7.1 Team composition

The execution of the Raster method is a project that requires a suitable project leader. The project leader should posses the following skills:

• able to effectively lead project meetings.
• ample experience with the Raster method.
• sufficient knowledge of IT and telecommunication technology.

In project meetings, the project leader ensures that each participant receives opportunities to contribute, and that all points of view are discussed. When necessary, the project leader queries statements, to improve on opinions and assessments. The project leader does not have to be a telecommunication expert, but should posses sufficient knowledge of IT and telecoms to lead the discussions. The project leader can participate as one of the analysts, or concentrate on managing the project.

Three factors influence the choice and number of analysts.

1. To apply the Raster method to an organisation, expertise from various fields of study is essential. Analysing threats to telecom service components requires in-depth knowledge of telecoms engineering, crisis management, political and legal issues, and the preferences of external stakeholders. No analyst can be expected to be expert in all these fields.
2. Raster requires analysts to make assessments about uncertain scenarios, often without access to all desired information. This inevitably means that assessments are partly subjective. By including several analysts from different backgrounds, the amount of subjectivity can be kept in check.
3. Several steps in the Raster method call for consensus. When the group becomes too large, reaching consensus will be time consuming.

These factors indicate that the group of analysts should not be too small, but also not too large. The group should include experts from different fields and backgrounds, and should not exceed 10 persons.

Before a Raster project can start, an introductory session should be held in which the project leader shows the key activities using a small mock-example.

It is often useful to use a core team. The core team consists of the two or three most experienced analysts, plus the project leader. The responsibility of the core group is to execute most of the operational tasks, so that the other analysts can restrict their involvement to providing their specific knowledge.

During stages 2 and 3 one of the analysts should be appointed as recorder. The responsibility of the recorder is to record the diagrams and the assessments of vulnerabilities to components using the Raster tool. The recorder should use a computer connected to a projector, so that all analysts in the room can view a common, central display of the tool. The project leader may perform the recorder role.

Because the recorder notes all assessments, he or she will be the best placed to detect inconsistencies in assessments. The recorder should take special care to notice inconsistent scores between components, and bring these up for discussion. For example, if some vulnerability is scored as Medium in one component but as Low in another, similar component, the group should discuss whether one of these scores may have to be adjusted.

In follow-up sessions the recorder may find it useful to distribute printouts from the Raster tool for reference.