7 Ways To Squash Project Risk Before It Derails Your Date

Justin Zack
2 min readFeb 8, 2023

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Photo by Brian Suman on Unsplash
  1. Understand what’s required. Make sure you understand what the project is supposed to do, who it’s for, and what the timeline is. If anything seems unclear or unrealistic, raise a flag.
  2. Ease into change. Change is inevitable, but too much change too fast can be dangerous. Be mindful of scope creep and keep changes to a minimum.
  3. Look out for the people. Your team is your biggest asset, but also your biggest risk. Keep an eye on workload, turnover, and whether everyone is rowing in the same direction.
  4. Keep an eye on deadlines. Deadlines can sneak up on you, so make sure you have a plan in place to avoid slipping into crunch time.
  5. Don’t forget about the users. The ultimate goal of a software project is to create something that will be used by real people. Don’t forget to think about how users will interact with the product and what potential risks that might pose.
  6. Keep tabs on dependencies. Don’t overlook what the project depends on, like third-party software or hardware, and make sure those dependencies are accounted for.
  7. Don’t ignore the unknown. No matter how well-planned a project is, there will always be unknown risks lurking in the shadows. Stay vigilant, be prepared to adapt, and don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it.

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Justin Zack

Project leader. Product thinker. Write about human things. Find me at justinzack.com