
Episode 553: Revenge of the Risk Register (Premium Preview)
From The Project Management Podcast by Cornelius Fichtner
May 29, 2026
About this episode
The episode discusses project risk management through the lens of popular movies with insights from Dawn Mahan and Jerry Manas.
Premium This is a preview of our premium episode. Full access is available only to premium subscribers. Click here and learn about the Premium Podcast to access this interview... Play audio-only preview episode | Play on YouTube | Play on Spotify Episode Summary We welcome back Dawn Mahan and Jerry Manas for a project risk management conversation that connects movie moments with practical project leadership. Dawn and Jerry, co-editors of Projectland Goes to the Movies: 22 Blockbuster Strategies for Project Success , focus on the chapters they personally wrote and use them to examine how project managers identify early warning signs, assess uncertainty, choose risk responses, and handle the human side of risk. Jerry uses Star Wars to explain fast risk assessment, OODA loops, situational awareness, risk response planning, and the difference between risk as threat and risk as opportunity. Dawn uses The Italian Job to discuss trust, hidden resistance, team pressure, stakeholder behavior, sabotage, and what happens when a new person joins an already established team. Together, they make a practical point for project managers: risk management cannot live only in a register. It has to…
People in this episode
Host: Cornelius Fichtner
Guests: Dawn Mahan, Jerry Manas
Topics covered
- project risk management
- leadership
- stakeholder engagement
- team dynamics
- risk assessment
Keywords
- risk management
- project leadership
- OODA loops
- situational awareness
- stakeholder behavior
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Projectland Goes to the Movies: 22 Blockbuster Strategies for Project Success, Star Wars, The Italian Job
More episodes of The Project Management Podcast
- Episode 552: PMP Exam Content Outline (For Exams on or after 2026-July-09) · May 17, 2026
- Episode 551: What Movies Teach Project Managers · May 15, 2026
- Episode 550: How to Turn Chaos Into Project Clarity (Premium Preview) · April 30, 2026
- Episode 549: How to Bring Clarity to Chaotic Projects · April 4, 2026
- Episode 548: From Project Delivery to Value: How Project Managers Create Real Business Impact · February 13, 2026
- Episode 547: How to Empower Project Teams (Premium Preview) · January 30, 2026
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Project Management Podcast podcast page.