Description

DLS-113  Fundamentals of Facilitating a Semi-Quantitative Risk Analysis

The Dam and Levee Safety industry is in the process of adopting Risk-Informed Decision Making (RIDM) as a framework for identifying and managing risks associated with dams and levees.  A core component of RIDM is risk analysis workshops. In these workshops, a team of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), aided by a Facilitator conduct a PFMA/SQRA.  This course is intended for SMEs with risk analysis experience who wish to learn the role and responsibilities of a risk analysis facilitator.  By the end of the training, participants will have a basic understanding of how to: 

• Develop skills as a facilitator
• Understand the role of the facilitator and the appropriate behaviors needed to be successful
• Organize and lead a PFMA/SQRA
• Assess the needs of the project and owner and scale the PFMA/SQRA appropriately
• Ensure that the proper level of preparation is conducted prior to the workshop
• Lead the PFMA/SQRA workshop including facilitation skills
• Encourage focused, constructive, and respectful discussion
• Encourage engagement from all SMEs
• Identify and advise SMEs if the proceedings are being impacted by cognitive errors (e.g., recency bias, anchoring)
• Lead close-out activities including summarizing and portraying risk
• Ensure that proper documentation and review is conducted
• Discuss challenges and potential solutions 

In addition, examples, exercises, and breakout sessions will be provided where attendees will have an opportunity to practice taught skills.

This training course is not intended to cover development of PFMs and the elicitation of risk estimates.  The student should already have this experience from participation in past workshops.  Rather, this course is intended to prepare facilitators for their unique role as an independent leader of the workshop, to minimize bias, and ensure that proper communication and integration of facts and opinions are documented.

Intended Audience

This is a basic training course for becoming a facilitator.  However, it requires a significant amount of experience in dam safety risk assessments to act as a facilitator.  This training along with real SQRA experience can ultimately lead to becoming an effective and qualified risk facilitator.

Prerequisite minimum experience suggested to benefit from this course:
• Have a professional engineering or engineering geologist registration.
• Have 10 or more years in dam design and evaluation experience and could qualify as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) or Independent Consultant for FERC Part 12 or similar review.
• Acted as an SME for at least 2 dam safety SQRAs or QRAs.
• Primary author for at least 1 SQRA or QRA report.
• Completed at least the SQRA training course DLS-103 (Leveraging PFMA to Perform SQRA ) 

Format 

1/2 Day Virtual Session 9/09/2024
2 Day In-Person Session 9/11-12/2024 (Denver, CO)