1. Identify the issues and characteristics of conflicts

The conflicts that the project manager should prioritize are those that pose a risk to the achievement of project objectives and could escalate into a crisis. Conflicts that remain unresolved can lead to a deadlock or even paralysis: we must not let it come to that!

Thus, because it draws attention to potential changes that could improve collaboration and project outcomes, conflict should be viewed as an opportunity for the project.

The term "conflict management" implies that conflicts are a recurring feature of projects and must be managed. However, unlike other situations that you are advised to anticipate in order to handle them more effectively, not all conflicts can be predicted. At the same time, it is rare for them to be resolved once and for all!