Risk Register Command

Systematically identify, assess, and plan responses for risks using risk registers, probability/impact matrices, and mitigation strategies. Supports threats and opportunities.

Arguments

<context-or-file>: Project/initiative context or existing risk register file
--mode: Operation mode (default: create)
- create: Create new risk register (~6K tokens)
- update: Add risks to existing register (~4K tokens)
- review: Review and re-assess existing risks (~5K tokens)
--output: Output format (default: both)
- yaml: Structured YAML for downstream processing
- markdown: Formatted markdown tables
- both: Both formats
--dir: Output directory (default: docs/analysis/)

Execution

Step 1: Parse Arguments

Extract context/file, mode, and output format from arguments.

If no context provided, ask the user: "What project, initiative, or area would you like to assess for risks?"

Default mode is create. Default output is both.

Step 2: Load Risk Analysis Skill

Invoke the business-analysis:risk-analysis skill to access:

Risk identification techniques
Probability and Impact scales
Risk scoring methodology
Response strategies (Avoid, Transfer, Mitigate, Accept)
Risk register templates
Monitoring and review processes

Step 3: Execute Based on Mode

Create Mode (New Register)

Step A: Define Context

## Risk Register Context

**Project/Initiative:** [Name]
**Owner:** [Risk register owner]
**Review Cycle:** [Weekly/Bi-weekly/Monthly]
**Risk Appetite:** [Conservative/Moderate/Aggressive]
**Date Created:** [ISO Date]

Step B: Identify Risks

Use multiple techniques to identify risks:

Checklist Review: Standard risk categories
- Technical, Schedule, Cost, Resource, External, Quality, Security
Assumption Analysis: List and challenge assumptions
- What are we assuming will go right?
- What if those assumptions fail?
Expert Input: Domain-specific risks
- What could go wrong in this domain?
- What has failed before in similar projects?
SWOT Threats: From strategic analysis
- External factors that could harm objectives

For each risk, capture:

Clear description (cause + effect format)
Category
Initial assessment
Potential impact areas

Step C: Assess Risks

Apply probability/impact scoring:

Probability Scale (1-5):

Level	Score	Likelihood
Very Low	1	< 10%
Low	2	10-30%
Medium	3	30-50%
High	4	50-70%
Very High	5	> 70%

Impact Scale (1-5):

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: Probability × Impact (1-25)

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

Step D: Plan Responses

For each significant risk, define response strategy:

For Threats:

Avoid: Eliminate the threat entirely
Transfer: Shift to third party (insurance, contract)
Mitigate: Reduce probability or impact
Accept: Acknowledge with contingency plan

For Opportunities:

Exploit: Ensure opportunity occurs
Share: Partner to increase capability
Enhance: Increase probability or impact
Accept: Take advantage if it occurs

For each response, define:

Prevention actions (reduce probability)
Contingency actions (if risk occurs)
Owner and target dates
Residual risk after mitigation

Update Mode (Add to Existing)

Read existing risk register file
Identify new risks to add
Assess new risks using same scales
Plan responses for new risks
Update summary statistics
Preserve existing risk history

Review Mode (Re-assess)

Read existing risk register
For each open risk:
- Has probability changed?
- Has impact changed?
- Have mitigation actions been completed?
- Should status change (Open → Mitigated → Closed)?
Identify any new risks discovered during review
Update review date and notes
Adjust priorities based on current assessment

Step 4: Generate 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 - Priority Attention
    quadrant-3 Low - Monitor
    quadrant-4 Medium - Active Management
    "R-001 Key resource": [0.9, 0.8]
    "R-002 Vendor delay": [0.7, 0.6]
    "R-003 Scope creep": [0.6, 0.5]
    "R-004 Tech debt": [0.4, 0.3]

Step 5: Generate Output Artifacts

YAML Output

risk_register:
  version: "1.0"
  name: "[Project/Initiative]"
  date: "[ISO Date]"
  owner: "[Name]"
  review_cycle: "bi-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"
      type: "threat"
      probability: 4
      impact: 5
      score: 20
      priority: "critical"
      owner: "[Name]"
      response_strategy: "mitigate"
      response_actions:
        prevention:
          - action: "Cross-train team member"
            owner: "[Name]"
            due_date: "[Date]"
            status: "in_progress"
        contingency:
          - trigger: "Developer gives notice"
            action: "Engage contractor immediately"
      residual_risk:
        probability: 3
        impact: 3
        score: 9
      status: "open"
      created_date: "[Date]"
      last_reviewed: "[Date]"
      notes: "[Additional context]"

  summary:
    total: 10
    by_priority:
      critical: 1
      high: 2
      medium: 4
      low: 3
    by_status:
      open: 8
      mitigated: 1
      closed: 1
      occurred: 0
    by_category:
      technical: 3
      resource: 2
      schedule: 2
      external: 2
      cost: 1

  review_log:
    - date: "[Date]"
      reviewer: "[Name]"
      changes: "[Summary of changes]"

Markdown Output

## Risk Register: [Project/Initiative]

**Owner:** [Name]
**Last Updated:** [ISO Date]
**Review Cycle:** [Frequency]
**Next Review:** [Date]

### Risk Summary

| Priority | Count | Top Risk |
|----------|-------|----------|
| Critical | [#] | [Risk name] |
| High | [#] | [Risk name] |
| Medium | [#] | [Risk name] |
| Low | [#] | [Risk name] |

### Active Risks

| ID | Risk Description | Cat | P | I | Score | Owner | Response | Status |
|----|-----------------|-----|---|---|-------|-------|----------|--------|
| R-001 | Key developer departure | Resource | 4 | 5 | 20 | PM | Mitigate | Open |
| R-002 | Vendor API changes | Technical | 3 | 4 | 12 | Tech Lead | Mitigate | Open |
| R-003 | Scope creep | Schedule | 3 | 3 | 9 | PM | Accept | Open |

### Critical Risks (Score 15+)

#### R-001: Key Developer Departure

**Description:** Key developer may leave during critical phase

**Assessment:**
- Probability: 4 (Likely)
- Impact: 5 (Critical)
- Score: 20 (Critical Priority)

**Response Strategy:** Mitigate

**Prevention Actions:**
| Action | Owner | Due Date | Status |
|--------|-------|----------|--------|
| Cross-train team member | Tech Lead | [Date] | In Progress |
| Document critical knowledge | Developer | [Date] | Not Started |

**Contingency Plan:**
- Trigger: Developer gives notice
- Actions: Engage contractor, accelerate knowledge transfer

**Residual Risk:** Score 9 (Medium) after mitigation

### Response Tracking

| Risk | Action | Owner | Due | Status |
|------|--------|-------|-----|--------|
| R-001 | Cross-training | Tech Lead | [Date] | In Progress |
| R-001 | Documentation | Developer | [Date] | Not Started |
| R-002 | Abstraction layer | Dev | [Date] | Complete |

### Risk Trends

| Metric | This Period | Last Period | Trend |
|--------|-------------|-------------|-------|
| Total Risks | 10 | 8 | ↑ |
| Critical | 1 | 0 | ↑ |
| Mitigated | 1 | 2 | ↓ |
| Closed | 1 | 1 | → |

Summary Report

## Risk Assessment Summary

**Project:** [Name]
**Date:** [ISO Date]
**Analyst:** ba-orchestrator

### Risk Profile

Overall risk exposure is [Low/Medium/High/Critical] based on:
- [#] critical risks requiring immediate attention
- [#] high-priority risks under active management
- Risk appetite alignment: [Aligned/Exceeded]

### Top 3 Risks

1. **R-001**: [Description] (Score: 20)
   - Response: [Strategy]
   - Status: [Current status]

2. **R-002**: [Description] (Score: 12)
   - Response: [Strategy]
   - Status: [Current status]

3. **R-003**: [Description] (Score: 9)
   - Response: [Strategy]
   - Status: [Current status]

### Recommendations

1. **Immediate**: Address R-001 mitigation actions
2. **This Week**: Complete R-002 abstraction layer
3. **Monitor**: Watch for new external risks
4. **Review**: Schedule stakeholder risk review

Step 6: Save Results

Save outputs based on format flag:

YAML file:

docs/analysis/risk-register.yaml

Markdown file:

docs/analysis/risk-register.md

Use --dir to specify a custom output directory.

Step 7: Suggest Follow-Up Actions

After completing risk assessment:

## Suggested Next Steps

1. **Stakeholder Review**: Present risk register to stakeholders
2. **Mitigation Tracking**: Set up action tracking for response plans
3. **Root Cause Analysis**: Use `/ba:root-cause` for risks that occurred
4. **Decision Analysis**: Use decision-analysis skill for risk response options
5. **Schedule Reviews**: Set calendar reminders for risk reviews
6. **Integration**: Link to project management tool for tracking

risk-register