Risk Assessment Skill

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

• Risk Assessment tasks - Working on risk identification and quantification using fmea, risk matrices, and fair methodology for project and technical risks
• Planning or design - Need guidance on Risk Assessment approaches
• Best practices - Want to follow established patterns and standards

Overview

Risk identification, analysis, and quantification using industry-standard methodologies including FMEA, risk matrices, and FAIR for project, technical, and security risks.

MANDATORY: Documentation-First Approach

Before providing risk assessment guidance:

1. Invoke docs-management skill to access official methodology documentation
2. Verify framework currency via MCP servers (perplexity for FAIR updates, NIST guidelines)
3. Base all guidance on authoritative sources - cite frameworks and standards

Risk Matrix Approach

Standard 5x5 Risk Matrix

Impact →        Negligible  Minor   Moderate   Major    Catastrophic
Probability ↓      (1)       (2)       (3)       (4)         (5)
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Almost Certain(5)   5         10        15        20          25
Likely (4)          4          8        12        16          20
Possible (3)        3          6         9        12          15
Unlikely (2)        2          4         6         8          10
Rare (1)            1          2         3         4           5

Risk Score Interpretation

public enum RiskLevel
{
    Low,       // Score 1-4: Accept with monitoring
    Medium,    // Score 5-9: Mitigation recommended
    High,      // Score 10-16: Mitigation required
    Critical   // Score 17-25: Immediate action required
}

public sealed record RiskScore(
    int Probability,
    int Impact,
    int Score,
    RiskLevel Level)
{
    public static RiskScore Calculate(int probability, int impact)
    {
        var score = probability * impact;
        var level = score switch
        {
            <= 4 => RiskLevel.Low,
            <= 9 => RiskLevel.Medium,
            <= 16 => RiskLevel.High,
            _ => RiskLevel.Critical
        };
        return new RiskScore(probability, impact, score, level);
    }
}

Risk Categories for Software Projects

public enum RiskCategory
{
    // Technical Risks
    TechnicalComplexity,
    TechnologyMaturity,
    IntegrationRisk,
    PerformanceRisk,
    SecurityRisk,
    DataQualityRisk,

    // Schedule Risks
    DependencyRisk,
    ResourceAvailability,
    ScopeCreep,
    RequirementsVolatility,

    // Organizational Risks
    StakeholderAlignment,
    SkillsGap,
    VendorDependency,
    RegulatoryCompliance,

    // External Risks
    MarketChanges,
    CompetitorActions,
    EconomicFactors,
    TechnologyObsolescence
}

public sealed record ProjectRisk(
    string Id,
    string Title,
    string Description,
    RiskCategory Category,
    RiskScore InherentRisk,
    IReadOnlyList<Mitigation> Mitigations,
    RiskScore ResidualRisk,
    string Owner,
    DateOnly IdentifiedDate,
    DateOnly? ReviewDate,
    RiskStatus Status);

public enum RiskStatus
{
    Identified,
    Analyzing,
    Mitigating,
    Monitoring,
    Closed,
    Accepted
}

FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis)

FMEA Structure

public sealed record FailureMode(
    string Id,
    string Component,
    string Function,
    string PotentialFailure,
    string PotentialEffect,
    int Severity,        // 1-10: Impact of failure
    string PotentialCause,
    int Occurrence,      // 1-10: Likelihood of occurrence
    string CurrentControls,
    int Detection,       // 1-10: Ability to detect (10 = undetectable)
    int RPN)             // Risk Priority Number = S × O × D
{
    public static int CalculateRPN(int severity, int occurrence, int detection)
        => severity * occurrence * detection;
}

public sealed class FMEAAnalyzer
{
    public FMEAResult Analyze(IEnumerable<FailureMode> failureModes)
    {
        var sorted = failureModes
            .OrderByDescending(fm => fm.RPN)
            .ToList();

        return new FMEAResult(
            FailureModes: sorted,
            HighPriorityCount: sorted.Count(fm => fm.RPN >= 200),
            MediumPriorityCount: sorted.Count(fm => fm.RPN is >= 100 and < 200),
            RecommendedActions: GenerateActions(sorted));
    }

    private IReadOnlyList<RecommendedAction> GenerateActions(
        IReadOnlyList<FailureMode> sorted)
    {
        var actions = new List<RecommendedAction>();

        foreach (var fm in sorted.Where(fm => fm.RPN >= 100))
        {
            // Prioritize based on highest contributing factor
            if (fm.Severity >= 8)
                actions.Add(new RecommendedAction(
                    fm.Id,
                    ActionType.DesignChange,
                    $"Reduce severity for {fm.Component}: {fm.PotentialFailure}"));
            else if (fm.Occurrence >= 6)
                actions.Add(new RecommendedAction(
                    fm.Id,
                    ActionType.PreventiveControl,
                    $"Reduce occurrence for {fm.Component}: {fm.PotentialCause}"));
            else if (fm.Detection >= 6)
                actions.Add(new RecommendedAction(
                    fm.Id,
                    ActionType.DetectionImprovement,
                    $"Improve detection for {fm.Component}: add monitoring/tests"));
        }

        return actions;
    }
}

FMEA Severity Scale (Software)

Rating	Description	Criteria
10	Catastrophic	Complete system failure, data loss, safety hazard
9	Critical	System unusable, major functionality lost
8	Severe	Significant degradation, workaround required
7	Major	Important feature unavailable, user impact high
6	Moderate	Feature partially available, moderate user impact
5	Low	Minor feature impact, workaround available
4	Minor	Cosmetic issue, no functional impact
3	Very Minor	Rarely noticed by users
2	Negligible	Internal issue only
1	None	No discernible effect

FMEA for Software Components Example

public static class SoftwareFMEATemplates
{
    public static IEnumerable<FailureMode> DatabaseComponentFMEA()
    {
        yield return new FailureMode(
            Id: "DB-001",
            Component: "Database Connection Pool",
            Function: "Manage database connections",
            PotentialFailure: "Connection pool exhaustion",
            PotentialEffect: "API requests timeout, service unavailable",
            Severity: 8,
            PotentialCause: "Connection leaks, high concurrent load",
            Occurrence: 4,
            CurrentControls: "Connection timeout, pool size monitoring",
            Detection: 3,
            RPN: FailureMode.CalculateRPN(8, 4, 3)); // 96 - Medium

        yield return new FailureMode(
            Id: "DB-002",
            Component: "Database",
            Function: "Store and retrieve data",
            PotentialFailure: "Data corruption",
            PotentialEffect: "Incorrect data returned, business logic failures",
            Severity: 10,
            PotentialCause: "Concurrent write conflicts, incomplete transactions",
            Occurrence: 2,
            CurrentControls: "Transaction isolation, checksums",
            Detection: 5,
            RPN: FailureMode.CalculateRPN(10, 2, 5)); // 100 - High priority
    }
}

FAIR (Factor Analysis of Information Risk)

FAIR Model Structure

public sealed record FAIRAnalysis(
    string ScenarioName,
    ThreatEventFrequency TEF,
    Vulnerability Vuln,
    LossEventFrequency LEF,
    LossMagnitude LM,
    RiskQuantification Risk);

public sealed record ThreatEventFrequency(
    double ContactFrequency,    // Times threat contacts asset per year
    double ProbabilityOfAction, // Probability threat acts on contact
    double AnnualTEF)           // = ContactFrequency × ProbabilityOfAction
{
    public static ThreatEventFrequency Calculate(
        double contactFrequency,
        double probabilityOfAction)
    {
        return new ThreatEventFrequency(
            contactFrequency,
            probabilityOfAction,
            contactFrequency * probabilityOfAction);
    }
}

public sealed record Vulnerability(
    double ThreatCapability,   // 0-1: Attacker skill/resources
    double ControlStrength,    // 0-1: Effectiveness of defenses
    double VulnerabilityLevel) // Probability attack succeeds
{
    public static Vulnerability Calculate(
        double threatCapability,
        double controlStrength)
    {
        // Vulnerability = max(0, ThreatCapability - ControlStrength)
        var vuln = Math.Max(0, threatCapability - controlStrength);
        return new Vulnerability(threatCapability, controlStrength, vuln);
    }
}

public sealed record LossEventFrequency(
    double TEF,
    double Vulnerability,
    double AnnualLEF) // = TEF × Vulnerability
{
    public static LossEventFrequency Calculate(
        ThreatEventFrequency tef,
        Vulnerability vuln)
    {
        return new LossEventFrequency(
            tef.AnnualTEF,
            vuln.VulnerabilityLevel,
            tef.AnnualTEF * vuln.VulnerabilityLevel);
    }
}

FAIR Loss Magnitude Categories

public sealed record LossMagnitude(
    MonetaryRange PrimaryLoss,
    MonetaryRange SecondaryLoss,
    MonetaryRange TotalLoss);

public sealed record MonetaryRange(
    decimal Minimum,
    decimal MostLikely,
    decimal Maximum,
    decimal Expected) // PERT: (Min + 4×ML + Max) / 6
{
    public static MonetaryRange Calculate(decimal min, decimal mostLikely, decimal max)
    {
        var expected = (min + 4 * mostLikely + max) / 6;
        return new MonetaryRange(min, mostLikely, max, expected);
    }
}

public enum LossType
{
    // Primary Losses (direct)
    ProductivityLoss,
    ResponseCost,
    ReplacementCost,

    // Secondary Losses (indirect)
    ReputationDamage,
    RegulatoryFines,
    LegalLiability,
    CompetitiveDisadvantage
}

public sealed class FAIRCalculator
{
    public RiskQuantification QuantifyRisk(
        LossEventFrequency lef,
        LossMagnitude lm)
    {
        // Annual Loss Expectancy = LEF × Expected Loss
        var ale = (decimal)lef.AnnualLEF * lm.TotalLoss.Expected;

        // Monte Carlo for distribution
        var simResults = RunSimulation(lef, lm, iterations: 10_000);

        return new RiskQuantification(
            AnnualLossExpectancy: ale,
            Percentile10: simResults.Percentile(10),
            Percentile50: simResults.Percentile(50),
            Percentile90: simResults.Percentile(90),
            MaximumExposure: lm.TotalLoss.Maximum);
    }
}

FAIR Analysis Example

public static class FAIRExamples
{
    public static FAIRAnalysis DataBreachScenario()
    {
        // Scenario: External attacker targeting customer database

        var tef = ThreatEventFrequency.Calculate(
            contactFrequency: 100,     // 100 attack attempts/year
            probabilityOfAction: 0.5); // 50% are serious attempts
        // TEF = 50 threat events/year

        var vuln = Vulnerability.Calculate(
            threatCapability: 0.7,    // Skilled attackers
            controlStrength: 0.6);    // Reasonable defenses
        // Vulnerability = 0.1 (10% success rate)

        var lef = LossEventFrequency.Calculate(tef, vuln);
        // LEF = 50 × 0.1 = 5 loss events/year

        var primaryLoss = MonetaryRange.Calculate(
            min: 50_000m,
            mostLikely: 200_000m,
            max: 1_000_000m);

        var secondaryLoss = MonetaryRange.Calculate(
            min: 100_000m,
            mostLikely: 500_000m,
            max: 5_000_000m);

        var totalLoss = new LossMagnitude(
            PrimaryLoss: primaryLoss,
            SecondaryLoss: secondaryLoss,
            TotalLoss: MonetaryRange.Calculate(
                150_000m, 700_000m, 6_000_000m));

        // Annual Loss Expectancy ≈ 5 × $700K = $3.5M
        return new FAIRAnalysis(
            ScenarioName: "Customer Database Breach",
            TEF: tef,
            Vuln: vuln,
            LEF: lef,
            LM: totalLoss,
            Risk: new FAIRCalculator().QuantifyRisk(lef, totalLoss));
    }
}

Risk Register Template

Risk Register Structure

public sealed class RiskRegister
{
    private readonly List<ProjectRisk> _risks = new();

    public string ProjectName { get; init; } = "";
    public DateOnly CreatedDate { get; init; }
    public DateOnly LastReviewDate { get; set; }
    public IReadOnlyList<ProjectRisk> Risks => _risks;

    public RiskRegisterSummary GetSummary()
    {
        return new RiskRegisterSummary(
            TotalRisks: _risks.Count,
            CriticalRisks: _risks.Count(r => r.ResidualRisk.Level == RiskLevel.Critical),
            HighRisks: _risks.Count(r => r.ResidualRisk.Level == RiskLevel.High),
            MediumRisks: _risks.Count(r => r.ResidualRisk.Level == RiskLevel.Medium),
            LowRisks: _risks.Count(r => r.ResidualRisk.Level == RiskLevel.Low),
            OpenRisks: _risks.Count(r => r.Status != RiskStatus.Closed),
            OverdueReviews: _risks.Count(r =>
                r.ReviewDate.HasValue && r.ReviewDate < DateOnly.FromDateTime(DateTime.UtcNow)),
            RisksByCategory: _risks
                .GroupBy(r => r.Category)
                .ToDictionary(g => g.Key, g => g.Count()));
    }

    public void AddRisk(ProjectRisk risk) => _risks.Add(risk);

    public IEnumerable<ProjectRisk> GetTopRisks(int count = 10)
        => _risks
            .Where(r => r.Status != RiskStatus.Closed)
            .OrderByDescending(r => r.ResidualRisk.Score)
            .Take(count);
}

public sealed record Mitigation(
    string Id,
    string Description,
    MitigationType Type,
    string Owner,
    DateOnly DueDate,
    MitigationStatus Status,
    decimal EstimatedCost,
    int ExpectedRiskReduction); // Percentage reduction

public enum MitigationType
{
    Avoid,      // Eliminate the risk entirely
    Transfer,   // Transfer to third party (insurance, contract)
    Mitigate,   // Reduce probability or impact
    Accept      // Acknowledge and monitor
}

Risk Identification Techniques

Technique Selection Guide

Technique	Best For	Participants
Brainstorming	Initial risk identification	Cross-functional team
Checklist Review	Known risk categories	PM, Tech Lead
SWOT Analysis	Strategic/business risks	Stakeholders
Root Cause Analysis	Post-incident learning	Technical team
Expert Interviews	Domain-specific risks	SMEs
Assumption Analysis	Requirements risks	BA, PM
Delphi Technique	Consensus building	Anonymous experts

Risk Identification Prompts by Category

public static class RiskIdentificationPrompts
{
    public static IEnumerable<string> TechnicalRiskPrompts()
    {
        yield return "What happens if the chosen technology doesn't scale?";
        yield return "What third-party dependencies could become unavailable?";
        yield return "What integration points have the most uncertainty?";
        yield return "Where is the system most vulnerable to performance issues?";
        yield return "What security threats are most likely?";
        yield return "What happens if key technical assumptions are wrong?";
    }

    public static IEnumerable<string> ScheduleRiskPrompts()
    {
        yield return "What dependencies could delay the project?";
        yield return "Which team members are single points of failure?";
        yield return "What scope changes are likely to be requested?";
        yield return "What requirements are still unclear or volatile?";
        yield return "What external deliverables are we waiting on?";
    }

    public static IEnumerable<string> OrganizationalRiskPrompts()
    {
        yield return "Which stakeholders might resist the change?";
        yield return "What skills gaps exist on the team?";
        yield return "What vendor relationships are critical?";
        yield return "What regulatory requirements might change?";
        yield return "How might organizational priorities shift?";
    }
}

Risk Response Strategies

Response Strategy Selection

public static class RiskResponseSelection
{
    public static MitigationType RecommendStrategy(ProjectRisk risk)
    {
        // Critical risks with high impact: try to avoid
        if (risk.InherentRisk.Level == RiskLevel.Critical &&
            risk.InherentRisk.Impact >= 4)
            return MitigationType.Avoid;

        // Financial risks: consider transfer
        if (risk.Category is RiskCategory.VendorDependency
            or RiskCategory.SecurityRisk)
            return MitigationType.Transfer;

        // Technical risks: usually mitigate
        if (risk.Category is RiskCategory.TechnicalComplexity
            or RiskCategory.IntegrationRisk
            or RiskCategory.PerformanceRisk)
            return MitigationType.Mitigate;

        // Low probability/impact: accept
        if (risk.InherentRisk.Score <= 6)
            return MitigationType.Accept;

        return MitigationType.Mitigate;
    }
}

Workflow

When conducting risk assessment:

1. Define Scope: Identify what is being assessed (project, system, component)
2. Select Methodology: Choose appropriate framework (Matrix, FMEA, FAIR)
3. Identify Risks: Use brainstorming, checklists, expert input
4. Analyze Risks: Assess probability and impact
5. Prioritize: Rank by risk score or RPN
6. Plan Responses: Define mitigation strategies
7. Document: Create/update risk register
8. Monitor: Establish review cadence

References

For detailed framework documentation:

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Last Updated: 2025-12-26