From a basic understanding of the fundamentals of risk assessment, we can now progress to the mechanics of producing a risk assessment. This is a process, requiring collection/preparation of information, feeding that information into algorithms that calculate aspects of risk, and then generating estimates of risk.
While specialized software is available, it rarely provides more efficiency, and is far more costly, than using simple tools that most office computers already have. Risk estimates are produced from equations that use relatively simple math. Executing simple calculations on tables of data is efficiently done in many software environments. Specialize software is not needed and often counterproductive. Therefore, the focus here is on the process, applied via common software platforms of spreadsheets and desktop databases.
Where to do Risk Assessments:
Specialized Software Options
Purchasing or building specialized software is NOT something to consider in early stages of embarking on risk assessment. Too many projects have become bogged down or abandoned due to software ‘leading the effort’. It is much more efficient and effective to begin assessments with simple tools, already available, and then, only after acquiring a good understanding of the processes involved, ‘maybe’ investigate if specialized software might increase productivity.
See more discussion and options in Risk Assessment Software Tools
Open source platforms
Modern risk assessments are simply calculations performed against data. As such they can be efficiently conducted in a variety of environments including any type of database, spreadsheets, GIS environment . No specialized software is required. Furthermore, specialized software often adds inefficiency to the process requiring specific involuntary processes special training and often times specialized support services. This loss of control and added cost seems seldom warranted.
This discussion is built around conducting risk assessments in open source platform software. By ‘open source’ we mean commonly available tools like spreadsheets, desktop database applications, and word processing software. All calculations, assumptions, and risk assessment processing actions are available to the user–there are no ‘black box’ elements not transparent to the user.
Opensource
Overview of RA Mechanics