关键词: 美国陆军工程师兵团, 风险概念, 基础设施, 管理

Abstract:         The lessons and observations of the Corps of Engineers in implementing risk concepts for infrastructure management during the period 2005 through 2013 have been transformative to the agency’s three key organizational elements: policies, practices, and governance. Before the use of risk, traditional approaches, employed for the design of over 3 000 infrastructure systems in the Corps Safety Programs, were not always ideal for answering the more fundamental and modern questions about the“built”infrastructure: (1) what are the driving factors for how existing infrastructure systems will perform over time; (2) how should decisions be made at the portfolio or project level to most cost effectively manage risks; and (3) how can our understanding and decisions be best communicated internally and externally? In the experience of the Corps of Engineers, risk concepts effectively answer these questions and in the process, help tell a compelling story.
        The use of risk concepts in the management of infrastructure provides three key advantages compared to traditional approaches: by providing a consistent and credible way to understand anticipated performance and the risk associated with that performance; by improving the quality of decision making at both the portfolio level (priorities and urgency) and at the project level for selection of specific risk reduction measures; and by improving the basis and effectiveness of the risk dialogue that is such a crucial element of risk management. The Corps has many lessons to share with the larger community regarding the use of risk concepts including —— the power of using risk results early and fairly; how to design new governance structures to support the integration of risk concepts; the complementary nature of risk to traditional deterministic engineering practices; the importance of building new competencies in consequence assessment and in a new“super generalist”; the need to align the level of effort to be commensurate with the decision to be made; and the importance of potential failure made analysis and of interim risk reduction measures. The future of risk concepts includes the promise of transforming the infrastructure dialogue to one where the risks are balanced by a discussion of the many benefits and values to society that dams deliver.

Key words: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, risk concept, infrastructure, management