Process: Plan Risk Responses
Process Group: Planning
Knowledge Area: Project Risk Management
Purpose
The Plan Risk Responses process involves developing options, selecting strategies, and agreeing on actions to address overall project risk and individual risks. It enables proactive management of both threats and opportunities, improving the project’s chances of success.
Inputs
- Project Management Plan – Especially the risk management, cost, schedule, and resource plans.
- Project Documents – Risk register, risk report, lessons learned register, stakeholder register, and project team assignments.
- Enterprise Environmental Factors (EEFs) – Risk tolerance, organizational structure, and market conditions.
- Organizational Process Assets (OPAs) – Risk response strategies, templates, and historical records.
Tools and Techniques
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Expert Judgment – Used to evaluate response strategies, feasibility, and resource needs.
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Data Gathering – Interviews or workshops to refine strategies and identify potential secondary risks.
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Interpersonal and Team Skills – Facilitation and negotiation to agree on responses.
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Strategies for Threats:
- Avoid
- Mitigate
- Transfer
- Escalate
- Accept
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Strategies for Opportunities:
- Exploit
- Enhance
- Share
- Escalate
- Accept
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Contingent Response Strategies – Predefined plans triggered by specific conditions.
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Decision Making – Multicriteria decision analysis to evaluate and select best-fit responses.
Outputs
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Updated Risk Register – Now includes:
- Selected response strategies
- Risk owners
- Specific action plans and timing
- Secondary risks
- Residual risks
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Updated Risk Report – Reflects planned responses and impact on overall risk exposure.
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Project Management Plan Updates – Especially to schedule, cost, and resource plans to account for response activities.
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Project Document Updates – Adjustments to lessons learned, stakeholder register, and team assignments.
Role in the Process Group and Knowledge Area
- In the Planning Process Group, Plan Risk Responses bridges risk analysis with execution by turning insights into action plans.
- As part of Project Risk Management, it ensures that identified risks are not just acknowledged—but actively addressed.
Why It Matters
- Reduces Threats and Enhances Opportunities – Applies proactive strategies to influence outcomes in the project’s favor.
- Clarifies Accountability – Assigns ownership of each response to specific individuals or groups.
- Aligns with Constraints – Ensures responses are feasible within scope, time, cost, and resource boundaries.
- Improves Resilience – Increases project adaptability by planning for uncertainty in advance.