The OTR GroupHow to Keep a RAID Log That Actually Gets Used
A practical how-to for keeping a one-page RAID log of risks, assumptions, issues and dependencies, with a simple weekly routine.
The OTR Group · Journal
Software, Data & Technology Journal
Software development, data, technology consultancy and digital infrastructure insight from The OTR Group.
Explore The OTR GroupThe Green Book and the Five Case Model: A Plain-English Explainer
What the Five Case Model is, how the strategic, economic, commercial, financial and management cases fit together, and why the idea is useful beyond government.
Change control in projects: a plain-English checklist
What change control is, why it matters, and a simple checklist for handling change requests, based on APM guidance.
Optimism Bias: Why Project Estimates Run Rosy, and What the Green Book Says
Optimism bias is the habit of being too hopeful about costs, timescales and benefits. Here is how HM Treasury's Green Book defines it and what it asks practitioners to do.
The critical path method and PERT: a short history
How the critical path method and PERT emerged in the late 1950s, what a critical path actually means, and why the ideas still shape project plans.
The Orange Book: Five Questions on Government Risk Management
What is the Orange Book, who has to follow it and what do its principles say? Five questions answered from the GOV.UK publication.
Closing a Project Properly: A Checklist Based on the Government Standard
What the UK government project delivery standard says should happen when a project closes: handover, review, lessons and records.
Project Benefits: Four Myths and What the Guidance Says
A project can finish on time and still fail to deliver what it was for. Four common myths about benefits, set against APM and Northern Ireland Department of Finance guidance.
Product Breakdown Structure or Work Breakdown Structure? A Short Comparison
Two similar-sounding planning tools answer two different questions. A plain-English comparison of the product breakdown structure and the work breakdown structure, based on APM guidance.
What Is NISTA? Questions and Answers for Project People
A short Q&A on the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority, based on its GOV.UK pages.
Stage Gates and Assurance: What the Government Project Delivery Standard Says
What the UK government's project delivery standard (GovS 002) says about decision gates, assurance reviews and learning from experience.
Red, Amber, Green: What Delivery Confidence Ratings Should Mean
Most status reports use Red, Amber or Green, but the colours mean different things to different people. Here is how the IPA defines its delivery confidence scale and how to borrow the idea.
Project Life Cycles: Linear, Iterative or Hybrid? A Plain-English Guide
What a project life cycle is, the three broad types described by the Association for Project Management, and how to choose between them.
How to Read a Gantt Chart: A Plain-English Guide for Project Teams
What a Gantt chart shows, where the idea came from, and five things to look for when you are handed one.
The Five Case Model: A Plain-English Guide for Project Teams
The Green Book's Five Case Model asks five questions of any proposal. Here is what each case covers, in the Green Book's own words, and how the stages fit together.
Lessons learned reviews: how to run one that people actually use
A practical guide to lessons learned reviews: when to hold them, how to run them without blame, and how to make sure the lessons are found and used, drawing on APM and IPA material.
The RAID Log: A Plain-English Guide to Risks, Assumptions, Issues and Dependencies
A RAID log keeps four things in one place: risks, assumptions, issues and dependencies. Here is how to set one up and keep it useful.
What counts as a project? Six questions answered
A plain-English Q&A on how the Association for Project Management defines a project, and why the definition matters before you plan anything.
The Critical Path: A Plain-English Guide for Project Managers
The critical path decides when your project can finish. Here is what it is, why float matters, and how to use both in practice.
MoSCoW Prioritisation: A Plain-English Guide to Must, Should, Could and Won't
MoSCoW sorts requirements into four groups. Here is what each means, why the 60% guidance matters, and how to apply it to your next project.
Agile: Four Myths and What the Manifesto Actually Says
Agile is often described as "no planning, no documents". The manifesto itself says something more careful. Here is myth versus fact.
Closing a Project Well: A Seven-Step Checklist
Projects are famously easy to start and hard to finish. APM sets out seven steps for closing one properly. Here they are as a working checklist.
Stakeholder Engagement: A Plain-English Guide Using APM's Four Steps
Who needs to be on side for your project to succeed? A how-to guide to identifying, analysing, planning and engaging stakeholders, based on APM guidance.
RACI charts: who does what on a project, in plain English
A RACI chart shows who is responsible, accountable, consulted and informed on a project. A plain-English guide with a simple example.
What a Government Lessons-Learned Report Teaches About Starting Projects Well
A 2021 government report gathered lessons on setting up major projects. Here is how it was built and what any team can borrow from the idea.
A Simple RAID Log: Risks, Assumptions, Issues and Dependencies
A RAID log keeps four kinds of project uncertainty in one place. Here is what each term means, a short checklist for keeping it useful, and a simple example.
How to Build a Simple Risk Register: A Step-by-Step Guide
A risk register does not need to be complicated. Here is a practical how-to guide, with the five principles from HM Treasury's Orange Book as a guide.
A Short History of the Gantt Chart: From Factory Floor to Project Plan
The Gantt chart is one of the most familiar tools in project management. Here is a short history, drawing on the Association for Project Management.
The Five Case Model: Five Questions Every Business Case Should Answer
A well-known public-sector framework breaks a business case into five parts. Here is each one, and the question behind it.
Who Does What on a Construction Project? A Plain Reading of CDM 2015 Client Duties
Clear roles keep projects safe and on track. A plain-English look at the client duties under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015.
Eight Principles for Project Success: A Plain-English Reading of the IPA Guidance
The Infrastructure and Projects Authority sets out eight principles for project success. Here is what each means in practice for teams of any size.
Late Payment Is a Cash-Flow Problem: What the Statutory Interest Rules Say
A late invoice limits what a business can plan and deliver. Here is what GOV.UK says about charging statutory interest on late commercial payments.
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