A tool grounded in practice, designed to be useful and alive.
This file is open source: you are free to modify, adapt, and evolve it.
If you spot an error, a gap, or an unmet need, request access, I’ll update the file accordingly.
The Golden Rule
Your approach to risk management should never cost more than the risk you’re trying to avoid.
Risk analysis is not the goal of your project.
It’s a lens for clarity, not an end in itself.
How to Use This Tool
1. Structured Tracking
With each update, fill in the cell dedicated to the last revision date of the risk.
This tracking is essential to maintain a clear record of progress.
2. Multi-disciplinary Workshops
Work collaboratively in workshops with diverse profiles.
The first session is a free capture of all risks:
- Use the “First pass” tab
- Describe each risk in the first column
- Do not quantify at this stage
- As with any co-creation activity: don’t block ideas, capture them all
3. Avoid Duplication with FMEA
If you’re running a technical project using a method like FMEA (Failure Modes and Effects Analysis),
do not copy risks already managed elsewhere into this table.
👉 One single source of truth per risk.
4. Second Session: Clarify and Quantify
A few days later, revisit the list:
- Revalidate your understanding of each risk
- Quantify it with the team
5.Risk Sorting
- High to very high risk:
→ Transfer it to the “H&M risks” tab
→ Mark in column E that it has been transferred
→ Remove the quantification from the “First pass” page to avoid duplication - Moderate to low risk:
→ Keep it in “First pass”
→ In column E, indicate the planned action (often: tolerate)
6.Ongoing Monitoring
Track with the team whether the risk evolves or remains stable.
This monitoring should occur 5 to 10 times maximum during the project.
For High to Very High Risks
One dedicated session per risk.
Ideally, you’ll have no more than 10 to manage.
Key Steps:
Describe the risk precisely
- Cause: where does it come from?
- Impact: what happens if it materializes?
Decide on the response together
- Choose how to respond
- Clarify the rationale
- Document: who decided, when, and what action
Example: “We’re hiring an Excel expert to ensure the template is bug-free. Decision made by the project team on March 12.”
Build and track the mitigation plan
- Define a clear plan
- Regularly update its progress status
Assess the residual risk
- Once the plan is implemented, estimate the residual risk assuming full success
Prepare a contingency plan if needed
- If the residual risk remains high, prepare a contingency plan
Example:
- Communication team ready to mobilize
- Communication materials prepared
- Subcontractor identified
- Contingency budget included in the overall project budget and pre-approved
A Few Tips
- Eliminate bias: decouple the questions, identify risks first, quantify later
- Two levels of tracking:
- Governance (review evolution and mitigation plan follow-up)
If risk management becomes mechanical, without soul or intention,
then quality and relevance will suffer , and the tool will lose impact and usefulness.
Common Pitfalls
- If a key performance is a risk, monitor it through risk analysis,
not through FMEA (which analyzes functional failures) - Do not duplicate: one single channel with clear authority
- Not all risks deserve detailed analysis
→ Cost / Quality / Analysis vs Value - Risk management should not paralyze or slow down the project
It evolves alongside the project, with maturity and detail growing in parallel
Coaching or Mentoring: Your Choice, Your Growth
I’m Franck Dervault, drawing on years of professional experience and now advancing toward certification as a coach. I offer two distinct paths:
- Coaching to help you unlock your own potential through reflection, presence, and guided discovery.
- Mentoring to share lessons, strategies, and insights from my career so you can navigate challenges with confidence.
Whichever path you choose, my goal is the same: to help you realize that you are wiser than you think, with immense potential waiting to be unlocked.
Don’t face management challenges alone: subscribe and receive practical keys every week to help you progress.