The primary method to create a new Risk Vote is to click on the blue “Create Risk Vote” button in the top right corner of the Enterprise Risk Console. This button will only appear visible to Admin Users.
Once the button is clicked, a vote configuration panel (pictured below) will slide out from the right side of the screen and check boxes will appear on risks in the Rank column. Admins follow these steps to configure a vote:
Select Risks - First, the Admin User checks Risks in the Rank column to select the Risks that will be included in the Risk Vote. A Vote can be created for one or many risks. Admin Users may find it helpful to first apply filters in the Enterprise Risk Console to identify the Risks for the Vote before completing this step.
Name Vote - The Admin User can optionally give the Vote a name. This name can be added or edited later from the Vote Details screen.
Decide What to Share - Next, the Admin User uses checkboxes to select the information about each Risk that will be shared with the Voters in the Voting Response Window. This information is shared when needed to provide context for vote respondents.
It is important to note that Voters do not need to log into Essential ERM to respond to a Vote. Any individual with the voting link (more below) can respond to a Vote - and potentially see sensitive information about the Risk in the process. For this reason, Admin Users should carefully consider which details they elect to share in the Voting Response Window. When votes are conducted during workshop sessions, respondents already have been provided context for the risk and it is often not necessary to include risk information in the Voting Response Window. If in doubt, it is recommended that Admin Users restrict information, for confidentiality and security reasons.
Select Items to be Voted On - Next, Admin Users use the checkboxes to select the items they wish Voters to vote on. Items eligible for inclusion in votes include likelihood and impact ratings, control effectiveness, velocity, and any custom fields created in the Additional Information section of the Risk Details screen. Note that options will only be visible in this configuration tab if the corresponding features are enabled by the system administrator. For example, options for Inherent Risk, Target Risk, and Risk Velocity will not appear if they are deactivated in the system administration area.
Select Voters - Admin Users can select the Admin Users, Standard Users, Read Only Users, or Contributors that they wish to respond to the vote. Vote participants must be set up in advance to be selected through this drop down menu. The Contributor role should be used to include vote participants who will not be given User login access to Essential ERM. For convenience, a link is included to take the Admin User to the Contributor management screen. Once the Vote is activated (described below), all voters added in this section will receive an email invitation to the vote.
Select Vote End Date - If this field is left blank, the default end date and time from the vote will be set to be 72 hours from the time that the vote is activated (see below). Alternatively, the Admin User can click the calendar icon in this field to select the specific date and time that the vote will end (all times Eastern time zone UTC-5:00). Votes can be active from between 1 hour to 30 days. Note that votes can be manually ended in the Vote Details screen at any time by the administrator.
Saving and Activating Votes - Admin Users can click “Save Only” to save the vote configuration without activating it. Admins may do this when preparing in advance for a future voting workshop. Alternatively, if Admin Users click “Save and Send”, the vote will be saved and activated, with notification emails automatically sent to the included voters. Saved votes can be activated through the Vote Details screen.
Making Changes to Votes - Admin Users may continue to make changes to the vote configuration (e.g. adding/removing risks, adding/removing voters, vote end date etc.) through the Vote Details screen, but only while a vote is saved but not activated. Once a vote has been activated, the vote configuration cannot be changed. For this reason, it is recommended that Admins set up votes to be open for longer than required, as votes can always be manually closed earlier once all responses have been received.
Launching a Vote from the Risk Details Screen - Admin Users may follow the same process as described above for a single risk by clicking on the “Create Risk Vote” button in the top right corner of the Risk Details screen. This button will only appear visible to Admin Users.