Issue Management is the process used by the project manager to identify and resolve issues that require immediate attention. Issues can occur on a regular basis, affecting the ability to meet the goals of the project.
Once an issue is raised, the Project Manager should ensure that it is proactively pursued and dealt with to the satisfaction of all concerned parties. An Issue Log helps the project record each issue and identify the actions needed to resolve it. A part of this process is an approval to ensure that the right actions are taken, at the right time, by the right people. An important tool in issue management is the issue log that summarizes all the project issues, their current status, who is currently responsible for them, and the date the issue was closed. It is a good practice to use the project meetings to review the issue log, add any new issues that have surfaced, and report on the resolution of outstanding issues.
Use the issue log to track project issues
An issue log as a simple matrix that helps track issues from the time they are reported to the time they are resolved. The matrix identifies the people responsible for managing the issue, the approved solution and the date the issue was closed. Here are some of the typical elements on the issue log:
- ID number
- Issue name
- Description of the issue
- Name of person who reported the issue
- Person assigned with responsibility to solve the issue
- Status of the issue to date (Open, On time, Delayed, Closed)
- Level of Priority (Low, Medium, High)
- Date the issue was reported
- Date the issue was resolved
- Comments
- Description of the resolution
Use the issue log to keep track of the issues in your project. It's common practice to review the issue log during the regular project meetings to get an update on the status of each issue and log new issues. Click here to download a template you can use in your project.
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