heat (3)
Risk and Issue are two words that are often confused when it comes to their usage. Actually there is some difference between them. The word ‘risk’ is used in the sense of ‘chance’. On the other hand, the word ‘issue’ is used in the sense of ‘matter’.
Uh-Oh! This is a show-stopper. We can’t complete the project on time because the server needed won’t be available for another month! What can we do now?
This is not a new problem for Project Managers to have encountered. Is this a risk or an issue?
For most risk systems one big selling point is the heat map. It's tidy, it's colorful and in a macabre kind of way; it really energizes management to stare in ore at registered risks in the red zone.
Worthy or not, traditional heat maps distort risk reality, they squeeze risk into a two dimensional perspective that makes the reporting process itself as dangerous as it is useful.
