Synopsis of Project Risk Management
Experience (Partial List)
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Risk Management Process
Implementation
Project Risk Assessments
Development of Enhanced
Risk Assessment Methodologies
Government Policy Support
Project Management Policy
Support
Risk
Management Process Implementation
- Developed
an enhanced risk management process (risk planning, assessment
(identification and analysis), handling and monitoring steps) for a major
project. This work included: evaluating the government and contractor risk
management processes, developing recommendations for improving the prime
contractor's risk management process, tying together risk management
activities across the project (e.g., cost, technical, schedule and
security), developing and implementing upgrades to the contractor's risk
management process (e.g., enhanced risk analysis methodologies), providing
linkages between the risk management and CAIV processes, assisting in the
initiation of the contractor Risk Management Board (and being a continuing
member of this Board), briefing government personnel at major project
reviews and co-developed the project's Integrated Master Plan risk
management section.
- Led
numerous risk management activities (including risk planning,
identification, analysis, handling and monitoring) for a major project
over a multi-year period of time. Member of the project's Risk Management
Board.
- Performed
an initial assessment of the risk management process on a major project.
Evaluated the government and contractor team's risk management process,
including its effectiveness and how it was linked to the project's CAIV
process, and developed recommendations for improving the risk management
process.
- Performed
an independent assessment of a prime contractor's risk management process
on a major project and developed detailed recommendations to improve their
process. Developed an extensive Risk Management Plan for this project that
covers all aspects of the risk management process (planning,
identification, analysis, handling and monitoring). Currently assisting in
the implementation of numerous recommendations that I made to enhance the
risk management process.
- Tailored
existing risk management processes to a fast paced (schedule compression
about 4:1), very high technology project acknowledged by the government
and prime contractor to be very high risk. Rapidly developed a detailed
Risk Management Plan, risk identification procedures, risk analysis
methodology, risk handling procedures, and metrics for risk monitoring.
Performed initial risk management training for prime contractor personnel
and worked with them to implement the risk management process. Implemented
a Monte Carlo schedule risk analysis for key project activities and
updated the results weekly. Led six comprehensive project risk assessments
in an eight month period of time, and updated Risk Handling Plans for
approved risk issues. Member of the project's Risk Management Board. Risk
management progress was briefed to prime contractor and government senior
management monthly. Briefed key government managers on the risk management
process and was requested by the government to transfer this information
to other, related projects. Government management commended me and
credited the risk management work I performed with having "saved the
project" on more than one occasion. The item met or exceeded
performance requirements and was delivered to the government within budget
and ahead of schedule.
- Evaluated
the risk management process and associated training across a major
government development center. Made numerous recommendations to enhance
both the process and training.
- Performed
an assessment of the risk management process on a high visibility project.
Developed recommendations to improve the prime contractor's risk
management process and assisted the contractor in implementing the
enhancements.
- Performed
an independent assessment of a prime contractor's risk management process
on a major project and developed recommendations to improve this process.
- Performed
an assessment of the risk management process on a multi-billion dollar
project. Identified process deficiencies and rapidly developed
recommendations to alleviate these shortcomings.
- Technical
lead on developing and implementing the risk management process on a major
project. This included successfully transferring the risk management
process to the project’s prime contractors.
- Developed
risk management guidelines, processes and implementation methods on a
major project for a variety of risk categories (threat, technology, design
and engineering, support, manufacturing, cost and schedule).
- Identified
potential risk management issues on a series of large-scale projects for a
prime contractor (including projects with high-level visibility) and
developed training materials and briefed key project personnel on methods
to address these issues.
- Performed
a risk balancing analysis for the government across a complex project.
Here, potential risk issues were identified and analyzed, and candidate
risk handling approaches were developed that could be implemented as
workarounds in the fielded system if hardware or software failures
occurred.
- Provided
risk management process and implementation guidance to the prime
contractor on numerous proposal activities. This included writing key
proposal sections on risk management.
- Developed
steps to identify and alleviate some key risk issues for an organization
that initiates and manages a large number of high complexity projects.
- At
the request of the prime contractor I led a team working with the
subcontractor to help the subcontractor better allocate resources and make
unit deliveries across a number of customers. This risk balancing activity contributed to timely delivery
of units on an “as needed” basis and was commended by both prime and subcontractor
management. (A variety of subcontract
engineering and management activities have been performed on a number of
other projects.)
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Project Risk
Assessments
Led cost, performance, and
schedule risk analyses on a wide variety of projects for industry and
government. This includes both qualitative and quantitative analyses using a
variety of tools and techniques. (For example, we have developed and performed
several hundred cost, performance, and schedule Monte Carlo simulations since
the late 1970s. These simulations have
been used to support a wide variety of decisions, risk analyses, and trade
studies for
industry and government.)
- Led
technical risk assessments on a series of major ground, air and space
projects to identify and evaluate potential development and production
issues.
- Performed
an independent evaluation of a prime contractor's risk assessment
developed for its proposal to the government. Revised the risk analysis methodology
to yield more consistent and accurate results, updated the resulting risk
scores in several cases, and enhanced the supporting rationale used to
justify the risk scores.
- Performed
an independent assessment of the producability risk for a ground station
sensor system. This included evaluating the developer's design, potential
system implementation options and possible government acquisition
strategies.
- Led
technical risk assessments in support of cost risk analyses on several
major projects.
- Led
extensive evaluations for the government of contractor risk assessment
(and risk handling) results on several major projects.
- Performed
an operational risk assessment of a high technology space project (and
recommended risk handling strategies for selected risk issues).
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Development
of Enhanced Risk Assessment Methodologies
- Led
the development of enhanced risk analysis methodology on a major project,
including: cost, hardware/software integration, mission effectiveness,
manufacturing, schedule, technology, test procedures and threat risk
categories.
- Rapidly
developed a tailored risk analysis methodology for a high visibility
project, including hardware (design and engineering, and technology),
manufacturing (production equipment and test equipment), and software
(design and engineering, technology and test) risk categories, plus
consequence of failure.
- Rapidly
developed a tailored risk analysis methodology for a major project,
including: hardware (design and engineering, and technology), software
(design and engineering), and manufacturing risk categories, plus
consequence of failure.
- Developed
an enhanced quantitative risk analysis methodology for a major project to
perform Monte Carlo simulations for life cycle cost (incorporating cost
estimating uncertainty, and schedule and technical risk) and schedule
analysis (including schedule estimating uncertainty and technical risk).
- Rapidly
developed and verified a methodology for incorporating schedule risk analysis
into a Monte Carlo simulation for cost risk analysis.
- Co-led
the development of an enhanced risk analysis methodology on a major
project for a variety of risk categories (four software and five
integration risk categories developed and four hardware risk categories
enhanced), plus consequence of failure.
- Developed
design and engineering, manufacturing, technology and threat risk analysis
methodologies and assisted in developing schedule and support risk
analysis methodologies. These methodologies have been applied to cost risk
analysis on a number of major projects.
- Developed
a tool for software risk identification and applied it on a major project.
- Developed
methods for deriving and presenting risk analysis results that alleviate
common errors associated with incorrect mathematical and probabilistic
treatments. These methods have been successfully used on a number of
projects.
- Developed
a series of Monte Carlo simulations for assessing system performance risk
on a major project. This contributed to winning a multi-billion dollar
procurement.
- Developed
and implemented a procedure on a major project to verify the integrity of
output from Monte Carlo simulations used for estimating cost, performance
and schedule risk.
- Developed
or significantly enhanced three different risk analysis tools that
incorporate Monte Carlo simulations. Beta tester for commercial software
packages used to perform cost, performance and schedule risk analyses.
- Developed
an innovative quantitative tool for estimating schedule risk which was
used by the Deputy Director of a major project to support a Milestone
review.
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Government
Policy Support
- Provided
inputs to the development of an updated risk management process, sponsored
by the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), that is included in the
Defense Acquisition Deskbook (DAD, Version 1.3 and later). Support to the
OSD activity since early 1996 has included: an invited presentation
(briefing on common limitations of risk management processes and inherent
sources of risk on development projects), providing source material for
evaluation by OSD, providing a White Paper requested by OSD, and reviewing
updated DAD sections for the Air Force and OSD. (The OSD risk management process
is supported by the Air Force, Army, Navy, Defense Systems Management
College (DSMC) and all other relevant DoD organizations.) This work
resulted in letters of commendation from OSD and AFMC.
- Performed
a detailed review of the draft NASA Risk Management Procedures and
Guidance 8705.XXX for NASA HQ. Many of the recommended changes will be
incorporated into the final release. This work was awarded a letter of
commendation by NASA HQ.
- Performed
a review of internal risk management training for NASA. Developed and
presented recommendations to improve training in the areas of process
sophistication and implementation. Also developed recommendations to
increase the rate of risk management implementation across NASA projects.
- Provided
inputs to update the risk management portion of DoDD 5000.1. These inputs
were reviewed by DoD and were slated for incorporation until all mention
of risk management was removed from DoDD 5000.1 and shifted to DoD
5000.2-R. DoD recognized this work, which was performed on a voluntary
basis, by awarding a letter of commendation via DSMC.
- Provided
inputs to update the risk management portion of DoD 5000.2-R. These inputs
were incorporated into the 30 June 2001 interim and 5 April 2002 final
release of DoD 5000.2-R. DoD recognized this work, which was performed on
a voluntary basis, by awarding a letter of commendation via DSMC.
- At
the request of DSMC, I performed an extensive assessment of and developed
recommended changes to the March 1998 DAU/DSMC "Risk Management Guide
for DoD Acquisition." (Material previously furnished to OSD and DSMC
is included in the March 1998 version.) More than a hundred recommended
changes were forwarded to DSMC, and many were incorporated in the Second Edition
of the DAU/DSMC "Risk Management Guide for DoD Acquisition,"
released May 1999. DSMC recognized this work, which was performed on a
voluntary basis, by awarding a letter of commendation. In addition,
several dozen additional corrections and portions of new text were
provided to DSMC and DAU and incorporated into the Third (January 2000),
Fourth (February 2001) and Fifth [June 2002 (Version 1) and June 2003
(Version 2)] Editions of the DAU/DSMC "Risk Management Guide for DoD
Acquisition." Cited for continuing contributions in the Fifth
Edition, Version 2.0 on pg. v. ("Also special thanks to … Dr. Edmund
Conrow for his suggestions and recommendations that have vastly improved
the Guide.")
- Created
extensive guidelines for the Air Force on developing and implementing risk
management on a wide variety of projects. The guidelines used the OSD risk
management process and included material on: RFP support (Critical Process
Objectives for inclusion in the Statement Of Objectives, Proposal
Preparation Instructions (Section L) and Evaluation Criteria (Section M)
and Standards), post contract award support (Review Questions), process
steps and implementation considerations. The guidelines were developed for
all project phases, from Concept Exploration through Operations and
Support, and serve as tools for the government to structure and implement
risk management on a variety of projects with different levels of
maturity.
- Performed
numerous assessments of and developed recommended changes to various 1996
and 1997 drafts of the Air Force Risk Management Guide (AFMCP 63-101) for
the Air Force. Performed numerous extensive reviews of the July 1997 AFMCP
63-101 and provided recommended changes to AFMC. This work led to a letter
of commendation from AFMC.
- Evaluated
a variety of risk analysis tools for the Air Force and developed
recommendations for using these tools on projects with different levels of
maturity and scope.
- Performed
an assessment of risk management training material for the Air Force and
provided recommendations to enhance the course material.
- Performed
training at the inaugural Air Force Acquisition School class to junior
officers in 2004. The training was
very well received and a letter of commendation was awarded by the Air
Force for this presentation (which was done on a voluntary basis).
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Project
Management Policy Support
- Region
II Director, Project Management Institute Risk Management Specific
Interest Group (SIG) Board of Directors (1999-2001). Director-At-Large,
Project Management Institute Risk Management Specific Interest Group (SIG)
Board of Directors (2001-2002).
- Performed
a detailed edit of the draft 2000 update of the Project Management
Institute (PMI) "Project Management Body of Knowledge" Guide,
Risk Management Chapter (11), and submitted this material along with
detailed backup for numerous recommended changes to PMI for inclusion in
its next Guide. Credited by PMI as a reviewer for this chapter.
- Performed
a detailed edit of the draft 2004 update of the Project Management
Institute (PMI) "Project Management Body of Knowledge" Guide,
Risk Management Chapter (11), and submitted this material along with
detailed backup for numerous recommended changes to PMI for inclusion in
its next Guide. Credited by PMI as a reviewer for this chapter. A total of
30 comments submitted on this chapter were accepted or accepted with
modification. Also credited by PMI
as a contributor for this chapter based upon several comments and ideas
provided in 2000 and 2001.
- Primary
author, Risk Management Chapter (11), Defense Acquisition University,
"U. S. Department of Defense Extension to (the Project Management
Institute): "A Guide to the Project Management Body of
Knowledge" (PMBOK® Guide), First Edition, Version 1, June
2003,. On June 20, 2003, the Defense Extensions was affirmed as a Standard
by the Project Management Institute. (Also primary author of the DAU 2000,
2001, 2002 versions.) This work was performed on a voluntary basis for DoD
and resulted in a letter of commendation from DSMC.
- Member,
Software Risk Management Working Group, IEEE Std P1540-2001, IEEE Standard
for Software Life Cycle Processes--Risk Management (2000-2001). Cited as a
contributor by IEEE in the resulting standard.
- Primary
author, Risk Management section, Air Force "Systems Engineering
Primer & Handbook”, Third Edition, 2005 (forthcoming). A letter of
commendation was awarded by the Air Force for performing this work (which
was done on a voluntary basis).
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