Riskapedia is a collaborative website presented by ARES Corporation to help NASA project managers, engineers, and risk practitioners identify, analyze, and mitigate risks. It contains risk identification checklists and taxonomies from various NASA and industry sources. Users can select relevant checklists to identify risks, then augment the lists with their own experience. The goal is to provide a centralized, wiki-based resource for the NASA risk management community.

1. Riskapedia
An ESMD Risk Management Service
for NASA’s Project Managers,
Project Engineers, and Risk
Practitioners
Presented by Isaac Addison Heard
ARES Corporation
on behalf of ESMD Integrated Risk & Knowledge Management Systems
at the NASA 2010 Program Management Challenge February 9th, 2010
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Used with permission

2. 2

3. Every year or so, web-based
technology is introduced which
revolutionizes the way we work…
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4. wiki
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5. Wikipedia is written collaboratively by volunteers from all around the world; anyone can edit it.
Since its creation in 2001, Wikipedia has grown rapidly into one of the largest reference web
sites, attracting at least 684 million visitors yearly by 2008. There are more than 75,000 active
contributors working on more than 10,000,000 articles in more than 260 languages. As of today,
there are 2,859,752 articles in English. Every day, hundreds of thousands of visitors from around
the world collectively make tens of thousands of edits and create thousands of new articles to
augment the knowledge held by the Wikipedia encyclopedia.
wi·ki (wĭk'ē)
n. pl. wi·kis
A collaborative website whose content can
be edited by anyone who has access to it.
“The new force that is bringing
people together on the net to
create a giant brain.”
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6. ESMD has over 350
wikis spaces in ICE
• Meeting Calendar Archive
• Contacts, ICD and IRD Development
• Upcoming meeting info and useful links
wikis in ESMD
• Repository of
Ares PDR data
• Offers quick links
to relevant pages
• Schedules,
contacts, and
other useful info
• News R&KM updates
• R&KM related Process, People,
Meetings, and Tools
• Most recent directorate top risk list 6

7. Riskapedia
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8. Riskapedia (pronounced risk·ĕ·pē·diə)
A collaborative website to help NASA
engineers identify, analyze, and mitigate
risks.
Risk Managers Project Managers Project Engineers
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9. 9

10. Astronauts use checklists and you
should too…
Smart people have learned a
lot of lessons learned into
checklists that can help you
identify risks on your project.
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11. TRIMS
MITRE Risk
Management
Tool Kit
Constellation
Program
Hazard
Analysis
Methodology
Software
The Identify Risk Development
Taxonomy
section is a checklist Carnegie
Mellon
based approach to
defining risks 11

12. Risk identification wiki in practice
…3 easy steps for any engineer
1. Select the Risk Identification icon and select the relevant risk identification
checklists / taxonomies.
2. Use one or more checklists / taxonomies to identify a candidate risk list.
3. Augment Riskapedia identification checklists / taxonomy based on
experience (if required)
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13. Probability Density
Relative Area Requirement 5
= Probability
of Meeting
Requirement 4
Prob.
1.0
Failure of
System 3 12/31/98
Revised Evaluation
Or 0.8
Initial Evaluation
2 0.6
Weight of A
Failure Failure of Failure of Failure of
Likelihood
Sub-System Sub-System B Sub-System C Sub-System D
1 0.4
Failure of Failure of Failure of 0.2
Sub-System E Sub-System F Sub-System G
1 2 3 4 5 0.0
11/22/98 12/6/98 12/20/98 1/3/99 1/17/99 1/31/99 2/14/99 2/28/99 3/14/99
Impact Date CSOC Ready to Proceed
PRA Techniques Risk Matrices Schedule Analysis
Tools enable a team to assess risk
3. LTA 4. LTA Meeting
Decision Trees
2. LTA
1. LTA Processes Participation Ground Rules
Resources
1. Wrong People (too many, 1. Unclear Purpose
1. Agenda too few, no portfolio)
1. LTA Time 2. LTA Agenda
2. Scheduling - Notification
2. LTA Preparation
3. Submission/Input of Crit Read-Ahead 2. LTA Facility 3. Expectations (data v. discussion)
4. Dist. of Read-Ahead Mat. 3. Confrontational 4. Expectations (Content)
5. Actions Assignment / Outcome 3. LTA Presentation Template
4. “Hidden Agendas 5. Attendees
6. LTA Minutes / Doc of Decisions
4. AV-Laptops/Projection 5. Too Quiet / Dominant 6. PDA/cell Use
7. LTA Action Tracking
AoA
5. Support 6. Convention
4. Support 5. Interactions 5. Graphics
4. Security
3. Engagement 4. Consequences 4. Density
3. Access /
Registration
2. LTA Time Mgmt 3. Risks 3. Clarity (font, acronym)
2. Usability 2. Format (ppt v.
/Speed 1. Articulation of 2. Issues Narrative)
Values / Goals /
1. ThinkTank / CoPs / Objectives / 1. Too Much/Little
Wikis / Portals Importance / 1. Activities / Sched
Alignment
5. Other 8. LTA 9. LTA Content
Root Cause
7. LTA Leadership
6. LTA Web-Based Tools Content Relevancy Format
Fish Bones
Affinity Diagram
Balanced Etc…
Cost/Benefit Scorecard 13
Analysis

14. Probablistic
Risk
Assessment
5x5 matrix
1. Summary
2. How to
3. Examples
4. References
Visual
Literacy
Critical Path
Analysis
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15. Risk Assessment wiki in practice
1. Start with your risk records
2. Some risks have gone stale or need stronger characterization
3. Browse tools targeted at assessing risk and select one; perhaps
the cause-and-effect diagrams
4. Hold a 2-hour facilitated team activity to re-energize the risk
thinking amongst your team
Unclear Work Handling Ring
Brainstorm what went wrong in critical lifting process
Instructions Design Time Pressure
Participant  1 2 3 4 5 6
- Vague - New
% Potential Add Photos 20 10 10
Ideas on - No diagrams - Holes did not line up
Structured - Mixed messages from
Topic
Brainstorm - Poor documentation managers Explain rationale 10 25 15
- No explanation
Unstructured Round 2 for each step
Brainstorm
Round 1 - Training was not Provide Tech Edit 45 5 …….. etc
adequate for this - Background noise
new operation - SMA and lift team never Provide video 50 10 60
Structured - Headset static pre-briefed
Brainstorm
- No time for training Provide QA & 20 10 10
entire crew
Round 1 Lessons Learned
Coordination
Lift Crew Training Communications Between Lift Team
& SMA
Brainstorming Diagramming Prioritizing Action Plan Teambuilding
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16. Others have
solved similar
risks and you
can learn from
what they did
You are not alone…
Risks similar to
yours have caused
failures in other … but you don’t have time to
programs and you go search for this
can learn from
information
these 16

17. Verification
Risks
Engineering
Design Risks
Quality
Assurance
Risks
Human
Factors
and
Nodes are focused on risk Software
(recently
mitigations in engineering added)
disciplines 17

18. Informed By
Table of Contents
Synopsis
Fishbone
Risk Prevention Strategies
Design Engineering Risks Good Examples from ARM and IRMA
Experience-based Insights
Lets take a tour Noted Space System Failures
through TOC…
Relevant Documents
References
Keywords
Related Topics
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19. Table of Contents
Synopsis
Fishbone
Risk Prevention Strategies
Design Engineering Risks Good Examples from ARM
and IRMA
Experience-based Insights
Noted Space System Failures
Relevant Documents
References
Keywords
Related Topics
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20. Supporting Functions
Risk University
Get Help – Risk Squad
Discussion Forums
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21. Suggested study
duration and timeline
Syllabus designed to
Currently 8 self study teach Level 3 and Level
courses 2 risk managers the
• How to create well written risk best practices of risk
management
statements
• Integration risks
• NASA risk policy
• Etc…
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22. Lightweight Process 2.0 –
Tank – Risk Facilitation
PANEL URGES SHIFT IN STATION’S ORBIT
Management techniques to
Case Study involve your
By WILLIAM J. BROAD
Asynchronous
Published: June 9 , 1993
The expert panel advising the White House on redesigning the space station has called for the proposed astronaut outpost to be
launched into a “world orbit” where it could be reached not only by American space shuttles but also by Russian, Japanese, and
group in
Chinese rockets.
…
collaboration –
“It would change things in a fundamental way,” said Dr. Bruce Murray, a planetary scientist at the California Institute of Technology.
“It would say it’s not an American space station but an international one. It would say that the Cold War really is over and that we’re
enthusiastic about going on to the new phase instead of acting like we’re trying to prevent time from marching on.”
…
solving your
Today, winged spaceships soaring out of Cape Canaveral usually fly into an orbit inclined 28.5 degrees to the Equator, a path beyond
the reach of the Russians. That orbit was also where the space station, proposed in 1984 amid the Cold War, was to be built
brainstorm, bin, rank,
piecemeal as the American shuttle fleet carried its numerous parts into space.
…
Now, the 16-member White House advisory panel, headed by Dr. Charles M. Vest, president of the Massachusetts Institute of
Now, the 16-member White House advisory panel, headed by
Technology, has endorsed a higher inclination for the American station in working papers and a draft report for President Clinton.
Dr. Charles M. Vest, president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
problems
…
If the station is launched into an orbit the Russians can reach, the white paper said, the United States could “use their entire stable of
has endorsed a higher inclination for the American station in working papers
actions.
previously developed Soviet launch vehicles – as needed.”
and a draft report for President Clinton.
…
Cooperation with Russians could reduce costs, but the paper noted that the station’s current international partners, Japan, Canada,
and Europe, “generally disagree with us about the desirability of this orbital inclination.”
The drawback of the proposed path, it noted, is that shuttles flying to a higher inclination can lift less payload, up to 11,500 pounds
less than the craft’s top lifting power of 55,000 pounds…
Brainstorm what went wrong in critical lifting process
% Potential
Ideas on Structured
Topic
Brainstorm
Unstructured Round 2
Brainstorm
Round 1
Structured
Brainstorm
Round 1
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23. • Ask a question
• Propose discussion on a topic of interest
• Answer someone else’s question
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24. Riskapedia
Designed to help you
1. Identify risks
2. Analyze risks
3. Mitigate risks
…And get work done
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25. Riskapedia is currently based on
input from some smart people…
… but not as smart as everyone in
this room.
We want your input, your insights, and
your examples to help NASA projects
benefit from your knowledge!
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26. What you can do…
… contribute!
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27. ITAR, SBU
(not allowed in wikis)
Challenge: Contribute something
this week – just one thing.
• Edit content in Risk ID, Risk Assessment, and Risk
Mitigation notes (almost all content is editable).
• Initiate or participate in discussions
• Vote, rank, or comment on content usefuleness
• In consultation with ESMD - become a subject
matter practitioner with full editing rights to “own”
a content area.
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28. Your benefit for contributing
1. You will feel good about sharing your
insights
2. You will have participated 1st hand in
the wiki movement
3. Some NASA engineer, somewhere, will
be grateful as they incorporate your
advice into solving their problem.
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29. Questions?
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