Project Toolkitby Maxime Lab
Risk · tool 3 of 7

Risk · tool 3 of 7

Risk Response Strategies

Risk Response Strategies: gives you more options than “monitor it”.

Best for: After analysing risks · Time: 30 min per risk
Domain: Risk · Focus area: Planning

How it works

For threats, you can escalate, avoid, transfer, mitigate or accept. For opportunities, you can escalate, exploit, share, enhance or accept. Each response needs an owner and a trigger.

  • Avoid removes the threat; mitigate reduces it.
  • Transfer moves the impact, such as through insurance.
  • Accepting is a valid, deliberate choice.

How to apply it

  1. Take your top risks.
  2. Choose a response for each.
  3. Give it an owner, a cost and a trigger.
  4. Add it to the plan.
In practice

Risk: key supplier fails. Mitigate with a second source, trigger: two late deliveries in a row.

Pro tip

Treat opportunities like risks too. Most registers ignore them and lose upside.

Use it

Quick check

You buy insurance against a loss. Which response is that?

Sources

  • PMBOK® Guide, 8th edition, and The Standard for Project Management (PMI, 2025)

Last reviewed 2026-11-02 against the PMBOK® Guide, 8th edition · Practitioner review pending · How this guide is made