Agent skill
risk-management
Risk matrices, assessment patterns, and mitigation strategies. Reference this skill when assessing project risks.
Install this agent skill to your Project
npx add-skill https://github.com/majiayu000/claude-skill-registry/tree/main/skills/data/risk-management
SKILL.md
Risk Management Skill
Project Autopilot - Risk assessment and mitigation patterns
Copyright (c) 2026 Jeremy McSpadden jeremy@fluxlabs.net
Comprehensive patterns for project risk management.
Risk Framework
Risk Management Process
┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐
│ Identify │ → │ Analyze │ → │ Plan │
│ Risks │ │ & Score │ │ Response │
└─────────────┘ └─────────────┘ └─────────────┘
↑ │
│ ┌─────────────┐ │
└───────────│ Monitor │←──────────┘
│ & Review │
└─────────────┘
Risk Equation
Risk Exposure = Probability × Impact × (1 - Mitigation Effectiveness)
Risk Identification
Technical Risks
| Risk Area | Common Risks | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Scalability limits, coupling | Load tests, complexity metrics |
| Dependencies | Breaking changes, outages | Changelog frequency, uptime |
| Security | Vulnerabilities, data exposure | Audit results, CVE alerts |
| Performance | Bottlenecks, latency | Response times, resource usage |
| Integration | API compatibility, data sync | Error rates, timeout frequency |
Project Risks
| Risk Area | Common Risks | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Creep, unclear requirements | Change requests, backlog growth |
| Schedule | Delays, unrealistic estimates | Burndown variance, velocity |
| Budget | Overruns, unexpected costs | Actual vs estimate, burn rate |
| Quality | Bugs, technical debt | Defect rate, code coverage |
| Communication | Misalignment, silos | Meeting frequency, blockers |
Resource Risks
| Risk Area | Common Risks | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| Skills | Knowledge gaps, learning curves | Task completion time, questions |
| Availability | Competing priorities, absences | Capacity utilization, PTO |
| Turnover | Key person dependency | Bus factor, documentation |
| Vendors | Reliability, support quality | SLA compliance, response time |
External Risks
| Risk Area | Common Risks | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| Market | Competition, demand shifts | Market research, analytics |
| Regulatory | Compliance changes | Industry news, legal updates |
| Economic | Budget cuts, funding | Company financials, news |
| Technology | Platform changes, deprecations | Roadmaps, announcements |
Risk Scoring
Probability Matrix
| Level | Score | Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| Rare | 1 | Has never happened |
| Unlikely | 2 | Has happened once before |
| Possible | 3 | Has happened occasionally |
| Likely | 4 | Happens regularly |
| Almost Certain | 5 | Expected to happen |
Impact Matrix
| Level | Score | Schedule | Cost | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimal | 1 | < 1 day | < $100 | Cosmetic |
| Minor | 2 | 1-3 days | $100-500 | Minor defect |
| Moderate | 3 | 1-2 weeks | $500-2K | Functionality |
| Major | 4 | 2-4 weeks | $2K-10K | Major failure |
| Severe | 5 | > 1 month | > $10K | Project failure |
Risk Score Matrix
IMPACT
1 2 3 4 5
┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐
5 │ 5 │ 10 │ 15 │ 20 │ 25 │
├────┼────┼────┼────┼────┤
P 4 │ 4 │ 8 │ 12 │ 16 │ 20 │
R ├────┼────┼────┼────┼────┤
O 3 │ 3 │ 6 │ 9 │ 12 │ 15 │
B ├────┼────┼────┼────┼────┤
2 │ 2 │ 4 │ 6 │ 8 │ 10 │
├────┼────┼────┼────┼────┤
1 │ 1 │ 2 │ 3 │ 4 │ 5 │
└────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘
🟢 1-4: Low - Accept/Monitor
🟡 5-9: Medium - Mitigate
🟠 10-15: High - Priority mitigation
🔴 16-25: Critical - Immediate action
Response Strategies
Strategy Selection Guide
| Strategy | When to Use | Cost | Risk Reduction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avoid | Unacceptable risk | High | 100% |
| Mitigate | Reducible risk | Medium | 30-80% |
| Transfer | Outsourceable risk | Medium | 50-90% |
| Accept | Low impact/probability | Low | 0% |
Avoid
Eliminate the risk by changing approach.
**Risk:** Third-party auth service reliability
**Strategy:** Build authentication in-house
**Actions:**
1. Implement JWT-based auth
2. Use proven libraries (Passport.js)
3. Add multi-factor authentication
**Cost:** +2 weeks development
**Risk Reduction:** 100%
Mitigate
Reduce probability or impact.
**Risk:** Database performance degradation
**Strategy:** Implement caching and optimization
**Actions:**
1. Add Redis caching layer
2. Optimize slow queries
3. Implement connection pooling
4. Add read replicas
**Cost:** +1 week development
**Risk Reduction:** 70%
Transfer
Shift risk to another party.
**Risk:** Server infrastructure management
**Strategy:** Use managed services
**Actions:**
1. Migrate to Vercel/AWS managed
2. Use managed database (Supabase)
3. Implement monitoring (Datadog)
**Cost:** ~$200/month
**Risk Reduction:** 80%
Accept
Acknowledge and prepare contingency.
**Risk:** Minor browser compatibility issues
**Strategy:** Accept with monitoring
**Actions:**
1. Document known limitations
2. Monitor analytics for browser usage
3. Create workaround documentation
**Cost:** Minimal
**Risk Reduction:** 0% (accept)
Contingency Planning
Contingency Template
## Contingency: [Risk ID] - [Name]
### Trigger Conditions
- Condition 1 that indicates risk is occurring
- Condition 2 that indicates risk is occurring
### Immediate Response (0-1 hour)
1. Acknowledge incident
2. Notify stakeholders
3. Assess severity
### Short-term Response (1-24 hours)
1. Implement workaround
2. Communicate status
3. Begin root cause analysis
### Recovery Actions
1. Fix underlying issue
2. Restore normal operations
3. Document lessons learned
### Communication Plan
| Audience | Channel | Frequency | Owner |
|----------|---------|-----------|-------|
| Team | Slack | Real-time | Lead |
| Stakeholders | Email | 4 hours | PM |
| Users | Status page | As needed | Support |
Risk Monitoring
Key Risk Indicators (KRIs)
| Risk Type | KRI | Warning | Critical |
|---|---|---|---|
| Performance | P95 latency | > 500ms | > 1s |
| Availability | Uptime | < 99.9% | < 99% |
| Scope | Backlog growth | +20% | +50% |
| Budget | Cost variance | +15% | +30% |
| Quality | Defect rate | > 5% | > 10% |
| Security | Vulnerability age | > 7 days | > 30 days |
Monitoring Dashboard
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ RISK DASHBOARD │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Active Risks: 8 │ Critical: 1 │ High: 2 │ Med: 5 │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ R1 [API Dep] 🔴 ████████████████████████ Critical │
│ R2 [Scope] 🟠 ██████████████████░░░░░░ High │
│ R3 [Skills] 🟠 ████████████████░░░░░░░░ High │
│ R4 [Schedule] 🟡 ██████████████░░░░░░░░░░ Medium │
│ R5 [Budget] 🟡 ████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░ Medium │
│ │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Trend: → Stable │ Mitigations: 3 active │ Due: 2 │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Risk Review Cadence
| Meeting | Frequency | Focus | Attendees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily standup | Daily | Blockers, new risks | Team |
| Sprint planning | Bi-weekly | Sprint risks | Team |
| Risk review | Weekly | All active risks | Leads |
| Stakeholder update | Monthly | High/Critical risks | Management |
| Retrospective | Bi-weekly | Lessons learned | Team |
Common Software Project Risks
Top 10 Risks
- Unclear Requirements - Scope uncertainty
- Third-Party Dependencies - API/service reliability
- Technical Debt - Accumulated shortcuts
- Performance Issues - Scalability problems
- Security Vulnerabilities - Data protection
- Resource Availability - Team capacity
- Integration Complexity - System connections
- Schedule Pressure - Unrealistic deadlines
- Technology Changes - Platform updates
- Knowledge Gaps - Missing expertise
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