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Have you ever wondered what RAID means in project management? Project managers will often talk about RAID logs in project management. But what does this all mean?
You can find a RAID log template here as part of a complete workbook.
This article will cover everything related to RAID. You can also see Keith Rickman’s video interview – scroll down to find that.
What does RAID stand for in Project Management?
The D in RAID is Dependencies or Decisions.
The A in RAID: Actions, or Assumptions?
What is a RAID Log and how do you use it?
When is it time to update your RAID log
Who updates the RAID Log
More about RAID (Video).
Get a RAID Project Management Template
What does RAID stand for in Project Management?
RAID stands for:
There are risks
Assumptions
Issues
Dependencies
These are the key points to keep in mind as a project manager.
Your RAID log is a crucial project planning document that will help you plan and manage the project.
The RAID log gives you a broad overview of the context and environment in which you are operating. These elements are described in more detail below.
Risks: These are potential risks that could affect your project. Risks are things that could lead to the project going wrong. However, risk can also be something positive. Anything that could have an impact on the project, but hasn’t yet happened, is a risk.
Assumptions: These things are assumptions that you must make because you don’t know if they are true. These could also be things that you assume will remain the same. These assumptions must be accepted until they are proven or disproved. You can adjust your plan if you have more information. (This means that assumptions can also be risks!)
Issues: These are events that have occurred and are causing problems on your project. While some people may consider changes to the project issues, I do not. To track and manage any changes, I add an additional tab to my RAID spreadsheet.
Dependencies: These are the things your project must have in order to follow the plan. This could be a deliverable that is part of another project or input from an expert. My experience shows that the greatest dependency on projects is management decision making. They must make decisions so that you can continue your work!
Learn more about dependencies.
The D in RAID is Dependencies or Decisions.
Although RAID stands for Dependencies, I find it much more useful to record Decisions. It’s up to the project owner to decide what is worth documenting. It doesn’t matter if you record your decisions in a RAID log, but it is important to do so somewhere.
It’s a good idea to keep track of any information related to the decision, such as emails and meeting minutes. You can also add folder references or links to the spreadsheet. It can be difficult to recall details that go back weeks, months or even years. However, you will be grateful to have the information available in case of an emergency.
The A in RAID: Actions, or Assumptions?
RAID stands for Assumptions. Recording Actions is more valuable, however.
I must use and update the daily list of actions. These assumptions don’t change very often. You can use either one or both as long as you are recording and tracking the project.
These items should be recorded in a RAID log. The RAID log template that I use is shown in the picture. The worksheet is the risk tab.
This is how the workbook looks (one tab). The RAID template is not complete without the help of other worksheets. What is a RAID log?
A RAID log is a list that records the risks, assumptions and issues associated with a project. It could be used to record the risks, assumptions, issues, and dependencies on a project.