Redstone team simplifies risk management process

By Joanna Bradley, AMRDEC Public AffairsNovember 28, 2017

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REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. (Nov. 27, 2017) -- The U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center, in collaboration with their customers from the Program Executive Office for Missiles & Space, and the AMRDEC science & technology community, developed a tool to assist government teams managing multiple program risks and tracking risk mitigation strategies.

The Team Redstone Risk Execution, or T-Rex, is a free tool that stores and tracks program risks, issues, and opportunities. The tool allows the user to input and track risks, input mitigation plans, maintain history, develop waterfall charts, and customize reporting in an easy to use tool not tied to any server or network. The tool is based on the guidelines of the DoD Risk Management Guide and with a click of a button provides both detailed status and reports useful to facilitate Risk Board updates; as well as summary charts formatted to headquarters and Office of the Secretary of Defense inquiries.

The T-REx concept originated with a need identified by systems engineers within AMRDEC working on the Multi-Mission Launcher program, according to Requirements Analysis Program, Team Redstone lead Brandon Payne. To assist their team, a simple tool was fashioned utilizing Microsoft Excel to track and display risk charts for the program. From this version, other systems engineers began adding needs peculiar to their systems for use in their risk management program. With multiple configurations and varying capabilities, the Systems Engineering Management Division made the commitment to standardize the T-REx tool and make available to all programs at no charge.

T-REx provides a Government-owned solution for risk management in coordination with the DoD Risk Management Guide and the Systems Engineering Plan Outline reporting requirements. This tool simplifies formatting and provides time-saving benefits for systems engineers and any others responsible for risk management. "T-REx is easily learned, allows mobility without requiring network connection, and flexible to meet particular demands. T-REx is proven to save time and enhance the risk management process by providing a quick and effective way to manage and track program risks and risk mitigation plans," said Payne.

"For customers not historically committed to a particular risk management tool, T-REx offers an affordable option to effectively support a risk management program. For programs that may be embedded in a costly approach to risk management, either through a costly software product or a costly supplier managed program, T-REx offers an avenue to reduce costs effectively. AMRDEC offers the tool free to the Redstone community because it is the right thing to do in a Better Buying Power environment, and because a priority at AMRDEC is to assist customers in being successful," explained Tom Channell, AMRDEC chief engineer.

T-REx is the second tool made available to the Redstone DoD community using this business approach. Requirements Analysis Program -- Team Redstone was made available in 2015. RAPTOR provides users with a requirements management tool for traceability, tracking, change control, impact analysis, etc., which minimizes the need for large quantities of expensive commercial software licenses.

For further information, or to receive a copy of either tool, contact: usarmy.redstone.rdecom.mbx.t-rex@mail.mil.

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U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center is operationally aligned to the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, and administratively aligned to the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command. This joint alignment established a closely woven research, development, acquisition, and sustainment team to provide increased responsiveness to the nation's Warfighters. AMRDEC has the mission to deliver collaborative and innovative aviation and missile capabilities for responsive and cost-effective research, development and life cycle engineering solutions.