Web Application Development RAID Log
This is a practical guide to building a raid log for a web application development project — a consolidated log of Risks, Assumptions, Issues and Dependencies, adapted to the realities of building a custom web application.
What a RAID Log is
A raid log is a consolidated log of Risks, Assumptions, Issues and Dependencies. For the full concept and how it works in general, see RAID Log. On a web application development project it plays the same role, tuned to this kind of work.
Why it matters for a Web Application Development project
Web Application Development projects live or die on building a custom web application. A well-built raid log gives the team a shared, explicit reference for exactly that — reducing ambiguity, aligning stakeholders, and making problems visible early enough to act. Skipping it, or doing it generically, is how web application development projects drift into avoidable delay and cost.
What to include
- Risks
- Assumptions
- Issues
- Dependencies
- Owners and status
Web Application Development-specific considerations
Tailor the raid log to the risks that most often derail web application development projects:
- Unclear or shifting requirements
- Technical debt
- Security and performance at scale
Example
On a real web application development project, the raid log would be shaped by building a custom web application. In particular, it should explicitly account for the project’s biggest risks — unclear or shifting requirements, technical debt, security and performance at scale — rather than treating them as afterthoughts.