#338 – CAN WE REVERSE THE LOSS OF STRENGTH AS WE AGE? – ALLEN TAYLOR

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If you have lived long enough, you have seen first your grandparents, and then your parents become weaker, slower, and less capable as they grow older. Why does this happen? There are several competing theories that try to explain the root cause of this phenomenon, which seems universal and unavoidable. There is no consensus on which, if any, of these theories are correct. However, there are some things that we do know. Continue reading →

#337 – WHY YOU NEED MULTI-DISCIPLINARY INTEGRATED RISK MANAGEMENT – HOWARD WIENER

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This article is excerpted from my upcoming book Agile Enterprise Risk Management: Risk-Based Thinking, Multi-Disciplinary Management and Digital Transformation.  The book provides a framework for evolving your Risk Management function to make it operate in a nearly-continuous fashion, which will allow it to keep pace with the rate of change required to remain competitive today. Continue reading →

#337 – COMCOVER CHANGES ITS ERM BENCHMARKING PROJECT – JAMES KLINE PH.D.

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In my last piece, CERM Risk Insights #324, I mentioned briefly the Comcover maturity model. Comcover is the self-insurance arm of the Australian Commonwealth. It has annually conducted a self-assessment Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) survey of Commonwealth agencies. The purpose of the survey is to determine the level of ERM’s penetration. The basis for the determination is a risk maturity model. The model is incorporated into the survey questions. Continue reading →

#327 – HOW TO CREATE AN EFFECTIVE WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE – JOHN AYERS

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There are numerous papers and documents on the internet regarding a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). The question is how do you create one for a new project. This paper explains how.

PLANNING

Initial project planning is accomplished during the proposal phase. The request for proposal (RFP), statement of work (SOW), specification, terms and conditions and other information and instructions are the starting point for planning.  The WBS is the central document for planning. It breaks down the scope of work into manageable WBS elements. Continue reading →

#327 – STRATIFICATION: A BASIC QUALITY TOOL – FRED SCHENKELBERG

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Stratification implies layers or differences. A quick test for soil composition is to place a sample of soil with water in a clear jar and give it a shake. The sand, silt and loam will settle at different rates and create a layered appearance within the jar over time. The height of each layer provides information about the proportion of each type of soil within the sample.

Stratification as one of the seven basic quality tools (some lists use a run chart or flowchart instead) the idea of layers or differences still applies. The idea is to identify potentially meaning differences within a sample set. Continue reading →