POP Center Tools Implementing Responses to Problems Page 7
The Planning Process
Analyzing Risks
At the planning stage, you should also consider the implementation risks faced in the response. In identifying risks, you should pay particular attention to those that are most closely related to a response (for example, one could highlight and plan for the risk of being hit by a meteorite, but the chances of that happening are slim), and about which one can do something. You should consider risks in terms of both the likelihood of occurrence and the impact they will have on the response, using the risk matrix shown in Figure 2. Pay particular attention to those where the likelihood and risk of occurrence are highest. Risks can also be divided into two kinds—those associated with implementation failure, and those associated with theory failure (for example, the mechanism of change does not operate as expected).
Figure 2. Risk Matrix.
| Impact on Project | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Likelihood of Occurrence | |||
| Low | Medium | High | |
| Low | Low risk | Medium risk | High risk |
| Medium | Low risk | High risk | Immediate action |
| High | Medium risk | High risk | Immediate action |
The table below provides an example of a risk analysis undertaken in relation to a project to install a CCTV system. This shows the risks that have been identified, their likelihood of occurrence, their impact, and proposed actions to address them.
Table. Example of a Risk Analysis
| Risk | Likelihood of Risk | Impact of Risk | Action to be Taken |
| The CCTV system does not provide adequate coverage due to a limited number of cameras. | Low | High | In drawing up the specifications, ensure that sufficient camera sites are identified. |
| The camera pictures' resolution is insufficient to identify people. | Low | Medium | Test the cameras' resolution before making a final decision on the system. |
| It proves difficult to maintain the system in the future. | Medium | Medium | Produce a plan for how the system will be maintained and for its associated costs. |
Once you have identified risks, you can take a number of approaches to deal with them, including the following:
- Prevention: You may design a response to prevent a certain risk from occurring, or to prevent that risk from having an adverse impact on the response.
- Reduction: If you cannot prevent a risk, then it may be possible to reduce the extent to which it occurs, or to limit the impact when it does.
- Transference: Here the risk is transferred to a third party. For example, an insurance policy is an example of risk transference.
- Contingency: This involves planning activities that come into action if a particular risk occurs, with a view to overcoming the problems faced.
- Acceptance: Here you simply continue in the knowledge that there are risks associated with the response, and deal with them as and when they arise.
Producing an Action Plan
As part of the response planning stage, you should draw up an action plan that details what is to be undertaken, how it is to be undertaken, who is to be involved, and over what time periods it will be undertaken. The list below provides an outline of what might be included in this action plan:
- response title
- response goals and objectives
- staff involved in delivering the response
- start date
- end date
- description of interventions to be undertaken, and how they will be implemented
- outstanding issues that need to be addressed before implementation can start
- response outputs
- risk assessment and contingency planning associated with each intervention
- timetable for each intervention, including planned milestones
- overall response costs, broken down by intervention
- projected response cash flow.
The action plan provides an opportunity to share your ideas about how the response will be undertaken, and to identify changes you should make before the implementation process starts. This is an extremely important part of the process, as by sharing the plan, you can obtain "buy-in" from stakeholders, as well as take on board the perspectives of others who may help to shape a more effective response.
