SG Risk Log User Guide.pdf

SG Risk Log for iPad Version 1.0

User Guide

FourthFrame Technologies

July 2010

Document Version 1.0.1

SG Risk Log 1.0 User Guide

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Table of Contents Introduction................................................................................................................3 Overview.....................................................................................................................3 Design Approach ...................................................................................................3 Data Management .................................................................................................3 Projects and Risks .................................................................................................3 Large-Scale Risk Management ................................................................................3

Meet SG Risk Log ........................................................................................................4 Table View ............................................................................................................4 Edit Risk View........................................................................................................5 Orientation............................................................................................................5

Projects.......................................................................................................................6 Creating a Project ..................................................................................................6 Editing a Project ....................................................................................................6 Deleting a Project ..................................................................................................7

Risks ...........................................................................................................................7 Creating a Risk ......................................................................................................7 Editing a Risk ........................................................................................................8 Editing the Basic Fields .......................................................................................8 Editing the Strategy Field....................................................................................8 Editing the Likely and Severe Fields.....................................................................9

Deleting a Risk ....................................................................................................10 Owners..................................................................................................................... 10 Creating an Owner...............................................................................................11 Editing an Owner.................................................................................................11 Deleting an Owner...............................................................................................12

View Options (Sorting & Filtering)........................................................................... 13 Risk Management Tips ............................................................................................. 14 Sharing..................................................................................................................... 14 Creating a PDF ....................................................................................................14 Emailing a PDF ....................................................................................................15 Specifying a Project’s Email List.........................................................................15

File Sharing in iTunes...........................................................................................16 Risks.pdf: The Risks File ...................................................................................16 Projects.sqlite: Backing up the SG Risk Log Database .........................................16

Product Support....................................................................................................... 17 Facebook ............................................................................................................17 Twitter................................................................................................................17 Email ..................................................................................................................17


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Introduction This guide outlines the feature set of SG Risk Log for iPad and provides hints and tips for effective use of the app. We hope you find the app useful and appreciate hearing feedback, which we use to prioritize improvements. Email your ideas to [email protected].

Overview

Design Approach

SG Risk Log is a member of the Simple Genius Apps suite designed to make mobile project management easy. SG Risk Log is designed to be easy to use and meet the needs of a large array of projects. Another design goal was to use as much touch-based interaction and as little keyboard interaction as possible in order to leverage the iPad’s unique capabilities. The standard iPad interactions and gestures are used as often as practical to help users adapt quickly. For example the standard table editing icons and gestures.

Data Management

You may notice that there is no Save button in SG Risk Log. The app saves all changes as you perform them, so that you can exit and re-enter the app at any time without losing work. Also there is no concept of files or documents for storing your projects. This is because SG Risk Log stores all data in a local database. As of Version 1.0 SG Risk Log is fully contained on the iPad device and does not support connectivity to other devices or storing data to the web. Sharing data is supported through creation of PDF files and the ability to email those directly from within the app.

Projects and Risks

The basic goal of SG Risk Log is to help you manage risks associated with projects. You can create any number of projects and each project can have any number of risks. Actively managing project risks increases the chances of success for your project. Even a lightweight approach to risk management can make a big difference. SG Risk Log provides all the basic features needed for simple risk management.

Large-Scale Risk Management

Professional risk managers who are used to tools with deep feature sets may find that Version 1.0 of SG Risk Log does not meet all their needs. The goal of SG Risk Log was to support users with a wide range of experience and to ensure that risks are easy to manage for most projects. This document outlines the current capabilities of the app and can help you decide if SG Risk Log will suit your needs.


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Meet SG Risk Log SG Risk Log’s main screen is designed to provide a quick view of your project risks. SG Risk Log works with one project at a time so there is always a single project being viewed. There are two main views: the Table View and the Edit Risk view.

Table View

The table view of risks is easily understandable. The following diagram points out some of the key features of the app header and table view.

About Button reveals the current version, a link to the User Guide, & a way to submit comments.

Project Button for creating, selecting, & editing Projects.

Name of currently active project. Non-interactive.

View Button for sorting and filtering the list of risks.

Share Button for creating a PDF of the risks and emailing to the team.

New Risk Button adds a new risk to the list. The risk is immediately put into edit mode.

Risk ID: a unique identifier assigned to each risk for a project.

A yellow border indicates the currently selected risk.

The Edit Button opens a risk for editing.

The Tips Button opens a simple list of thought-provoking tips to help you manage risks.


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Edit Risk View

The Edit Risk View shows all values for a single risk and supports editing.

Orientation

SG Risk Log supports both Landscape and Portrait orientations. Hold your iPad any way you like. The features available are identical in every case.

The single risk is enlarged to span the area not covered by the keyboard.

The Notes text area can retain a history of comments on the risk, which vary widely depending on the risk.

The Add Note button inserts the current date onto the top of the Notes field and positions for editing.

The Up/Down arrows are used to change the Likely and Severe values, which range from zero to 5.

The Done Button dismisses the Edit Risk View and returns to the main table view.

The date and time that the risk was created in SG Risk Log. Non-interactive.

The “Next Due” date for the risk, which is the next time the risk should be reviewed. Tap to change dates.

The Strategy has 5 values and can be changed by tapping. The Owner may also be set by tapping.

The Rating is automatically set and is computed as the Likely multiplied by Severe.

The Delete Risk button immediately deletes the risk.


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Projects In SG Risk Log risks are associated with Projects so the first step is to create a Project. Tapping the Project Button opens the project popover which supports creating, editing, and deleting projects. When first opened the popover presents a list of all your existing projects sorted chronologically with the most recently-created project at the top.

Creating a Project

Tap New Project to begin creating a new project. This slides the Create New Project view into the popover, where you can enter a Name and Description for the project to be created. Tap Done to create the new project, which instantly becomes the current project and the popover disappears. One new risk is also created for the project and the risk editor immediately opens.

Editing a Project

To edit the name or description of a project tap the arrow icon next to the project name. This slides the Edit Project view into the popover.


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Deleting a Project

To delete a project tap the Edit button and then use the standard iPad interaction for deleting a table row, which is to tap the red icon on the left then the Delete button on the right. Since deleting a project is a big step, SG Risk Log then asks one more time if you are sure you want to delete the project and all its risks. Tap Done when you are done deleting projects.

Alternatively, a project can be deleted directly from the list by using a swipe gesture over the project name, tapping the Delete button and confirming that the project should be deleted.

Risks

Creating a Risk

Tapping the New Risk ( ) button will add a new risk for the current project. The new risk is immediately opened in the Edit Risk View. When Done editing the risk it will appear in the list in the appropriate order based on the current View Options, and will be auto-selected and scrolled into view.


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Editing a Risk

Risks are not editable in the main table view of the app. Risks can be edited using the Edit Risk View, which is opened automatically when a new risk is created and can be re-opened at any time by tapping the Edit button on a risk in the main table view.

Editing the Basic Fields

To edit the name of a risk tap the name and begin typing. To edit the notes of a risk you can simply tap in the notes field and begin typing. A useful alternative is to tap the Add Note Button, which adds a date stamp to the top of the notes file and positions the text cursor for you to enter a note. Consistent use of the Add Note Button builds a structured history of notes for the risk over time. To edit the Next Due date of a risk tap the date and a date picker will appear. Select a date and then tap anywhere else to dismiss the popover. Due dates are always set in the future so the date picker does not allow selecting a date prior to the current date. Of course eventually a given due date will be in the past and when that happens the date is highlighted in red as a visual cue that the risk is due for attention. To edit the Owner of a risk tap the owner cell and the Owner popover will appear. Either tap the appropriate owner to select it or add a New Owner. Risks can only have one owner – the person who is accountable for managing the risk or at least for the next step. For more on creating, editing and deleting Owners, see Owners.

Editing the Strategy Field

To edit the Strategy for a risk tap the strategy value and the Strategy popover will appear. Tap the appropriate strategy to select it. There are 5 values to represent the Strategy choice for managing each risk: AVOID Deciding to avoid a risk means taking action to ensure that it does not happen. For example if there is a risk that I may be hit by a car while crossing the street I can avoid the risk by simply deciding not to cross the street. However risks typically have corresponding rewards so avoiding a given risk typically means surrendering the opportunity for the rewards. CONTROL Deciding to control a risk means taking action to make it less likely and/or to reduce the severity should it occur. One example of controlling a risk is building a contingency plan. For example if I am building a boat and need specialized hardware from a supplier and there is a risk that they may not be able to supply it on schedule I could identify another supplier as an alternative. Even in this simple scenario it is not hard to recognize other ways that the risk could be controlled. Generally, controlling is the most


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active approach to managing risks and therefore increasing the likelihood of success for the project. ACCEPT Sometimes it is hard to identify ways to control a given risk or the control options are simply too expensive, difficult, or unsavory. Or it could be that the effort to control the risk is not warranted by the severity of the risk. In such cases simply accepting the risk may be the preferred choice. TRANSFER Deciding to transfer a risk means finding a way to have someone else incur the consequences of the risk should it occur. For example if I drive a car I am at risk of being in an accident severe enough that I can no longer use my car to get to work. By purchasing car insurance I am transferring the risk to the insurance company because if an accident happens they will pay for the repairs, not me. CLOSED Closed is the final Strategy option for a risk and implies that the risk is no longer a concern and therefore not in need of a real strategy. Setting risks to this state when they no longer need attention is a good way to help bring focus to the remaining risks.

Editing the Likely and Severe Fields

SG Risk Log helps you quantify risks by setting the Likelihood that the risk will occur, and the expected Severity if it does. Each of those values ranges from zero to five. The two are multiplied together to arrive at a Rating for the risk (zero to 25). For Likelihood zero means that the risk absolutely will not occur and five means that it is highly likely. For Severity zero means that the risk will have no impact if it does occur and five means that the consequences will be very damaging to the success of the project. So for Rating a zero is no concern and a 25 will require serious management and focused attention. To set the Severity and Likelihood values for a risk, use the arrows above and below the LIKELY and SEVERE values. The Rating value will be automatically updated by SG Risk Log. SG Risk Log highlights medium and high risk values to bring attention to them. This table summarizes the highlighting.

0 1 2 3 4 5

0

1

2

3

4

5

Severity

Likelihood


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Deleting a Risk

A risk can be deleted from the Edit Risk View using the Delete Risk button. Or, from the main table view use the standard touch and swipe gesture to reveal a Delete button on the right side of the risk row.

Owners Risks in SG Risk Log may only have one single owner – typically the person who is accountable for managing the risk or at least responsible for the next step. Tapping the Owner field of a risk from within the Edit Risk View opens the Owner popover which supports creating, editing, and deleting owners. When first opened the popover presents a list of all current Owners, or if there are no owners yet at all, the Create New Owner view.

SWIPE


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Creating an Owner

In the Owner popover, tap New Owner to begin creating a new owner. This slides the Create New Owner view into the popover where you can enter a Name and Email for the owner to be created. Tap Done to create the new owner, which instantly becomes set as the owner of the currently selected risk, and the popover disappears.

Editing an Owner

To edit the Name or Email of an Owner, tap the arrow icon next to the owner name. This slides the Edit Owner view into the popover. Edit the text as desired and tap Done to dismiss the popover.


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Deleting an Owner

When an owner is deleted all risks that the person owned are left without an owner until a new one is selected. To delete an Owner, tap the Edit button and then use the standard iPad interaction for deleting a table row, which is to tap the red icon on the left, then the Delete button on the right. Since deleting an Owner may leave some risks without an owner, SG Risk Log then asks one more time if you are sure you want to delete the owner. Tap Done when you are done deleting owners, to exit table edit mode.

Alternatively, an owner can be removed from the list by using a swipe gesture over the owner name, tapping the Delete button and confirming that the owner should be deleted.


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View Options (Sorting & Filtering) SG Risk Log offers sorting and filtering options for the risk list. Tapping the View Button opens the View Options. The risk list may be sorted by RISK ID (which is also the order in which the risks were created), RATING (most critical to least critical), OWNER, and DUE DATE (with the earliest due dates at the top). Optionally, CLOSED risks can be excluded from the list. SG Risk Log remembers the View Options last used on a per-Project basis, and returns to those settings the next time a Project is opened.


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Risk Management Tips Tapping the Tips Button (light bulb) opens a simple list of thought-provoking tips to help you manage risks. Effective risk management requires regular brainstorming and creative thought in addition to discipline. These tips are intended to help jump start your thinking.

Sharing SG Risk Log supports sharing project risk data with the project team or anyone else by creating a PDF file and emailing it.

Creating a PDF

When the Share button is tapped SG Risk Log creates a PDF file of the risks for the current project and opens a preview popover. Use the arrow buttons along the bottom of the view to page up and down. SG Risk Log 1.0 uses a fixed format for the PDF with 3 risks per page, in Landscape orientation. The View Options on the main table view at the time Share is tapped are applied to the PDF creation. So the PDF can be modified by setting up the main table view in advance.


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Note: as of SG Risk Log 1.0 the characters in the PDF file appear somewhat thick and crude in the display when zoomed out. You will also see a warning message regarding fonts when opening the PDF file on another computer. You may ignore that warning. The characters will look good when printed, and also look good when the page is zoomed in. At this time the PDF only supports Roman characters.

Emailing a PDF

Tapping the Send button opens a draft email message with the PDF file attached. Specify the To: list and edit the Subject and Body then tap Send. Note: Emailing from SG Risk Log is disabled if there is no default email account set up on the iPad. If the Send button is not responding this is the most likely cause.

Specifying a Project’s Email List

You may enter a list of email addresses separated by commas into the Email To: field of the preview popover. SG Risk Log will pre-populate the Send draft email with these addresses, and also remember them for future use. As a convenience, tapping Get Risk Owners will replace the contents of the Email To: field with the email addresses of all Risk Owners in the current project.


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File Sharing in iTunes

SG Risk Log supports File Sharing through iTunes. Here is how it works. Connect your iPad to a computer running iTunes. Select your iPad under Devices and click on the Apps tab. Below the first section you will find a section called File Sharing. Select SG Risk Log from the Apps list. A list of documents appears to the right. The next sections explain those document files.

Risks.pdf: The Risks File

As stated above, when you tap the Share button SG Risk Log creates a PDF file of the risks for the current project. The PDF file is always called Risks.pdf. It is stored on your iPad in the SG Risk Log Documents folder and visible in iTunes File Sharing. The file always contains the most recent project that was Shared. You can use iTunes to save it to another location on your computer, for example to keep PDF snapshots of your project risks over time.

Projects.sqlite: Backing up the SG Risk Log Database

SG Risk Log stores the data for all projects, risks, owners, etc. in a database locally on the iPad. The database is a single file called Projects.sqlite, which is also visible in iTunes File Sharing. You can use iTunes to save a copy of that file to another location on your computer. The file is not readable by any other app or tool besides SG Risk Log but it is exposed so you can make backup copies of your data.


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Product Support If you need help using SG Risk Log here are some resources:

Facebook

Simple Genius Apps has a Facebook page where you can find discussion threads and ask questions. Sign up as a fan to get notified when new information is posted: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Project-Pad/119641011411763

Twitter

Simple Genius Apps is also on Twitter - “follow projectpad” to begin getting notifications.

Email

You can also submit questions to [email protected].

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SG Risk Log is Copyright © 2010 FourthFrame Technologies. Apple, the Apple logo, and iPad are

registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.