Easier Identification of Risks and Uncertainties with Project Risk Constellations

Abstract

Although various tools are available to support the risk management process, difficulties are encountered when project risk management is carried out in practice. It occasionally seems difficult for project managers to grasp the whole complexity of a project, identify the essential risks and react accordingly. The aim of this chapter is to introduce a tool that can help managers identify project risks, learn about their dynamics within the project and, consequently, formulate better ideas of how to address the risks. Project Risk Constellations are the spatial representations of explicit and implicit knowledge of the relationships, orders, hierarchies, dependencies and communication patterns of a project. They provide multi-dimensional and multi-layered information and reveal deeply rooted mechanisms. They quickly enable project managers to better understand the dynamics of their project, the intended and unintended impacts, ambiguities as well as project risks and uncertainties.