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.
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.
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.
Start with a central list - digital instead of paper or Excel.
Each item needs a clear description: What exactly is open?
Each open item has an owner.
No shared responsibility ("we'll take care of it") - this is the only way to make it binding.
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.
Use dashboards that show the status to all stakeholders.
Document when an item has been completed - and keep a traceable history.
Incorporate OPM into your regular meetings.
Review: What has been completed? What is blocked? Where do decisions need to be made?
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.
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.