• Community engagement in context
  • Community engagement - an overview
  • Community engagement in a representative democracy
  • Key challenges for the public sector
  • Implications for public sector managers
  • The context for engagement
  • Clues to good community engagement
• Planning CE
  • Community engagement and the policy/planning cycle
  • Project goals
  • When is engagement necessary?
  • Community engagement objectives
  • Community research
    • Media research
    • Community profiling
    • Community segmentation
    • Community and issues analysis
  • Key communication messages
  • Selection of engagement techniques
  • Managing risk
  • Evaluation planning
  • Planning transition and exit strategies
• Implementing CE
  • Working with communities
  • Organisational culture
  • Resourcing
  • Structures and processes
  • Continuity and follow up
  • Representation and control
  • Coordination
  • Other issues
  • Embedding good practice
• Methods
  • Overview of methods
  • Methods of information-sharing
  • Methods for consultation and deliberation
  • Methods for active participation
  • Advanced participative methodologies
  • Choosing an engagement method
• Event management
  • Event engagement processes
  • Choosing a facilitator
  • Structuring the event
• Evaluating CE
  • Introduction to evaluation
  • Principles of evaluation
  • Identifying outputs and outcomes
  • Purpose and approach to evaluation
  • Evaluation criteria and indicators
  • Methods of measuring community engagement
  • Steps in evaluating community engagement
• Risk management
  • Identifying risks
  • Assessing risk
  • Managing external risks
  • Managing internal risks
  • Risk assessment and management plan
• Skills
  • Community engagement skills profile
  • Options for skills development
  • Building the skills of your team

Assessing risk

After identifying potential risks, the next step is to engage in risk assessment. Risk assessment ensures that risk management efforts are directed at risks that have been assessed as being a high priority.

Risk assessment is based on:

• the probability (likelihood) that something bad will happen, or that something necessary will not happen
• an estimation of the consequences or severity.

Risk management is not only conducted during the planning phase: it should be reviewed periodically, and adjusted to emerging stakeholder issues and dynamics. Results of the risk assessment can be recorded on the Risk assessment and management plan [MS Word (26KB) or PDF (6KB)].

Risk ranking table

To arrive at a risk rating, analyse each identified risk using the following risk ranking table. This involves making an estimation of the probability of the event occurring and the level of negative consequence or impact associated with the risk event occurring. By combining the two estimations, you will arrive at a risk rating of Low, Medium, High or Very High. Risk management strategies can then be prioritised, based on the risk rating. Refer to the table Responses to different levels of risk.

Level of negative consequence on project outcomes or agency

Probability of occurring	1 not at all (won’t happen)	2 a little (can live with it)	3 a fair bit (moderate)	4 quite a bit (significant)	5 a lot (extreme)
1 not at all (won’t happen)	1 Low	2 Low	3 Low	4 Med	5 Med
2 a little (unlikely)	2 Low	4 Low	6 Med	8 Med	10 Med
3 a fair bit (possible)	3 Low	6 Med	9 Med	12 High	15 High
4 quite a bit (likely)	4 Low	8 Med	12 High	16 Very High	20 Very High
5 a lot (almost certain)	5 Low	10 Med	15 High	20 Very High	25 Very High

Responses to different levels of risk

Risk level	Action
Low risk	Do nothing initially, check occasionally.
Medium risk	Monitor closely, take action if possible, notify/advise key agency members of possible risk.
High risk	Mitigation strategies needed.
Very high	Action is mandatory to reduce or manage the risk. If you are not likely to be able to manage this risk or the consequences, consider changing project goals and outcomes or review whether the project should proceed.