RiskAid Version 9 was released in mid-April, representing our biggest leap forward in product development to date.
The entire user interface has been redesigned, giving RiskAid a new, modern look that makes best use of the screen area - whether you are using a desktop, laptop, widescreen, tall screen, tablet or even mobile phone.
Accessing RiskAid is even faster, with
1. the immediate login screen leading straight to your assessments to your selected assessment
2. the single menu always visible at the top of the screen, so that you can access other displays without scrolling back to the top of the display
3. user-selectable first displays on entering an assessment – you can now set your preferred first assessment display (e.g. My Page, for the items of interest to you) to get your preferred display shown immediately.
RiskAid has always offered great flexibility in the criteria used for assessing risks and actions – financial, timescale and any other user-defined criteria. However RiskAid now allows users to have assessments without financial criteria. So an assessment could be conducted totally based upon “Reputation”, or as one of our clients does: “Initial Assessment Criteria”. They call this a “quick and dirty” assessment that they do at the end of a risk identification workshop, to get a quick idea of the risk impact, before distributing out the risks for a more detailed assessment by their owners. It also gets new users over the initial hurdle of estimating the financial impact of a risk.
The impact assessment criteria to be used in an assessment is now selected as the assessment is created or edited, simplifying assessment setup.
In the same way, all the criteria associated with a risk or action are shown on the smart new risk and action forms, simplifying viewing and updating risks and actions.
Scenarios have proved to be a very powerful feature in RiskAid, for exploring alternatives without changing the assessment itself, and for the controlled submission and approval of updates. Version 9 further streamlines this process by providing Quick Scenario Updates - a one-click way of creating scenarios, comparing them with the assessment, and submitting them for approval. Occasional users find this a really quick way of providing their updates with minimum time and effort.
The Filter Block is a very popular feature in RiskAid, allowing users to set a filter to limit the data shown to the filter selections, for all relevant displays. The filter settings remain in place for the user session or until the user changes or clears them. In Version 9, the Filter Block has been extended to filter on lowest chance and lowest impact – allowing users to concentrate on the top priority risks. This is particularly useful when presenting to the board of directors, governors or trustees, showing them the priorities without swamping them with too much information. It also get around the “top 10 risks” request, which so often doesn’t take into account that risks 11, 12 and 13 are ranked the same as risk 10 !!
The audit reports in Version 9 have been improved and now use easily understood terminology to describe the data shown, allowing the audit reports to be understood immediately without recourse to any supporting documents.
Finally, RiskAid Version 9 also includes totally rewritten documentation and context-sensitive help, including:
- The Risk Management Process – a quick, simple, effective, well-proven process, showing how a risk is built up and dealt with throughout the process
- A Quick Product Tour – providing an introduction to RiskAid and how the main displays support each part of the process
- Assessment updates for infrequent users – the fastest way to get in, make your changes, submit them for approval and get on with life! Update your risks and actions in a couple of minutes.
- The Full User Guide taking the reader through every aspect of every RiskAid variant from initial logon, through relevant displays at each stage of the risk management process, to external interfaces with spreadsheets and project management packages – or alternatively use the context-sensitive help to get straight to the relevant bit!
So RiskAid Version 9 has really focused on making risk management easier to undertake, particularly for those who are not regularly involved in risk management or using RiskAid on a daily basis.
The result is a more flexible, smart looking RiskAid, providing an even better user experience, that can be easily applied to risk management across any industry or business type, from heavy duty construction to schools and charities.
If you haven’t experienced RiskAid Version 9 yet, ask us to show you round, so that you can see how risk management should be supported.
