In an effort to improve oversight into safety and mission assurance (SMA) on programs and projects, NASA has established a review process that places greater emphasis on communicating risk to senior decision-making officials. One of the first applications of this Safety and Mission Assurance Readiness Review (SMARR) was the Space Shuttle's return-to-flight in July of 2005. The SMARR is chaired by NASA's Chief Safety and Mission Assurance Officer, and is held to independently assess the readiness to proceed with high-risk program or project activities. All risks are summarized using a risk matrix, identifying both the undesired consequence associated with a particular scenario and the likelihood of the scenario's occurrence. Presenters describe causes and effects, mitigations, and open work associated with each risk scenario, and provide an overall recommendation whether to accept the risk or pursue additional mitigations. This paper examines some of the methods NASA programs and projects currently use to communicate risks to safety and mission success. Referencing best practices, NASA documentation, and government standards, it provides a short critique of each of these methods. Finally, the paper provides recommendations for creating risk matrices for safety and mission success, and advocates a greater degree of standardization in reporting, tracking, and communicating these risks across the Agency.
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