Project issue management done well will be a great benefit to your project.  Planner from PROJECT in a box is the perfect tool to help you achieve this objective.

project issue management; prince software; project management software

Project Issue Management – Creating a new Issue

The Issue needs a brief description, further detail if required can be included in the comment tab.  There are then a number of mandatory fields which must be created as follows:

Type – select from the list, if this hasn’t been locked by the template creator you can add additional items to it if you need in File – Manage Lookups form.

Three types are usually provided as follows:

RFC – Request For Change

OS – Off-Spec

P – Problem (general other type item)

Decision – Note of a formal decision taken

Action – Note of an action placed

Raised by and Owner – either select a name from the pick list or type a new name into the space. (This resource list is shared with the Task and Risk tabs).

Priority – How important is this issue? Select from slider of Low to Urgent terms.

Severity – how substantial is this issue? Select from slider on scale 0 to 10.

Other fields are optional

Project Issue Management – Updating an Issue and Responses

As understanding and management of the Issue develops the item will need updating, this can involve changing allocated roles Priority and Severity information as well as including comments.

In a more sophisticated formal environment you may choose to use the resources tab to create and manage the responses associated with addressing a particular issue.

RAID log mode

Often when a different Planning tool is being used then a Planner file serves the purpose of a RAID log.  Here only the Risk and Issue tabs are active and the Issues tab has types of Decision and Action included so that all Issues, Decision and Actions are listed there.  Views can be used to narrow the ‘Issue’ list to consider just one of those aspects or all three can be taken in conjunction.

Items can also be moved between the Issue list and the Risk list in either direction by right clicking on them.

What can I do with my issue data?

First of all, Planner users can analyse your risks using views and export or print your results directly from Planner as required.

You can also load your data into one of the PIAB commercial products if you want.   Your data will then be available to be shown at project, programme or portfolio levels. Also combined with issue information from other projects.

If using Small Team or Enterprise Editions you will be able to generate issue lists based on your chosen criteria and accumulated across all plans in the system as well as send people reminders based on the status and content of their issues by email.

 Project Issue Management tools for free

You can download your free project issue management tool Planner here.