A number of competing activities can make it difficult to schedule activities in a timely manner. Testing must take into consideration operations schedules and may involve external interfaces as well. Early failure dates will impact schedules as well. The risk management team should include staff from various levels of the organization and from all departments. The Agency Head must be included since risk mitigation is a business function, not just an IS function.
Users provide insight into how their systems are used.
Legal and procurement staff provide contract guidance with suppliers and vendors. Finally, MIS staff, the Y2K Project Manager and key personnel must be part of the team. The first step for the risk management team is to develop and document a risk list. Spreadsheets are useful tools for capturing the risk information. A sample Risk List is provided in Attachment A. A good place to start in compiling a risk list is the Y2K Project Manager's top five concerns.