Workshops are very effective tools to help you sense-check and share the results of the risk assessment. However, workshops can easily get out of control if they aren’t properly planned and managed.

Take time to plan and prepare the workshop beforehand. Ensure that the overall intent is clear to both you and the participants. Then, work out how to manage the time available to cover the critical elements.

Be aware that people might use the workshop as an opportunity to tackle other areas and raise grievances that aren’t part of the risk assessment. Also remember that there will be issues raised that are relevant to longer-term risk management planning but not immediately pertinent to the assessment. Be prepared for these diversions, acknowledge them and then try to get back onto schedule as soon as possible.

Finally, make sure that you capture the feedback and responses you receive in the workshops. Ideally, have someone with you to help record the feedback as you will need to prepare the final report.

Workshops are hugely powerful, valuable tools but they are still fraught with difficulty. Take the time to prepare in order to maximise these benefits and avoid derailing your project.