In today’s complex project landscape, managing multiple contributors from different groups and ensuring efficient synchronization and timely answers to all internal questions and requests can be daunting. Having managed many large projects and led groups with complex portfolios of projects, I am using a powerful tool to streamline communication, boost accountability, and drive project success: the Open Issue List (OIL).
Why the OIL is Essential
When navigating intricate projects with diverse contributors, establishing clear governance is paramount. The OIL facilitates this by:
- Centralizing Communication: This provides a single point of reference for all questions, requests, and action items. There will be no more meeting minutes or email chains to track. Just go to the central file.
- Driving Accountability: When a new issue or request is made, clarify the description and obtain a commitment to respond within a specific timeframe. This will forge the accountability model of your project team, empowering all contributors. They need to understand what is at stake if we cannot answer. When the team is mature enough, they can also update the file themselves, opening questions or asking for clarification and closing the action when the counterpart has accepted the answer.
- Enhancing Transparency: Offering complete visibility to all contributors on project progress and potential roadblocks.
Key Principles for an Effective OIL
To maximize the OIL’s effectiveness, adhere to these core principles:
- Avoid Duplication: If a task or a deliverable is already in your project plan, do not repeat it in the OIL.
- Not for Compliance Tracking: The OIL is not a tool for demonstrating requirement compliance, so do not track requirements and/or test plans within.
- Not a Risk Register: Keep risk management separate; the OIL focuses on open issues and action items to synchronize the team.
- Keep it Concise: Aim for fewer than 100 open items. The OIL should be easily digestible and manageable.
- Clarity is Key: Each item should clearly state who is asking what, to whom, and by when. The Actionnee needs to acknowledge the request; by doing so, the request is considered precise enough, and the estimated time to completion is a commitment we can rely on.
- Impact Assessment: Understand the potential impact of delay (missed milestones, financial implications, risk materialization) for each item and assign priority accordingly. To simplify this evaluation, use the same approach and ranking as the one used in your risk register: two dimensions: likelihood and impact.
Making Your Governance Meetings Efficient
- Fast-Paced Reviews: The PMO should quickly identify status changes, highlight items nearing deadlines, and ask each participant for a general update: « Do you have one item at risk or not? » Empower your contributors.
- Capture Actions: Record meeting outcomes (planning updates, budget revisions, risk assessments) directly into the OIL.
The OIL: Your Project Memory
- Weekly Reminders: Use the OIL to send timely reminders and track progress.
- Metrics: Focus on the team’s dynamics by providing visibility on items that are progressing, being completed, or being created.
- Celebrate Success: Acknowledge and celebrate when commitments are met, building predictability and trust.
Conclusion
When implemented effectively, the OIL is a powerful tool for uniting stakeholders, fostering collaboration, and driving project success. It transforms complex projects into manageable initiatives with clear communication, accountability, and transparency. Embrace the OIL and experience the difference it can make in your project management practice.
Link to download the OIL template : Oil.xlsx
Question: What could be an alternative to the Open Issue List?
🛠️ Three simple actions to deploy the LPO on projects
Clarify each item as soon as it enters the LPO
Define: a requester, an owner, a response date.
Require the owner to acknowledge receipt to confirm understanding.
Prioritize based on impact and probability, just like in a risk register.
Keep the LPO readable and useful
Aim for fewer than 100 active items to avoid overload.
Eliminate duplicates with the project plan or the risk register.
Focus only on open issues and actions that need coordination.
Transform coordination meetings
Review only status changes and items approaching their deadline.
Ask each person: “Do you have a risk item?” instead of reading the list.
Look for next actions, not for culprits.
👉 These three simple actions strengthen your leadership posture and unlock your potential.