B · People & riskIntermediate40 min read
5. RAID: risks, assumptions, issues, decisions
Project Management for Tech · 36 pages source format
A living RAID log beats a risk slide that died in week one. Risks have owners, triggers, and mitigations.
What you'll learn
- Risk vs issue
- Probability × impact
- Decision log
Start the RAID
Risks = maybe. Issues = now. Assumptions = believed true. Decisions = locked choices with date/owner.
Risk | Prob | Impact | Owner | Trigger | Mitigation | Status
Issue | Owner | Impact | Next action | Due
Assumption | Owner | Validate by | Status
Decision | Date | Decider | Alternatives consideredDo this now
Create a RAID table with at least 3 risks, 2 assumptions, 1 open issue, 2 decisions.
Clear?
Pre-mortem
Imagine the project failed. List why. Convert top reasons into risks with mitigations.
Do this now
10-minute pre-mortem. Promote top 3 failure modes into the RAID.
Pro tip. Watch “unknown unknowns” — schedule discovery spikes before baking dates.
Clear?