Course overview
Traditional approaches to project risk management focus on events - predictable technical issues assessed by probability and impact, with mitigation or contingency plans put in place. Yet this lens overlooks a critical truth: projects are not just technical systems, they are also social systems. The interactions between stakeholders, shaped by goals, behaviours, and communication styles, can introduce complex, often overlooked risks. These are relational risks.
Recent research highlights relational risk as a key contributor to project failure. Unlike event-based risks, relational risks stem from misaligned behaviours and breakdowns in trust, transparency, and collaboration. Common challenges include:
- Misalignment of goals
- Opportunistic behaviour
- Information asymmetry
- Erosion of trust
- Poor verification of performance
- Concealment of negative outcomes
- Ineffective communication
In this session, we’ll explore how to identify, assess, and manage relational risk using the CURED framework - an actionable model grounded in current research. Through a mix of theory and practice, including the experiential learning game NODEL, participants will engage in scenario-based problem-solving to apply CURED principles and strengthen stakeholder collaboration.
- Event based risk analysis - a brief refresher
- Relational risk - current research and the CURED framework
- Some useful tools - Systems thinking and the theory of constraints
- Interactive relational risk problem solving - playing the game Nodel and analyising the output.
Traditional risk management only takes you so far. That’s why this course introduces complementary models like Relational Risk and the CURED Framework, offering practical tools to manage uncertainty in technical and social project systems.
By the end of the course, you’ll walk away with a robust set of actionable techniques and a forward-thinking mindset to elevate your clinical research project outcomes, today and into the future.
Participants will also improve their career opportunities and gain the ability to help protect organisations from potential risks, positioning themselves as highly valuable assets in today’s competitive job market.
CPD Hours: 4
Course Content
- Day 1
- Project uncertainty
- Event based risk analysis (PRAM) - refresher
- Relational risk
- Useful tools for relational risk identification
- Managing relational risk
- Gamification
- Playing Nodel with a real life Scenario
- Analysis of Nodel output
Speakers
Roger Joby
Roger Joby: Director 1to1to1 Project Management Consultancy and Visiting Research Fellow Liverpool JM University
An international pharmaceutical project management consultant and educator with over 40 years’ experience, principally for Clinical Research Organisations in both clinical operations and bids, and contract departments.
Roger is a Board member of the Institute of Clinical Research and is a visiting Research Fellow at Liverpool JM University. He is involved in academic research and has published papers and written articles on the application of Earned Value Management in Clinical Research with colleagues at Liverpool JM University. Roger specialises in customising project management tools like EVM, Risk Analysis, etc to suit client-specific needs in the highly uncertain world of drug development.
Roger has worked as an independent consultant since the year 2000, but prior to this he worked in both sponsor and supplier companies in clinical research latterly in senior management positions.
