What is a sensitive project and how do you manage it?

Every project manager is required at some point in their career to manage one or more sensitive projects. Managing such a project can be a real challenge, and it is best to be well prepared to ensure its success.

Discover what we call a sensitive project as well as some tips to ensure their smooth and successful completion.

What is a sensitive project?

Larousse provides two adequate definitions of the word “sensitive” in the context of project management:

• which must be treated with particular attention and vigilance;
• which is subject to increased surveillance for security reasons.

A sensitive project is therefore either a project that must remain confidential, or a project that deals with a delicate subject, that raises tensions or has important political or strategic issues, for example.

There are essentially two categories of sensitive projects:

• Sensitive internal projects : they concern the internal strategy of the company and have a direct impact on the company's employees, such as the relocation of part or all of the company, the transition to a new computer system, the reduction of staff following a social plan, etc.
• External sensitive projects: this type of project is mainly a matter of a company's external strategy, its positioning on the market in relation to its competitors, and its reputation. For example, a merger-acquisition, the launch of a new product, a radical change in strategy, the treatment of toxic waste, etc.

Often, a sensitive project will trigger a restructuring of the company, a change in its mission, which will have more or less significant consequences on the entire organization internally, as well as externally. Hence the need to manage this type of projects with the greatest care and to do everything possible to keep them confidential in order to avoid information leaks, rumours, excessive staff reactions, damage to the company's image, etc.

Know that the human factor is often the main cause of the failure of this type of project. For example, employees who vigorously oppose your project risk delaying it or even jeopardizing it.

A sensitive project combines relational difficulties with technical complexities. It creates an irrational environment that the project manager is not used to and that makes him lose his bearings. It is then more likely to make mistakes.

How to manage a sensitive project?

You don't manage a sensitive project in the same way you manage a more traditional project. La managing a project sensitive can be a real challenge for the uninitiated.

Here are 5 tips to help you effectively manage your most sensitive projects.

1. A team you can trust

If you have just been given a sensitive project, start by carefully selecting the members of your team. To maintain the confidentiality of the project, only a small number of people need to be involved. Your employees must be trustworthy and have particular skills such as discretion, diplomacy, perseverance, etc.

2. Careful but essential communication

Certainly, a sensitive project essentially requires maintaining the confidentiality of the information processed to a small group of people. However, communication is essential to the success of any project.

Your team members need to communicate regularly with each other to maintain effective collaboration, but also with the various stakeholders to keep them updated on the progress of the project.

If it is a project that directly concerns employees, avoid the surprise effect and the non-involvement of employees because you may then see your project delayed, or even canceled.

Even if, after some time, some data loses its confidential nature, you should remain attentive to the information you disclose in order to avoid compromising the smooth running of the project and its success.

To make it easier for you, designate a person responsible for communicating with stakeholders and/or other audiences.

3. Unwavering confidentiality

The key to the success of a sensitive project lies in the confidentiality of its data. Your team must fully understand the crucial issues of maintaining security and confidentiality key project information. What information can you provide? Conversely, which ones should you keep secret?

The members of your team working with confidential data on a daily basis should use a structured methodology in order to store, share, update, or even destroy the processed data safely and thus avoid information leaks.

4. Secure tools

How can you guarantee the confidentiality of information if the tools you use do not make it their priority? It is therefore imperative that you work with secure tools and software to manage your sensitive projects.

For example, Wimi Armoured is a highly secure collaboration platform that guarantees the security, confidentiality and sovereignty of your project data.

This solution collaborative offers you all the functionalities essential for the efficient management of your projects (instant messaging, Gantt chart, calendar, etc.), while offering end-to-end encryption, a reinforced authentication system and hosting of your data in metropolitan France.

5. Knowledge of risk management

Even with the utmost care, there is no such thing as zero risk. To anticipate potential risks, mitigate them, or even completely prevent them or, if necessary, prepare yourself to face them and deal with them effectively, you must put in place risk management from the start of the project.

For effective risk management, follow these steps:

• identify risks;
• assess and prioritize them;
• estimate their probability of occurrence;
• assess their impacts on the project;
• define an action plan to eliminate risks or limit their impacts;
• determine indicators to monitor and control risks.

To summarize

Because of its delicate and confidential nature, a sensitive project requires caution, a competent team, carefully balanced communication, unwavering confidentiality, adapted and secure tools, and effective risk management.

You now know how to manage your sensitive projects. It's up to you to play!