How-To: Open points management in the project - how to stay in control

🚧 Open points - the silent chaos in the project

Do you know this?
The to-do's are piling up. Everyone somehow knows that there are open points - but no one knows exactly who is responsible for what and by when something has to be done.

The result:

• Important tasks slip through the cracks.

• Responsibilities are unclear.

• Projects are delayed - and often for no clear reason.

And this is exactly where structured open points management (OPM) comes into play.

🧭 What is open points management anyway?

Open item management means that you systematically record, prioritize and track all open to-do's, problems and deviations.

The goal: clarity about who does what and when - and what happens if it doesn't happen.

It sounds simple, but in reality it is one of the biggest levers for efficient project management.

❌ Typical mistakes in OPM

Many projects don't fail because of the problem itself - but because of how it is handled.

Here are the most common mistakes:

• Excel proliferation: everyone has their own list, no central overview.

• No responsibilities: Open points are known but don't "belong" to anyone.

• Lack of deadlines: Without clear deadlines, the issue is put off forever.

• Lack of transparency: Stakeholders don't know how critical an issue really is.

Do you recognize yourself? Then it's time for a new approach.

✅ Step-by-step guide to efficient OPM

1️⃣ Record all open points

• Start with a central list - digital instead of paper or Excel.

• Each item needs a clear description: What exactly is open?

2️⃣ Clarify responsibilities

• Each open item has an owner.

• No shared responsibility ("we'll take care of it") - this is the only way to make it binding.

3️⃣ Prioritize & set deadlines

• Not everything is equally important. Use a traffic light logic (red/yellow/green) or an RPN (risk priority number).

• Set specific deadlines for when an item must be completed.

4️⃣ Make progress transparent

• Use dashboards that show the status to all stakeholders.

• Document when an item has been completed - and keep a traceable history.

5️⃣ Check & follow up regularly

• Incorporate OPM into your regular meetings.

• Review: What has been completed? What is blocked? Where do decisions need to be made?
  
  

💡 Best practice: Digitize OPM with COMAN

Manual OPM in Excel? That might work for small projects - but not for complex projects with dozens of stakeholders.

This is where COMAN software comes in:

• Link open points directly to project objects

• Make progress visible in real time

• Automatic reminders for escalations

• Mobile processing via app - even on the construction site

👉 This not only saves you time and nerves, but also ensures that open points are no longer lost.

🚀 Conclusion: projects don't fail because of problems, but because of a lack of control

Every project has open issues.
The difference between success and failure lies in how you manage them.

With a clear process - and digital tools like COMAN - OPM goes from being a chaos factor to a success factor.