Running head: RISK ANALYSIS AND CONTINGENCY PLAN 1

Risk Analysis and Contingency Plan

Jeni Dulek

Trevecca Nazarene University

RISK ANALYSIS AND CONTINGENCY PLAN 2

Risk Analysis and Contingency Plan

Risk Analysis

To ensure successful completion of my capstone project entitled “Using Curriculum

Mapping to Guide Course Revision in an Accredited OTA Program,” I have completed a risk

analysis. The following risks were identified:

1. Changing needs of the program: The occupational therapy assistant (OTA) program is

currently undergoing a change in leadership as I transition out of the institution and a new

Program Director is oriented and trained. Although the new Program Director is known

to the institution and program as she is a current Instructor, she may identify a different

set of goals and timeline for the accreditation visit preparation currently being planned.

This may alter the needs of the program and affect the type of recommendations I make as

a result of the curriculum mapping process.

2. Evolving methodology and process: Although I have researched curriculum mapping and

am following a process supported by the literature, I am also adapting the process to the

needs of the program and my project contributors and stakeholders. That means that the

process of curriculum mapping and identification of assessments used in the curriculum

may change as the process moves forward. This could expand the amount of time

required to complete the project and/or alter the expected deliverables.

3. Reliability of multiple contributors and collaborators: I will be leading this project with

the current OTA faculty contributing and collaborating. I will primarily be completing

work on the project during my off-hours from work, but their contributions will be part of

their everyday job duties and therefore their available time and commitment may be

limited.
RISK ANALYSIS AND CONTINGENCY PLAN 3

4. Limited timeframe to complete: This project must be completed within this six-week

course, and the number of recommendations that will be necessary is unknown. The

project’s demands could easily expand as the curriculum map is completed and gaps in

the curriculum are identified.

5. Personal and professional transition and related responsiblities: I will be completing my

employment with the institution that will house this project on January 4, 2019, and will

be changing employers and moving at that time. The demands of this personal and

professional transition may limit the time and ability I have to complete work on the

project.

These risk considerations have been listed and their severity ranked in the following table:

Risk Consideration Low Risk Medium Risk High Risk

Changing needs of the X

program

Evolving X
methodology and
process
Reliability of multiple X
contributors and
collaborators
Limited timeframe to X
complete
Personal and X
professional transition
and related
responsibilities

To ensure that the project is successfully completed within the necessary timeframe, it is

critical that the considerations with the highest risk be sufficiently addressed. Those risks and

their related problems and solutions are detailed below:

RISK ANALYSIS AND CONTINGENCY PLAN 4

Risk Consideration Problem Solution

Multiple contributors Faculty who are expected to
and collaborators contribute information on
their identified courses and
assessments have multiple
responsibilities and may not
comply with the requested
timeline.
Limited timeframe to The project must be
complete completed within a strict
timeframe, so deadlines are
strict.
Personal and For the final 3.5 weeks of this
professional transition project/course, I will no
and related longer be employed at the
responsiblities institution where this project
is occurring (ACC). I will be
completing a move and
beginning a new job during
those last several weeks.
Communicate expectations early so that
faculty can plan ahead. Access shared
documents to gather information
without faculty involvement if
necessary, and request brief meetings
for clarification if faculty need structure
and accountability for completion.
I will budget my time to ensure regular
completion of initial steps of the
project. This will ensure that I am
aware of evolving needs and can factor
those into the work schedule so I don’t
find myself behind near the end of the
course. I will need to alter my approach
if the processes I am using become
tedious and/or inefficient.
Work ahead as much as possible.
Schedule contact with ACC faculty on
a regular basis to ensure
communication, and set up shared
documents on systems outside ACC
email and shared drives (such as
Google docs using my personal email
address). Ask for help with tasks
related to moving so that I can focus on
the new job and completing the project.

Contingency Plan

After completing a risk analysis it has been determined that the high level risks to the

successful completion of my project are:

1. Reliability of multiple contributors and collaborators

2. Limited timeframe to complete

3. Personal and professional transition and related responsibilities

I have taken these risks into account when selecting and developing my project, and have
RISK ANALYSIS AND CONTINGENCY PLAN 5

made every effort to minimize their potential effects on the outcome of the project. I intend to

approach the project with an abundance of flexibility and ingenuity in order to meet the

established objectives and further develop my skills in instructional design.

However, if the project does not appear to be progressing at a reasonable rate or simply

grows too large for successful completion as it is outlined, I will collaborate with all involved

parties (my professor, the program’s new Program Director and faculty, and ACC’s Director of

Curriculum and Instruction and Director of Accreditation) to establish a new plan that will meet

the needs of the program while being more feasible to complete. With approval from all

stakeholders, the project would then proceed utilizing the updated plan of completion. The

adjustments would then be discussed in the final report, including a reflection on the process of

altering plans to meet deadlines and obtain project objectives.