Risk management is all about anticipating the things that don’t go to plan; to reduce any uncertainty to an acceptable level by implementing remedial plans for any identified risks. It is applied to current operational systems as well as when planning to implement new systems. Our Principal Directors have decades of experience and have usually progressed through the ranks to the level they are now at. This means that although they have communication skills to converse in a non-technical way with your teams and management, they also have a very technical background putting them in a position to not only be able to identify any technology risks but also having the knowledge to be able to put sustainable solutions in place.

Helping to set the priorities

Identifying the biggest risks are an important part for deciding what order to provide solutions. This is often done naturally by us all, but in order to manage risk, resources and skillsets also have to be accounted for. This is why formally logging and detailing the risks is an important exercise. Assessing the risks against each other then allows focus to be applied in the correct order. A problem though, is that although some risks may be identified, the impact of those risks can be misjudged by an inexperienced team member which is why an experienced leader is needed to maximise the outcome.

Continuity Plan

We can assist by putting a fully aligned and resilient business continuity plan together, encompassing all areas of the business ensuring it is fully rehearsed and practiced by your appropriate teams.

Your business may have a disaster recovery plan (often seen as an IT plan) but it is a must that taking a company wide approach is essential to it’s success. By working with the business as a whole, our Principal Directors can close any communication gaps bringing your teams together for a joined up approach.

Removal of Technical Debt

Technical debt is when very old hardware or software is still being used. We often find that this is the case and when it applies to business critical systems it can become a significant risk. You often find that your wider business teams start becoming inefficient in their operation adding significant cost and lack of functionality.

Planning for ‘unplannable’ human errors

Technology teams often focus narrowly on the technical aspects of risk management, but many disasters are caused by human error which can be difficult to predict. It is important to account for the emotional aspects of your business teams as our own perspectives can often affect how we do things. When approaching risk management our Principal Directors are well aware that human error is regularly the main culprit so looking at how teams operate is an important aspect of the process. For example, teams who are under significant pressure can disengage, reducing productivity and increasing stress levels causing mistakes to be made.

Training

As previously said, human error is all too often the cause of risk and training is sometimes relegated to the bottom of the list of important actions to perform. Training your team well is actually one of the most important things you can do to reduce risk and improve efficiencies. You teams will be more engaged and you’ll get more out of the systems implemented. Common gripes from users that they have “not been shown how it works” is typical where good training has not been given. Sadly, peoples technical knowledge can be taken for granted. IT teams generally understand how systems work and when delivering systems they sometimes assume that the users should also know “intuitively” how to use it, so appropriate training is just not delivered. Our Principal Directors can put training plans in place with appropriate refreshers.