Hello ehshiax! This may vary based on how you have the project meetings structured. When there are active issues in the log, I generally want to start there, as we want to get them resolved at the soonest. That usually leads into reviewing action items associated with them and determining if decisions are needed. I always prioritize issues over risks, since they are negatively impacting your project now. Cheers!
What is the difference between an action log and project plan? Both contain actions or activities to be completed right? Trying to understand why having 2 and registering actions outside the project plan
Hi Kandis, just found you and your RU-vid channel. Absolutely loving all of your content! Could you do a video on publishing one RAID Log in Smartsheet? Sounds like it would be several columns but having it in one place would be super helpful by being efficient and ensuring updates.
Question: what about a busy management team where they are only at RAID and status meetings 50-60% of the time due to bigger committments (think they are in 6 hours of meetings near daily). For aged or pending Decisions that keep growing, the managers or or policy makers who are the only ones who can draft the decision /briefing notes keep putting it off. (Relying on loose emails are RAID log to track things instead of formally drafting language or specifics is dangerous and can lead to misinterpretation from vendors/stakeholders)
Really great question! Managing stakeholders (especially in senior leadership positions) can certainly be challenging due to everyone being short on time. My recommendation is to work to schedule shorter one-on-one meetings with specific stakeholders and focus in on one decision that needs made. This will keep the conversation focused. This may also be a good time to bring your project sponsor into the discussion to help move things forward. Thank you!
Hello Kandis. What is the difference between a Raid log and a project plan? Both of them have activities or actions to be completed right? So why registering actions outside the project plan? Just trying to understand why having 2 :)
Hi Minerva! Great question. Depending on the size of the project, tasks are generally not broken down in the project schedule more than 1 day (8 hours of effort). A general rule of thumb is if the tasks (referred to as activities by PMI) are broken down to 8 - 80 hours level of effort and each one is able to be assigned to one person/role, that it is a solid schedule. Action items are the smaller ‘to do’ items that come up in team meetings that you generally wouldn’t add to your project schedule (e.g., Minerva will contact Jon in quality and ask if there is an update on the audit dates). The RAID log ensures there is follow-up on these action items and is a great tool to be used in project meetings. It helps create a culture of accountability. I hope this is helpful!
Thank you kindly, Natalia! For a copy of the RAID Log used in this video, please email inquiry@effectiveflowconnections.com. We will get it to you right away. :)
Hello Madhva! If you haven’t received the RAID log template yet, please email inquiry@effectiveflowconnections.com. We will send one right over. Cheers!
Hello Kandis, I’m wondering if there is a sharepiont template or something similar that functions like the spreadsheet however, there’s one main section to note the issue and if necessary other sections appear if the decisions lead us in that direction.
Hi Chazz! Interesting idea. You may be able to set this up as a "Form" in Smartsheet. Forms now offer a way to add 'Conditional Logic', which means if a certain answer is selected, then the next questions show up accordingly. All the information submitted in a Form gets fed into a sheet. Here is additional information: help.smartsheet.com/articles/2481701-use-conditional-logic-to-streamline-form-submissions
Hello Jennifer! I would MUCH rather use Smartsheet than Excel, as you can easily give the full team access to make updates and setup workflows (automation) that notifies the PM when something is added/changed! However, using an Excel spreadsheet is better than nothing, if the team doesn’t have access to Smartsheet. Sharing it in a Dropbox folder or OneDrive is also an alternative. The key is to ensure there is a process in place for getting team updates into the document.
@@PMPexpert What does this look like in SmartSheets? I like the tabs in the example to allow the user to easily move between the R.A.I.D pages.My guess is each will need to be its own sheet if its built in SmartSheet and then maybe you can put links to move between the sheets?
@@sandeemurray8316 Hi! I agree with adding each of the tabs as a separate sheet in Smartsheet. One option would be to create a Dashboard and include shortcuts to each of the sheets for quick and easy access!
