Deliberate ignorance in project risk management
By: KUTSCH, Elmar
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Contributor(s): HALL, Mark.
Material type: 
ArticlePublisher: Oxford : Elsevier, apr. 2010Subject(s): Gestão de Projetos | Risco | Indicador de Desempenho | EficáciaInternational Journal of Project Management 28, 3, p. 245-255Abstract: The management of project risk is considered a key discipline by most organisations involved in projects. Best practice project risk management processes are claimed to be self-evidently correct. However, project risk management involves a choice between which information is utilized and which is deemed to be irrelevant and hence excluded. Little research has been carried out to ascertain the manifestation of barriers to optimal project risk management such as irrelevance; the deliberate inattention of risk actors to risk. This paper presents the results of a qualitative study of IT project managers, investigating their reasons for deeming certain known risks to be irrelevant. The results both confirm and expand on Smithsons [Smithson, M., 1989. Ignorance and Uncertainty. Springer-Verlag, New York] taxonomy of ignorance and uncertainty and in particular offer further context related insights into the phenomenon of irrelevance in project risk management. We suggest that coping with irrelevance requires defence mechanisms, the effective management of relevance as well as the setting of, and sticking to priorities
The management of project risk is considered a key discipline by most organisations involved in projects. Best practice project risk management processes are claimed to be self-evidently correct. However, project risk management involves a choice between which information is utilized and which is deemed to be irrelevant and hence excluded. Little research has been carried out to ascertain the manifestation of barriers to optimal project risk management such as irrelevance; the deliberate inattention of risk actors to risk. This paper presents the results of a qualitative study of IT project managers, investigating their reasons for deeming certain known risks to be irrelevant. The results both confirm and expand on Smithsons [Smithson, M., 1989. Ignorance and Uncertainty. Springer-Verlag, New York] taxonomy of ignorance and uncertainty and in particular offer further context related insights into the phenomenon of irrelevance in project risk management. We suggest that coping with irrelevance requires defence mechanisms, the effective management of relevance as well as the setting of, and sticking to priorities
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