Risk Analysis

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

Risk Analysis tasks - Working on risk analysis using risk registers, probability/impact matrices, and mitigation planning. identifies, assesses, and manages project, business, and technical risks with structured response strategies
Planning or design - Need guidance on Risk Analysis approaches
Best practices - Want to follow established patterns and standards

Overview

Systematically identify, assess, and manage risks using risk registers, probability/impact matrices, and structured response planning. Supports project risks, business risks, technical risks, and opportunity management.

What is Risk Analysis?

Risk is an uncertain event or condition that, if it occurs, has a positive or negative effect on objectives. Risk analysis involves:

Identification: What could happen?
Assessment: How likely? How impactful?
Response Planning: What will we do about it?
Monitoring: Track and update risks

Risk vs Issue

Concept	Definition	Action
Risk	Potential future event (uncertain)	Plan response
Issue	Current problem (certain)	Resolve now

Threats vs Opportunities

Type	Effect	Response Goal
Threat	Negative impact	Minimize exposure
Opportunity	Positive impact	Maximize benefit

Risk Register

The central repository for all identified risks:

## Risk Register

| ID | Risk Description | Category | Probability | Impact | Score | Owner | Response | Status |
|----|-----------------|----------|-------------|--------|-------|-------|----------|--------|
| R-001 | [Description] | [Category] | H/M/L | H/M/L | [P×I] | [Name] | [Strategy] | Open |

Risk Register Fields

Field	Description
ID	Unique identifier
Description	Clear risk statement
Category	Type of risk
Probability	Likelihood of occurrence
Impact	Consequence if it occurs
Score	Risk priority (P × I)
Owner	Person responsible
Response	Planned response strategy
Status	Open, Mitigated, Closed, Occurred

Risk Categories

Category	Examples
Technical	Technology failure, integration issues
Schedule	Delays, dependencies
Cost	Budget overrun, resource costs
Resource	Skill gaps, availability
External	Vendor, regulatory, market
Organizational	Change resistance, priorities
Quality	Defects, performance
Security	Data breach, unauthorized access

Probability/Impact Matrix

Scoring Scales

Probability Scale:

Level	Score	Description	Likelihood
Very Low	1	Rare	< 10%
Low	2	Unlikely	10-30%
Medium	3	Possible	30-50%
High	4	Likely	50-70%
Very High	5	Almost Certain	> 70%

Impact Scale:

Level	Score	Schedule	Cost	Quality
Very Low	1	< 1 week	< 5%	Minor
Low	2	1-2 weeks	5-10%	Noticeable
Medium	3	2-4 weeks	10-20%	Significant
High	4	1-3 months	20-40%	Major
Very High	5	> 3 months	> 40%	Critical

Risk Score Calculation

Risk Score = Probability × Impact

Score Range: 1-25

Risk Priority Zones:

Score	Priority	Action
1-4	Low	Accept or monitor
5-9	Medium	Active management
10-14	High	Priority attention
15-25	Critical	Immediate action

Visual Matrix

quadrantChart
    title Risk Matrix
    x-axis Low Impact --> High Impact
    y-axis Low Probability --> High Probability
    quadrant-1 Critical
    quadrant-2 High Priority
    quadrant-3 Low Priority
    quadrant-4 Medium Priority

Risk Response Strategies

For Threats (Negative Risks)

Strategy	Description	When to Use
Avoid	Eliminate the threat	High probability and impact
Transfer	Shift to third party	Financial/contractual risks
Mitigate	Reduce probability or impact	Most common approach
Accept	Acknowledge, no action	Low priority risks

For Opportunities (Positive Risks)

Strategy	Description	When to Use
Exploit	Ensure opportunity occurs	High-value opportunities
Share	Partner to increase capability	Need external help
Enhance	Increase probability or impact	Moderate opportunities
Accept	Take advantage if it occurs	Low-effort opportunities

Response Planning Template

## Risk Response Plan: R-001

**Risk:** [Description]
**Strategy:** [Avoid/Transfer/Mitigate/Accept]

### Prevention Actions
| Action | Owner | Due Date | Status |
|--------|-------|----------|--------|
| [Preventive measure] | [Name] | [Date] | [Status] |

### Contingency Plan
**Trigger:** [What indicates risk is occurring]
**Actions:**
1. [Contingency action 1]
2. [Contingency action 2]

### Residual Risk
**After mitigation:**
- Probability: [Reduced level]
- Impact: [Reduced level]
- New Score: [Residual score]

Workflow

Phase 1: Risk Identification

Step 1: Gather Inputs

Sources for risk identification:

Project plans and schedules
Stakeholder concerns
Historical data from similar projects
SWOT analysis (Threats)
Technical assessments
External environment analysis

Step 2: Brainstorm Risks

Techniques:

Checklist review: Standard risk categories
Expert interviews: Subject matter experts
Assumption analysis: Test project assumptions
Root cause analysis: Work backward from impacts
SWOT: Threats and opportunities

Step 3: Document Risks

Risk statement format:

"There is a risk that [CONDITION/CAUSE] may result in [CONSEQUENCE/IMPACT]"

Example:
"There is a risk that key developer leaves may result in schedule delay and knowledge loss"

Phase 2: Risk Assessment

Step 1: Assess Probability

For each risk:

What is the likelihood of occurrence?
What evidence supports this assessment?
Use defined scale (1-5)

Step 2: Assess Impact

For each risk:

What would be the consequence?
Consider multiple impact types (schedule, cost, quality)
Use the highest impact dimension
Use defined scale (1-5)

Step 3: Calculate and Prioritize

## Risk Assessment Summary

| ID | Risk | P | I | Score | Priority |
|----|------|---|---|-------|----------|
| R-001 | [Risk 1] | 4 | 5 | 20 | Critical |
| R-002 | [Risk 2] | 3 | 3 | 9 | Medium |
| R-003 | [Risk 3] | 2 | 2 | 4 | Low |

Phase 3: Response Planning

Step 1: Select Response Strategy

For each significant risk:

Match strategy to risk characteristics
Consider cost of response vs. risk exposure
Assign risk owner

Step 2: Define Response Actions

Specific, measurable actions
Clear owners and due dates
Contingency triggers defined

Step 3: Calculate Residual Risk

After planned mitigations:

Re-assess probability and impact
Calculate residual risk score
Determine if acceptable

Phase 4: Monitoring

Step 1: Track Risk Status

Regular review cadence:

Critical risks: Weekly
High risks: Bi-weekly
Medium risks: Monthly
Low risks: Quarterly

Step 2: Update Register

New risks identified
Risk scores changed
Responses executed
Risks closed or occurred

Output Formats

Risk Register (Markdown Table)

## Risk Register: [Project/Initiative]

**Date:** [ISO Date]
**Owner:** [Name]
**Review Cycle:** [Weekly/Monthly]

| ID | Risk Description | Category | P | I | Score | Owner | Response | Actions | Status |
|----|-----------------|----------|---|---|-------|-------|----------|---------|--------|
| R-001 | Key developer may leave during critical phase | Resource | 4 | 5 | 20 | PM | Mitigate | Cross-train, document | Open |
| R-002 | Third-party API may have breaking changes | Technical | 3 | 4 | 12 | Tech Lead | Mitigate | Abstraction layer | Open |
| R-003 | Budget approval may be delayed | Cost | 2 | 4 | 8 | Sponsor | Accept | Monitor | Open |
| R-004 | New regulation may require features | External | 2 | 3 | 6 | BA | Accept | Watch | Open |

### Summary
- **Total Risks:** 4
- **Critical (15+):** 1
- **High (10-14):** 1
- **Medium (5-9):** 1
- **Low (1-4):** 1

Risk Matrix Visualization

quadrantChart
    title Risk Assessment Matrix
    x-axis Low Impact --> High Impact
    y-axis Low Probability --> High Probability
    quadrant-1 Critical - Immediate Action
    quadrant-2 High - Active Management
    quadrant-3 Low - Monitor
    quadrant-4 Medium - Plan Response
    "R-001 Key Dev": [0.9, 0.8]
    "R-002 API Changes": [0.7, 0.6]
    "R-003 Budget": [0.7, 0.35]
    "R-004 Regulation": [0.5, 0.35]

Structured Data (YAML)

risk_register:
  name: "[Project/Initiative]"
  version: "1.0"
  date: "2025-01-15"
  owner: "Project Manager"
  review_cycle: "weekly"

  risk_appetite:
    overall: "moderate"
    schedule: "low"
    cost: "moderate"
    quality: "low"

  scales:
    probability:
      1: "Rare (<10%)"
      2: "Unlikely (10-30%)"
      3: "Possible (30-50%)"
      4: "Likely (50-70%)"
      5: "Almost Certain (>70%)"
    impact:
      1: "Very Low"
      2: "Low"
      3: "Medium"
      4: "High"
      5: "Very High"

  risks:
    - id: "R-001"
      description: "Key developer may leave during critical phase"
      category: "Resource"
      probability: 4
      impact: 5
      score: 20
      priority: "critical"
      owner: "Project Manager"
      response_strategy: "mitigate"
      response_actions:
        - action: "Cross-train team member"
          owner: "Tech Lead"
          due_date: "2025-02-01"
          status: "in_progress"
        - action: "Document critical knowledge"
          owner: "Developer"
          due_date: "2025-02-15"
          status: "not_started"
      contingency:
        trigger: "Developer gives notice"
        actions:
          - "Accelerate knowledge transfer"
          - "Engage contractor"
      residual_risk:
        probability: 3
        impact: 3
        score: 9
      status: "open"
      created_date: "2025-01-15"
      last_reviewed: "2025-01-15"

  summary:
    total: 4
    by_priority:
      critical: 1
      high: 1
      medium: 1
      low: 1
    by_status:
      open: 4
      mitigated: 0
      closed: 0
      occurred: 0

Narrative Summary

## Risk Assessment Summary

**Project:** [Name]
**Date:** [ISO Date]
**Assessed By:** risk-analyst

### Risk Profile

| Priority | Count | Top Risk |
|----------|-------|----------|
| Critical | 1 | Key developer leaving |
| High | 1 | Third-party API changes |
| Medium | 1 | Budget approval delay |
| Low | 1 | Regulatory changes |

### Critical Risks Requiring Action

#### R-001: Key Developer Departure
- **Score:** 20 (P:4 × I:5)
- **Response:** Mitigate through cross-training and documentation
- **Target Residual:** 9 (P:3 × I:3)
- **Actions:** 2 in progress, 0 completed

### Risk Trends

| Metric | This Period | Last Period | Trend |
|--------|-------------|-------------|-------|
| Total Risks | 4 | 3 | ↑ |
| Critical | 1 | 0 | ↑ |
| Closed | 0 | 1 | ↓ |

### Recommendations

1. **Immediate:** Accelerate R-001 mitigation actions
2. **This Week:** Complete API abstraction layer design
3. **Monitor:** Watch for regulatory announcements

Common Pitfalls

Pitfall	Prevention
Vague risk descriptions	Use "condition may cause consequence" format
Inconsistent scoring	Define and use standard scales
No risk owners	Assign owner at identification
Stale register	Schedule regular reviews
Ignoring opportunities	Include positive risks
Over-analysis	Focus on high-priority risks
No contingency	Plan for when risks occur

Integration

Upstream

swot-pestle-analysis - Threats from strategic analysis
stakeholder-analysis - Stakeholder concerns as risks
decision-analysis - Risks inform decisions

Downstream

Project planning - Risk-adjusted schedules
Budgeting - Contingency reserves
Monitoring - Risk tracking dashboards

Related Skills

swot-pestle-analysis - Strategic threats/opportunities
root-cause-analysis - When risks occur
decision-analysis - Risk-based decisions
prioritization - Risk prioritization

Version History

v1.0.0 (2025-12-26): Initial release

risk-analysis