Abstract:
A method, system, and computer program product for standardizing reporting of issues, assumptions, and risks for a risk review board is provided. In one embodiment, a risk management tool presents a user with a form for entering information about a risk management unit, such as, for example, a risk, assumption, issue, or risk plan. The risk management tool then receives information about the risk management unit from the user through the form. The form provides the user with entry areas for every element needed to properly adhere to a risk management scheme for the particular risk management unit. Furthermore, the user is hindered or prevented from exiting the form prior to supplying all information necessary for adherence to the risk management scheme. Thus, the risk management tool increases the likelihood that risk managers adhere to a risk management scheme, thus minimizing the occurrence of identified risks.

Description:
PRIORITY  
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of the filing date of corresponding U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/460,073, entitled “Method for Standardizing Reporting of Issues, Assumptions and Risks for a Risk Review Board”, filed Apr. 3, 2003, the contents of which are hereby incorporated herein for all purposes. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    1. Technical Field  
           [0003]    The present invention relates generally to computer software and, more particularly, to business methods, and, still more particularly, to methods for managing risks for an enterprise.  
           [0004]    2. Description of Related Art  
           [0005]    Risk can be defined as the possibility as suffering loss. In business, loss is typically measured in monetary terms, but the causes of monetary loss are many and related to many different risks. For example, in a development project, the loss describes the impact to the project which could be in the form of diminished quality of the end product, increased costs, delayed completion, or failure. Therefore, risk is something that businesses would prefer to avoid. However, risk and opportunity go hand in hand and in order to achieve profits, it is necessary to take risks. For example, many development projects strive to advance current capabilities and achieve something that hasn&#39;t been done before. Thus, the opportunity for advancement cannot be achieved without taking risk  
           [0006]    However, risks can be minimized by proper attention to risk management, i.e., the proper balancing of the possible negative consequences of risk against the potential benefits of its associated opportunity. Many risk management schemes have been developed to aid managers in this process. However, one drawback to current schemes is that often the risk manager fails to adhere to all aspects of a risk management scheme, thus increasing the risk to the business without increasing the possible benefits to the business. Therefore, it would be desirable to have a computer program product, method, and system that increases the probability that a risk manager will adhere to all aspects of a risk management scheme.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    The present invention provides a method, system, and computer program product for standardizing reporting of issues, assumptions, and risks for a risk review board. In one embodiment, a risk management tool presents a user with a form for entering information about a risk management unit, such as, for example, a risk, assumption, issue, or risk plan. The risk management tool then receives information about the risk management unit from the user through the form. The form provides the user with entry areas for every element needed to properly adhere to a risk management scheme for the particular risk management unit. Furthermore, the user is hindered or prevented from exiting the form prior to supplying all information necessary for adherence to the risk management scheme. Thus, the risk management tool increases the likelihood that risk managers adhere to a risk management scheme, thus minimizing the occurrence of identified risks.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]    The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 1 depicts a pictorial representation of a distributed data processing system in which the present invention may be implemented;  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 2 depicts a block diagram of a data processing system which may be implemented as a server in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 3 depicts a block diagram of a data processing system in which the present invention may be implemented;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 4 depicts a process flow and program function diagram in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 5 depicts an exemplary screen presented to a user upon opening the Risk Management Tool in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 6 depicts an exemplary screen for entering information for a new issue in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 7 depicts exemplary windows displayed when saving an issue in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIGS. 8A and 8B depict windows associated with entering and updating assumption records into the Risk Management Tool in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIGS. 9A-9C depict windows associated with entering and updating risk records into the Risk Management Tool from the Assumption screen in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIGS. 10A-10C depict various screen shots illustrating development of risk plans utilizing the Risk Management Tool of the present invention;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 11 depicts a screen related to configuring and displaying reports in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIGS. 12A-12B depict screens related to browsers include in the Risk Management Tool in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; and  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 13 depicts an exemplary screen illustrating adding keywords to the Risk register in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0022]    With reference now to the figures, and in particular with reference to FIG. 1, a pictorial representation of a distributed data processing system is depicted in which the present invention for prodding a risk manager to adhere to a risk management scheme may be implemented.  
         [0023]    Distributed data processing system  100  is a network of computers in which the present invention may be implemented. Distributed data processing system  100  contains network  102 , which is the medium used to provide communications links between various devices and computers connected within distributed data processing system  100 . Network  102  may include permanent connections, such as wire or fiber optic cables, or temporary connections made through telephone connections.  
         [0024]    In the depicted example, server  104  is connected to network  102 , along with storage unit  106 . In addition, clients  108 ,  110  and  112  are also connected to network  102 . These clients,  108 ,  110  and  112 , may be, for example, personal computers or network computers. For purposes of this application, a network computer is any computer coupled to a network that receives a program or other application from another computer coupled to the network. In the depicted example, server  104  provides data, such as boot files, operating system images and applications, to clients  108 - 112 . Clients  108 ,  110  and  112  are clients to server  104 . Distributed data processing system  110  may include additional servers, clients, and other devices not shown. Distributed data processing system  100  may also include printers. A client, such as client  110 , may print directly to printer  114 . Clients such as client  108  and client  112  do not have directly attached printers. These clients may print to printer  116 , which is attached to server  104 , or to printer  118 , which is a network printer that does not require connection to a computer for printing documents. Client  110 , alternatively, may print to printer  116  or printer  118 , depending on the printer type and the document requirements.  
         [0025]    In the depicted example, distributed data processing system  100  is the Internet, with network  102  representing a worldwide collection of networks and gateways that use the TCP/IP suite of protocols to communicate with one another. At the heart of the Internet is a backbone of high-speed data communication lines between major nodes or host computers consisting of thousands of commercial, government, education, and other computer systems that route data and messages. Of course, distributed data processing system  100  also may be implemented as a number of different types of networks such as, for example, an intranet or a local area network.  
         [0026]    A person or persons responsible for enforcing risk management schemes on an organization enters appropriate risk data into the system, as will be discussed in great detail below, through any one of clients  108 - 112 . This data is gathered by the persons responsible for enforcing risk management schemes through interviewing managers and others responsible for various areas of an enterprise. Managers or other members in any particular area of the organization are not able to edit the data, but are able to view data through a client, such as any of clients  108 - 112 . Thus, for example, in a large organization in which many people work on a project unknown to others in a project, risks identified by one area are provided to people in other areas within the enterprise and these people may have expertise as to how to address this identified risk that the people in the other area did not have. However, in previous systems, the people with expertise as to how to address the risk may not even know of the risk.  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 1 is intended as an example and not as an architectural limitation for the processes of the present invention.  
         [0028]    Referring to FIG. 2, a block diagram of a data processing system which may be implemented as a server, such as server  104  in FIG. 1, is depicted in accordance with the present invention. Data processing system  200  may be a symmetric multiprocessor (SMP) system including a plurality of processors  202  and  204  connected to system bus  206 . Alternatively, a single processor system may be employed. Also connected to system bus  206  is memory controller/cache  208 , which provides an interface to local memory  209 . I/O bus bridge  210  is connected to system bus  206  and provides an interface to I/O bus  212 . Memory controller/cache  208  and I/O bus bridge  210  may be integrated as depicted.  
         [0029]    Peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus bridge  214  connected to I/O bus  212  provides an interface to PCI local bus  216 . A number of modems  218 - 220  may be connected to PCI bus  216 . Typical PCI bus implementations will support four PCI expansion slots or add-in connectors. Communications links to network computers  108 - 112  in FIG. 1 may be provided through modem  218  and network adapter  220  connected to PCI local bus  216  through add-in boards.  
         [0030]    Additional PCI bus bridges  222  and  224  provide interfaces for additional PCI buses  226  and  228 , from which additional modems or network adapters may be supported. In this manner, server  200  allows connections to multiple network computers. A memory mapped graphics adapter  230  and hard disk  232  may also be connected to I/O bus  212  as depicted, either directly or indirectly.  
         [0031]    Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the hardware depicted in FIG. 2 may vary. For example, other peripheral devices, such as optical disk drives and the like, also may be used in addition to or in place of the hardware depicted. The depicted example is not meant to imply architectural limitations with respect to the present invention.  
         [0032]    Data processing system  200  may be implemented as, for example, an AlphaServer GS 1280  running a UNIX® operating system. AlphaServer GS 1280  is a product of Hewlett-Packard Company of Palo Alto, Calif. “AlphaServer” is a trademark of Hewlett-Packard Company. “UNIX” is a registered trademark of The Open Group in the United States and other countries  
         [0033]    With reference now to FIG. 3, a block diagram of a data processing system in which the present invention may be implemented is illustrated. Data processing system  300  is an example of a client computer. Data processing system  300  employs a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) local bus architecture. Although the depicted example employs a PCI bus, other bus architectures, such as Micro Channel and ISA, may be used. Processor  302  and main memory  304  are connected to PCI local bus  306  through PCI bridge  308 . PCI bridge  308  may also include an integrated memory controller and cache memory for processor  302 . Additional connections to PCI local bus  306  may be made through direct component interconnection or through add-in boards. In the depicted example, local area network (LAN) adapter  310 , SCSI host bus adapter  312 , and expansion bus interface  314  are connected to PCI local bus  306  by direct component connection. In contrast, audio adapter  316 , graphics adapter  318 , and audio/video adapter (A/V)  319  are connected to PCI local bus  306  by add-in boards inserted into expansion slots. Expansion bus interface  314  provides a connection for a keyboard and mouse adapter  320 , modem  322 , and additional memory  324 . In the depicted example, SCSI host bus adapter  312  provides a connection for hard disk drive  326 , tape drive  328 , CD-ROM drive  330 , and digital video disc read only memory drive (DVD-ROM)  332 . Typical PCI local bus implementations will support three or four PCI expansion slots or add-in connectors.  
         [0034]    An operating system runs on processor  302  and is used to coordinate and provide control of various components within data processing system  300  in FIG. 3. The operating system may be a commercially available operating system, such as Windows XP, which is available from Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash. “Windows XP” is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. An object oriented programming system, such as Java, may run in conjunction with the operating system, providing calls to the operating system from Java programs or applications executing on data processing system  300 . Instructions for the operating system, the object-oriented operating system, and applications or programs are located on a storage device, such as hard disk drive  326 , and may be loaded into main memory  304  for execution by processor  302 .  
         [0035]    Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the hardware in FIG. 3 may vary depending on the implementation. For example, other peripheral devices, such as optical disk drives and the like, may be used in addition to or in place of the hardware depicted in FIG. 3. The depicted example is not meant to imply architectural limitations with respect to the present invention. For example, the processes of the present invention may be applied to multiprocessor data processing systems.  
         [0036]    With reference now to FIG. 4, a process flow and program function diagram illustrating a high level view of the risk management system is depicted in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0037]    To begin, a person involved in enforcing adherence to a risk management scheme (risk manager) interviews people involved in all areas of the enterprise involved in the project for which the risk is associated (step  402 ). Thus, information necessary for adherence to the risk management scheme is obtained. Next, this data is entered into the risk management software (step  404 ). The software, as described below, is configured so as not to allow the risk management person to continue through the software until appropriate information necessary for adherence to the risk management scheme has been entered. Therefore, the software determines whether all information needed for proper adherence to the risk management system has been gathered (step  406 ). If information has been omitted, then the risk manager interviews appropriate people (step  402 ) if necessary to obtain the missing information and enters the missing information into the system (step  404 ).  
         [0038]    If the appropriate and necessary information for adhering to the risk management system has been entered, then the data entered into the system is made available to other participants in the project in the form of, for example, reports and graphs (step  408 ). However, the other participants are not able to modify the data, but are merely able to access some or all of the data. Updates to the system, identified by participants or by risk managers may be made by risk managers as necessary (step  410 ).  
         [0039]    Turning now to FIGS. 5-15, a specific exemplary detailed embodiment of a Risk Management Tool will be described. FIG. 5 depicts an exemplary screen presented to a user upon opening the Risk Management Tool according to one embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0040]    On starting the Risk Management Tool, the screen  500  depicted in FIG. 5 is presented to the user. This screen  500  consists of a collection of navigation buttons and is known as the Main Menu. The user is able to return directly to this screen from most other screens in the application. The four main buttons  501 - 504  in the centre of the screen  500  give direct access to the four entities described in the ABCD methodology: Issues, Assumptions, Risks and Risk Plans. The additional buttons  505 - 509  at the bottom of the screen  500  offer the user various other features that are explained below.  
         [0041]    The Main Menu (and all other screens) can be operated with both the mouse and the keyboard. If one prefers to use the keyboard to operate the buttons, then there are two main methods:  
         [0042]    Navigate across the buttons using the Tab key, and then press the Enter key.  
         [0043]    Use the Alt key in conjunction with the appropriate underlined letter, e.g. Names  508  can be accessed using Alt+N.  
         [0044]    In addition to the navigation buttons the Main Menu  500  also contains a number of dropdown menus available from the menu bar  510  at the top of the screen  500 . Clicking on File  511  provides just the single option to Exit the application. The Add menu  512  has two choices: Owner/Action Manager, which is described in more detail below; and Keywords, which is also described in more detail below. The Browsers menu  513  allows immediate access to the Issues, Assumptions, Risks and Risk Plans Browsers, each of which are described in more detail below. The Reports Menu  514  allows immediate access to the following reports:  
         [0045]    Risk Review Board Report  
         [0046]    Driver Report  
         [0047]    Interview List  
         [0048]    Summary Reports  
         [0049]    Bubble Charts  
         [0050]    Sens/Stab Chart  
         [0051]    Statistics Report  
         [0052]    Reports Menu.  
         [0053]    The Help menu  515  offers, among other items, the following: Data Transfer and Registration.  
         [0054]    Data Transfer is a facility that is explained in detail below. The Registration window contains the registration details for the database and also allows the user to modify the organization name and register title. It is also possible to replace the supplied logo, if necessary, by pasting in an appropriate graphic image in the box provided.  
         [0055]    It is recommended that certain lists be completed before any records have been added to the register as described below. There are two keyword fields available in the Risk Management Tool Risk Register that are used as filters for the reports. It is recommended that Keyword1 be used to identify the reporting level at which the Issue, Assumption or Risk is currently being managed, e.g. “Programme”. Also, each record in the register must be owned by someone. The list of possible names should be set up before any records have been added to the register. The recommended format is First Name followed by Surname.  
         [0056]    In normal circumstances the user will want to update an existing Issue record or will want to create a new Issue. Selecting the Issues button  501  on the Main Menu  500  will return a Pop-Up screen allowing the user to select a new issue or update an existing issue. In order to update an existing Issue, enter the Issue Reference Number in an entry box and click on the Find Issue button. In order to create a new Issue record click on the New Issue button. It is also possible to go directly to the Issue Browser screen by clicking.  
         [0057]    If a new issue is selected, then screen  610  as depicted in FIG. 6 will be returned. Note that the Status Bar  611  at the bottom of the screen  610  contains useful prompts for each field in the screen  610 . This applies to all data input screens.  
         [0058]    On creating a new Issue record, this date field  612  will be given the current date by default. The date may be amended to an earlier date if necessary. Any date entered in this field  612  will always be displayed in the dd/mm/yyyy format, although it may be entered in a variety of ways. One may, for example include or omit the slash ‘/’ separators. One may enter a two-digit or four-digit year number. If one were to type in ‘1/9/2’ this would be interpreted as ‘01/09/2002’. Note that this applies to all date fields used in the register.  
         [0059]    The cursor will be placed initially in the Title field  613 . The user should enter the details of the Issue in the form of an open question. The title should normally begin with words such as “How”, “What” or “When”. Note that starting the title with the word “Will” will almost certainly result in a “closed” question! 
         [0060]    Every Issue, Assumption, Risk and Risk Plan must be owned by a single person. This owner field  614  is therefore a mandatory field and is completed using the drop-down list of names. If the required name is not included in the list then it may be added by typing the name into the field  614  and then moving on to the next field. If the name is not in the list then a dialog window will appear. Click No in the dialog box if you change your mind and the window will close, returning an error message. Respond to this error message by clicking “OK” and Risk Management Tool will return to the drop-down list. Clicking on “Yes” in the new dialog window will produce a further owner/action manager name dialog window.  
         [0061]    The user should enter at least the Name and Department of the Owner on this form in owner/action manager name dialog window. Pressing the Save button will add the new record and return the user to the Issue screen  610 . Note that there is a single table containing the list of names and this list is used for both Owners and Action Managers. Once a name has been added to the list, in this embodiment of the Risk Management Too, it cannot be removed, but it may be amended. However, other embodiments may provide for the removal of names.  
         [0062]    Returning to FIG. 6, the size field  615 , in this embodiment, is mandatory. The user must select A, B, C or D from the drop-down menu. The driver field  616  is also mandatory in this embodiment. The user must select Decision, Milestone, Resource, Technical, Dependency or Business from the drop-down menu.  
         [0063]    There are two keywords available for Issues, Assumptions, Risks and Risk Plans. The use of these two fields  617  and  618  is at the discretion of the user&#39;s organization. Keyword1, for example, may indicate the reporting level for the Issue and Keyword2 may contain the name of the Project. The keywords may then be used in combination as filters for the production of various management reports.  
         [0064]    The Keyword1 and Keyword2 lists will normally be created at the start of a project using screens described in more detail below. However, if a new Keyword needs to be added at this point then the user should enter the new keyword into the field  617  or  618 .  
         [0065]    Notice that the Risk Management Tool register is supplied with the keyword ‘ALL’ in both Keyword1 and Keyword2. This is included in the list to allow the user to select all possible keywords for a specific report. Although it appears as a default for new records, it should be replaced by a more suitable choice immediately.  
         [0066]    The milestone/dependency field  619  is not mandatory. Issues which are open questions normally arise before project plans have been finalized and, in this case, this field would have no meaning. However, where a Risk has impacted and the problem is converted to an Issue, there may well be a milestone to enter in the field  619 . If the Driver inserted at field  616  above is “Dependency” then this milestone/dependency field  619  should also include a reference to the name of the particular dependency.  
         [0067]    The summary of actions taken field  620  is used to record a summary of all the actions that have been taken to-date. The field  620  is included on both the single Issue report and on the Issue Summary Report. The field  620  is not intended to hold detailed notes of any meetings or discussions. These are held in a separate Notes field as described below. Note that this summary of actions taken field  620  should be updated following each interview.  
         [0068]    The next actions field  621  should contain details of the next actions to be taken to resolve the Issue. Leaving this field blank will indicate a distinct lack of management of the issue. For every Issue there is always some action that can be taken. At the very least, the Issue Owner should be able to arrange a meeting with someone who can help. Try to include the following:  
         [0069]    WHAT actions are planned? 
         [0070]    WHO is going to carry out these actions? 
         [0071]    WHEN must the actions start? 
         [0072]    WHEN do the actions need to be completed? 
         [0073]    Just as every Issue, Assumption, Risk and Risk Plan must have an Owner; it must also have a person who is appointed to take appropriate action. This action manager field  622  is mandatory in this embodiment and should be a different person than the Owner. Operation of the field is identical to the Owner field described above, including adding new names to the list. This action manager field  622  is inescapably linked to the Next Actions field. There may be many actions identified. The Action Manager is the person responsible for the action that is due to be completed first.  
         [0074]    The resolve by date field  623  contains the agreed date by which the Issue needs to be resolved. The user can make use of the accompanying calendar button  624 . At the end of an interview with the Issue Owner, the risk practitioner should arrange the follow-up interview and select the appropriate date in the next review field  625 . Since Issues need to be resolved urgently, this date should never be more than one month after the date of the interview.  
         [0075]    Having entered data into each field  612 - 625 , the user should now save the record by pressing the Save Record button  626 . If the data is free from errors, a window indicating this fact will be displayed. This indicates that the record has been successfully saved and shows the Issue Reference Number allocated to it. Clicking on OK on this window will cause a number of extra fields and navigation buttons  711 - 716  to appear as shown in screen  710  FIG. 7.  
         [0076]    The Date Closed field  717  will remain blank while the Issue is live. Once the Issue has been resolved (or converted to an Assumption), the Issue should be closed by entering the appropriate date in this Date Closed field  717 . This field  717  is accompanied by a calendar button  718 . The actions of the various navigation buttons  711 - 716  at the foot of the screen  710  is described as follows:  
         [0077]    Select Issue  711 . Use this button to select another Issue record for viewing/updating. Pressing this button  711  will produce the Add/Update Issue Records pop-up screen as described above.  
         [0078]    Preview Report  712 . This button  712  will preview the single Issue Interview Sheet. The user may then choose to print the report or not.  
         [0079]    Print Report  713 . This button  713  prints the single Issue Interview Sheet without giving a preview.  
         [0080]    New Issue  714 . Press this button  714  to create another new Issue and the “New Issue” screen  610  shown at FIG. 6 will appear.  
         [0081]    Issue Browser  715 . This button  715  will open up the Issue Browser screen as described below.  
         [0082]    Main Menu  716 . This button  716  is present in the bottom right-hand corner of most screens and will return the user to the Main Menu  500  as described above with reference to FIG. 5.  
         [0083]    Clicking on the Notes Button  719  produces a meeting notes pop-up window. Each Issue can have any number of Notes records for a given Issue record. If there are no associated notes, then a meeting notes pop-up window will appear containing form with a number of fields. Completion of the form provided in the meeting notes pop-up window is as follows:  
         [0084]    Date field. The Date field will already be completed with the current date. This field may be amended to the date on which the interview/meeting took place (Shift+Tab to move backwards across the fields).  
         [0085]    Person/Meeting. The name of the Issue Owner will be entered automatically in the Person/Meeting field and may be amended, if required. If, for example, the notes were taken from a Risk Review Board then it would be expedient to enter ‘RRB’.  
         [0086]    Notes. Enter all the notes taken during the meeting. It is particularly important to record any changes to the data fields in the Issue record and the justification for the change, e.g. “Issue Size changed from C to B following success of first action”. Having entered the data, save the record by clicking on the Save Record button. If an Issue already has associated Notes records, then the latest notes will be displayed when choosing the Notes button. It is possible to view/amend earlier notes by pressing the Earlier Notes button on the Notes pop-up form. One can scroll forward in time by pressing the Later Notes button. Where no further notes are available a suitable message will be displayed and the corresponding button will be grayed out (disabled).  
         [0087]    The meeting notes form will remain on screen until the Close Form button is pressed. It is possible to “cut and paste” data from the Notes form into the underlying Issue record using the standard Windows techniques —Ctrl+C (cut) and Ctrl+V (paste) recommended. If changing to a different Issue record, it is possible to leave the meeting notes form visible on screen whilst the change is made. As the change of Issue is made, the meeting notes form will change automatically. Similarly, it is possible to leave the meeting notes form on the screen when running the Print Preview. However, if the user exits the Issue via the Issue Browser or the Main Menu, then the meeting notes form will automatically close.  
         [0088]    Each of the data input screens contains at least one field that requires a date to be input. To help ensure that sensible dates are used, most of these fields are accompanied by a small calendar button. Pressing this button will produce a pop-up calendar. Select the date required by using the navigation buttons and double-clicking on the appropriate day. This will update the corresponding date field.  
         [0089]    Turning now to FIGS. 8A and 8B, the actions associated with assumptions and the results of selecting the Assumptions button  502  depicted in FIG. 5 will be described. Selecting the Assumptions button  502  on the Main Menu  500  depicted in FIG. 5 will return an add/update assumption records Pop-Up screen. In order to update an existing Assumption, enter the Assumption Reference Number in the ID field and click on the Find button. To create a new Assumption record click on the New Assumption button.  
         [0090]    If one has chosen to create a new Assumption, the screen  810  as depicted in FIG. 8A will be returned. The assumption title field  811  is a mandatory field and must be in the form of a “single, simple, positive statement”. It is not necessary to begin the statement with words such as “It is assumed that”—this is implicit in the title. However, Assumption statements will normally include the word “will”. The owner field  812  is mandatory. The action manager  812  is also mandatory in this embodiment. In this embodiment, the date opened field  814  is also mandatory. The default is the current date, but this may be amended to an earlier date. The keywords fields  815  and  816  and the driver field  817  are also mandatory for reasons as explained above with reference to the Issues screens.  
         [0091]    The Milestone/Dependency field  818  is not mandatory in the present version of Risk Management Tool. However, since Assumptions are based on project plans, there should be a milestone entered in this field  818  for most Assumptions. Where the Driver  817  is “Dependency” then this field  818  should also include a reference to the name of the particular dependency. The summary of actions taken field  819  is similar to the corresponding field  620  in FIG. 6.  
         [0092]    The sensitivity drop down list  820  provides the user with four options from which to choose. These options are as follows:  
         [0093]    A Minimal impact if Assumption is incorrect;  
         [0094]    B Manageable impact if Assumption is incorrect;  
         [0095]    C Significant impact if Assumption is incorrect; and  
         [0096]    D Critical impact if Assumption is incorrect.  
         [0097]    The Stability drop down list  821  also provides four options from which a user can choose. These options from the drop-down box  821  are as follows:  
         [0098]    A—Very confident that Assumption is correct;  
         [0099]    B—Fairly confident that Assumption is correct;  
         [0100]    C—Uncomfortable that Assumption is correct; and  
         [0101]    D—Assumption almost certainly untrue. The sensitivity field  820  is a mandatory field in the present embodiment. The interviewee should always justify the reason for the choice of Sensitivity Rating (A, B, C or D). The Stability field  821  is a mandatory field in the present embodiment. The interviewee should always justify the reason for the choice of Stability Rating (A, B, C or D). The Next Actions field  822  should contain details of any actions to be taken to prevent the Assumption becoming a Risk. Leaving this field  822  blank will indicate a distinct lack of interest in the Assumption. This implies a lack of management and begs the question as to why the Assumption is even on the register. Where actions have been identified, try to include the following:  
         [0102]    WHAT actions are planned? 
         [0103]    WHO is going to carry out these actions? 
         [0104]    WHEN must the actions start? 
         [0105]    WHEN do the actions need to be completed? 
         [0106]    The field  822  does not need to be updated where there is an associated active Risk record.  
         [0107]    At the end of an interview with the Assumption Owner, the Risk Practitioner should arrange the follow-up interview and entered into the next review field  823 . Usually this date will be one month after the date of the interview. However, where any actions are scheduled to take place some time in the future then it is sensible to arrange the review accordingly.  
         [0108]    Having entered data into each field  811 - 823 , the user should now save the record by pressing the Save Record button  824 . If mandatory fields have been left blank then a suitable error message will be displayed. If the data is subsequently free from errors, this will result in a message window indicating that fact and an OK button. This indicates that the record has been successfully saved and shows the Assumption Reference Number allocated to it. Clicking on OK in this message window will cause a number of extra fields and navigation buttons to appear as shown in FIG. 8B.  
         [0109]    Referring now to FIG. 8B, the Assumption Reference field  841  shows the number allocated to the new Assumption. The date closed field  842  shows the date the assumption is closed. This field is initially blank. Assumptions should be closed only after any associated Risk record has been closed. Even in situations where a Risk has been closed, it is usual to leave the underlying Assumption open until all possible influencing factors have disappeared. The reasons for closure must be recorded in the Summary of Action Taken field  845  before closing the Assumption. If the date of closure is the current date then the user may just press the “Close” button  846  to the right of the field  842 . Note that there is also a “Re-open” button  847 , which will remove the Date Closed from the record. Note that a date in this field automatically implies that the Assumption is closed when reports are being produced.  
         [0110]    The Associated Risk field  843  will be empty when an Assumption is initially created. However, once a Risk record is raised from the Assumption, then the reference number and other details will appear here. Pressing the View button  848  will present an Update Risk Record window allowing the user to find a risk record by entering a risk ID.  
         [0111]    The Vertical/Horizontal Offsets fields  844  control the position of the small Assumption bubble on a Sensitivity/Stability Chart.  
         [0112]    Each Assumption record should have its own set of associated Notes records. Pressing the Notes button  849  produces pop-up window allowing a user to enter new notes.  
         [0113]    The actions of the various navigation buttons  850 - 856  at the foot of the Assumption screen  840  are described as follows:  
         [0114]    Find Assumption  850 . This will produce the same Add/Update Assumption Records pop-up screen as described above.  
         [0115]    Preview Report  851 . This button  851  will preview the single Assumption Interview Sheet. The user may then choose to print the report or not.  
         [0116]    Print Report  852 . This button  852  prints the single Assumption Interview Sheet without giving a preview first.  
         [0117]    Create New Risk  853 . If the Sensitivity/Stability Rating of an Assumption is ‘CC’, ‘CD’, ‘DC’ or ‘DD’, then the user must create an associated Risk record. This button  853  opens a new window for creating a new risk and is described in more detail below with reference to FIG. 9A.  
         [0118]    New Assumption  854 . This button  854  produces the New Assumption screen as shown in FIG. 8A and described above.  
         [0119]    Assumption Browser  855 . This button  855  will open up the Assumption Browser screen.  
         [0120]    Main Menu  856 . This button  856  is present in the bottom right-hand corner of most screens and will return the user to the Main Menu as shown in FIG. 5 and described above.  
         [0121]    If the Sensitivity/Stability Rating of an Assumption is ‘CC’, ‘CD’, ‘DC’ or ‘DD’, then the user must create an associated Risk record. The Create New Risk button will return a New Risk screen as shown in FIG. 9A and described below.  
         [0122]    Turning now to FIGS. 9A-9C, the actions associated with risks and the results of selecting the Create New Risk button  503  from the Assumption screen depicted in FIG. 8B will be described. Pressing the Create New Risk button  853  on the Assumption screen  840  depicted in FIG. 8B will present a New Risk input screen  900  as shown in FIG. 9A. Notice that most of the fields on this screen  900  have been inherited from the details in the underlying Assumption record. The Assumption Reference field  901  shows the reference number of the underlying Assumption record. The Title field  811  on the Assumption record  810  is shown on this screen  900 . It cannot be amended here. If any change to the title is required, then this must be carried out on the Assumption record screen  810 .  
         [0123]    Since the Assumption title is already visible, it is only necessary to describe the impact if the Assumption fails. This If Not, Then Describe Impact field  902  will be automatically completed with the Why Sensitivity field  825  from the Assumption record  810  to assist with completion. However, note that the impact of a Risk is a top-down view from the Risk Review Board, and not a bottom-up view from the Assumption Owner.  
         [0124]    The Risk Owner field  903  will be populated with the name of the Assumption Owner. Since it is likely that the Owner of the Risk is a different person the field will require amending in the same way as described above. The Owner of a Risk must be a member of the Risk Review Board. The Date Opened field  904  will default to the current date. An earlier date may be input, if required. The keyword1 and keyword2 fields  905  and  906  will be the same as the underlying Assumption. It is possible to amend each of these fields  905  and  906  as described above.  
         [0125]    The Driver field  907  will be the same as the underlying Assumption. It is possible to amend the field by using the drop-down list. Note that changing this field  907  does not change the equivalent field on the underlying Assumption record. This also applies to Milestone/Dependency field  908 . The Milestone/Dependency field  908  will be the same as the underlying Assumption. The Summary of Actions Taken field  909  will inherit the same details as the underlying Assumption, but may be amended, if necessary. Note that the link to the Assumption record is not permanent. The summary should contain enough information to explain to the Risk Review Board how the risk came about and what actions have been taken to-date.  
         [0126]    The Impact Date field  910  is a mandatory field that must be a date in the future. The date refers to the last possible start date for action to take place to avoid the impact of the risk. The field should reflect the latest start date of the earliest action identified at next action described below. The Criticality field  911  refers to the traditional Red, Amber, Green impact rating of the Risk. Initially, this field  911  will be supplied by the Assumption Owner, but must be ratified by the Risk Review Board. A guide to the values for a typical project is:  
         [0127]    Red: Project stopped or unable to meet key objectives (Showstopper!)  
         [0128]    Amber: Project objectives impacted significantly  
         [0129]    Green: Project may face minor delays or cost setbacks  
         [0130]    It is possible to choose the “OFF” option if the Assumption Owner is not prepared to give a Criticality rating. However, this must be changed to Red, Amber or Green following the Risk Review Meeting. Note that although a record is created within the Risk Management Tool Risk Register, a “Risk” does not technically exist until agreed at the Risk Review Meeting.  
         [0131]    The Controllability field  912  describes the degree of control that the Risk Review Board feel they have in managing or preventing the Risk.  
         [0132]    A—Very Confident. The management can exercise much control over the Risk. Action plans are in place and are proving successful.  
         [0133]    B—Fairly Confident. The Risk is mainly under control. Action plans are in place and in progress.  
         [0134]    C—Uncomfortable. The Risk is mainly outside control. There are minimal action plans.  
         [0135]    D—Out of Control. There is currently no idea how to manage the Risk, or actions that have been identified have not proved successful. In the latter case, the Risk will almost certainly need to be escalated to a higher authority.  
         [0136]    Initially this field  912  will be supplied by the Assumption Owner, but must be ratified at the next Risk Review Meeting. Where the Assumption Owner is not prepared to supply a Controllability rating, then it is usual to use the Stability rating.  
         [0137]    The Cost field  913  is optional. Enter the cost of any Risk Action, if required. The Next Actions field  914  should show the action(s) that have been identified to prevent the Risk from occurring. Although this is currently an optional field, it must not be left blank. Leaving this field blank demonstrates a distinct lack of management of the Risk, which begs the question as to why the underlying Assumption has been rated as a Risk. Where actions have been identified, try to include the following:  
         [0138]    WHAT actions are planned? 
         [0139]    WHO is going to carry out these actions? 
         [0140]    WHEN must the actions start? 
         [0141]    WHEN do the actions need to be completed? 
         [0142]    The latest possible start date for the earliest of the actions must be the same as the Impact Date in Impact Date field  910 . The Action Manager field  915  is a mandatory field. The Risk Action Manager must not be the Risk Owner. The Action Manager must be the person named as the Action Manager identified as the person responsible for completing the first of the actions specified in the Next Actions field  914 .  
         [0143]    The Risk record holds a number of data items relating to the production of the Bubble Charts  916  such as the vertical offset  917 . However, it is likely that only the Bubble Label can be completed for a new Risk. It is normal to check on the current position of a Risk bubble before amending any of the offset data. The Next Review field  918  is optional. And similar to that described for Next Review  625  above referring to FIG. 6.  
         [0144]    Having entered data into each field  901 - 918 , the user should now save the record by pressing the Save Record button  919 . If the data is free from errors, this will result in an ABCD Risk Management Window indicating that the risk was saved the reference number allocated to the risk. Clicking on the OK button in this window will return the original Assumption record as shown in FIG. 9B.  
         [0145]    Referring now to FIG. 9B, notice that the screen  940  now contains the main details from the Associated Risk record. One may return to the Risk record by clicking the View button  941 .  
         [0146]    Selecting the Risks button on the Main Menu will return an Update Risk Record Pop-Up screen. Note that Risks may only be created after first creating an underlying Assumption and then assessing the Sensitivity/Stability Ratings. For this reason, the Update Risk Record pop-up screen allows the user to update an existing Risk but will not allow the user to create a Risk record. As for Issues and Assumptions, there is also the facility to navigate directly to the Risk Browser.  
         [0147]    Selecting a Risk record for updating by entering a risk ID into the risk ID field and clicking the find button in the Update Risk Record Pop-up screen will produce screen  965  as depicted in FIG. 9C. Most of the fields on this screen are described with reference to FIG. 9A above. The extra details are as follows:  
         [0148]    Traffic Lights  966 —The Risk screen shown above has a set of traffic lights  966  at the top to give a quick indication of the criticality status of the Risk. If the Impact Date has passed then an additional red “IMPACTING” message will appear to the right of the traffic lights.  
         [0149]    Linked Assumption  967 —Having created a Risk record the system automatically records a cross-reference to the underlying Assumption. Every Risk record must have one, and only one, underlying Assumption record. Note that this cross-reference cannot be amended once it has been created. In order to examine the underlying Assumption click on the View button  968  to the left of the Assumption field.  
         [0150]    Bubble Label  969 —There is a facility on the Bubble Chart reports to include a user-supplied label. Any text entered here should be concise. The Bubble Chart facility allows the user to print the Risk Reference only, the Bubble Label only or both together.  
         [0151]    Each Risk record may have its own set of associated Notes records. Pressing the Notes button  970  produces a meeting notes pop-up window. The actions on this window  975  are as the Issue Notes described.  
         [0152]    When all Risk Actions have been completed and the Risk Review Board agrees that the Risk may be closed, the date of closure should be entered into Date Closed field  971  as depicted in FIG. 9C. If the current date applies, then the user can press the Close button to the right of the field. In exceptional circumstances where a Risk record has to be re-activated, the user should press the Re-open button to remove the Date Closed field. Closing a Risk will produce a Risk Closed screen.  
         [0153]    Referring now to FIG. 9C, the instructions here are quite specific. The user should always record the reason why a risk has been closed in the Summary of Actions Taken field  909 . Having done this, the next action must be to re-visit the underlying Assumption record. Depending on the type of action taken with the risk, the user will now reduce either the Sensitivity or the Stability rating to ‘B’ (or possibly ‘A’). The underlying Assumption, which became dormant when the Risk record was created, now becomes active once more. The Assumption record should remain active until the event that it describes has occurred.  
         [0154]    The actions of the various navigation buttons  980 - 986  at the foot of the screen  965  are described as follows:  
         [0155]    Select Risk  980 —This will produce the update Risk Record pop-up screen as described above.  
         [0156]    Preview Report  981 —This button  981  will preview a single Risk Interview Sheet. The user may then choose to print the report or not.  
         [0157]    Print Report  982 —This button  982  prints the single Risk Report without giving a preview.  
         [0158]    Bubble Charts  983 —This button  983  takes the user directly to the Bubble Chart menu as described below. This is a useful feature when adjusting the position of the bubbles on the chart.  
         [0159]    Create Risk Plan  984 —The button  984  opens up a New Risk Plan screen  1000  as described below with reference to FIG. 10A.  
         [0160]    Risk Browser  985 —This button  995  will open up the Risk Browser screen as described below.  
         [0161]    Main Menu  986 —This button  986  is present in the bottom right-hand corner of most screens and will return the user to the Main Menu as described previously.  
         [0162]    Referring now to FIGS. 10A-10C, various screen shots are depicted illustrating development of risk plans utilizing the Risk Management Tool of the present invention. Pressing the Create Risk Plan button  984  on the Risk screen  965  depicted in FIG. 9C will present a blank Risk Plan input screen  1000  as shown in FIG. 10A. The Date Opened field  1001  defaults to the current date, but may be amended to an earlier date. Since the screen  1000  has been invoked from a Risk record, the associated Risk reference number is automatically displayed in the Risk Reference field  1002 . The Plan Description field  1003  is the Title field for the Risk Plan. The Owner field  1004  will initially contain the same name as the Risk Owner. If the Owner of the Risk Plan is a different person, then the field  1004  may be amended in the same way as described above.  
         [0163]    The Keyword1 and 2 fields  1005 - 1006  will initially be the same as the underlying Risk. It is possible to amend each of these fields  1005 - 1006  as described above. The Action Manager field  1007  will be the same as the underlying Risk. It is possible to amend the field  1007  as described above. The Milestone/Dependency field  1008  is optional. A user enters the text to describe how the Risk Owner will judge the success of the Risk Plan in the Success Criteria field  1009 . Contingency arrangements and/or fallback plans should be included here. Enter text to describe how the Owner will monitor the progress of the Risk Plan in the Monitoring Details field  1010 .  
         [0164]    The Summary of Actions Taken field  1011  is the same as described above. The Plan Active field  1012  will default to ‘No’ and is changed to “Yes” when the plan commences. If the Risk Plan is active, enter the date on which it was activated into the Date Activated field  1013 . The Risk Plan Costs field  1014  is optional. Details are entered into this field  1014  as appropriate. The Next Review field  1015  is the same as described above and is optional. Having entered data into each field  1001 - 1015 , the user should now save the record by pressing the Save Record button  1016 . If the data is free from errors, this will result in a pop-up window indicating that the risk plan has been saved and the reference number allocated to the risk plan. Clicking on OK on this screen will return the user to the Risk record screen  1030  as depicted in FIG. 10B. The Risk screen  1030  depicted in FIG. 10B will now include a reference to the Risk Plan  1031  along with a View button  1032 .  
         [0165]    Risk Plans must relate to an underlying Risk record. For this reason, the Risk Plans selector pop-up screen  1040  allows the user to update an existing Risk Plan but will not allow the user to create a new Risk Plan record. If the user enters a Risk Plan Reference number in an Update Risk Plan Record pop-up window selector field, then the screen  1045  as depicted in FIG. 10C will be presented. This screen  1045  is similar to the New Risk Plan screen  1000  shown in FIG. 10A and described above with the following additions.  
         [0166]    Basic details of the Associated Risk record  1047  are shown at the bottom of the screen. If the full details of the Risk record need to be viewed, then press the View button  1046  to the left of the field  1047 . The actions of the various navigation buttons  1048 - 1052  at the foot of the screen  1045  are described as follows:  
         [0167]    Risk Plans  1048 —This will produce the same Update Risk Plan Record pop-up screen as described above.  
         [0168]    Preview Report  1049 —This button  1049  will preview a single Risk Plan Interview Sheet. The user may then choose to print the report or not.  
         [0169]    Print Report  1050 —This button  1050  prints the single Risk Plan Report without giving a preview.  
         [0170]    Risk Plan Browser  1051 —This button  1051  will open up the Risk Plan Browser screen as described below.  
         [0171]    Main Menu  1052 —This button  1052  is present in the bottom right-hand corner of most screens and will return the user to the Main Menu  500  as described above and depicted in FIG. 5.  
         [0172]    Turning now to FIG. 11, a screen is depicted related to configuring and displaying reports in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Pressing the Reports button  505  on the Main Menu  500  will return the Reports Menu screen  1100  as depicted in FIG. 11. A number of different reports are available from the Risk Management Tool Risk Register by clicking one of report buttons  1101  as follows:  
         [0173]    RRB Reports—These reports are designed for use by the Risk Review Board at review meetings. They contain all the details held, except the associated Notes records.  
         [0174]    Driver Reports—These reports are similar in format to the RRB reports but allow the user to select Risks by Driver.  
         [0175]    Interview List—This is a list of all Owners of Issues, Assumptions and Risks designed to assist with scheduling of interviews.  
         [0176]    Summaries—These reports are landscape reports summarizing Issues, Assumptions and Risk.  
         [0177]    Bubble Charts—Risk Bubble charts are described below.  
         [0178]    Sens/Stab Charts—The Sensitivity/Stability Charts are described below.  
         [0179]    Statistics—Statistics concerning the active records in the Risk Register are available.  
         [0180]    Interview Sheets—These reports show all the details held on the register for any chosen Issue, Assumption, Risk or Risk Plan, including all associated Notes records. The documents are designed expressly for interviewing owners.  
         [0181]    Pressing the RRB Reports button  1101  will produce a screen depicting RRB Reports. As stated above, these reports are specifically designed for presentation to the Risk Review Board. The Month and Year fields which appear on this screen will default to the current month/year and are used to produce the Statistics Report which is contained within the RRB Report. The complete report consists of the following:  
         [0182]    1. Cover Page.  
         [0183]    2. Report List.  
         [0184]    3. Statistics Report.  
         [0185]    4. Selected Reports. Selected by the user as described below.  
         [0186]    Issue Reports  
         [0187]    I1. Issues Raised This Month. This report gives details of all new Issues raised during the month selected. All new Issues should be presented in the “reading pack” which is sent to members of the Risk Review Board in preparation for the review meeting.  
         [0188]    I2. Issues Closed This Month. As implied by its name this report gives details of all Issues resolved during the month. It is highly likely that many Issues will appear on both report  11  and  12 .  
         [0189]    I3. Active Issues at Start of Month. In order to complement the view of active Issues, this report includes all those that were already active at the start of the selected month.  
         [0190]    I4. All Current Active Issue. This report contains all Issues that are open at the time of the report.  
         [0191]    I5. Critical Active Issues. If time is limited in a Risk Review Board meeting, then it may be more appropriate to present this report which will show just those Issues that are rated with Size ‘C’ or ‘D’.  
         [0192]    Risks  
         [0193]    R1. Risks Raised This Month. Similar to I1 above  
         [0194]    R2. Risks Closed This Month. Similar to I2 above.  
         [0195]    R3. Active Risks at Start of Month. Similar to I3 above.  
         [0196]    R4. All Current Active Risks. Similar to I4 above.  
         [0197]    R5. Critical Active Risks. Similar to report I5, this report is intended for Risk Review Meetings with limited time. All Red Criticality risks are “showstopper” and action must be taken on these.  
         [0198]    Assumptions  
         [0199]    A1. Assumptions Raised This Month. Similar to I1.  
         [0200]    A2. Assumptions Closed This Month. Similar to I2.  
         [0201]    A3. Active Assumptions at Start of Month. Similar to 13.  
         [0202]    A4. All Current Active Assumptions. Similar to I4.  
         [0203]    A5. Current Potential Risks. This report shows all currently active Assumptions that are rated as BC, BD, CB or DB. In other words, they are potential risks. This could, of course, include any that were previously rated as risks, where the risk has been closed.  
         [0204]    A6. Current “No-Risk” Assumptions. This is a list of all active Assumptions excluding those where there is an active associated risk record.  
         [0205]    Driver reports, selected by clicking the Driver Reports button  1102 , have been made available to show Risks selected according to Driver. The report has a front cover, followed by the selected Risk records.  
         [0206]    The Interview List, selected by clicking the Interview List button  1103 , has been designed to assist in the scheduling of interviews. Note that the list only shows the names of interviewees that have currently active records. It is more than likely that there will be other “key players” not shown on the list because they do not have any current active records. These people may have new Assumptions caused by a change in the project plans. Note that there is only a Print Preview option for this report; printing is as for other reports.  
         [0207]    Interview Sheets for Issues, Assumptions, Risks and Risk Plans may be selected by Owners, Action Managers, or Keywords. Choosing the Issue button  1108 , for example, would return the screen containing a list of issues. In order to choose a record for printing click on the appropriate line in the list. This will highlight the complete line. Pressing the Preview Report command button from this screen will show the Interview Sheet. Double-clicking on the line will have the same effect. This screen gives a preview of a single Interview Sheet prior to printing. The user has the choice at this point to print or not. In order to print the report click on the printer icon on the toolbar or use File, Print . . . and select a specific printer, number of copies, etc. If one does not need to preview the report before printing, then click on the Print Report button and the report will go directly to the printer.  
         [0208]    Interview Sheets for Assumptions, Risks and Risk Plans operate in exactly the same manner as described above. Note that the Interview Sheets have been designed specifically for use during a one-to-one interview with the Owner. Changes to details may be written on the sheet, which may then be used as a turnaround document in order to update the Risk Register.  
         [0209]    Summary Reports are available for Issues, Assumptions and Risks. Clicking on the Summaries button  1104  will return a Summary Reports screen. As mentioned above, Summary Reports are available for Issues, Assumptions and Risks and in each case, the user may select all records or may restrict the report to open (i.e. active) or closed records. Note that the Assumptions (All) shows all Assumptions, whereas the Assumptions (No Live Risks) excludes Assumptions where there is a live Risk record associated with it. The user may filter these reports by Keyword1 and/or Keyword2. If all records are to be included, regardless of keyword then the user should click on the “ALL” option. The reports show the summarized details from the chosen records and are printed in Reference Number sequence. Printing the report and closing the screen are as per the Interview Sheets described above. Note that the Summary Reports were originally designed for use at the Risk Review Meeting but have now been superseded by the Risk Review Reports.  
         [0210]    Pressing the Bubble Charts button  1105  in FIG. 11 will return a Bubble Charts Menu screen. There are three types of Bubble Chart available from this menu: 3 Month, 6 Months and 12 Months. As for the Summary Reports, the user may filter the charts by Keyword1 and/or Keyword2. The user may also elect to print the Risk Reference Number for each bubble, but also has the choice to print the label or both the Risk Reference number and the label. As for other reports, the user can choose to preview the report or print directly. Note that if there are no Risk records to display then a message indicating this fact will be displayed.  
         [0211]    It is important to remember that the Bubble Chart is no more than an aid to prioritizing Risks. The diagram cannot be regarded as an accurate diagram when prioritizing the current Risks, since the vertical positioning of the bubbles is under user control as described above. One of the important aspects of the chart is to show Risks that have already impacted and need urgent attention. Impacted Risks are those touching the current date line and to the left of this line. These Risks must be updated as soon as possible by:  
         [0212]    (a) completing the Risk Action(s),  
         [0213]    (b) converting the Risk to an Issue, or  
         [0214]    (c) revising the Impact Date to a later date (this will only happen where further actions have been identified).  
         [0215]    Where Risk bubbles overlap to an extent that the diagram becomes confusing, then the bubbles may be moved in the vertical plane by entering an offset in the Risk record. Typical offset values are 3, 6, and 12, but this will require a little experimentation to avoid a bubble moving out of its band (Red, Amber or Green) into an adjacent band. The arcs printed on the chart are included to help decide the priority order when discussing Risk Actions at the Risk Review Board. Allowances should be made for any bubble moved out of the arc due to user-supplied offsets.  
         [0216]    The Sens/Stab Charts report, selected by clicking the Sens/Stab Charts button  1106 , presents a graph of all active Assumptions by Sensitivity and Stability rating. Clicking on this button  1106  provides a sub-menu. As for other similar sub-menus the user should select appropriate Keyword1/2 choices before pressing the Preview Report button.  
         [0217]    Pressing the Statistics button  1107  in FIG. 11 will produce a current statistics screen. The current statistics screen shows various analyses of the data on the Risk Register. The current statistics screen comprises six sections:  
         [0218]    Record Counts—This section shows the number of Issues, Assumptions, Risks and Risk Plan records that are currently active (open). The second column of figures examines the Date Opened fields and counts the number of records opened in the month specified at the top of the current statistics screen. The third column examines the Date Closed field. Note that the report will default to the current month. It is possible to amend this by editing the ‘This Month’ and ‘This Year’ fields at the top of the form. In order to display the new figures the user must click on the Refresh button. The only data that will change on the current statistics screen will be the totals in the ‘Opened This Month’ and ‘Closed This Month’ columns.  
         [0219]    Active Assumptions—This section analyses the currently active Assumptions by their Sensitivity and Stability ratings. It should reflect the Sens/Stab Chart as described above. The ‘CC’ and above area should also agree with the number of currently active Risks (if it does not, there may be some highly-rated Assumptions that need to be promoted to Risks or, where a risk has recently closed, the Assumption ratings need to be reviewed).  
         [0220]    Active Issues—Ideally there should be few, if any, active Issues on the register. Where there are active Issues this section analyses them by age, i.e. &gt;10 means that the Issue was created more than 10 days ago. Since Issues require urgent attention, there should be few outside the 0-30 day range.  
         [0221]    Active Risks—The Active Risks section analyses the active Risks by Criticality and Controllability. It is possible to have an active Risk with a criticality shown as “OFF”. This report will serve as a reminder that these Risks need to be clarified as soon as possible.  
         [0222]    Risk Impact Dates—This section analyses the number of days until impact for each level of criticality. The top line (&lt;1) represents risks that have already impacted or are impacting today.  
         [0223]    Driver Analysis—This section analyses active risk records according to their underlying driver.  
         [0224]    Referring now to FIGS. 12A-12B, screens related to browsers include in the Risk Management Tool are depicted in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. There are four browsers included in Risk Management Tool to cover, Issues, Assumptions, Risks and Risk Plans. They may be accessed via the four central buttons  501 - 504  on the Main Menu  500  in FIG. 5 as described above, or they may be accessed via the Browser Menu. Pressing the Browser Menu button  506  on the Main Menu  500  will return the Browser Menu screen  1200  depicted in FIG. 12A. The required browser can then be reached by pressing the appropriate button  1201 - 1204 .  
         [0225]    Pressing the Issues button  1201  produces the Issue Browser screen  1220  as depicted in FIG. 12B. The browser screen  1220  is designed to filter the Issues according to a number of criteria. The user may select Issues by Owner, Keyword1, Keyword2, Action Manager, Status, Size or a combination of any/all of them. The result of the filter is a reduced list of Issues. The screen  1220  also allows the user to search for records with a specific item of text in the title field.  
         [0226]    If the user wishes to examine in more detail a particular Issue record that is displayed within the current selection, then it is necessary to double-click on the chosen record. This will produce the Issue screen as described above and depicted in FIG. 7.  
         [0227]    When the user navigates to another screen, the selection will be lost and the next time that the Issue browser is opened the full selection of (active) Issues will be displayed. In some circumstances it may be useful to retain the selection whilst individual records are being examined. In order to keep the current selection, the “Keep Selection” box  1221  should be checked. If the user wishes to print a selected Issue Interview Sheet, then it is only necessary to highlight the required Issue and press the Selected Issue: Preview  1222  or Print  1223  button. In order to print the complete selection as displayed on the screen, press the Filtered List: Preview  1224  or Print  1225  button, as required.  
         [0228]    The actions of the various navigation buttons  1226 - 1231  at the foot of the screen are as follows:  
         [0229]    Assumption Browser  1226 —This button  1226  leads directly to the Assumption Browser. Checking the Keep Selection box  1221  will return to the same selection later.  
         [0230]    Risk Browser  1227 —Similar to the Assumption Browser.  
         [0231]    Risk Plan Browser  1228 —Similar to the Assumption Browser.  
         [0232]    New Issue  1229 —Pressing this button  1229  opens the “New Issue” screen shown in FIG. 6.  
         [0233]    Reports Menu  1230 —This button  1230  will open up the Reports Menu screen as described above and depicted in FIG. 11.  
         [0234]    Main Menu  1231 —This button  1231  is present in the bottom right-hand corner of most screens and will return the user to the Main Menu  500  as described above.  
         [0235]    Selecting the Assumption button  1202  provides the Assumption Browser screen which is similar to the Issue Browser  1220 . The Assumption Browser also operates in a similar manner to the Issue Browser  1220 .  
         [0236]    The Risk Browser screen  1260  has a similar appearance to the Issue Browser  1220 . The Risk Browser operates in a similar manner to the Issue Browser  1220 , but includes the additional feature of a report selector. The default report for the “Filtered List” Preview and Print Buttons and are the Interview Sheets. The Report drop-down menu also offers the possibility of previewing/printing the 3, 6 or 12 month Bubble Charts. If one of these options is chosen then a Choose Label pop-up screen will appear before the preview/print. This extra choose label screen enables the user to select the type of bubble label prior to producing the chart as described above. The Bubble Chart Menu screen may be reached directly by pressing the Bubble Charts button at the foot of the Risk Browser screen.  
         [0237]    Selecting the Risk Plans Browser button  1204  produces the Risk Plans Browser screen. The Risk Plan Browser operates in a similar manner to the Issue Browser  1220 .  
         [0238]    Turning now to FIG. 13, an exemplary screen illustrating adding keywords to the Risk register is depicted in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The list of Keyword1s  1301  and Keyword2s  1302  should be built before any records are added to the register. Of course, it will be necessary to maintain these two lists from time to time. Clicking on the Keywords button  507  on the Main Menu  500  depicted in FIG. 5 returns the Keywords screen  1300  depicted in FIG. 13. This screen  1300  will allow further entries to each of the tables by clicking on the appropriate New button  1303  and  1304 . To amend an existing record in the table double-click on the selected line and an add/update keyword pop-up screen will be presented. Enter the required keyword and then press the Save Record button. The Risk Management Tool will then return to the main Keywords screen  1300  as depicted in FIG. 13.  
         [0239]    It is important to note that while the present invention has been described in the context of a fully functioning data processing system, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the processes of the present invention are capable of being distributed in the form of a computer readable medium of instructions and a variety of forms and that the present invention applies equally regardless of the particular type of signal bearing media actually used to carry out the distribution. Examples of computer readable media include recordable-type media such a floppy disc, a hard disk drive, a RAM, and CD-ROMs and transmission-type media such as digital and analog communications links.  
         [0240]    The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention, the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.