Crises and Risks in Engineering Project Management: Identification and Classification, Crisis Triggers and Early Warning Indicators, Lessons Learned and Implications

Abstract

This article investigates crises and risks in engineering project management through an integrated and life-cycle-oriented perspective. The study first establishes a conceptual framework that clearly distinguishes risks as anticipatory, probabilistic conditions from crises as realized, high-impact events, and clarifies their interdependencies across the project life cycle. It then presents a systematic approach for the identification and classification of engineering project risks, encompassing technical, financial, organizational, environmental, and external domains, and demonstrates how unmanaged risk accumulation can escalate into project crises. The article further analyzes key crisis triggers and early warning indicators, highlighting the role of weak signals, risk escalation mechanisms, and monitoring and control systems in crisis prevention. In addition, the study evaluates proactive and reactive risk and crisis management strategies, including risk mitigation, contingency planning, resilience engineering, decision-making under uncertainty, and leadership responses during crisis situations. Drawing on empirical lessons from past engineering project failures, the article synthesizes best practices and governance implications for enhancing project robustness and sustainability. The findings emphasize that engineering project crises are rarely sudden or unforeseeable, but rather the result of cumulative risks combined with delayed recognition and weak governance. The article concludes that integrating systematic risk identification, early warning detection, adaptive management strategies, and institutional learning within a unified governance framework is essential for improving resilience and achieving sustainable engineering project outcomes.