Project risk management plays a crucial role in today’s business environment. It helps organizations identify, assess, and mitigate potential risks that could negatively impact project outcomes, ensuring smoother execution and increasing the likelihood of success. Effective risk management is essential for maintaining timelines, budgets, and quality standards, particularly in complex projects with multiple stakeholders.
This article highlights five case studies that shed light on this critical aspect of project management. It draws on recent data and statistics from credible sources to emphasize the importance of risk management in projects. These insights provide a solid foundation for understanding the topic and its significance in the modern business landscape.
Understanding Project Risk Management
Risk management plays a crucial role in every project. It involves a range of tools to identify potential threats to a project’s success and strategies to mitigate them. Let’s explore recent statistics and examples for a clearer understanding. Statistics reveal that up to 70% of all projects fail, underscoring the critical need for effective project risk management.
Organizations that neglect project risk management face a 50% likelihood of project failure, leading to significant financial losses and missed business opportunities. Furthermore, poor project performance results in an estimated 10% loss of every dollar spent, equating to a $99 loss for every $1 billion invested. These figures highlight the essential role of project risk management in enhancing success rates and reducing waste.
4 Key Components of Project Risk Management
Let’s explore the core of project risk management: its four essential components. The foundation of an effective risk management strategy is built upon four key steps: identifying risks, analyzing them, planning responses, and monitoring and controlling risks. Each element is vital for ensuring the success of a project.
1. Risk Identification
The first step in the project risk management process is risk identification. It involves proactively recognizing potential risks that could jeopardize a project’s success. This step is crucial, as a recent study revealed that 77% of companies experienced operational surprises due to unrecognized risks.
2. Risk Assessment
Risk assessment is the second stage in the project risk management process. It involves a systematic approach to evaluating the likelihood and impact of identified risks. This step is critical as it helps prioritize risks and supports the development of effective risk response strategies.
3. Risk Response Planning
Risk monitoring and control is the concluding phase of project risk management. It focuses on developing strategies to address the identified risks. This step is vital as it ensures that risks are managed effectively to prevent them from significantly impacting the project.
4. Risk Monitoring
Risk monitoring and control is the concluding phase of project risk management. It involves overseeing and managing the identified risks to ensure they are being handled in line with the established plan.
The 5 Project Risk Mangement Case Studies
This section presents five chosen case studies that illustrate the necessity and implementation of project risk management. Now, let’s explore these case studies to gain a better understanding of the concept of risk in project management.
1. Gordie Howe International Bridge Project
The Gordie Howe International Bridge serves as a prime example of successful project risk management. As one of North America’s largest infrastructure endeavors, it involves building a six-lane bridge at the busiest commercial border crossing between the U.S. and Canada. The project scope includes constructing New Port of Entry and Inspection facilities for both governments, toll collection systems, and improvements to various local bridges and roadways.
Managed by the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, a nonprofit Canadian Crown entity, the project faced significant challenges due to its large scale and the diverse community interests involved. Effective governance and community involvement were crucial in addressing these complexities. The project management approach is guided by the PMBOK® Guide, which provides the contractual framework for all aspects of the project. Although still underway, the project is progressing toward its scheduled completion in 2024, demonstrating the critical role of risk management in the successful delivery of large-scale infrastructure projects.
2. Fujitsu’s Early-Career Project Managers
Fujitsu is a global company specializing in providing complete information and communication technology systems, along with related products and services. Traditionally, the company hired a small number of recent graduates and school leavers and enrolled them in a two-year hands-on management training and development program. However, this strategy did not yield effective results for multiple reasons.
The training was not comprehensive in its coverage of project management, focusing only on general topics like leadership skills and time management. It also failed to address the specific needs of apprentices, and the two-year duration was too short to fully develop the necessary project management skills. Additionally, there were challenges related to employee retention within the program.
To address these challenges, Fujitsu UK introduced a new framework based on three key components: structured learning, learning from others, and job rotation. This framework is designed to support the first five years of a participant’s career and is grounded in the 70-20-10 model of learning and development, which emphasizes that most learning occurs on the job. The initial phase includes a three-week formal induction program, which covers an introduction to the company, the fundamentals of project management, and basic business concepts. Subsequently, participants are assigned to a rotational role within the PMO for the first six to eight months.
3. Vodafone’s Complex Technology Project
Vodafone, a leading global mobile telecommunications company, initiated a complex technology project to replace its existing network with a fully managed GLAN across 42 locations in 28 countries. Given the scale and complexity of the project, a robust and comprehensive risk management approach was crucial to its success. The project faced several challenges, including significant delays in finalizing the contract and numerous changes that occurred after the contract was signed, which continued until the project was officially baselined. These factors led to an extension of the project timeline and added complexity.
To mitigate these risks, Vodafone implemented PMI standards for its project management approach. This strategy included organizing workshops, developing detailed resource and risk management plans, customizing project documentation, and holding regular lessons learned sessions to ensure continuous improvement. Despite the challenges, the Vodafone GLAN project was completed on time, and in some cases, ahead of the team’s original expectations. During the first stage, 90% of the migrated sites were successfully transitioned on the first attempt, with 100% completion achieved on the second attempt.
4. Fehmarnbelt Project
Fehmarnbelt project highlights the essential importance of project risk management in large-scale infrastructure projects. It involves building the world’s longest immersed tunnel, connecting Germany and Denmark, with a length of 18 kilometers and consisting of a four-lane highway and two-rail electrified line, 40 meters beneath the Baltic Sea. Managed by Femern A/S, a Danish government-owned company, the project has a construction value exceeding €7 billion (£8.2 billion) and is set to create 3,000 direct jobs and 10,000 additional roles in the supply chain. Upon completion, it will reduce travel times between the two countries to just 10 minutes by car and 7 minutes by train.
Risk management, led by Risk Manager Bo Nygaard Sørensen, played a key role in addressing the complexities of the project. A dynamic risk register and risk index were created to provide a clear overview and systematic categorization of risks. The team used Predict! a risk assessment tool, to analyze potential risks impacting construction costs and to determine the necessary risk contingency. This approach helped the team make informed decisions, such as opting to build an immersed tunnel instead of a bridge.
5. Lend Lease Project
Lend Lease, a global property and infrastructure company operating in over 20 countries, has established a comprehensive framework for managing project risks. The company applies the Global Minimum Requirements (GMRs) to identify and evaluate the risks associated with its projects. This framework is designed to address various factors, including flooding, heat, biodiversity, land or soil subsidence, water, weathering, infrastructure, and insurance, specifically during the pre-bid phase.
The GMRs are organized into five key phases, each aligned with a major stage of project development: governance, investment, design and procurement, establishment, and delivery. This structure ensures that critical decisions are made at the optimal time. For example, in the design and procurement phase, the GMRs establish required design controls to avoid environmental harm and mitigate severe risks during the planning and procurement process. This approach enables Lend Lease to effectively manage risks and ensure the successful delivery of projects.
Successful project risk management is crucial for nearly every project. It includes recognizing potential risks and applying strategies to minimize them, helping to secure the project’s success. The case studies discussed in this article highlight the importance of risk management across various industries, demonstrating its impact on project outcomes.
At Intelegain, we have seen the benefits of strong risk management in action. By leveraging our proven approach, expertise, and professionalism, we consistently deliver projects that meet client expectations. We don’t just manage risks, we master them to achieve successful project outcomes.
