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Monday, March 24, 2008

Business Risk Management

The purpose of a Business Risk Management (BRM) risk assessment tool at the project level is to enable a project team to properly evaluate the risk(s) that a project may introduce to the organization.
 
In order to make informed decisions throughout each phase of the project, a project team will:
  • Identify areas or processes that are impacted.
  • Assess the impact that the project, solutions, or changes will have on other areas or processes.
  • Manage key risks by creating action plans to minimize impacts.

External Risks – These risks arise from external forces impacting the organization’s value chain, including fundamentals that affect the overall objectives and strategies. These are typically presented by the general business environment and are not within the control of the organization, but are within the ability to influence or react.
1. Competitor risk: New entrants, exits, or actions of competitors in the market that impact the organization.
2. Economic risk: Changing economic conditions (e.g. local, regional, and/or global) that impact the organization.
3. Legal/Regulatory risk: Changing or new laws or regulations that impact the organization.
4. Market requirements risk: Changing or new market/customer requirements that impact the organization.
5. Political risk: Changing political conditions in a country or region that impact the organization.Technological innovation risk: Changing or new technologies in the external market place that impact the organization.

Financial Risks – These risks arise from activities that provide input into business and financial reporting, impacting the achievement of the organization’s objectives.
1. Budget & forecasting risk: Unreliable, unrealistic, or non-existent budgeting and/or forecasting information or processes including S&OP and the annual budgeting process.
2. Credit risk: Exposure to loss or opportunity cost as a result of financial default, or other financial failure by a customer, dealer, or third party.
3. Financial & regulatory reporting risk: Incomplete, inaccurate, or untimely financial or regulatory reporting (internal or external).
4. Fraud risk: Fraudulent activities (e.g. achieving personal gain while causing injury to another party, unfair or unlawful gain, misleading others for personal benefit) by employees, customers, suppliers, agents, brokers or third-party administrators.
5. Investment evaluation & monitoring risk: Lack of relevant, reliable, or complete information supporting investment decisions, including ongoing monitoring of investments.Liquidity risk: Inability to meet cash flow obligations in a timely and cost-effective manner, including unplanned cash flow fluctuations or concentration to a limited group of counter parties.

People Risks – These risks arise from activities of people, including employees or external parties, impacting the achievement of the organization’s objectives.
1. Communications risk: Inconsistent, ineffective or non-existent communications.
2. Employee engagement risk: Absence of alignment or misalignment between employee and organizational objectives, principles, or values.
3. Employee knowledge/skill risk: Shortage of human resources or lack of knowledge, skill, or experience among the organization’s existing workforce.
4. Health & safety risk: Failure to provide a safe and/or healthy working environment.
5. Knowledge capital risk: Failure to effectively capture and share knowledge.
6. Leadership risk: Failure to provide effective leadership (e.g. direction, focus, motivation, credibility, trustworthiness) to employees, stakeholders, and process partners.
7. Legal compliance risk: Failure to comply with laws or regulations (environmental, financial, trade, etc.).Process/Policy compliance risk: Lack of or failure to comply with organizational processes, policies, or procedures.

Operational Risks – These risks arise from ongoing operations impacting value creation, customer satisfaction, or achievement of the organization’s objectives.
1. Business interruption risk: Inability to operate due to disruptions to information systems, utilities, workforce, or other resources (e.g. catastrophic events, natural disasters, labor strikes, computer viruses etc.).
2. Capacity risk: Failure to appropriately respond to changes in production or service demand.
3. Customer satisfaction risk: Failure to meet customer or process partner expectations.
4. Distribution channel risk: Poorly performing distribution channels (e.g. dealers, distributors, etc.) impact the organization’s ability to effectively service current or potential customers.
5. Information access risk: Failure to appropriately grant or restrict access levels to information.
6. Information infrastructure risk: Information technology systems (e.g. hardware, networks, or software) that do not effectively support user requirements.
7. Information relevance risk: Lack of relevant or correct information.Inventory management risk: Inability to manage inventory to desired targets.
8. Partnering/Supplier management risk: Ineffective alliances, joint ventures, affiliates, suppliers, or other external relationships (non distribution channel partners).
9. Performance risk: Inability to perform at world class levels (e.g. Baldrige criteria, Quality Certification, Operational Excellence).
10. Performance measurement risk: Unreliable, unrealistic, irrelevant, or non-existent performance metrics or measures.
11. Quality risk: Faulty or non-performing products or services.

Strategic Risks – These risks arise from activities to determine and support the future direction of the organization, impacting the achievement of the organization’s strategies.
1. Alignment risk: Failure to align business unit objectives with either process partner or enterprise wide objectives and/or strategies. This may also include an ineffective organization/reporting structure.
2. Business intelligence risk: Absence of sufficient or accurate knowledge of the external business environment.
3. Intellectual property risk: Failure to adequately protect intellectual capital, proprietary processes, trademarks, brands, designs, etc.
4. Planning risk: Failure to adequately develop, update or change plans.
5. Product development risk: Failure to develop viable or innovative products or services.
6. Product/Service pricing risk: Failure to price a product or service within a range that is acceptable to the customer and delivers appropriate profitability to the business unit.
7. Resource allocation risk: Inability to efficiently allocate resources (e.g. time, assets, people) or the absence of sufficient levels of these resources.
Unbalanced measurements risk: Overemphasis on a particular metric or measurement at the expense of other metrics or measures (e.g. cost versus quality).

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