When to use it
Use it to tailor governance, experimentation and escalation.
When to be cautious
An unvalidated composite score should not be presented as a scientific risk measure.
Apply it
- Describe interfaces, actors, dependencies and sources of uncertainty.
- Identify where effects are hard to reverse or predict.
- Choose targeted learning and controls, then reassess.
An example in practice
A modest system change spans several organisations with incompatible release calendars. Interface uncertainty matters more than the raw task count.
Source & credit
Common scheduling practice. The critical-path method is associated with James E. Kelley Jr. and Morgan R. Walker; their 1959 paper is the historical reference.
GAO: Schedule Assessment Guide
This explanation and example are independently written. The source is a reading reference; linking it does not grant permission to reuse its text, figures or assessments.