Did you know?

BarnOwl enables you to set up data periods, which can be used to view changes to your risk profile over a specified period of time.

Setting up Data Periods

You can set up data periods in the BarnOwl Server Management Console.
Server Console > General Setup > Data Periods
In the New Data Period form, a list of all data periods is displayed.

To capture a new data period, type a name for the new data period in the text box, and click Save.

It is possible to create automatic data periods, but this will need to be done by your IT department. For more information, contact BarnOwl Support.
So, where can you use the information recorded in the data periods?
When you create a new data period, BarnOwl takes a snapshot of your database as it is on the date of the new data period. This means that you can view the way your risk profile has changed. You can view the RR vs RR Risk Movement Heatmap, which shows you the movement of your risk ratings over time.

RR vs RR Risk Movement Heatmap

Risk Management > Select Unit > View Menu > Risks > RR vs RR Risk Movement Heatmap
This heatmap shows you the changes in your residual risk ratings for a specified data period for the specific unit.
Select the data periods you wish to view from the RR1 and RR2 drop-down lists.

The heat map is displayed.

If you have added risks after the previous data period, there will be no movement until you create an additional data period, because the risk did not exist at the time the ‘snapshot’ was taken.
In addition, You can also view the risk rating movement by risk category across multiple units by clicking the button and then clicking the button. This button toggles to .

You can drill into the movement by sub-category by data period by double clicking a risk category (e.g. Employee) in the bottom pane; double click again and you see the individual risks across all business units over time:

Finally, you can double click a risk category (e.g. Recruitment and Retention) to see all Employee, Recruitment and Retention risks by unit over time:

BarnOwl provides several standard reports (accessed via the Reports>Trend menu) which use data periods. For example, you can view the movement of your risks over multiple data periods exported into Excel: Reports>Trend>Trend>Risk Report:

The risks with an ‘*’ indicate risks that have been deleted in the past.