RAID Log Analysis

A project-management format that puts the spotlight on what could derail delivery. The team logs its risks, the assumptions it's relying on, the issues already in play and the dependencies on other teams or systems. Reviewing all four regularly keeps surprises to a minimum and makes planning conversations far more grounded.

Risks

Things that may go wrong later — not yet real

Roman

Peak season traffic doubles in November and we have not load tested

Maria

Only one person can deploy the billing service

Assumptions

What the plan takes for granted and nobody verified

Anna

We assume the vendor keeps API v1 alive until March

Daria

We assume the data migration fits in a two-hour window

Issues

Problems that are already happening and need an owner

Maria

Staging has been broken for a week and nobody owns it

Kirill

Payment failures are not alerted — customers tell us first

Dependencies

External work or decisions the team is waiting on

Daria

Legal review of the new terms before we can ship self-serve

Roman

The design system update lands before we rebuild checkout

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What is a RAID Log Analysis?

A RAID Log Analysis is a project management session that captures everything threatening or shaping delivery in four buckets: Risks, Assumptions, Issues and Dependencies. Reviewing them together gives the team a clear, shared picture of what could go wrong and what is already in the way. The QRetro template lays out one column per category.

Risks — potential future events that could hurt the project.
Assumptions — things taken as true but not yet verified.
Issues — problems happening right now.
Dependencies — external factors the work relies on.

Risks

Risks are events that have not happened yet but would have an impact if they did. Capture each with its likelihood, potential impact and a mitigation idea so the team can prioritize the ones worth acting on.

Assumptions

Assumptions are beliefs the plan quietly depends on. Writing them down exposes hidden bets; if an assumption later proves false, it often becomes a risk or an issue, so revisit this column regularly.

Issues

Issues are problems affecting the project today. Each card should name the issue, its current impact and an owner, so nothing active is left without a clear next step.

Dependencies

Dependencies are the people, teams, tools or deliverables your progress relies on. Tracking them prevents surprises when an external party slips and helps you plan around critical handoffs.

Benefits of a RAID Log

Gives the team one shared view of project health.
Separates future threats from problems already in play.
Makes silent assumptions explicit and testable.
Highlights external dependencies before they block delivery.
Creates a living record you can review at every milestone.
Speeds up escalation and ownership decisions.

How to run a RAID Log Analysis

Create a board in QRetro using the RAID Log Analysis template.
Invite the team and brainstorm cards into each of the four columns.
For every risk and issue, add impact, likelihood and an owner.
Challenge assumptions and flag any that look fragile.
Map dependencies to dates and external contacts.
Prioritize the log, assign actions and schedule the next review.

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