Improve+Practice

13. Improve Practicetoc
The last part of setting up a risk process plan is to improve practice. We have to consistently check the system to look for improvement and to make sure that it’s up to date. Just like any system, the risk management system needs improvement over time. The next section covers the topics that will improve the risk management system after it has been implemented.

13.1 Develop an Appraisal Method
Structured appraisal is one way of assessing risk management practices because it reports risk management capability, and establish a baseline for improvement, and it monitors practice performance.

13.1.1 Design a Risk Practices Survey
The risk practices survey is an appraisal method to obtain perceptions of risk management practices. It uses a 5 point scale to rate the response of each item. The Performance row refers to how well the practice is completed. The Importance row is how significant the practice is. Below is an example of the Risks Practices Survey. An example of a question on risk survey is shown below:
 * **Risk Management Practices** || **Performance** || **Importance** ||
 * 0. Example: There is a policy to identify risk || 2 || 3 ||

13.1.2 Categorize the Survey Participants
Anyone who has been given the responsibility of risk management is a candidate to take the survey. Survey takers are a mix of management and technical workers. The response is categorized by the survey takers role in the organization.

13.2 Assess Risk Practices
After the surveys are collected, there are three steps to assess the risk management practices:
 * 1) Administer the survey to the participants.
 * 2) Analyze the quantitative survey using a spreadsheet.
 * 3) Use the subjective survey feedback to establish a baseline for improvement.

13.2.1 Administer the Risk Practices Survey
This step includes passing out the survey after getting an approval from management.

13.2.2 Analyze the Risk Practices Survey Results
Put all the response from the survey into a spreadsheet, and graph the data. To find the scaled value you have to find the total number of survey response from 0-4, then divide that by the total number, so if the if the total number of surveyors is 5, and 3 respond with a 1, then the scaled value is 3/5.

13.2.3 Establish a Baseline for Improvements
Plot the relative importance versus performance from the risk practice survey to determine the relative strength and weakness and find area of improvement. Importance is the most valued because it is the key to performance, since everything is categorize by importance.

13.3 Develop an Plan Improvement Plan
An improvement plan define specific area that needs improvement based on the “should be” and “as is” practice.

13.4 Implement the Improvement Plan
Management is responsible for assigning responsibility to implement the improvement plan. You should involve everyone on the project team, so that the whole organization could buy into the plan.