What is on the page
- Issue and impact
- What is wrong now and what it affects: a deliverable, a date, the budget, customers. Be specific enough that someone new could understand it.
- Priority
- High if it blocks the project, medium if there is a workaround, low if it is an annoyance. Agree the definitions so priorities mean the same to everyone.
- Owner and next action
- One person responsible for getting it resolved, and the very next step with a date, not just "look into it".
- Open count
- Enter 1 for open and 0 for closed issues; Excel totals the open ones, the number to watch each week.
- Decision record
- What was decided, the options, who decided, why, and what it changed in the plan.
Running an issue log
Log an issue as soon as someone raises it, with a number, the date and the person who raised it. Agree the priority, assign one owner and write the next action and its due date. Review open issues at every team meeting, starting with the high-priority ones, and close them only when resolved, noting how. Keep closed issues on the log; they are a useful record of what went wrong and how it was fixed. An issue that needs a change to scope, budget or dates becomes a change request. Report the count of open high-priority issues in the weekly status report.
Issues versus risks
A risk is a possible future problem; an issue is a problem that has happened. Risks go on the risk register with a likelihood and a response plan; when a risk happens, it moves to the issue log. Keeping them seperate stops the issue log filling with "what ifs" and keeps the team focused on what needs action now.
When to escalate
Escalate an issue when the team can't solve it within its authority: it needs more money, a change of scope or date, a decision between departments, or help from outside the project. Escalating early isn't a failure; escalating late is. Use the escalation form to make it easy for the sponsor to decide: state the issue and its impact, what has been tried, two or three options with their pros and cons, your recommendation and the date a decision is needed. A sponsor given clear options usually decides in minutes.
Why keep a decision log
Months into a project, few people remember why a choice was made, and decisions get reopened. A short log of each significant decision, with the options considered and the reason, prevents that and helps new team members understand the project. Record decisions from meetings (see the meeting notes template) and from escalations in one place.
Editing the files
The PDFs are fillable. The Excel issue log counts open issues and can be filtered by owner, priority or status. Add columns for category or link issues to tasks on the project task tracker.
Questions
What is a project issue log?
A list of problems that have arisen during a project, each with an ID, description, priority, impact, owner, next action, due date and status.
What is the difference between an issue and a risk?
A risk might happen in the future; an issue has already happened and needs action now.
When should an issue be escalated?
When it needs a decision or resources beyond the team's authority, such as more budget, a scope or date change, or help from another department.
What is a decision log?
A record of significant project decisions with the date, the options considered, who decided, the reason and the effect on the plan.
Does the log count open issues?
Yes. Enter 1 for each open issue and Excel totals them.
Comments and questions
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