ITS4SEA JISC Institutional Exemplar
UNIVERSITY OF BRADFORD
BRADFORD METHOD RISK LOG
Project name
/ Integrating Thin client Systems for Secure E-Assessment/ Version 6 15 June 2009
Author:
Project Manager: / Sara Eyre
Project Sponsor/Chair: / Peter Hartley
Revision date / Previous revision date / Summary of Changes / Changes marked
Oct 2007 / Version 1 in project plan
May 2008 / Version 2 updated to UOB format / Turquoise
Sep 2008 / Version 3 updated prior to project board meeting / Pink
Dec 2008 / Version 4 updated prior to project board meeting / Yellow
Feb 2009 / Version 5 updated prior to project board meeting / Green
June 2009 / Version 6 updated prior to submission of final report / Grey
Distribution
/ This document has been distributed to:Name / Title / Date of Issue / Version
JISC Project board
JISC programme manager / 28/5/08 / 2
Project board and project teams / 22/8/08 / 3
Project board and project teams / 10/12/08 / 4
Project Board and project teams / 25/2/09 / 5
JISC, project board and teams / 15 June 2009 / 6
(1-5) / Severity
(1-5) / Score
(PxS) / Action to Prevent/Manage Risk / Person responsible / Actions taken / Date identified / Date last reviewed /
1 / Failure to recruit suitable staff / 1 / 4 / 4 / Use existing staff and recruit backfill posts at a lower level. / SE / Both staff in post / 1/11/07 / 27/5/08
2 / Delays in new staff appointments / 1 / 4 / 4 / Reconsider project milestones / SE / Project on track / 1/11/07 / 27/5/08
3 / Loss of project manager / 2 / 4 / 8 / Delegate role to CAA support staff in LSS / PH / Project nearly completed / 1/11/07 / 25/2/09
4 / Key institutional Contacts and Project Director – competing priorities leading to lack of input and support / 3 / 5 / 15 / Schedule regular meetings, maintain regular communication by email / SE / Regular team meetings being held
Project nearly completed / 1/11/07 / 27/5/08
25/2/09
5 / Project plan unrealistic / 3 / 4 / 12 / Quarterly review and update against progress with feedback from implementations teams / SE / Project completed. Unrealistic objectives highlighted in final report / 1/11/07 / 15/6/09
6 / Failure to develop suitable size space for large cluster / 4 / 4 / 16 / Use trial cluster for word processed exams for disabled students and for formative assessments. / SE / Space allocated but see risk 16. Timescales for development currently unknown.
Work underway / 1/11/07 / 22/8/08
7 / Insufficient student numbers take assessments using thin client technology / 4 / 4 / 16 / Use trial cluster for any small groups taking online exams but results will be less conclusive. / SE / Two large classes scheduled for jan 09 exams
Two exams ran sucessfully / 1/11/07 / 10/12/08
25/2/09
8 / Some students are unable to use the technology / 3 / 2 / 6 / Alternative, equivalent assessment method required / SW / Sun Rays installed in cubicles for individuals / 1/11/07 / 15/6/09
9 / Servers running thin clients fail during exam / 2 / 5 / 10 / Provide back up servers.
Try deliberately failing server and devise switchover processes. / SE / Additional servers to support thin clients installed
No failures encountered / 1/11/07 / 15/6/09
10 / Servers are inadequately sized to manage load of large exam classes / 2 / 5 / 10 / Need to run formative assessment with full class starting simultaneously in advance of summative assessment and measure server load. / SE / URGENT – test needed before Xmas
Server sizing still unclear
Exam processes overcame issues. Still not 100% resolved for teaching / 1/11/07 / 15/6/09
11 / SunRay terminals unreliable / 3 / 3 / 9 / Student moves to alternative seat. Need to test smart card swapping will save all past data entered in exam before SunRay failure. / SE / Some Sun Rays in Hub have failed – needs chasing with Sun
Two failures during exams; session transferred to other Sun Ray / 1/11/07 / 15/6/09
12 / Supplier fails to continue support of SunRay technology / 1 / 5 / 5 / Use standard PCs as thin clients to windows terminal server. / SE / Request for matching grant made and quotation for 120 received
Development plans announced at Sun education conference / 1/11/07 / 27/5/08
25/2/09
13 / Smart cards which work with SunRay technology and current access control system are not manufactured. / 1 / 3 / 3 / Consider whether to issue two cards or use Sunrays with username and password authentication only. / SE / Several potential suppliers identified / 1/11/07 / 27/5/08
14 / Lack of academic engagement with the technology / 3 / 3 / 9 / Continue with OMR exams.
Employ staff to design online assessments from academics’ exam questions. / PH / Great enthusiasm for the technology from Management lecturer
Sudden rush of enthusiasm for CAA / 1/11/07 / 25/2/09
15 / Student fails course and blames the technology / 2 / 5 / 10 / For project trials, only consider formative assessments and first year summative exams as the results of these do not pass into subsequent years for degree classification. / PH / Still a potential for this to happen / 1/11/07 / 15/6/09
16 / Change in needs of examination office / 3 / 4 / 12 / Processes should be agreed as part of Pathfinder project but software to be used has already been changed / JD / Exam Admin design implemented / 1/11/07 / 15/6/09
17 / WASP module from SITS fails to deliver systems required in exams office / 3 / 5 / 15 / Integrate processes using existing Syllabus Plus software / JH / WASP testing underway.
WASP abandoned. See risk 23 / 1/11/07 / 22/8/08
18 / Transfer of marks after assessment cannot be done securely into SITS software / 3 / 4 / 12 / Investigate alternative mechanisms or continue existing practices / JD / Manual transfers already successful
Manual transfer continuing due to data inconsistencies / 1/11/07 / 15/6/09
19 / Space allocated for cluster is not large enough for 120 positions / 4 / 4 / 16 / Try to negotiate larger proportion of space available / SE / Initial layout produced fits 69
Layout houses 99 student positions / 27/5/08 / 27/5/08
20 / Questionmark Perception software is unreliable / 4 / 5 / 20 / Report faults to supplier. Apply all software patches / JD / Advise authors to follow rules and recommendations for CAA
No failures / 2/6/08 / 15/06/09
21 / WASP exams scheduling software is unreliable / 5 / 5 / 25 / After 6 months testing decided to abandon implementation / RG / Software abandoned / 2/6/08 / 22/8/08
22 / Full scale trial of CAA cluster cannot be run before real exam / 5 / 4 / 20 / Cluster development timed to complete before last week of term. May need to get volunteers in vacation to fully load system / SE / URGENT – test needed Exams ran OK Jan09 / 9/6/08 / 10/12/08
25/2/09
23 / After abandoning WASP, new system cannot be completed in timeframe of project / 4 / 5 / 20 / More regular project team meetings / SE/RG / Prioritised list of work developed. Budgets organized to allow continued development after formal project end. / 5/8/08 / 15/6/09
24 / Software on lecturers PC allows invigilator to change student responses / 2 / 5 / 10 / Need to control configuration of NetSupport School / AW / Software under development in association with supplier / 1/9/08 / 15/6/09
25 / Conflicting priorities on developers time / 5 / 4 / 20 / More frequent project team meetings / SE/ CT / Timetable developed for ExamAdmin / 1/9/08 / 15/6/09
26 / Funding for development of Sun Ray cluster insufficient / 4 / 5 / 20 / Additional E-strategy funding being requested. Finances for build still not agreed / SE/
PH / £100K identified as potentially available. E-strategy request refused
Being handled outside project / 18/9/08 / 10/12/08
25/2/09
27 / CAA expert post only funded until June 2009 / 5 / 5 / 25 / Funding to continue post for further 12 months requested to support increased uptake of CAA / SE/
PH / E-strategy finance manager contacted
Extended until June 2010 / 15/12/08 / 15/6/09
28 / What level of risk is acceptable for failure of IT systems during online exams / 5 / 5 / 25 / Failover QmP servers, failover VDI and Sun Ray servers. Or paper based assessment methods or reschedule exams / JD/
JR / Raise at project board / 17/2/09 / 15/6/09
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