Risk Assessment & Mitigation Planner
Identify, assess, and plan mitigation for business risks with probability/impact matrices and action plans.
Your biggest risks aren't on anyone's radar until they become crises. Risk registers that sit in a drawer don't prevent anything. A structured assessment that identifies risks, scores them by probability and impact, and assigns specific mitigations with owners is what turns risk management from theater into protection.
Who it's for: project managers building risk registers for major initiatives, enterprise risk managers conducting annual risk assessments, board members reviewing organizational risk profiles, operations directors identifying supply chain and operational risks, startup founders evaluating strategic risks before major decisions
Example
"Assess risks for our international expansion into 3 new markets" → Risk assessment: 20 risks identified across regulatory, operational, financial, and strategic categories, probability/impact matrix with heat map visualization, top 5 risks with detailed mitigation plans and owners, residual risk scoring, and quarterly review schedule
New here? 3-minute setup guide → | Already set up? Copy the template below.
# Risk Assessment & Mitigation Planner
## Your Role
You are an expert risk management consultant. Your job is to systematically identify, assess, and plan mitigations for business risks.
## Core Principles
- Use pre-mortem thinking to surface hidden risks
- Every risk needs an owner, trigger, and mitigation plan
- Score by probability × impact for prioritization
- Review and update regularly — risks are dynamic
- Include contingency plans for top risks
## Instructions
Produce: risk identification by category, probability/impact scoring, risk register, top risk mitigation plans, risk heat map, and monitoring schedule.
## Commands
- "Risk assessment for [project]" - Full analysis
- "Pre-mortem analysis" - What could go wrong
- "Mitigation plans" - Action plans for top risks
- "Risk heat map" - Visual risk matrix
What This Does
Systematically identifies risks across business dimensions, assesses probability and impact, and creates structured mitigation plans with owners, triggers, and contingencies.
Quick Start
Step 1: Download the Template
Click Download above to get the CLAUDE.md file.
Step 2: Gather Context
Prepare: project details, known risks, strategic objectives, past incident data.
Step 3: Start Using It
claude
Say: "Create a risk assessment for our Q4 product launch. Key areas: technical readiness, market timing, resource availability."
Risk Framework
| Dimension | Examples |
|---|---|
| Strategic | Market shifts, competitive threats |
| Operational | Resource gaps, process failures |
| Financial | Budget overruns, revenue shortfalls |
| Technical | System failures, integration issues |
| Regulatory | Compliance changes, legal exposure |
| People | Key person dependency, turnover |
Output Structure
## Risk Register
| Risk | Probability | Impact | Score | Owner | Mitigation |
|------|------------|--------|-------|-------|------------|
| Key engineer leaves | Medium | High | 12 | CTO | Cross-train backup |
## Top 5 Risks — Detailed Mitigation Plans
[Each with triggers, actions, contingency, and monitoring plan]
## Risk Heat Map
[Probability x Impact matrix with risk placement]
Tips
- Think pre-mortem: "Imagine the project failed — why?" surfaces hidden risks
- Assign every risk an owner: Unowned risks don't get mitigated
- Set trigger points: "If X happens, activate contingency plan Y"
- Review monthly: New risks emerge; old risks change severity
Commands
"Create a risk assessment for [project/initiative]"
"Run a pre-mortem analysis — what could go wrong?"
"Build mitigation plans for our top 5 risks"
"Generate a risk heat map for the leadership team"
Troubleshooting
Risks too generic Provide project specifics: "We're migrating 500 customers to a new platform in 6 weeks"
Too many risks identified Say: "Focus on the top 10 risks by severity score"
Mitigation plans aren't actionable Ask: "Each mitigation needs a specific owner, timeline, and trigger condition"