Question 4 of 6 Fundamentals Concept
What is the difference between a dependency and a risk?
Short answer
A dependency is a prerequisite or linkage between activities. A risk is an uncertain event that could disrupt objectives. The same dependency can create a risk, but they should be managed separately.
Why
A cell-based screen depends on a stable cell line and on instrument access. Those are dependencies whether or not anything goes wrong. A risk is that contamination could delay availability of the cell line or that instrument downtime could block a run.
Map dependencies in a schedule or work breakdown and identify their owners and decision points. In the risk register, document likelihood, impact, early-warning indicator, mitigation and contingency. If a failure occurs, convert the relevant risk into a tracked issue and update the actual sequence of work.
The distinction helps teams decide whether to improve coordination, purchase redundancy or escalate a live blocker. A critical dependency might have very low failure probability, while a moderate-probability risk could affect a noncritical task. Avoid using a single undifferentiated list of everything that matters.
Common mistakes
- Classifying all predecessor tasks as risks even without a credible uncertain threat
The interviewer might ask next
How would you mitigate a single-point-of-failure instrument dependency without buying a second instrument?