Collaborative risk management

The SERUM methodology, developed by the authors, provides a framework for risk management based on a broad systems approach to software engineering. For its effective operation, all those affected by risk, or contributing to its management, need to be aware of the threats involved and how they are being addressed. Such awareness requires good ongoing communication among these stakeholders. This paper suggests how the Internet might support that communication. The approach, RA!SE (Risk Alert! for Software Engineering), assumes that software engineering data is held centrally in an organization, with stakeholders given access to relevant development and operational information through a Web-based communication tool, The paper clarifies the need for collaborative risk management and develops requirements for tool support. Details of a resulting prototype are presented, and illustrated with risk data from a previous study.