Four global professionals reveal how their risk management skills have matured since earning the project management professional (PMP^®) credential.

Europe, Middle East and Africa

Profile: Alexandre Rodrigues, Ph.D., PMP, executive partner Company: PMO Consulting, Lisbon, Portugal Quick Take: Shift your focus from quantitative risk analysis to more qualitative aspects of risk management.

Alexandre Rodrigues, Ph.D., PMP, shifted his focus from the specific details of risk analysis to a more systemic approach, “where one looks more at the whole than at the parts.”

Dr. Rodrigues has learned that risk management has everything to do with communication, conflict resolution and problem-solving. Before he obtained the PMP credential in 2005, he concentrated on quantitative techniques, such as the use of “decision trees” and Monte Carlo analysis to address cost and schedule risks. Now, he is more concerned with qualitative aspects such as communication and stakeholder alignment issues.

“In terms of risk, communication is key, and explicit effort must be budgeted and allocated to this activity,” he says. “Tight, often unrealistic timelines are there, and so are the wants and preferences of all the stakeholders.”

Dr. Rodrigues uses his risk management knowledge every day—to deliver consulting projects, conduct training sessions and manage his own business.

Asia Pacific

Profile: Anca Slusanschi, PMP, program manager Company: New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs, Wellington, New Zealand Quick Take: Highlight the positive and take a structured, holistic approach for effective risk management.

In the four years since she obtained the PMP credential, Anca Slusanschi, PMP, has learned that risk management is about minimizing the focus on the negative and increasing the impact of positive events.

“I now manage risk more proactively and explicitly track positive events as well, rather than an exclusive focus on negative aspects,” she says.

Ms. Slusanschi not only focuses on positive events, but also has adopted a structured approach to risk management that she learned while studying for the PMP examination.

“I have progressively developed a more holistic approach to risk management … that covers as broad a spectrum of stakeholders as possible,” she says.

This holistic approach includes an increased commitment to risk identification, contingency planning and risk response, which allows Ms. Slusanschi to successfully deliver challenging projects while balancing numerous constraints.

North America

Profile: Patricia Sullivan-Taylor, PMP, PMO manager Company: Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), Toronto, Ontario, Canada Quick Take: To improve risk management skills, look to other projects-even if they're outside your organization.

Since attaining the PMP credential in 2001, Patricia Sullivan-Taylor, PMP, has applied more formalized and extensive risk management processes. She documents risk more extensively in a register and monitors risk according to the length, complexity and history of the project and client.

Ms. Sullivan-Taylor has learned the best way to advance risk management skills is to look to other projects—both inside and outside of her own organization—for lessons learned.

For example, in planning a recent corporate-wide project, she conducted an “environmental scan” that included a thorough literature review and consulted with similar external organizations. She used the information she gathered to further develop the risk plan.

“By seeking input on potential risks and mitigating strategies from others with experience on similar projects and within the organization, the risk management plan improves exponentially,” she says.

Latin America

Profile: Roberto Toledo, PMP, managing director Company: Alpha Consultoria SA, Mexico City, Mexico Quick Take: Passing on your knowledge and best practices for risk management is a great way for others to learn.

Roberto Toledo, PMP, says risk management is one of the knowledge areas where he has improved the most in the five years since obtaining the PMP credential.

“Before getting certified as a PMP, my focus was exclusively on the main aspects of planning and control: scope, time and cost,” he says. “But sooner than later, I realized risk planning and control is a fundamental part of project management.”

It all started while preparing for the PMP examination, he says. “I got to know risk management techniques that I didn’t use in the past,” Mr. Toledo says.

For instance, the incorporation of “decision trees” has allowed him to determine the best course of action to take in the many projects he’s been involved with over the years. He also more rigorously keeps and updates a risk register.

These days, he passes along the knowledge he’s learned about risk management in his work as a project management consultant and educator. “I let [others] know that they must be prepared not only for what is expected to happen, but also for what is likely to happen,” he says.