Risk management - are engineers the problem or the solution?

The introduction of new technology exposes projects to many risks. Engineers are the strongest advocates for technology change but since risk and novelty are inextricably linked, that means that engineers are also often the greatest contributors to project risk. The conventional procedures for risk identification and control can be tedious and often trigger remedial action too late. This paper presents an alternative approach that is based on the outcomes of many dialogs with senior engineers in a series of industry short courses. It treats risk as the main source of variation in project metrics and advocates a template to systematically expose the sources, especially risks that are associated with every decision. The techniques of quality control are then used to parameterize and prioritize the risks so they can be proactively managed within a technology project.