Episode 27 — Causes, Triggers, and Early Symptoms
This episode clarifies three terms the exam loves to intertwine: causes, triggers, and early symptoms. Causes are underlying conditions that make a risk plausible, triggers are measurable events that demand action, and early symptoms are weak signals that an exposure is developing. We explain how mixing these can lead to vague registers and missed escalations, then show how to separate them cleanly in your statements and monitoring plans. You will learn to pair each cause with an observable indicator, then define a trigger with a threshold and an owner, which is precisely the chain PMI-RMP scenarios expect you to recognize.
We provide examples across delivery approaches: in Agile, rising defect escape rates may be an early symptom tied to the cause of unstable requirements; the trigger could be exceeding a defined control chart boundary for two consecutive sprints. In predictive projects, repeated late vendor status reports may be a symptom connected to a staffing shortfall cause; the trigger could be missing a contractual progress metric. Best practices include writing triggers as “If X by date Y, then Z owner convenes decision forum Q,” and using dashboards to distinguish trend noise from true thresholds. Troubleshooting topics include indicators that are too lagging, triggers no one owns, and symptoms that are confused with root causes. Produced by BareMetalCyber.com, where you’ll find more cyber audio courses, books, and information to strengthen your educational path. Also, if you want to stay up to date with the latest news, visit DailyCyber.News for a newsletter you can use, and a daily podcast you can commute with.
