Project Risk Register and Issue Register: Examples/Template (Excel XLSX)

Introduction
Managing risks and issues is a core component of project management and underpins successful project delivery and achievement of benefits, impact and difference. This document offers an actual Risk Register (or Risk Assessment) and Issue Register (or Issue Log) that can be used and adapted for your project. This includes examples of typical project risks and issues, assessment and appropriate mitigation and action. The examples provide ideas and prompts on typical projects risks and issues and how to manage them.

What's the Difference Between Project Risks and Issues?
Project risks are potential issues; the ‘what if' scenarios. They haven't happened yet but if they do, they could have a positive or a negative impact on at least one objective of the project. With risks, it is possible to assess the probability and impact and design mitigation to reduce the chance of the risk happening or of its impact. That's what a risk assessment and register can support.

A project issue is something that is impacting the project already and needs to be resolved. This means in practice that action needs to be taken as the issue is impacting on the project at the time it is identified. An Issue Register helps support the successful management and communication of project issues.

As such risk management can be potentially strategic and proactive, where issues management tends to be reactive – the issue has occurred and now there is need for a response and effective communication.

Good Practice in the Management of Risks and Issues
This Risk Register and Issue Register professional example and template brings together into a single document all of the risks and issues in a project and guides the professional and proportionate management of the risks and issues including recording, assessing, tracking, communication and management of the risks and issues.

This is a great, combined tool designed to support the project with a step-by-step guide on completion of each Register. Ultimately this will guide your business on design of an effective and proportionate Risk and Issue Register that all project team members and stakeholders can have confidence in.