Acknowledging the Risks
While Agile was devised to minimise risk as much as possible, through frequent interaction with stakeholders, small iterative deliveries and the flexibility to accept changes, the risks inherent in any project still exist in Agile. Whatever method you use, please ensure that risk management is a vital component of your project – Agile might mitigate many of the project risks, but there are still risks around the product development that need to be managed and mitigated.
Risk Prioritization in Scrum
Risk Management is a standard component of traditional waterfall projects. The Agile Scrum framework is one that naturally identifies risks quickly because of the collaborative nature of a continuous inspection. It is important as Agile projects become more complex or are identified as Scaled Agile initiatives, that risks are proactively identified, prioritized and managed throughout the life of a project. Risks should be prioritized as part of the continuous cycle of managing the product backlog. Usually, it is the responsibility of the product owner or chief product owner in Scaled Agile, to manage this list. The scrum master for a project can also take on this task.
The steps that will be repeated continuously through the life of a product to manage the prioritization of risks are as follows:
- Proactively identify or acknowledge risks
- Risk Assessment
- Risk Prioritization
- Risk Management
- Risk Communication
Recommended Further Reading
The following materials may assist you in order to get the most out of this course: