This is the toughest area for me because it seems all questions on the PMP practice tests are about risk and change, and I haven’t yet been able to intuitively analyze if a project is Agile, predictive or hybrid based on the question alone without specific information.

In any case, I thought I’d write up some risks for projects I’m working on and see if I learn anything from the process.

Firstly, the risk of me getting sick is always #1. I got COVID for the first time this summer – that’s three years COVID free! – and had to postpone my exam. Thankfully, they gave me a refund on the exam change fee. I don’t know if I can do that a second time, so I should budget $70 in case it happens.

Here goes!

That was rather informative! Some of these risks don’t seem like “business” risks, however, I think it’s important for teams and leadership to be honest about their capabilities and vulnerabilities. How often has a project been scrapped because a CEO forgot all about it or changed their mind? That’s definitely a sign of a dysfunctional business…probably a question to ask in a job interview.

I guess that’s OK though in an Agile approach – change is supposed to happen. I can see how doing an iteration or prototype could really help in these cases when a VP or CEO bounds up to your cubicle with their latest hare-brained idea. Run a test case before committing a team’s resources. A risk to every brainstorm should be lowered morale after another failed project. But maybe that’s a low-key risk you keep on your personal risk register.