Perfect timing, since last night I gave a talk to the bristol Branch of the British Computer Society (“Effective Risk Management in the Real World”), in which I said the recent troubles at Network Rail were a perfect example of how not to communicate risks to stakeholders. 

My argument wasn’t that the overrun couldn’t be avoided, but that the failure to communicate the risk of an overrun meant that the train operators could not put contingency plans into effect in time.

The report makes interesting reading.  The ORR found that Network Rail’s project management processes were generally very good.  However the further on you read the worse the news gets.

Here’s just a few extracts.  They make disturbing reading:

• It seemed clear at least two months before the proposed start of the work that there would be a significant risk that the engineering work would overrun
• Until 21:00 hrs on 30 December Network Rail was still telling Virgin Trains that the track would be handed back on time.  It was not until 14:00 hrs on 31 December that Network Rail declared an overrun
• On 31 December Network Rail concluded that an overrun would happen.  However the full extent of the remaining work was not properly understood.  Only when a detailed check was carried out was the shortfall in the work discovered.  In formation to train operators was updated on the morning of 1 January 2008 and at 14:00 hrs the overrun was turned into an operational incident.

“You bet I would!” I said.

Several months later I got a call from Donald Southey from the BCS project management special interest group (SIG) inviting me to speak at the BCS Spring School in March 2007.

I’m so looking forward to giving this talk, especially as previous audiences have really liked it. It’s called “Four Simple Steps to Perfect Project Risk Management” and my goal is to get project managers to wake up to the dangers they face by not actively managing risks that threaten their project. With a bit of luck I’ll be able to persuade at least one person in the audience to take on board some of the lessons that I’ve learned. That way they won’t have to make the same mistakes that I have.

Going through my e-mail, I noticed an item from Dr. David Hilson from  www.risk-doctor.com.  He’d received a recent flier from the BCS on my talk and he wondered what I was planning to speak on.

Just as I began to feel a warm glow from someone expressing an interest in the event I read on and my blood turned cold.   It seemed I’d been described as “a well-known consultant, expert and author in Risk Management”.

Here we go again!  I’m always being described as “An expert in . .” when I give talks.  I always prefer to stick to the truth – that I’m someone with lots of experience and a system for project risk management that works.  Anything else I leave to the audience to decide for themselves.

I sent David a brief note to confirm that this seemed to be a case of the organisers selling me enthusiastically.  After all, they are charging people to attend the evening, so they’ve got to do all they can to get people interested.

Hopefully we’ll have a great evening and get to swap ideas on the night.  In the meantime I’d better become better known and finish the book, otherwise I’ll run the risk of being oversold.

The story started back in February when my mate John Seaman asked whether I fancied giving a talk to his BCS branch.

“Yeah, sure I would!” I said.

“What do you want to speak on?” said John.

“Well, I would really like to give a talk on project risk management” I said. Only I hadn’t really thought about what I’d be saying. I figured I had nine months to figure it out.

Nine months later and with one successful session completed last week it was time to give the talk I always wanted to give.  The one that I used to give when I worked in the programme office.  The one that I still give to junior project managers and to members of all my project teams.

The talk goes down really well.  The audience like the material and in the Q&A session that follows the questions just keep on coming.  Best of all I get asked if I’d like to give the talk again to the BCS Spring School.  I’m really knocked out by the result, it’s the sort of evening that makes this business worthwhile.

The audience?  A group of third year undergraduates at London Metropolitan University.  It’s the third year in a row that I’ve spoken at LondonMet and each time my talks have gone down well.  Usually I speak on some aspect of usability, but this year I wanted to cover that I think gets overlooked in the education of the next generation of computing professionals.

The talk went very well, judging from the comments on the day and from the evaluation frms that the students completed.  Next week I get to give it again, but to members of a BCS branch.  I wonder if I’ll get the same positive reaction?

I’ll just have to wait and see.