We met Space Shuttle Astronaut Robert C. Springer today at the Kennedy Space Center. His comment about “redundancy management” caught my attention. Redundancy management, a fancy term for backup plans, is crucial during the first 8.5 minutes of a space shuttle launch. He said that in some cases, they have backup plans, sometimes three levels deep, to ensure a safe takeoff.

On your projects, what type of redundancy management do you have in place? Although you may have a risk management plan, how deep is it? It’s always good to have a Plan B. But, based on Springer’s example, it may be necessary to have Plans C and D for mission critical aspects of your projects.

Take a look at all of your key project risks. If Plan B fails for those key project risks, what’s your redundancy management plan?

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