MSD I - P16488 Spirulina to Combat Malnutrition

ID / Risk Item / Effect / Cause / Likelihood / Severity / Importance / Action to Minimize Risk / Owner
Describe the risk briefly / What is the effect on any or all of the project deliverables if the cause actually happens? / What are the possible cause(s) of this risk? / L*S / What action(s) will you take (and by when) to prevent, reduce the impact of, or transfer the risk of this occurring? / Who is responsible for following through on mitigation?
1 / Culture dishes aren’t sterile. / Test may become contaminated / Using unsanitary equipment / 1 / 2 / 2 / Ensure that proper test procedures are followed / Jordan
2 / Grinding apparatus destroys the Spirulina product. / Test batch may be destroyed / Using an apparatus that is not appropriate for job / 2 / 2 / 4 / Make sure proper equipment training is / Camila/Dana
3 / Medium is poured at inappropriate levels, which underutilizes nutrients making the batch a waste. / Depth of medium prevents algae and nutrient growth / Lack of proper research for the growth process / 1 / 3 / 3 / Proper research will be completed in order to understand suggested medium depth levels / Team
4 / Agitation won’t be effective if its manual and a person needs to be present in order for it to occur. / Batches will be under agitated / Lack of presence during cultivation / 2 / 1 / 2 / Detailed test plan will be made and followed / Team
5 / No available facility or space on campus to grow Spirulina. / Team will not be able to test cultivation process / Missed opportunities/Late planning/Scheduling Conflicts/Lack of communication / 2 / 3 / 6 / Work breakdown structure should be followed and dates clearly stated for necessary resources / Jordan/Joey
6 / Team member(s) are allergic to spirulina and are not able to help with testing. / Less ability to maintain cultivation process / Allergic reaction / 1 / 2 / 2 / Make sure proper equipment and guidelines are followed when handling the test batch / Team
7 / Cost of pond/pool exceeds budget. / Sets back test plan and cultivation of test batch / Inaccurate cost analysis / 2 / 2 / 4 / Costing analysis will be complete and checked by customer / Bethany/Joey
8 / Cost of nutrients/medium exceeds budget. / Sets back test plan and cultivation of test batch / Inaccurate cost analysis / 2 / 2 / 4 / Costing analysis will be complete and checked by customer / Bethany/Joey
9 / Weather prevents outdoor facility use. / Spirulina test batch does not grow properly / Poor test plan / 2 / 3 / 6 / Provide a test plan that has specified dates and resources clearly explained / Team
10 / Toxicity may injure end users. / Test batch will be wasted / Poor research and/or lack of attention to detail / 1 / 2 / 2 / Team to complete proper research and adhere to test plan / Team
11 / Contamination may make it difficult to dispose of infected batches. / Test batch will be wasted / Poor research and/or lack of attention to detail / 1 / 2 / 2 / Team to complete proper research and adhere to test plan / Team
12 / Manual grinding and agitation may lead to injury if done improperly. / Team member is injured and unable to perform tasks / Training is ignored / 1 / 1 / 1 / Proper training will be given to the entire team prior to performing any tests / Team
13 / Spirulina becomes too toxic to dispose of. / Test batch will be wasted / Poor research and/or lack of attention to detail / 1 / 2 / 2 / Team to complete proper research and adhere to test plan as well as environmental disposal guidelines / Team
14 / Contamination spreads to surrounding areas outdoors. / Legal issues prevent test completion / Poor risk management and research / 1 / 3 / 3 / Team to complete proper research and understand environmental implications if using outdoor resources / Team
15 / Legal requirements for outdoor production aren’t followed. / Legal issues prevent test completion / Poor risk management and research / 1 / 3 / 3 / Team to complete proper research and understand environmental implications if using outdoor resources / Team
16 / Disposal of spirulina causes blue-green algae bloom in surrounding areas. / Legal/Environmental issues prevent test completion / Poor risk management and research / 1 / 3 / 3 / Team to complete proper research and understand environmental implications if using outdoor resources / Team
17 / Not having enough subject matter experts to communicate with. / Not enough information to create a legitimate solution / Team not reaching out to the proper resources / 2 / 3 / 6 / Reach out to as many experts as possible in the beginning phases of the project. / Jordan
18 / Not having a lab or equipment to test the Spirulina contents. / No data to report that if improvements are being made / Team not reaching out to the proper resources / 2 / 1 / 2 / Look into labs that may have the equipment we need to borrow / team
19 / If made incorrectly, the Spirulina can have adverse effects on the consumer. / Final product is unable to be consumed / Team failed to create a proper and sanitary medium / 2 / 3 / 6 / Research all aspects before creating growth medium/ have a SME check on it / team
20 / Spirulina has many areas in the process where the sanitation is at risk, thus contaminating the product. / Contamination of product / Team is not careful monitoring the medium or drying process / 2 / 3 / 6 / Research all aspects before creating growth medium/ have a SME check on it / team
21 / All of the manual labor involved in producing Spirulina may have some ergonomic risks. / Final process creates a greater stress on the farmers / Team does not consider ergonomic factors / 1 / 1 / 1 / Calculate how much energy is needed for a woman to properly work on the farm every day / Joey/Bethany
22 / If the correct information is not relayed to those trying to create Spirulina, it may end in a failed system. / The whole process of making Spirulina loses its validity in the community / Proper documentation of the process is not created / 1 / 2 / 2 / Research and ask as many in depth questions as possible before beginning testing / Jordan
23 / If Spirulina does not prove to be easy or effective to grow, the people using it may not trust the companies that are trying to help. / The whole process of making Spirulina loses its validity in the community / Proper documentation of the process is not created / 1 / 2 / 2 / Research and ask as many in depth questions as possible before beginning testing / team
24 / Drying system could fail / Spoiled Spirulina or longer drying times / Lack of sun / 1 / 3 / 3 / Start harvesting early in the morning so there is plenty of day time for drying even if it must be done without a solar dryer / Jordan
25 / Fertilization could be incorrect or forgotten / Product could be lost to inefficient conditions / Measuring culture density or i fertilizer quantity incorrect / 1 / 2 / 2 / Implement a process of checks to verify that fertilization has occurred / Jordan
26 / Pond structure could collapse / Loss of culture / Structurally weak / 1 / 3 / 3 / Build a structurally sound pond / Dana/Camila
27 / Light and temperature are not naturally available for test culture / Must generate our own temperature and light conditions / Rochester weather / 3 / 3 / 9 / Look into artificial sources of temperature control and light / Jordan
28 / Cultivation could take too long to complete tests / Lack of test data / Low temperatures, small prototype volume / 2 / 2 / 4 / Start with a high inoculation density / Jordan
29 / Excess pH or UV radiation / Culture Dies / Insufficient stirring, no pH control / 2 / 2 / 4 / Agitate culture continuously, monitor pH levels daily / Jordan
30 / Algae absorbs toxins from bad water / Algae causes sickness when consumed / Using untreated sources of water for growth medium / 1 / 2 / 2 / Use treated water / Jordan
31 / Loss of tradition/culture / Changing culture / Changing food sources / 1 / 2 / 2 / Combine solution with existing traditional eating traditions / Joey/Jordan/Dana
32 / Algae contaminates local fresh water sources / Invasive species, disrupt ecosystem / Insufficient containment efforts / 2 / 3 / 6 / Contain cultures, keep them covered, prevent transplantation by changing clothes / Jordan
33 / Gender Struggle / Social DIstress / Changing roles and empowerment of women / 1 / 2 / 2 / Emphasize community involvement / Camila
34 / Spirulina does not grow at a predictable rate / Production demand not met, loss in revenue / Spirulina growth conditions not met / 1 / 1 / 1 / Provide all known necessary growth conditions at a measurable level / Jordan
35 / Too much power is needed to produce a labor-free agitation system / Manual labor continues for agitation process / No outside power source available / 3 / 2 / 6 / Investigate local power resources and power costs/requirements for pond agitator / Dana/Camila
36 / No correlation between nutrients added to growth medium & nutrition in Spirulina product / No quantifiable metrics to optimize nutrient delivery to Spirulina and nutrient absorption / Equipment /method for measuring this correlation does not exist / 2 / 1 / 2 / Perform experiments to measure nutrients in growth medium before and after fertilization. Research existing procedures/tests. / Jordan
37 / Plastics or tank liners leach into Spirulina growth medium or ground / Spirulina product contamination, local environment contamination / Cheap/low quality materials used in construction or found locally / 1 / 2 / 2 / Research local resources for tank construction and their byproducts (ie off-gasing) / Team
38 / Spirulina product not in demand for upper class customers / Farm revenue reduction / Cultural marketability / 2 / 2 / 4 / Research target culture food, customs, traditions / Joey/Bethany
39 / Depletion of local resources to create tanks, water medium, electrical equipment etc. / No new tanks can be built, Spirulina production slows/stops / Rural environment, limited access to resources, overuse / 1 / 3 / 3 / Create a BOM of local resources, costs, availability, accessibility, and how often they are required for the growing process / Joey/Bethany
40 / Tank location could be used for housing, crops, livestock / Resources switched from staple crops to malnutrition focus / Tank “farm” requires land / 1 / 1 / 1 / Investigate local farming, crops, land use. Size tank “farm” and optimize available land. / Joey/Bethany
41 / Tanks are too deep for the Spirulina to grow properly / Spirulina cannot grow properly / Poor design of ponds/tanks / 1 / 2 / 6 / Model design of pond before building stages. / Camila/Dana
42 / Unable to get the nutrients needed to grow Spirulina / Cannot test product / Unable to find reliable supplier / no funds / 1 / 3 / 3 / Start looking at possible suppliers / Jordan
43 / High contamination levels of dust / Bad quality of product / Improper safety design / 1 / 3 / 3 / Model safety design to account for dust contamination before building and testing / Dana/Camila
44 / Improper quality process / Inconsistent nutrients and product quality / Improper techniques / working instructions /training for farmers / 1 / 3 / 3 / Develop good documentation to ensure success of implementation / Joey/Bethany
45 / Our concept does not use local resources / Project will not be able to be recreated in India / Not enough analysis on resources available in India / 2 / 3 / 6 / Proper research of local resources. / Team
46 / Not enough resources to test engineering metrics / Cannot tell if we are have a consistent batch quality. / Not identifying resource availability to us on campus early in the process / 1 / 2 / 3 / contacting people on campus ASAP / Jordan
Likelihood scale / Severity scale
1 - This cause is unlikely to happen / 1 - The impact on the project is very minor. We will still meet deliverables on time and within budget, but it will cause extra work
2 - This cause could conceivably happen / 2 - The impact on the project is noticeable. We will deliver reduced functionality, go over budget, or fail to meet some of our Engineering Specifications.
3 - This cause is very likely to happen / 3 - The impact on the project is severe. We will not be able to deliver, or what we deliver will not meet the customer's needs.
“Importance Score” (Likelihood x Severity) – use this to guide your preference for a risk management strategy
Prevent / Action will be taken to prevent the cause(s) from occurring in the first place.
Reduce / Action will be taken to reduce the likelihood of the cause and/or the severity of the effect on the project, should the cause occur
Transfer / Action will be taken to transfer the risk to something else. Insurance is an example of this. You purchase an insurance policy that contractually binds an insurance company to pay for your loss in the event of accident. This transfers the financial consequences of the accident to someone else. Your car is still a wreck, of course.
Accept / Low importance risks may not justify any action at all. If they happen, you simply accept the consequences.