National Consumer Tribunal Annual Report 2011/12 National Consumer Tribunal 2011-12 | Page 59

cognisance taken of the effectiveness of the internal control environment.
The risk register is monitored and updated on a quarterly basis and
progress is tabled at the Audit and Risk Committee meetings.
As at the end of the fi nancial year, three of the 21 actions on the strategic
risk register were still in progress to be fi nalised and will be carried over
into the next fi nancial year’s register. There were 21 action items on the
operational risk register of which fi ve are in progress and will be carried
over into the next fi nancial year’s register.
During the year under review, the Tribunal conducted a risk assessment
to assess the risks that would prevent the Tribunal achieving its Strategic
and Business Plan objectives. Risks were identifi ed at the strategic
and operational levels. The risk assessment process involved the
management team of the Tribunal and was aligned to the risk strategy
and methodology that has been developed by the Tribunal. Each risk
was rated, and action plans and responsible individuals were assigned
to ensure that the risks are addressed and thus minimised. Timeframes
were also stated for each action plan. Specifi c controls and action plans
are therefore in place to mitigate and manage risks going forward.
A major exercise during the year was the review of the Strategic Plan for
the period 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2014, and the Business Plan for the
period 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012, in order to bring these into line with
the dti’s strategic goals. As a result, the strategic goals of the Strategic
Plan have been considerably streamlined.
The strategic goals were formalised following careful and thorough
assessment of the environment in which the Tribunal operates. The
planning workshop that produced this strategic plan gathered up-to-date
information about the organisation’s internal strengths and weaknesses,
and its external opportunities and threats (challenges). This analysis also
considered political, economic, social, environmental and technological
aspects applicable to the Tribunal. Through this exercise, the workshop
participants were able to refi ne and reshape the list of critical questions
that are facing the Tribunal, thus defi ning the critical strategic tasks facing
it over the next three years.
The human resource component, managed by Corporate Services, has
been dealt with in detail earlier in this operational review.
Signifi cant progress was made on the implementation of the Information
Communication Technology Plan, with the following objectives achieved
during the year:
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•
•
•
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A new ICT service provider was engaged;
New end-user hardware with the latest operating system was rolled
out;
All software including anti-virus and Offi ce application licences were
brought up-to-date;
Real-time monitoring of the Tribunal’s ICT infrastructure was
implemented to ensure faults are dealt with effi ciently. As a result,
functionality is monitored more closely and downtime reduced.
Annual Report 2011
national consumer tribunal | page 57