6.1 Course Notes

course notes2

6.1 Actions to address risks and opportunities

Relevant Definitions:

Risk:  effect of uncertainty
Procedure: specified way to carry out an activity or a process

This clause is split into 3 sub clauses:

  • 6.1.1 General (written above)
  • 6.1.2  Issue identification and evaluation
  • 6.1.3  Legal and other requirements

This unit will deal with the first two sub-clauses.
Sub-clause 6.1.1 cross references Clause 4.1 Understanding of the organisation and its context and Clause 4.2 Understanding the needs and expectations of interested parties. These very two important elements will help to frame your identification of risks and opportunities. Additionally it highlights that the issues identification process should include consideration for the organisation’s governing principles of sustainable development that have, of course been declared earlier through compliance with Clause 4.5.
Clause 6.1.2 Issue identification and evaluation is where the nuts and bolts of the issues identification process occur. Note that the standard talks about ‘risks and opportunities’ as well as ‘issues’. It is also talking about ‘sustainable development’ issues or risks/opportunities – for you and I within the context of managing an event or event-related organisation, this means the four pillars of sustainability (environmental, economic, social, cultural) and the risks, opportunities, issues and impacts associated.
The major must-take requirement of Clause 6.1.2 is that you have a procedure explaining how you will tackle identifying 'risks and opportunities' (i.e. issues). This means that you must have a formal procedure documented which is almost like an 'instruction manual' on how to go about uncovering the relevant sustainability issues, impacts, risks and opportunities - these must cover all pillars of sustainability -  economic, social and environmental.
What is 'relevant' will be dependent on:

  • context in which the organisation operates
  • needs and expectations of stakeholders
  • governing principles of Sustainable Development
  • industry best practice

Evaluation

This clause also suggests that the criteria to evaluate issues be documented - such as their relative importance, significance and relevance - and of course to consider issues which may not be fully under the control of the organisation, but only influenced by it.
Read more on assessing significance and relevance in Annex C of the standard.
The level of control or influence over an issue's management is another lens which should be used when evaluating an issue's priority, scale and potential impacts. In Chapter 3 of Sustainable Event Management: A Practical Guide,  Figure 3.1 shows a 'decision tree' which is a useful tool in evaluating issues for action.


Issues Identification Tools

Develop checklists and other devices to ensure all issues are identified and considered for management. Create templates which can then be used for each event. Download checklists and tools.


Requirements of this Clause:

[list type="check"]

  • Consider issues (needs and expectations) identified through the stakeholder engagement process
  • Consider issues highlighted when explaining the context in which the organisation is operating
  • Consider issues that can be both controlled as well as influenced
  • Establish (document) a procedure for identifying its Sustainable Development issues
  • Establish processes/forms/checklists or other tools to facilitate the issues identification process
  • Evaluate significance and relevance of issues as they relate to event activities
  • Document issues evaluation criteria
  • Document the outcomes implementing the issues identification procedure (i.e. the issues identified)
  • Make issues management plans (and document them)

[/list]


 Download a template version of an Issues Identification and Evaluation Procedure.


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