ESSENCE OF RISK APPRAISAL IN PROJECT ANALYIS:

STUDY OF A COMMUNITY ICT CENTRE PROJECT

CASE

INTRODUCTION
As a project is defined as any economic activity that makes a net addition to the availability
of goods and services within an economy and as risk refers to the probability that an event
may or may not occur, it is opined thereof that a projects success however is subject to a
degree of likelihood hence its outcome is susceptible to risk. In order therefore to evade or
cater for the prevalence of such possibility, risk considerations are thereby made so as to
ascertain or predict the future outcomes or deliverables of a project with some degree of
confidence.
Thus, it is expected that risk appraisal be emphasised in every project analysis. This is
necessary to forestall project failure. Every project notably is presupposed to be exposed to
risk factors situations that could undermine the eventuality of the project outcomes or
deliverables, and so such endeavour as risk appraisal would be to identify them and so that
the risks in the so-analysed projects if accepted would be mitigated, managed or provided for
in the course of its implementation.
RISK APPRAISAL IN A COMMUNITY ICT CENTRE PROJECT
ICT projects are usually noted to have high failure rates, and this is so because even the
simplest ICT project can get very complicated. Every typical ICT project has many interdependent components, and modifications or delays in one component while implementing
the project can easily affect everything else.
Even when in this hypothetical case of a community ICT centre project envisaged and the
three constraints (quality, time and cost) to a project are captured - the technical
specifications, time schedules, funding requirement as well as the reporting structure and
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control mechanism are laid out in the project plan, the projects as well as the communitys
objective to be realised in terms of the project outcome or deliverable and the maximization
of the societys welfare however could be undermined especially by three instances: time
schedule delay, work team turnover and unclear technical detail implementation knowhow.
The possibility that a project going behind schedule due to unforeseen technical
complications surprises are possible even when the technologies being used in the project
are very well known, as the attempt to integrate a functional component with another
component may result to a mess - or untimely deployment of workforce are opined as
common ICT project risk. Also, the event when a key project team member quits can cause
serious disruptions which can really shatter a project. More so, the technical inability for a
given feature of a project to be implemented would not only lead to delays but also can affect
the project scope. Hence it is expected that the more experienced the technical people are, the
lower the risk of unforeseen technical limitations, but though this risk is opined as always
ever present.
These mentioned could ab-initio be envisaged and addressed in order to secure or ensure
project success or outcome or non-failure by making sure experts or professionals or those
whom prepared the project plan or were part of the project planning are largely or are part or
are those who constitute the work team so that there will not be deficient results, making sure
project team members only leave after giving a notice and knowledge of technical details are
not concentrated in some or few individuals so that their redeployment or retrenchment will
not suffer the project implementation process, and also wide knowledge dispersal of time
estimates for project deliverables are circulated among every sectional or entire work team
and daily or periodic task check are made and reported to Project Head

(Manager or

Coordinator), all as measures in ascending order i.e. applicable as regards the later to the
initial instances mentioned respectively.
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Other instances that poses as extraordinary risks associated or embedded within such
community ICT project are financial constraint and dysfunctional state of project
deliverables. These in view of forestalling project setback and failure can be catered for
through prompt financial appropriation, timely delivery of work materials and incorporating a
risk-fund reserve in the project plan which could provide for possible inflationary pressure,
contingencies and miscellaneous while also requiring a guarantee clause in every
procurement and service delivery contract or arrangement or deployment so that such will
ensure provisional opportunity for correcting possible default deviations noticed during the
project closure stage or the early life span of the project and of which could undermine the
availability for use or functional use characteristic of the project when accessed by the
intended beneficiary the community.