RAID Management
In one sentence
A running record of a project's Risks, Assumptions, Issues, and Dependencies, so that nothing important is left unspoken.
What it means
RAID is a simple tool for tracking what could affect a project. Each item gets an owner and a next step, and the log is reviewed regularly by the people who can act on it.
What RAID stands for
Risks
What might go wrong.
Assumptions
What we are treating as true without proof.
Issues
What has already gone wrong.
Dependencies
What we need from others to move forward.
Why it matters
Large projects often fail because of something that someone knew about but nobody owned. RAID makes these items visible early and gives governance groups real information to act on.
A simple example
Illustrative scenarioA team assumes that vendor data can be stored in Canada. Logging that assumption prompts a check, which finds that it is wrong while there is still time to change the contract.
A common misunderstanding
What people often thinkA RAID log is paperwork for project managers.
What is closer to the truthIt's only paperwork if nobody uses it. Reviewed at the right table, it is a decision-making tool.