Project Management Framework
Planning - Issue Management Plan

Definition

The Issue Management Plan describes the project's process for managing project issues. Issues are generated by things like unmediated disputes, unaddressed concerns, and unresolved decision-making. Issues arise in all Project Phases and may have tremendous negative impacts on the project if not addressed properly. While most issues will be completely resolved through the Issue Management process, some may progress through the Change Management process if their resolution impacts the project's charter.

The primary goals of an Issue Management Plan are to ensure that:

1. Issues are identified, evaluated and assigned for resolution.
2. Issue resolutions determined to impact the scope, schedule, or quality of the project will go through the change management process.
3. Issue resolutions or decisions are documented and communicated to all affected parties.

Why is this important?

The Issue Management process will bring visibility to issues, accountability as to how they are acted upon, and their timely resolution. Analysis of the issue will provide data and understanding for a more informed decision. Recording and reviewing issues will prevent the team from forgetting about issues that could adversely impact the project. A project that proceeds without exercising an Issue Management Plan is likely to experience team and client discord, scope creep and negative schedule impacts.

Instructions

Prepare an Issue Management Plan describing the project's process for managing project issues. The plan should address the following:

• Raising an Issue
• Logging and Tracking Issues
• Assigning Issues for Evaluation and Planning Resolution Actions
• Implementing Issue Resolution Actions
• Roles and Responsibilities in the Issue Management Process
• Examples of the Issue Form and the Issue Log

The Issue Management Plan should be communicated to all project team members and stakeholders. Well-documented issue descriptions, resolutions and action plans are key to successful issue management.

How to Scale

For small projects, an issue can be defined as anything that needs an answer. Project Managers can generally arbitrate small issues for small projects. For large projects, an issue can be defined as an area impacting scope, schedule or resources that cannot be easily resolved. Large projects may require formal governance committees to review and resolve issues. The formality of the process varies with project size and nature but in all cases a well documented and executed Issues Management Plan is essential.

Related Links:
Issue Management Plan Example
Issue Management Plan Template
Issue Management Plan Execution

Checklists

ISSUE MANAGEMENT PLAN
Has an Issue Management process been defined?
Has the process been communicated to the Project Team and Stakeholders?
Has a Project Issue log been created?
Are issues being created only when appropriate?
Are issues assigned priorities?
Are issue reviews conducted on a timely basis?
Are resolutions occurring in a timely manner?
Are the appropriate stakeholders for each issue identified?
Are follow-up activities occurring promptly?
Are issue logs actively monitored?
Have issue resolution results been incorporated in other project sub-plans (Schedule and Task Plan, Risk Management Plan, Quality Assurance Plan, Acquisition Plan, Communications Plan, etc.) as appropriate?