13.8 Evaluating Beneficiary Risk

< Day Day Up >

Chapter 5 is dedicated to risk, so there is no need to revisit the nuts and bolts of the subject here; however, caution must be taken with this process when discussing beneficiary risk. In Chapter 5, the basic assumption was that most risk is identifiable well in advance of implementation, meaning there is adequate time to come up with effective workarounds. When risk arises in the beneficiary environment, the project may not have adequate lead time, knowledge, or funding such that risk can be properly addressed. It is extremely important that any issues that arise in this context are quickly and meticulously documented for appropriate analysis and escalation. The latter act may be required because truly onerous beneficiary risk might require a major overhaul to your design, schedule, or budget, as I have experienced more than once. That is definitely not something you want to do without the support and cover of senior management.

Although it is not fair to assert that all beneficiary claims of risk lack credibility, they are definitely problematic and not always easy to evaluate. There is a tendency of the beneficiary set to overstate their concerns in an attempt to leverage project dollars to ameliorate long-standing problems the project exposes but did not create. This is perhaps the most likely way for "scope creep" to invade your project. In an attempt to be a nice person, you find yourself getting deeper and deeper into issues that are clearly beyond your scope.

< Day Day Up >