Click Icons to Visit Sponsor Web Sites
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Vol. XI Issue XI - November 2009
Project Management eJournal
PM ADVISORY:
RISK DOCTOR BRIEFING
When will we ever learn?
By Dr David Hillson
The Risk Doctor
Spanish satirist Jorge Santayana wrote in 1905 “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” His sentiments echo those of the 18th-century German philosopher Friedrich Hegel who reminded us that “The only thing we learn from history is that we learn nothing from history”!
These comments about history apply equally to the world of risk management. It is very common to hear a senior manager or project team complaining that “The same risk keeps happening all the time.” The first time I heard someone say that I reacted instinctively and told them that I considered it very unprofessional for them to allow the same risk to keep happening. My view is summed up in this Risk Doctor proverb:
“If a risk happens once, that’s understandable;
If the same risk happens twice, that’s unlucky;
If the same risk happens three times, that’s unacceptable.”
Of course it is in the nature of risk to be uncertain, and sometimes risks occur even to the best risk manager. So we can understand it if a risk may occasionally occur, despite implementation of a full range of risk management efforts…
To read entire paper Click Here
 About the Author Dr. David Hillson Author Dr David Hillson, PMP FRSA HonFAPM FIRM FCMI, is internationally recognized as a leading thinker and practitioner in risk management. He is Director of Risk Doctor & Partners (www.risk-doctor.com), and has worked in over 40 countries. He is a popular conference speaker and award-winning author on risk, with six books on the topic. David has made several innovative contributions to improving risk management, and is well known for promoting the inclusion of proactive opportunity management within the risk process, and for his ground-breaking work in risk psychology. David is an Honorary Fellow of the UK Association for Project Management (APM) and past chairman of its Risk Management Specific Interest Group. He is an elected Fellow of the Institute of Risk Management (IRM), the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), and the UK Chartered Management Institute (CMI). David is also an active member of the Project Management Institute (PMI) and was a founder member of its Risk Management Specific Interest Group. He received the PMI Distinguished Contribution Award for his work in developing risk management over many years. Since 1998 he has been a core author for the risk chapter of the PMBOK Guide®, and is a core author for the PMI Practice Standard for Project Risk Management. David can be contacted at david@risk-doctor.com. To see his latest book, Managing Risks in Projects, published in July 2009 by Gower, visit http://www.gowerpublishing.com/isbn/9780566088674. |
PM World Today™ is a trademark of pmforum Inc.
PMWT™ is a trademark of pmforum Inc.
The information on this web site was checked for accuracy and authenticity when last updated. If there is any accidental infringement of copyright, the publisher of this site apologize for their actions, and would like to be notified. In addition, the publisher of this site cannot bear responsibility for the actions or the results of action of individuals or companies arising from use of information and advice contained within it.
PM World Today Privacy Policy Terms and Conditions.
© Copyright 2008 PM World Today