Salta Engineerings Risk Assessment: Project Elevator Conservation Controller

(ECC)

A risk is a negative event that may occur during an activity that hinders its continuation.
Any project undertaken will have several risks involved. Projects to the level of innovative
design will have risks from the personal level to the planning level to the implementation level.
There are many tools one can use to organize and mitigate these risks before they become an
issue.
Salta Engineering decided to use the USAA Risk Card format to help label the potential
risks that are possible in their project. This system provides a way for one to quickly decipher
what the risks are, the level of impact and probability they have, and how the team plans to
mitigate the risk. This system is of a high value to help one both see and solve the risk to the
highest degree possible.
The risks are summarized within a Risk Evaluation Matrix (Fig 1). The summery is of
the probability and impact of the various risks. With this matrix you can quickly see the overall
riskiness of the project as well as quickly know which specific risks need the most attention.
Project ECC may have a high number of risks but none of them are both high probability and
impact so as long as care is taken at all steps there should be little to no effect by them.
The risks are also listed and prioritized within a Risk Prioritization Matrix (Table 1).
This matrix shows the risks that will receive the highest attention from the team if it comes to
pass. It compares each risk to all others to gauge which one takes more precedence. Project
ECCs highest risk is a structural failure of the test model. If that is to collapse after all
components have been added, then it is possible that all the sensors, motor, and electronics
would break in the process as well. Therefore Salta must be vigilant in safety and care when it
pertains to this unit.

High

1,5

Probability

9,10

6,11

7,12

2,8

Low

Low
Impact
High
Fig 1. Risk Evaluation Matrix

Risk Prioritization Matrix

Priority

Total

Risk

12

Comparison

Temporary loss of team member

2

11

10

10

11

Permanent loss of team member

Funding not received on time

Project goes over budget

Project goes over schedule

Increase of scope

Sensor failure

Faulty Motor

Fault in Circuitry

10

Major Data loss

10

10

10

10

10

10

10

10

10

11

10

Structural failure

11

11

11

11

11

11

11

11

11

11

12

10

11

Final product test failure

12

12

12

12

12

12

12

12

12

12

12

Table 1. Risk Prioritization Matrix

Risk # ___1_____
Identify
Description

Risk Category

Temporary loss of team

member due to injury or
sickness.

WBS #
_All_____

People__X___ Process_____ Technology_____

Evaluate

High

Probability
Low
Low

Impact

High

Response
Eliminate ______ Reduce Likelihood ______ Reduce Impact __X____
Accept ______ Transfer ______
Resources Needed ___Medication_______________________
Impact Horizon
Phase(s) __All___________ Expected Date __Spring 2012______
Assigned Risk Person___Alec_________________________
Notes: Safety precautions will be taken while building test
model.

Risk # ____2____
Identify
Description

Risk Category

Permanent loss of team

member due to death or
course failure.

WBS #
__All___

People__X___ Process_____ Technology_____

Evaluate

High
Probability
Low
Response

X
Low

Impact

High

Eliminate ______ Reduce Likelihood ___X___ Reduce Impact ______

Accept ______ Transfer ______
Resources Needed ____Study guides___________________
Impact Horizon
Phase(s) ______All_______ Expected Date ___Spring 2012_____
Assigned Risk Person______Alec__________________
Notes:

Risk # ____3____
Identify
Description

Risk Category

Funding received later

than expected.

WBS #
__2.0____

People_____ Process__X___ Technology_____

Evaluate

High
Probability
Low
Response

X
Low

Impact

High

Eliminate ______ Reduce Likelihood __X____ Reduce Impact ______

Accept ______ Transfer ______
Resources Needed _______None_______________________
Impact Horizon
Phase(s) _____Design______ Expected Date ___December 2011__
Assigned Risk Person_______Alec_________________
Notes: High level of communication with sponsor will reduce
this.

Risk # _____4___
Identify

Project goes over budget.

__3.0___

Description

Risk Category

WBS #

People_____ Process___X__ Technology_____

Evaluate

High
Probability

Low
Response

Low

Impact

High

Eliminate ______ Reduce Likelihood __X____ Reduce Impact ______

Accept ______ Transfer ______
Resources Needed _____None_________________________
Impact Horizon
Phase(s) ____Implementation_ Expected Date __Jan. 2012______
Assigned Risk Person______Alec______________________
Notes: Project will receive further grants for additional
budget.

Risk # ___5_____
Identify
Description

Risk Category

Project goes over

schedule.

WBS #
__6.0____

People_____ Process__X___ Technology_____

Evaluate

High

Probability
Low
Response

Low

Impact

High

Eliminate ______ Reduce Likelihood ___X___ Reduce Impact ______

Accept ______ Transfer ______
Resources Needed ___None___________________________
Impact Horizon
Phase(s) _____All________ Expected Date ___Spring 2012____
Assigned Risk Person_______Alec_____________________
Notes: Communication with sponsor about possible
simplification if necessary.

Risk # ___6_____
Identify
Description

Risk Category

Advisor or sponsor
increases the overall
scope.

WBS #
__2.0,3.0_

People_____ Process__X___ Technology_____

Evaluate

High
Probability

Low
Response

Low

Impact

High

Eliminate ______ Reduce Likelihood ___X___ Reduce Impact ______

Accept ______ Transfer ______
Resources Needed ____None__________________________
Impact Horizon
Phase(s) _____Design_______ Expected Date ___Spring 2012____
Assigned Risk Person_______Alec_____________________
Notes: Functional requirements will be defined to a level
where little to none can be added.

Risk # _____7___
Identify
Description

Risk Category

Failure of one or more

sensor.

WBS #
_3.0____

People_____ Process_____ Technology__X___

Evaluate

High
Probability
Low
Response

X
Low

Impact

High

Eliminate ______ Reduce Likelihood __X____ Reduce Impact ______

Accept ______ Transfer ______
Resources Needed _______Sensors_____________________
Impact Horizon
Phase(s) __Implementation___ Expected Date ___Spring 2012____
Assigned Risk Person__________Daryl__________________
Notes: Multiple of each sensor will be purchased.

Risk # ____8____
Identify
Description

Risk Category

Failure of the motor at

installation.

WBS #
__3.0___

People_____ Process_____ Technology__X___

Evaluate

High
Probability
Low
Response

X
Low

Impact

High

Eliminate ______ Reduce Likelihood ___X___ Reduce Impact ______

Accept ______ Transfer ______
Resources Needed ________AC induction motor___________
Impact Horizon
Phase(s) ____Implementation_ Expected Date __Spring 2012_____
Assigned Risk Person________Colby____________________
Notes: Heavy care will be taken with the motor.

Risk # ___9_____
Identify
Description

Risk Category

Fault in the circuitry

preventing
communication.

WBS #
__3.0____

People_____ Process_____ Technology__X___

Evaluate

High
Probability

Low
Response

Low

Impact

High

Eliminate ______ Reduce Likelihood ___X___ Reduce Impact ______

Accept ______ Transfer ______
Resources Needed
_______None________________________
Impact Horizon
Phase(s) __Implementation___ Expected Date ___Spring 2012____
Assigned Risk Person_______Colby_____________________
Notes: Circuitry will be tested immediately after completion
of soldering.

Risk # ____10____
Identify
Description

Risk Category

Loss of programming and

other data.

WBS #
__All____

People_____ Process_____ Technology__X___

Evaluate

High
Probability

Low
Response

Low

Impact

High

Eliminate ______ Reduce Likelihood ___X___ Reduce Impact ______

Accept ______ Transfer ______
Resources Needed ___Flash Drive, Dropbox_______________
Impact Horizon
Phase(s) ___All___________ Expected Date ___Spring 2012____
Assigned Risk Person_______Daryl_____________________
Notes: All data will be saved to multiple locations and backed
up.

Risk # ____11____
Identify
Description

Risk Category

Structural failure of the

testing model.

WBS #
__3.0____

People_____ Process_____ Technology__X___

Evaluate

High
Probability

Low
Response

Low

Impact

High

Eliminate ______ Reduce Likelihood __X____ Reduce Impact ______

Accept ______ Transfer ______
Resources Needed ________None______________________
Impact Horizon
Phase(s) ___Implementation__ Expected Date ____Spring 2012___
Assigned Risk Person_______Jessica_____________________
Notes: Testing unit heavily tested before project
integration.

Risk # ___12_____
Identify
Description

Risk Category

Final product fails its final

test presentation.

WBS #
__5.0,6.0___

People_____ Process__X___ Technology_____

Evaluate

High
Probability
Low
Response

X
Low

Impact

High

Eliminate ______ Reduce Likelihood __X____ Reduce Impact ______

Accept ______ Transfer ______
Resources Needed ________None______________________
Impact Horizon
Phase(s) _Final documentation_ Expected Date __April 2012______
Assigned Risk Person_______Jessica____________________
Notes: Heavy testing before presentation.