A Short Guide to Facilitating Risk Management

Penny Pullan and Ruth Murray-Webster’s ‘A Short Guide to Facilitating Risk Management’ fits into a series of Short Guides about risk published by Gower. The series currently includes books that address Customs Risk and Political Risk, with further volumes addressing Equality Risk and Operational Risk in production. These short guides, at around 150 pages, provide an introduction and awareness for the reader; though do not make any claims to be able to make the reader an expert.

A Short Guide to Facilitating Risk Management takes as its theme the principle that risk is managed by people, not by processes or techniques; and that the people managing the risks are not generally ‘risk management professionals’, so therefore need guiding, enthusing, and supporting, by a facilitator who combines a comprehensive understanding of risk and risk management with the people-skills necessary to make it easy to manage risk effectively. It is observed that risk management frequently fails to deliver value or the required support to decision making in risky situations, due to its over-emphasis on the use of tools and processes, and its failure to engage people.

The processes of risk management are described by a discussion of the nature of risk, its importance within the context of a business, and the factors that affect prioritisation and response to risk. Differing approaches to risk response and the need for ownership and accountability for risk management activities are covered. The treatment of risk management process is kept at quite a high level, to avoid discussion of the detail from detracting from the theme of the book as a guide to facilitation, not to risk management per se.

The description of the qualities required of a facilitator is particularly insightful, providing detail and guidance for getting the best from teams of people, dealing with differing cultures, sustaining enthusiasm and participation of all group members, encouraging the ‘right’ sort of conflict to guide groups to deliver value. The stress on the facilitator being detached from the risks and response actions, focussing their responsibility on facilitating the process, is especially interesting as many project and programme managers find themselves charged with responsibility for managing both the process and the risks on their projects.

Facilitation of workshops is just one aspect of facilitating risk management; the use of large groups in workshops, small groups, and one-to-one sessions is described, identifying where each approach is likely to be most successful. The authors share their experiences of what works well, and provide a whole chapter devoted to recognising and addressing problems and challenges that arise from the risk management process, from facilitating, and from the culture of the organisation and its people.

The book makes a compelling case for the role of a risk management facilitator, to ease the operation of risk management processes by enthusing and engaging people, and by maintaining continued ownership and accountability until the risks have been closed.

ABOUT THE REVIEWER: John Greenwood has around 15 years of project management experience gained in the engineering and IT industries, and has been an active member of the PMI UK Chapter. He holds a degree in Physics from the University of Birmingham, and has worked for a number of years as a Systems Engineer in the defence electronics industry.

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