1. HIT241 - RISK MANAGEMENT
Introduction
Project risk management is the art and science
of identifying, assigning, and responding to risk
throughout the life of a project and in the best
interests of meeting project objectives.
Risk management is often overlooked on
projects, but it can help improve project
success by helping select good projects,
determining project scope, and developing
realistic estimates.
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2. HIT241 - RISK MANAGEMENT
What is Risk?
A dictionary definition of risk is “the possibility
of loss or injury”.
Project risk involves understanding potential
problems that might occur on the project and
how they might impede project success.
Risk management is like a form of
insurance; it is an investment.
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3. HIT241 - RISK MANAGEMENT
Risks & Opportunities
Try to balance risks and opportunities
Risks Opportunities
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4. HIT241 - RISK MANAGEMENT
Risk Utility
Risk utility or risk tolerance is the amount of
satisfaction or pleasure received from a potential
payoff:
Utility rises at a decreasing rate for a person
who is risk-averse.
Those who are risk-seeking have a higher
tolerance for risk and their satisfaction
increases when more payoff is at stake.
The risk neutral approach achieves a balance
between risk and payoff.
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5. HIT241 - RISK MANAGEMENT
Risk Utility Function & Risk Preference
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6. HIT241 - RISK MANAGEMENT
What is Project Risk Management?
The goal of project risk management is to minimize
potential risks while maximizing potential
opportunities. Major processes include:
Risk identification: determining which risks are likely
to affect a project.
Risk quantification: evaluating risks to assess the
range of possible project outcomes.
Risk response development: taking steps to enhance
opportunities and developing responses to threats.
Risk response control: responding to risks over the
course of the project.
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7. HIT241 - RISK MANAGEMENT
Common Sources of Risk on IT Projects
Several studies show that IT projects share
some common sources of risk.
The Standish Group developed an IT success
potential scoring sheet based on potential risks.
McFarlan developed a risk questionnaire to
help assess risk.
Other broad categories of risk help identify
potential risks.
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8. HIT241 - RISK MANAGEMENT
IT Success Potential Scoring Sheet
Standish Group
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9. HIT241 - RISK
MANAGEMENT
McFarlan’s
Risk
Questionnaire
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10. HIT241 - RISK MANAGEMENT
Market, Financial, & Technology Risk
Market risk: Will the new product be useful to
the organisation or marketable to others? Will
users accept and use the product or service?
Financial risk: Can the organisation afford to
undertake the project? Is this project the best
way to use the company’s financial resources?
Technology risk: Is the project technically
feasible? Could the technology be obsolete
before a useful product can be produced?
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11. HIT241 - RISK MANAGEMENT
Risk Identification
Risk identification is the process of
understanding what potential unsatisfactory
outcomes are associated with a particular
project.
Several risk identification tools include:
Checklists,
Flowcharts, and
Interviews.
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12. HIT241 - RISK MANAGEMENT
Potential Risk Conditions & Knowledge Area
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13. HIT241 - RISK MANAGEMENT
Risk Quantification
Risk quantification or risk analysis is the process of
evaluating risks to assess the range of possible project
outcomes.
It determines the risk’s probability of occurrence and
its impact to the project if the risk does occur.
Risk quantification techniques include:
Expected monetary value analysis,
Calculation of risk factors,
PERT estimations,
Simulations, and
Expert judgment.
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14. HIT241 - RISK MANAGEMENT
Expected Monetary Value (EMV)
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15. HIT241 - RISK MANAGEMENT
Chart Showing High-, Medium-, and Low-Risk Technologies
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16. HIT241 - RISK MANAGEMENT
Simulation for Risk Analysis
Simulation uses a representation or model of a
system to analyze the expected behavior or
performance of the system.
Monte Carlo analysis simulates a model’s
outcome many time to provide a statistical
distribution of the calculated results.
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17. HIT241 - RISK MANAGEMENT
Expert Judgment
Many organisations rely on the intuitive feelings
and past experience of experts to help identify
potential project risks.
The Delphi method is a technique for deriving
a consensus among a panel of experts to
make predictions about future developments.
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18. HIT241 - RISK MANAGEMENT
Risk Response Development
Risk avoidance: eliminating a specific threat or
risk, usually by eliminating its causes.
Risk acceptance: accepting the consequences
should a risk occur.
Risk mitigation: reducing the impact of a risk
event by reducing the probability of its occurrence.
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19. HIT241 - RISK MANAGEMENT
General Risk Mitigation Strategies
Technical Risks Cost Risks Schedule Risks
Emphasize team support Increase the frequency of Increase the frequency of
and avoid stand alone project monitoring project monitoring
project structure
Increase project manager Use WBS and PERT/CPM Use WBS and PERT/CPM
authority
Improve problem handling Improve communication, Select the most experienced
and communication project goals understanding project manager
and team support
Increase the frequency of Increase project manager
project monitoring authority
Use WBS and PERT/CPM
General Risk Mitigation Strategies for Technical, Cost, and Schedule Risks
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20. HIT241 - RISK MANAGEMENT
Risk and Contingency
A risk management plan documents the
procedures for managing risk throughout the
project.
Contingency plans are predefined actions that
the project team will take if an identified risk event
occurs.
Contingency reserves are provisions held by the
project sponsor for possible changes in project
scope or quality that can be used to mitigate cost
and/or schedule risk.
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21. HIT241 - RISK MANAGEMENT
Questions for a Risk Management Plan
Why is it important to take/not take this risk in relation to
the project objectives?
What specifically is the risk and what are the risk
mitigation deliverables?
How is the risk going to be mitigated? (What risk
mitigation approach is to be used?)
Who are the individuals responsible for implementing
the risk management plan?
When will the milestones associated with the mitigation
approach occur?
How much is required in terms of resources to mitigate
risk?
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22. HIT241 - RISK MANAGEMENT
Risk Response Control
Risk response control involves executing the
risk management processes and the risk
management plan to respond to risk events.
Risks must be monitored based on defined
milestones and decisions made regarding risks
and mitigation strategies.
Sometimes workarounds or unplanned
responses to risk events are needed when there
are no contingency plans.
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23. HIT241 - RISK MANAGEMENT
Top 10 Risk Item Tracking
Top 10 risk item tracking is a tool for maintaining
an awareness of risk throughout the life of a
project.
Establish a periodic review of the top 10 project
risk items.
List the current ranking, previous ranking, number
of times the risk appears on the list over a period
of time, and a summary of progress made in
resolving the risk item.
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24. HIT241 - RISK MANAGEMENT
Top 10 Risk Item Tracking
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25. HIT241 - RISK MANAGEMENT
Software to Assist in Risk Management
Databases can keep track of risks.
Spreadsheets can aid in tracking and quantifying
risks.
More sophisticated risk management software
helps develop models and uses simulation to
analyze and respond to various project risks.
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26. HIT241 - RISK MANAGEMENT
Sample Monte Carlo Simulation for Project Schedule
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27. HIT241 - RISK MANAGEMENT
Sample Monte Carlo Simulations Results for Project Costs
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28. HIT241 - RISK MANAGEMENT
Conclusion
Unlike crisis management, good project risk
management often goes unnoticed.
Well-run projects appear to be almost effortless,
but a lot of work goes into running a project
well.
Project managers should strive to make their
jobs look easy to reflect the results of well-
run projects.
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