I mean, it’s literally a 10 letter word right?
During projects there are often good reasons to escalate risks. We should also assess threats or other potentially high impact items. Traditionally our focus is on the “triple constraints” of scope, schedule or cost. According to Merriam-Webster.com ‘escalate’ means to “to increase in extent, volume, number, amount, intensity, or scope“. According to my $.02 for Project Management, to escalate or escalation means to ask for help. This is not inherently a bad thing, but many feel it is.
Perspectives on Escalation
With escalation project team member may feel they will be viewed as a failure or as incompetent. No, no, no. Leaders, good leaders, want us to escalate potential negative impacts to them as early as possible.
In this episode I share more on the helpful use of escalation. We should escalate risks before they become issues. I reference the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) 6th Edition’s relevant guides. Taken word-for-word, some guidance in the PMBOK will do Project Managers a disservice in the real world.
#askforhelp #escalation #projectmanagement #scope #cost #schedule #quality #projectmanagers #pmi #pmp #pmbok