Review checkpoints

A project risk can remain quiet until the next promised review arrives. A Review Checkpoint records the date, the person responsible and whether the checkpoint is Pending, Met or Missed. The Project Manager uses that dated commitment to bring the right risk and task information into the conversation while there is still time to act.

• Schedule. Give the checkpoint a clear name, due date, owner and project.
• Prepare. Review open risks, blocked tasks and current escalations before the due date.
• Record. Mark the checkpoint Met when it happened or Missed when it did not, with notes that explain the result.

The checkpoint record is a dated review obligation. It does not replace a risk, a task or a review decision. Each has a different job: the risk explains exposure, the task shows delivery work and the checkpoint states whether the project completed a planned review. This separation helps the next owner see what happened when a review date was missed.

Agree which events deserve a checkpoint. A weekly project review might be enough for routine exposure; a high impact concern may need a nearer date. Use a meaningful checkpoint name so the owner knows what to prepare. Decide who records the outcome and what evidence goes in notes or an attachment.

Set expectations for missed checkpoints. If the due date passes while the status is Pending, the at-risk list helps the team find it. The Project Manager should identify the follow-up owner and a new review date without rewriting the earlier missed commitment. Keep the original date and outcome clear to anyone looking back at the project.

A risk owner is monitoring a vendor dependency before a planned delivery date. The Project Manager schedules a checkpoint for the day the vendor should confirm its input. The owner reviews the mitigation and any related task. If the confirmation arrives, the manager records the checkpoint as Met and the Risk Owner reassesses the risk separately.

If the vendor does not answer, the checkpoint is Missed. The Delivery Lead can create or update the task that follows up, while the Risk Owner revises the mitigation. The project team can then review whether the project itself is at risk. None of those updates should silently transform the missed checkpoint into a met one.

• Review Checkpoints At Risk — Find pending reviews whose due date needs attention.
• Active Projects — Check the project linked to a pending review.

Read risk review and evidence review for the resulting handoff.