Software Risk Management

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Chapter 1: The Basics of Software Risk Management

1. What is risk management?
   1. Future awareness
   2. Risk defined
   3. Risk exists
   4. Risk / reward balance
   5. Risk probability and loss
   6. Risk tolerance
2. Why is risk management important?
   1. The software challenge
   2. Software project success defined
   3. The plan will never work
   4. Why is risk management important?
   5. Risk management objectives
3. Types of software risks
4. Risk management vs. project management
5. The risk management process
   1. Risk management process
6. Baseline activity and continuous process

Chapter 2: Software Risk Identification

1. Risk identification goals
   1. Distribution of outcomes
   2. Risk identification goals – identify risks
   3. Risk identification goals – prevent surprises
   4. Risk identification goals – involve people at all levels
   5. Risk identification goals – still time to act
   6. Risk identification goals – communicate
2. Risk identification techniques
   1. Inputs and outputs
   2. Cultural barriers to risk identification
   3. Risk identification techniques
   4. Brainstorming
   5. Brainstorming – team exercise
   6. Interviewing
   7. Interviewing – team exercise
   8. Voluntary / required reporting
   9. Project decomposition
   10. Product decomposition
   11. Assumption analysis
   12. Risk taxonomies
   13. Risk taxonomy – team exercise
3. Communicating risks
   1. Communicating risks
   2. Writing risk statements
   3. Risk statement – team exercise
   4. Risk form – identification section

Chapter 3: Software Risk Analysis

1. Risk analysis goals
   1. Risk analysis goals
   2. Inputs and outputs
   3. Level of formal risk assessment
2. Risk context
   1. Analyzing risk context
   2. Risk context – team exercise
   3. Process decision program charts
   4. Root cause analysis – 5 “Why?” method
   5. Root cause analysis – cause and effect diagram
   6. Cause and effect – team exercise
   7. Process cause and effect diagram
3. Risk probability and loss
   1. Risk probability
   2. Probability lesson
   3. Loss analysis
   4. Compound risks
   5. Risk classification
4. Risk exposure and timeframe
   1. Another probability lesson
   2. Risk exposure
   3. Risk exposure – team exercise
   4. Risk timeframes
   5. Multiple timeframes
5. Prioritize risk list
   1. The cost/schedule/product trilogy
   2. Prioritizing risks
   3. Ranking by exposure and timeframe
   4. Prioritization – team exercise
   5. Comparison risk ranking (CCR)
   6. CCR – team exercise
   7. Prioritization matrix
   8. Other prioritization techniques
   9. Risk form – analysis section

Chapter 4: Software Risk Management Planning

1. Risk management planning goals
   1. Planning goals
   2. Inputs and outputs
2. Risk handling techniques
   1. Techniques for handling risks
   2. Obtain additional information
   3. Obtain additional information - examples
   4. Avoid the risk
   5. Avoid the risk - examples
   6. Transfer the risk
   7. Transfer the risk - examples
   8. Control the risk: containment plans
   9. Containment plan - examples
   10. Assume the risk: contingency plans
   11. Contingency plan - examples
3. Develop risk plans
   1. Two kinds of actions
   2. Cost of risk
   3. Risk reduction leverage
   4. Risk form – plan section
   5. Adjust project plans
   6. Risk planning exercise

Chapter 5: Implementing Plans and Tracking Software Risk

1. Taking action
   1. Taking action goals
   2. Taking action – inputs and outputs
   3. Just do it
2. Risk tracking
   1. Risk tracking goals
   2. Risk tracking – inputs and outputs
   3. Tracking mechanisms
   4. Reviews – project team
   5. Reviews – senior management
   6. Reviews – major milestone and phase gate
   7. Reviews – entry and exit criteria
   8. Metrics – ration variance
   9. Metrics – absolute delta variance
   10. Metrics – thresholds
   11. Risk tracking – team exercise

Chapter 6: Implementing Software Risk Management Program

1. Five stages of risk management
2. Critical success factors and barriers
   1. Critical success factors
   2. People
   3. Process
   4. Infrastructure
   5. Risk management policy example
   6. Barrier – “Don’t even talk about risks”
   7. Barrier – fear
   8. Barrier – “I’m already too busy”
3. Nine principles of team risk management

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