Following are four short case study scenarios that represent risk response category choices. Match each scenario with one of the four possible risk responses (accept, avoid, transfer, mitigate) and explain your answer.
a. Two critical tasks in the project you are running deal with complex database design issues. You have negotiated with the supervisor of the data management group to get the group's best worker in this area, John. The problem is that a rumor has surfaced that John is looking for a new job and may leave the company at any time. To make sure your project will be less affected if John leaves, you have built some contingency funds and extra time into the schedule. You have also contacted several local consulting companies that have expertise in database design, just in case.
b. The current project is to add a new information section to the company's public Web site for the marketing department. The project is not particularly complex, but you have worked with the marketing department before and know that the people there are difficult to work with because of their lack of technology experience and their travel schedules. As the project leader, you have decided to adopt a more agile development methodology with short development time intervals. You have also asked the marketing department to dedicate one individual as a key contact.
c. After researching all the possible software applications on the market, your team has reduced the list to just two choices. The first application delivers on 95 percent of the needed requirements, but the vendor is very new and has a small customer base. The second application delivers on 85 percent of the needed requirements; the vendor has been in business for many years and has a large customer base. The company, being risk averse, decides on the second application package.
d. The current proposed project is to create a custom software application, which will add functionality identified during the recent gap analysis between the purchased accounting software package and the user requirements. The new software must interface with the new software, but your organization has no one trained in the new software application. The project team has decided to hire a consulting company to develop the new application.