order to permanently and irrevocably fix a problem doesn’t take very long compared to the total delays that a project can experience. The log is where you record any problems that were not accounted for in the plan and that threaten to delay the project, push it off budget or reduce the scope (e.g. reduce product performance). An example of the Issues Register matrix is below: Issue Log Project: Date: Issue Description Priority (H,M,L) Category Reported By Assigned To Status Date Resolved Resolution/ Comments This should be a standard numbering system. Detailed description of the High, Medium or Low priority. Assign to a category. Who reported the issue? Who is the assigned to? What is the status of the What date was the resolved? What was the resolution or what is being done to resolve the issue? In addition to the detail included in both documents, below are some of the key distinctions between the two documents. Issue Log Risk Register Description of the Description of the risk Underlying problem or cause of the issue Risk of uncertainty and the potential impact Action plan Potential actions Priority or scheduling Monitoring plan Who is responsible for assuring this issue is resolved Who is responsible for monitoring Date opened and date resolved, sometimes a tracking number or other ID Date last updated, tracking ID
Priority Definition Decision Authority Timeframe for Resolution Priority 1 Major impact to project or business operations. If not resolved quickly there will be a significant adverse impact to revenue and/or schedule. Vice President or higher Within 4 hours Priority 2 Medium impact to project or business operations which may result in some adverse impact to revenue and/or schedule. Project Sponsor Within one business day Priority 3 Slight impact may cause some minor scheduling difficulties with the project but no impact to business operations or revenue. Project Manager Within two business days Priority 4 Insignificant impact to project but there may be a better solution. Project Manager Work continues and any recommendations are submitted via the project change control process
Name Role Responsibilities John Doe Sponsor Approve or deny change requests as appropriate Evaluate need for scope change request Accept project deliverables Jane Doe Project Manager Measure and verify project scope Facilitate scope change requests Facilitate impact assessments of change requests Organize and facilitate scheduled change control meetings Communicate outcomes of scope change requests Update project documents upon approval of all scope changes
Change Request Description Priority (H,M,L) Category Requested By Submitted To Status Date Deferred Comments This should be a standard numbering system. Detailed description of the CR. High, Medium or Low priority. Assign to a category. Who requested the CR? Who is the authorising/approving sponsor What is the status of the CR? Approved / Rejected / Deferred? When is the CR planned for implementation? Additional comments The Change Request Register is created only if there are approved changes to the Project Scope, Time, Budget or Quality constraints. Project Status Report Purpose The purpose of the Project Progress Report is to keep others informed of the progress of your project. The project manager issues regular reports on progress against budget, schedule, scope, and quality. The people who should receive this progress report include project sponsor, budget holder, senior users, team members, stakeholders and end-users. A progress report is designed to be a brief summary of progress and should not exceed one to two pages in length. The following template could be used, but the project progress report should include; report date, overall status, project summary, key issues, identified risks, tasks and next steps, decisions needed, budgeted cost and spent to date. Template Name of project: ______________________________________ Name of project manager: ______________________________ Date of progress report: ____________________ Summary of progress Deliverables Targets not met yet Targets met Ahead of Targets Project phase: Define & Plan Execution Completion Progress: Provide a brief overview of the project from commencement to date including; deliverables achieved, milestones reached risks managed, stakeholder and team involvement.