“School solution” is a military-phrase for the standard way in which one would approach a problem or scenario. While the phrase often is applied pejoratively, it doesn’t have to be so. In fact, sometimes I wish I heard more folks at least make a gesture towards such standards.
This concept came to mind when I reviewed a proposed risk management process for our transformation program. While the basics were OK, there were a few indications that the author didn’t know the school solution. For example, every response was assumed to be “mitigation”. The proposal also assumed that the risk evaluation would be a “one and done” process… he seemed surprised that we wanted reviews more frequently than quarterly.
There are valid reasons to structure a risk process in a way that doesn’t go strictly by the book. For example, I can see using a different review cycle for risks where mitigation is the response than those risks one is accepting. But please show me that you’ve read the book before you propose that we re-write it!
Filed under: PMO | Tagged: Risk Management, risk mitigation, Risk Response, School Solution | 1 Comment »