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RAID log in a SharePoint list: risks, actions, issues, decisions

Short answer: a RAID log in SharePoint is one list with a Choice column called Type (1 Risk, 2 Action, 3 Issue, 4 Decision) plus Owner, Priority, Status, Due and Impact columns. Save one view per Type and one view called Open high. RAID stands for Risks, Assumptions or Actions, Issues, and Dependencies or Decisions.

What a RAID log is

RAID is a short name for four kinds of project notes: Risks, Assumptions or Actions, Issues, and Dependencies or Decisions. The first and third letters are always Risks and Issues. The other two letters change from team to team. Some teams use A for Assumptions and D for Dependencies. Others use A for Actions and D for Decisions.

This guide picks Actions and Decisions. Those are the two things a project team touches every week, so they fit a working list well. If your team uses Assumptions or Dependencies, change the Type choices in Step 3 and keep everything else the same.

Here is what each Type means in this guide:

This guide is about project governance: one list that holds four kinds of record. For one kind of record, see "How to set up an incident log in SharePoint" and "Help desk ticket tracker in a SharePoint list". For task lists and a project example with a demo, see "SharePoint project tracker examples, with a live demo". The new idea here is the Type column that lets four kinds of record share one list.

Why one list and not four

Four lists look tidy. In practice they split the picture. A risk becomes an issue when it happens. An issue creates actions. An action may need a decision. If these live in four places, you have to open four places to see what is going on.

With one list, you filter by Type to see only risks, or clear the filter to see everything. You can sort by Due to see what is next. You can also change a row from Risk to Issue when the risk comes true, and the history stays in one row.

One honest trade-off: the four kinds do not share every field. A Decision may have no due date. Leave Due blank for those rows. That is fine, and the Open high view in Step 7 handles it.

Step 1. Plan the columns

Sketch the grid before you touch SharePoint. Each row of the sketch becomes one column in the list. Our advice, not a Microsoft rule: stop at seven.

Use the Title column as the label for each entry.

Step 2. Create the list

Start from nothing. In the Lists app, choose +New list and then the Blank list tile. Inside a SharePoint site, the path is New, then List, then Blank list. Type a name such as RAID log and press Create. Exact names may differ on your screen. The new list arrives with one column only: Title.

Step 3. Add the Type column

Type is the column that lets four kinds of entry live together, so build it first. Microsoft documents the general routine: choose + Add column, pick a column type, name it, adjust the settings and select Save. It does not spell out the settings for every type, so read the options on your own screen.

  1. Choose + Add column and pick Choice.
  2. Call the column Type.
  3. In the choices box, type four lines: 1 Risk, 2 Action, 3 Issue, 4 Decision.
  4. Select Save.

The digits are deliberate. Our advice, not a Microsoft rule: lead each choice with a number, so that the choices keep your order.

Step 4. Add the other columns

Run the same routine for the rest.

Step 5. Enter a few sample rows

Type four entries before you share the list with anyone. Samples:

Read the grid as a stranger would. A column that is awkward to fill should be simplified or dropped now. A log that is tiresome to update stops being updated.

Step 6. Make the four Type views

A view is a saved way of looking at the list. A view changes what you see, not what is stored.

Microsoft's modern-experience routine: filter from a column heading, open the view menu, pick Save view as, give it a name and select Save. Wording on your screen may vary.

  1. Filter Type to 1 Risk and save that view as Risks.
  2. Do the same for 2 Action, 3 Issue and 4 Decision, naming each view after its Type.
  3. In each view, hide the columns that view does not need. Risks should show Impact. Decisions can drop Due.

Step 7. Build the Open high view

This view shows what needs attention now: Priority is 1 High and Status is not 3 Closed. Add a Due date check if you want to see only late items.

Microsoft says filters with [Today] or [Me] need the classic view editor (Edit current view, then Filters), not a column header. Our advice, not a Microsoft rule: also use it for blank and "is not equal to" filters. The steps there are:

  1. Select the view name, then Edit current view.
  2. Scroll to Filters and select "Show items only when the following is true."
  3. Add: Priority is equal to 1 High.
  4. Add: Status is not equal to 3 Closed.
  5. Select OK.

The same page says a filter can have up to 10 statements, and that you put Or statements first, then And statements.

Want only your own items? A "Mine" view needs the [Me] filter on the Owner column. That is also a classic view editor step. A calculated column cannot be used for "overdue", because SharePoint blocks [Today] in formulas. Use a view filter with [Today] on the Due column instead.

Color the High items

Two ways to make High stand out, both from Microsoft's pages:

  1. Color the choice. On the Priority column, select the column header, then Column settings, then Format this column. Microsoft's column formatting page says Choice columns get "Fill color; shaded, pill-shaped backgrounds for option names", and that you can "Highlight different choices and dates with Fill color."
  2. Color the row. Microsoft's list view page says: "With conditional formatting, you can highlight rows based on rules." Its steps start with "Select Manage Rules > + Add rule." Then choose the Priority column, the comparison "is equal to", and the value 1 High, and select the edit icon to set how those rows look.

Step 8. Run the weekly review

A log only works if it is read. One way to start:

  1. Open the Open high view first. Ask each owner: done, not done, or needs help.
  2. Open Issues. Ask what action closes each one.
  3. Open Risks. Ask: did any of these come true? If so, change Type to 3 Issue.
  4. Open Decisions. Read the new ones aloud so everyone hears them.
  5. Close what is finished. Set Status to 3 Closed.

For reminders about due dates, see "Send a reminder before a due date in a SharePoint list" and "Late tasks nobody notices: setting up late alerts".

What to avoid

Honest limits

A list records what the team agreed. It does not plan, schedule or chase anyone. High and Impact are judgments, so two reviewers can score the same Risk differently. Settle in writing what High means before the first entry. A program with several teams and dependencies between plans may outgrow one list and need a dedicated project tool. For a single team, one list can be enough. Exact names may differ on your screen.

If a few entries must stay private, keep them in a separate list with its own permissions.

When to get help

You can build all of this yourself in Microsoft 365. If you would rather have it built and tested for your team, I do that. A tracker like this is a fixed price: $5,000 for one, built in 2 weeks. See "What a SharePoint tracker costs to build". Bring one example of the problem to a free call.

Tell me what's still manual

I am Al Davies. I run 250 High Street LLC and build SharePoint trackers and Power Automate flows for operations teams. I work remotely. The first call is free, and I will not try to sell you anything.

See trackers I built: Tools I built

FAQ

What does RAID stand for in a RAID log?

Risks, Assumptions or Actions, Issues, and Dependencies or Decisions. R and I are fixed, A and D vary, and this guide uses Actions and Decisions.

Why use one list instead of four?

One list lets you see everything in one place and change a row from Risk to Issue when a risk comes true. You still get four clean views by filtering on the Type column.

Is there a Microsoft Lists template for a RAID log?

Microsoft's template page names Issue tracker as its example and does not name a RAID template. This guide builds the log from a blank list.

How do I color the High items red?

Use Format this column on the Priority column for choice fill color, or Manage Rules then Add rule on the view to highlight whole rows.

Why can I not use [Today] when I filter from a column heading?

Microsoft says [Today] and [Me] do not work from a column header. Use the classic view editor: select the view name, choose Edit current view, then go to Filters.

Sources