News

  • Climate change strategy for a pharmaceutical company

    This case study describes a review of climate-related risks with an international pharmaceutical company that had sophisticated frameworks for governance, risk management and corporate social responsibility (CSG). It outlines how the approach was adjusted to take account of the focus on medium- and long-term effects of climate change and climate policy, the sophistication of the client team, previous risk assessments, and the need to generate an understanding of climate-related uncertainties to support strategic decisions.

    Read more

  • Reliable power for a remote mine

    Broadleaf was engaged to facilitate a workshop to examine the risks related to the reliability of power supply to a mine. The mine generated its own power that supplied its facility as well as surrounding communities. A planned mine expansion meant that the power supply to the plant needed to be upgraded and its reliability improved. This case discusses the importance of tailoring the criteria for risk assessment, using several forms of analysis to set priorities, and the need for a broad perspective.

    Read more

  • Bridge operations on a commuter road

    This case study outlines a risk assessment and treatment options for enhancing the reliability of an opening bridge on a commuter road, augmented by aspects of failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA). The case discusses the importance of site familiarisation, setting workshop agendas carefully, adapting the risk management process to enhance its effectiveness, using a flexible approach to setting priorities for management attention, and the value of templates for efficiency, effectiveness and due diligence.

    Read more

  • New tutorial on monitoring risks and controls

    Monitoring is an important process in most organisations. It is critical for the effectiveness of risk management and control assurance. Risk owners monitor the business environment and indicators associated with the causes of risks to help ensure their perspectives of and assumptions about the risks for which they are responsible remain valid. Control owners, and assurance providers at Line 2 and Line 3 of the three lines of assurance, monitor indicators of control effectiveness, particularly for critical controls.

    Read more

  • The colour of hydrogen

    As the planet confronts global warming, hydrogen will become an increasingly important energy source, affecting many sectors in which Broadleaf works. Hydrogen is important because it can be environmentally friendly: it can be produced from renewables and, whether used for combustion or in fuel cells, its primary by-product is water, rather than the carbon dioxide that is generated by burning hydrocarbons. Hydrogen is described in different ways, according to the energy sources and feedstocks used to produce it and the kinds of by-products that are generated. This tutorial summarises the colour descriptions attributed to specific forms of hydrogen production and outlines some of the associated technologies.

    Read more

  • Our work with local government

    We have had several enquires recently from local government organisations, for whom we have undertaken a range of assignments over many years. Our activities have covered most aspects of risk management, including enterprise risk management (ERM) and qualitative and quantitative risk assessments. We have prepared a new summary, with links to related work with utilities and climate change.

    Read more

  • Correlation in quantitative risk analysis

    Uncertain quantities can be correlated by a dependence on a common source of variation. Modelling these correlations in quantitative risk analysis must be done with great care. Ignoring correlation in quantitative models can generate outcomes that are wrong, sometimes significantly so, and that have the potential to mislead the users of those models. This tutorial note examines correlation, and practical methods of incorporating it in quantitative risk analysis models.

    Read more

  • Options for a pharmaceutical dispensary

    A pharmaceutical company required a new dispensary at an existing manufacturing facility, to comply with evolving regulations while at the same time improving quality and efficiency in dispensing. This case outlines how a structured process was used to evaluate options for the dispensary, where the raw material for prescription and other medications are prepared for manufacturing. The focus on company objectives and criteria helped to achieve consensus among internal stakeholders with slightly different requirements and priorities.

    Read more

  • Extreme project schedule over run

    There is often a sense that project schedule risk distributions fail to exhibit the long right-hand tails that experience suggests should show up in a realistic assessment of schedule risk. This extended tutorial demonstrates quantitatively that unexpected extensions of time might arise not from unforeseen risks or understated risks, nor from a bias towards optimism or over-confidence, but through a systematic interaction between the risks that are taken into account by conventional schedule risk modelling and firefighting behaviour stimulated by schedule slippage.

    Read more

  • Land use near a major hazard facility

    When a proposal to build an aged care facility was received by a local council, a nearby major hazard facility lodged an objection to it. The council asked Broadleaf to investigate whether or not the objection was justified, and to be an expert witness in a formal public hearing. Our expertise in land use safety planning and regulatory requirements was useful in this process. In particular, we were able to guide the council to ask the right questions of the owner of the refinery to achieve a satisfactory planning outcome.

    Read more
Subscribe via RSS