Manage project issues
Manage project issues
What you will learn
- Distinguish a risk from an issue, both in definition and handling.
- Name the essential elements of an effective issue log.
- Describe what happens when a negative risk actually materializes.
- Identify when a delayed issue needs escalation rather than waiting.
Many confuse risk and issue because both threaten the project. The difference is critical: a risk is an uncertain possibility that hasn't happened yet, an issue is something that has actually happened now and needs immediate handling — and when a negative risk materializes, it effectively becomes an issue.
Risk vs. issue
| Risk | Issue | |
|---|---|---|
| Timing | An uncertain future event | Something that has actually happened now |
| Tracking tool | The Risk Register | The Issue Log |
Managing an issue from logging to closure
Log it
A clear description, an owner, and a target resolution date.
Follow up
Regularly check against the target date, not passive waiting.
Escalate when needed
Especially with repeated delay or critical-path impact.
Close and document
For lessons-learned purposes in future projects.
What matters on the exam
- When a negative risk materializes, it's logged in the issue log as an actual issue, while its historical documentation stays in the risk register.
- Repeatedly missing the target resolution date, combined with critical-path impact, clearly signals a need to escalate and review the approach.
Risk and issue aren't synonyms
A common trap in question wording: using "risk" and "issue" interchangeably. A risk is a possibility that hasn't occurred yet; an issue is a present reality — the distinction determines which log to use and what kind of response fits.
Quick check
Answer in your head first, then reveal.
What's the core difference between a risk and an issue?Reveal the answer
A risk is an uncertain future possibility; an issue is something that has actually happened now.
What should the issue log include?Reveal the answer
The issue description, the owner responsible, and a target resolution date.
What happens when a negative risk materializes?Reveal the answer
It effectively becomes an issue, logged in the issue log and needing immediate handling.
Sign in to track your progress on this topic.
Your next step
Read the lesson, then mark it complete
Sources
Used to verify the facts. The writing is original to Passuit.