See Risk Clearly
Assess how operations, programming, and risk management work together, and strategically plan which gaps to address first.
Program Risk Review
Your organization's risk management exists to support the safe delivery of your programs. A Program Risk Review examines how well it does that, and shows where it falls short. The review traces written policies and plans to the decisions and actions people take in the office and in the field, and analyzes the overall risk management strategy that connects them.
A final report gives your board, executive leadership, and safety leadership the same clear view of the organization’s approach to risk management: where it is sound, where it falls short, and where to direct attention and resources first.
Throughout the review process, everyone involved develops a sharper understanding of the whole risk management system, beyond any single perspective or fix. In the end, leaders and staff come away more able to reason about risk as a whole, and more capable of making deliberate decisions about it. A review builds that understanding across the organization rather than handing over a to-do list of disconnected tasks.
Many organizations commission a review without a clearly defined question to answer. Often, they are weighing several questions with no clear order among them, or they want an independent assessment before they set priorities. The review sorts those questions; the whole process is intended to help identify and order priorities, so the organization can efficiently and effectively address them while maintaining normal program and business operations.
Program Risk Scorecard
Weigh your risk management program against 12 systemic risks
Review scope and focus
A review covers three areas of program risk management.
Risk governance and information flow. The review examines where risk decisions get made, who is accountable for them, the way expectations and changes reach staff, and how field experience informs leadership decisions.
Program design, planning, and delivery. The review examines how risk is identified and managed throughout the design, planning, and delivery stages. It compares your program practices against current accepted industry norms and applies human factors methods to understand work and improve it at all levels of the organization. Additionally, inquiries and observations into organizational and safety culture inform the analysis and final recommendations.
Emergency preparation and crisis management. The review examines potential issues and scenarios most likely to affect people and the organization. Preparation for these events are assessed, including response plans, communication and escalation protocols, and protocols for working with stakeholders during a crisis. Past incidents and near misses inform this analysis when pertinent.
Deliverables
A review delivers a written report and a leadership briefing.
The report outlines observations and prioritizes recommendations. It includes an executive summary suited to your board, an analysis of the current risk management strategy, and recommendations grouped by theme and ordered by priority, weighed against risk and the organization's capacity to act. A collaborative review also produces a program development plan, built with staff from the findings.
The leadership briefing presents the findings to the board, executive, and program leaders; the audience is determined collaboratively before the presentation. It builds a shared understanding of the issues and recommendations, and helps the group agree on priorities and next steps.
After the review
A review ends with prioritized recommendations and several ways forward. Some recommendations are straightforward, and the organization takes them on directly. Others call for a specialist, such as legal, medical, mental health, or insurance, for example. We help figure out the right questions for you to take to them, or connect you directly with our network of trusted advisors. Other recommendations take time and ongoing effort. Slay Risk can help support the overall implementation and change strategy, and help with individual recommendations through ongoing consulting and coaching engagements.
Most clients continue in one of two ways. In consulting, we take on one priority at a time and build and roll out the solution together. In coaching, we develop a leader's ability to engage the wider organization in the overall implementation and improvement process. Many clients do both, and the choice comes after the review with no obligation to continue.
Types of Reviews
Slay Risk conducts three types of reviews, fit to your questions and goals
Focused Review
Gain external perspective
A Focused Review is a periodic check-in for established and accredited programs. An outside perspective confirms that current practices still work as intended and catches issues early. The review is two to three days on site, or a remote review of one specific topic area. The organization receives a written report.
L1 Benchmarking Review
A Benchmarking Review compares the organization's risk management and program practices against industry standards and norms. It also analyzes the organization's own incident data, so leaders can see and make sense of their safety outcomes. The review typically takes four to eight weeks.
Slay Risk can conduct the review independently and deliver a written report, or we can work with staff to build a program development plan based on the findings. Doing it together involves a consulting and coaching approach so staff learn along the way.
Meet industry norms
L2 Optimization Review
Enhance practice and capacities, and build resilience
An Optimization Review goes beyond meeting standards to improve current plans and practices. It includes everything in a Benchmarking Review, plus site visits and interviews with staff and leadership. The review assesses staff's adaptive capacity and engagement with participants, organizational learning, safety culture, and administrative clutter. The review identifies practical improvements, from risk governance and program administration to field practices.
Testimonials
The Slay Risk team made what were probably, to them, throwaway comments that to me were incredibly valuable, like what's unique to our organization versus what's par for the course in the sector. That outside lens was something we couldn't get from the inside. Their gentle approach brought forward real sharing, and people opened up about what they were proud of and what they knew wasn't right.
Suzane Wolf
Director of Program & Impact
National Scouting Organization
Our program is large and complex. Stuart went beyond a risk assessment and facilitated an in-depth program review, breaking it into manageable parts and giving us the knowledge, tools, and mentorship to handle risk more effectively. I highly recommend Slay Risk for anyone seeking a comprehensive, educationally driven consultation.
Jennifer Frye
Internship Director
Dept. of Recreation Management & Policy
University of New Hampshire
Stuart's expert knowledge and ability to communicate complex issues made our engagement valuable and insightful. The process was collaborative and responsive, with clear and timely communication throughout. As a result, we've seen improvements in leadership accountability and cross-functional collaboration. Truly a quality experience.
University Risk Manager
Canada
FAQs
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The type and scope of the review determine the cost. A Focused Review is the smallest investment, and an Optimization Review is the largest. Book a short call, and I'll walk you through which review fits and what it would cost. Many organizations start with a Focused Review or a Benchmarking Review, then expand later as capacity allows.
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No. Accreditation checks your organization against a defined set of standards. A Program Risk Review evaluates the effectiveness of your risk management in practice. A review goes further than a standards check: it accounts for the context you work in, including the real barriers and constraints, and identifies improvements fit for your purpose. It often points to the steps that meet a standard in your setting, so the two support each other.
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Yes. Organizations often use a review to prepare for accreditation or to give their board and external partners evidence of due diligence. The accrediting body still decides which evidence meets its standards.
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A review can be done remotely. A site visit adds context and is worth doing when operations and relationships need direct observation. Many reviews use both.
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It depends on the type of review. A Focused Review takes two to three days on site. A Benchmarking Review typically takes four to eight weeks. A larger review can take several months, paced to your operations and access to people and records. Tell me about your situation and I'll map a timeline to it.
Stuart Slay leads program risk reviews and works with schools and outdoor program providers across Asia and North America.
Let’s work together.
Start with a 20-minute conversation about where you are and what would help.