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Issue Log
The Issue Log is a place that all issues arising on a project can be recorded and tracked. An issue is something that has happened (or definitely will happen) that will affect the project in some way. This differs from a risk in the sense that a risk may never happen and you have countermeasures to prevent happening – an issue already has happened. During a project, issues will arise on all sorts of things. It is the Project Manager’s responsibility to establish the Issue Log and store it in a place where all Project Members have easy reference to it so they can add information as an issue develops. Unless it is something completely unexpected, it is very common for exceptions to have first been logged in the Issue Log, so you should refer to it frequently and keep it up to date.
For each issue in the log you should record:
- A unique reference number so that people can refer to it more easily
- Its priority (low, medium, high) so that the biggest impact issues are dealt with sooner
- Its status (Live, Closed, Increasing, Decreasing) this will let you identify issues that are getting worse and take steps to prevent them becoming exceptions.
- The person who raised it so that they can be informed of progress.
- Who the issue’s owner is (i.e. the person responsible for dealing with it)
- Any follow up notes
It might not be possible to resolve all issues but the Issue Log will help you manage them. Indeed some issues may never be resolved.
The best times to look at the Issue Log include project review meetings and any planning meetings when you can look at the progression of outstanding issues and discuss any new ones.
The next section is the culmination of all of the work to date and is the final step before delivering the project, the Full Business Case.
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