. I prefer fixing it in a branch, but I’d like to know what you
think." Of course, if you think shipping with this defect will cause
significant corporate liability, then say so, but otherwise, shipping even
with this insidious defect is a possible solution.
- "Do you want to hear about risks as early as possible, or do you
want me to see if I can manage the potential problems? If you want me to
handle things, when do you want to know about them? The first week we see
them? The second? The third?" Sometimes, project managers want
their technical staff to work on problems first. Only then, when the
technical staff can’t solve the problems, do the PMs want to be involved.
- "Would you like us to create a parking lot of risks?" A
parking lot is a list of risks that you can’t deal with now, but you don’t
want to lose track of.
- "What kinds of consequences do you want to know about with risks?
Are there some consequences you’re not as concerned about as
others?" Risk evaluation is about consequences. Some consequences
are more important than others, so understanding which consequences worry
your PM is helpful.
The Pathological Case
If your project manager says that knowing about potential problems
before they start is not important, you can try to elicit more information:
"Oh, I’m surprised. Can you tell me more about that?"
Your project manager may not want to discuss this with you because you’re a
tester. If your role is a problem, then your project manager doesn’t
understand the role of testers. Explain that testers are the best risk
identifiers the project manager has—that testers illuminate product and
project risk with testing.
You have another alternative, especially if you want to stay in your current
job. You can write the risks in a memorandum for the record. When risks become
problems and the organization suffers, you can show that you acted responsibly
on behalf of the organization.
If your project manager still can’t or won’t hear about risks from you,
choose whether it’s time for a new project manager, or a new organization.
Project managers and organizations that don’t actively manage risks don’t
last long, but working on their projects can feel eternal.
Summing It Up
Conversations about risks tend to be difficult. You don’t want to
be perceived as a "Chicken Little," but you also don’t want to
ignore potential problems. Learn how your PM wants to discuss risks, and then
help your PM learn about risks. And don’t be afraid to walk if your PM ignores
risks.
Acknowledgements
I thank the following people for their helpful reviews and comments: Dwayne
Phillips and Brian Lawrence.
