Create a simple risk register

---
name: create-a-simple-risk-register
category: start
description: Create a simple risk register with cause, event, consequence, likelihood, impact, controls, actions, ownership, and review dates. Use when a project or team needs a shared view of uncertain threats and opportunities.
---

# create-a-simple-risk-register

Write risks as uncertain events, not current issues or vague concerns.

## When to use

- Use at project start, before a decision, or during recurring review.
- Do not hide severe risks inside an average score.

## Procedure

1. Define scope, objectives, time horizon, rating scale, review cadence, and escalation threshold.
2. Gather risks from plans, assumptions, dependencies, incidents, stakeholders, and subject experts.
3. Write each as cause, uncertain event, and consequence.
4. Record category, trigger, likelihood, impact, proximity, affected objective, existing controls, and evidence.
5. Assign owner, response, action, due date, residual rating, and contingency.
6. Separate active issues from risks and link them where related.
7. Review changed ratings, overdue actions, new risks, retired risks, and material residual exposure.

## Done

- A risk register lists identifiers, statements, ratings, controls, triggers, responses, owners, actions, dates, and status
- Scope, duplicate, issue, severity, owner, overdue-action, and escalation checks verify the register supports decisions