Failure Modes and Effect Analysis

Correct Answer: Conduct a workshop to analyze and validate the severity, occurrence and detection parameters

The best approach when your team is unsure about the severity, occurrence, and detection parameters in FMEA (Failure Mode and Effect Analysis) is to 'Conduct a workshop to analyze and validate the severity, occurrence and detection parameters'. This approach is a proactive problem-solving method that allows teams to identify potential risks, gauge their impact, and formulate effective countermeasures. On the other hand, 'Ignoring the parameters and continuing the project' is not an appropriate course of action because without understanding these parameters, the team cannot estimate the risk accurately or devise appropriate mitigation strategies. 'Asking the team to guess the parameters' is also not a good approach because guessing can lead to inaccuracies that could potentially escalate the risks rather than mitigating them. Lastly, 'Informing clients about the risk and asking them to determine these parameters' is not a suitable approach either, as it is the responsibility of the project team, not the clients, to determine these parameters as a part of risk analysis.

Correct Answer: Assign a risk priority number (RPN) to identify the priority of the identified failure mode

In the context of a project, when a failure mode is identified, especially one that could lead to a data security breach, the correct course of action is to follow the Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) process by assigning a Risk Priority Number (RPN) to the identified failure mode. This helps in prioritizing the risks based on their severity, occurrence, and detection rating. An RPN allows the team to focus on the highest-risk items first. Hence, the best action is to assign a risk priority number (RPN) to identify the priority of the identified failure mode. Ignoring the developer's concern is not good practice as it can lead to major problems down the track which could have been avoided. Informing the client about the possible failure mode without first assessing the risk could lead to unnecessary panic and may not be a practical solution. Asking the developer to solve the identified issue themselves is also not the suitable approach as resolving the issue may require collective decision-making and could involve other aspects outside of the developer's job role.

Correct Answer: Seek external help or arrange for the team's training in the latest technology

In this situation, the most successful course of action would be to 'Seek external help or arrange for the team's training in the latest technology'. This method ensures that the problem of outdated technology is addressed while also enhancing the skill set of the team, which can be beneficial for future projects. The idea of 'Abandoning the project because of outdated technology' is not good practice because it avoids the problem rather than addressing it. Meanwhile, asking the team to 'Learn the latest technology overnight' is impractical and unrealistic, it might prove to be very stressful for the team. Holding a 'Party to boost team morale' may boost the team's morale temporarily but it won't address the main issue here - the outdated technology and its effect on the software update project. It can be said as a step that may help but it's not the best answer in this situation.