Activity 3.2

This is a good time to commence writing the first draft of your project definition, which is your first assignment for this subject. This activity will walk you through the process in a step by step manner.

Your first assignment, the Project Definition, should have the following content:

• aim
• objectives
• scope
• authority
• context
• resource needs
• project timeline/ schedule

Aim

What is going to be the aim of your risk assessment? Fill in the dots from the following statement and then save your answer within a file. This can be the beginning of your project definition and the following activities can be likewise added to this file, thereby building your project definition piece by piece.

An example of a risk assessment aim for this subject

The aim of this risk assessment is to ...... It is also being undertaken to meet the requirements for the Bachelor of Social Science (Emergency Management) course conducted by Charles Sturt University .

Click here to read the information about the project aim.

Objectives

Now have a go at writing the objectives for your risk assessment. This will not be your only chance to refine or check your objectives. You may decide to refine them and fine tune them as you get further into your project. You should record the answers to the following activity in your project definition file.

Click here to read the information about the project objectives.

Scope

What is the scope of your risk assessment?

Click here to read the information about the project scope.

Authority

Click here to read the information about the project authority.

The following questions should help you to determine who or what gives you the appropriate authority to conduct the risk assessment.

1. If asked under what or whose authority you are acting, what would you say?
2. If you are doing your hazard analysis in work time, who gives you permission for this?
3. Who will you report to?
4. Who will ensure the implementation of the recommendations from your risk assessment?
5. Who will you go to for help if you cannot get information from people or gain their cooperation?
6. Who is the authority that you will cite for the work you are undertaking?
7. is there a legislated or regulatory requirement to undertake the risk assessment?

Review your answers to (i)-(vii) above.

Write down who or what gives you authority to do your risk assessment, and then refer to the answers to the questions above to see if this is correct. Include your authority in the draft project definition.

Context

The following readings & questions should help you to describe the context of your risk assessment.

Click here to read the information about the project context.

Read

Textbooks: Standards Australia / Standards New Zealand (2004), AS/NZS 4360/2004 Risk management. Sydney . - pp 15 - 16, Section 3.2.5 Develop risk criteria.

Emergency Management Australia, (2000), Emergency risk management: Applications guide. EMA: Canberra - pages 9 - 10 Develop risk evaluation criteria

Read the above two readings from your texts. Read the AS/NZS4360:2004 reading first and then read the Emergency Risk Management Applications Guide reading after that. In this way you can initially appreciate the general areas that need to be addressed when developing the risk evaluation criteria and then focus on those that are specific to the emergency risk management context.

1. Who are the stakeholders, ie. those who stand to either gain or lose from to conduct of your risk assessment and why?
2. What is the applicable legislation and or regulations?
3. What are the relevant policy directives if any?
4. Who is currently accountable for what relevant management responsibilities within your selected community?
5. What are the relevant political and economic circumstances?
6. What are the relevant social and cultural issues?

Review your answers to (i)-(vi) above.

Write down below the context of your hazard analysis, and when appropriate check with your planning group to see if they agree or what amendments you might need to make. When you are satisfied, add the context to your draft project definition

Risk evaluation criteria

1. If you answer the following questions, you should be able to start to develop your risk evaluation criteria.
2. What are the technical measures and standards against which you will measure and evaluate the risks?
3. What are the economic standards or measures against which you will evaluate each risk?
4. What are the social acceptability standards against which the risks will be measured and evaluated?
5. What are the polictically acceptable criteria against which you will measure and evaluate each risk?
6. Are there any other standards or measures that will be used to measure and evaluate each risk? If so explain them.

From the above answers compile a description of the risk evaluation criteria that you will be using to evaluate the risks that you will be analysing. Include this risk evaluation criteria within your draft project definition.

Resource requirements

Click here to read the information about the project resource requirements.

Consider the following questions.

1. List your outputs (e.g. risk assessment report, an understanding of hazards and associated risks, risk treatment options/ planning objectives, commitment to planning). Note that some of these should be fairly similar to your objectives.
2. List the things you might need to do (e.g. meetings, phone calls, travel). These are the tasks that you need to undertake to produce your outputs.
3. Now list the inputs (i.e. your resources) in terms of people, materials, time and money that you require to undertake each task. The more detailed you are the more comprehensive the analysis will be.
4. Now list the resources from 3. above that are available. This includes quantities, time limits, controlling authority, how you access them etc.
5. Now list the shortfalls, i.e. those resources that are not available from 3. above. You should include details of quantities needed, where shortfalls will be obtained, controlling authority, how you will access/obtain them etc.

The information you have considered above will help you to plan and carry out your risk assessment.

When you document your resource needs you may wish to use a table/matrix to aid in the description of your resource needs. An example of one form of table is shown below.

Sample project resource needs table/matrix

Using the answers from questions 1 - 5 above I would now like you to commence putting together your resource needs for the risk assessment project. Include this preliminary resource needs table or matrix in your draft project definition.

Timetable

Click here to read the information about the project timetable.

I will give you a bit of a hand here, and suggest the following timetable, however you are free to alter the timings for your project to fit in with your planning groups needs whilst maintaining the study schedule.

The Topic sequence generally matches this timetable. You should be very conscious of maintaining your progress during the project. If you fall behind the suggested study schedule and associated activities it is possible you will not have time in the last few weeks to complete your risk assessment and therefore the Major Project Report.

You may chose to use other means of visually portraying your project time frame/ schedule. Such alternate methods as timelines, Gantt charts etc. are also useful ways of showing the major milestones of your project and the dates by which you aim to achieve them.

I would now like you to consider your risk assessment project and the activities that are required. Examine your Subject Outline to identify when selected topics are suggested to be completed by and also when specific assignments are due. Using this information construct a project timeline, identifying the key goals or milestones within your project and the dates by which you need to have them completed.

Include this information in your draft project definition

This completes the discussion of the components of your Project Definition.

Print this activity