Assessment – Self-audit of business risks
To be completed by participant
Name
PMC codeor dates
Date submitted
Final assessment submissions are due 15 working days after the final PMC workshop day.
Completed assessments should be kept to 25 pages or less and should be emailed to .
To pass the assessment, you must demonstrate understanding and application of the principles and concepts covered in the workshop and pre-reading.
As the PMC is a competency based course, assessment is graded on the basis of ‘demonstrates competence’ or ‘fails to demonstrate competence’.
Queensland Law Society | QLS Practice Management Course: Managing People / Page1of 2
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Comments
Comments and suggestions on this assignment should be forwarded to .
Revision information
Revision No / Author/Editor / Description / Date1.0 -2.1 / PMC / Initial draft and review / 2013-2016
2.2 / Kali Astill / Human factor inclusion / 06/07/16
3 / Rachel Baird / Major review / 23/09/17
Queensland Law Society | QLS Practice Management Course: Assessment 2: Self-audit of management systems / Page1 of 7
1.Introduction
In the PMC workshop, we discussed the risks that may present in legal practice. These will vary from practice to practice influenced by things like size, location, and practice areas. However discussions will get you started thinking and you can populate the tables throughout the course.
In this assessment, you will complete your self-audit of practice risks to:
- Identify risks to the practice.
- What is your appetite for risk?
- Give risks a ranking for:
- the severity of the consequence if it materialises
- the actual likelihood of it arising.
- Treat the risks in order of priority
- Record risks in a Risk Register with a ranking based on the rankings at 3 above.
You may choose the practice or practice group that this assessment applies to but it should be either:
- your existing practice
- your existing practice group/practice team/practice area
- a practice or practice group you are planning to establish/develop.
If you are planning on establishing/developing a new practice or practice group, it is recommended that you complete the template with that new practice in mind.
2.Practice details
Please provide brief details of the practice or practice group that this assessment applies to, in terms of size, practice area, number of fee-earning and administrative staff, and whether this is a new or existing practice.
3.Self-audit of business risks
Please complete Tables 1 and 2. Refer to notes from the workshop and course materials.
For the purposes of this assessment, existing controls and additional treatments could be:
- management or administrative checklists
- defined policies
- defined processes or procedures
- plans
- IT programs or software
- defined targets or objectives
- training programs
- structures
- meetings
- forms
- any other systems or arrangements that help to reduce risk or raise standards.
Broadly speaking these are referred to as ‘management systems’ and this term should be interpreted broadly, and should not be limited to ‘IT systems’, although IT programs or software could form part of a practice’s arrangements.
‘Management systems’ should encompass all arrangements, procedures, processes and methods of organisation put in place to achieve the desired outcome, and might or might not include the following:
In completing the assessment, youshould refer to the risks, concepts and solutions suggested throughout the reading materials and consider management systems that:
- identify and assess common risks
- identify the causes or drivers of identified risks
- limit the likelihood of risks
- limit theimpact of risks
- monitor activity, standards and compliance
- identify opportunities to raise standards
- deliver higher standards.
Queensland Law Society | QLS Practice Management Course: Assessment 2: Self-audit of management systems / Page1 of 7
Table 1: Risk identification and analysis
Risk / How would it occur/likelihood / ConsequenceTable 2: Risk ranking and treatment table
Risk / Rating / Existing control / Additional treatment (if required)Queensland Law Society | QLS Practice Management Course: Assessment 2: Self-audit of management systems / Page1 of 7