Project Risk Identification - Getting Started Guide

Sep 4, 2026

Project Risk Identification - Getting Started Guide outlines how to run effective risk workshops across a project lifecycle. It specifies who to involve (project managers, subject matter experts, stakeholders, and customers where applicable) and provides a structured agenda for collecting, prioritizing, scoring, and adding risks, along with assigning high-priority mitigation ownership and due dates. Guidance includes key “Questions to Ask,” a practical risk-register documentation format, and a referenced risk register template.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryGeneral

FormatDOCX

Pages3

Reading Time1 min

AccessFree to download

Whom Should You Involve?

Risk Identification Workshop Agenda

Sample Agenda

Questions to Ask

What Should You Do After the Workshop?

PROJECT RISK IDENTIFICATION: GETTING STARTED GUIDE Whom Should You Involve? Project risk identification is an essential activity that takes place throughout a project’s lifecycle. Be sure to include the following people: Project manager Subject matter experts Stakeholders, such as department managers who are involved in and impacted by the project Customers (if the project is associated with a customer deliverable) Risk Identification Workshop Agenda A workshop is an opportunity to involve the entire project team in identifying the project risks that are most likely to derail a project. Be sure to document the results of each workshop in the risk register. The initial workshop should include the entire project team. Additional workshops may include external subject matter experts, stakeholders, and customers. Sample Agenda Agenda Responsible Team Member Briefly introduce the project’s goals, team, and scope. Project manager Document all the potential risks on Post-It notes. Entire team Post all the risks on a whiteboard and remove any duplicates. Project manager Place the high-priority risks in one category (Priority 1) on the whiteboard. Entire team with project manager as lead Score the remaining risks (Priority 2-5) and sort them accordingly. Entire team Break into small groups in order to identify any additional risks that may impact your stakeholders. Entire team Add new risks to the whiteboard and prioritize them. Entire team Discuss sample mitigation plans. Project manager Assign each high-priority risk to a team member; include due dates. Each team member will develop a mitigation plan for their respective high-priority risk. Project manager Add all the risks and mitigation plans to the risk register. Project manager Share all the high-priority risks with your stakeholders. Project manager Questions to Ask Below is a list of questions to ask during your project risk identification workshop. These questions are useful if the team is having a difficult time identifying potential risks. What threats does the project face? Do you see any budget or scheduling problems? What may prevent us from completing the project on time? What could go wrong? What is the worst-case scenario? What tools will you use for this project? What will happen if you don’t have them? What Should You Do After the Workshop? Following the risk identification workshop, you should document all the risks in the risk register for tracking purposes. Document the risks using the following format: Because of , during . Such an occurrence could lead to , thus, . See the example below: Because of , during . Such an occurrence could lead to , thus, . The risk register template can be found HYPERLINK "https://www.smartsheet.com/risk-register-templates" \l "project-risk-register-template" here. DISCLAIMER Any articles, templates, or information provided by Smartsheet on the website are for reference only. While we strive to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability, or availability with respect to the website or the information, articles, templates, or related graphics contained on the website. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.

FAQs

Who should be involved in a project risk identification process?

Include the project manager, subject matter experts, stakeholders affected by the project, and customers when the project has a customer deliverable.

What are the key steps in the risk identification workshop agenda?

Introduce goals and scope, capture potential risks, consolidate on a whiteboard, categorize and prioritize, score remaining risks, brainstorm in small groups, add and reprioritize risks, discuss mitigation ideas, assign ownership with due dates, and record everything in the risk register.

How should risks be documented after the workshop?

Record each risk in the risk register using a format that links a factor to an event during a time period, then states the likely impact and the effect on project objectives.

Sep 4, 2026

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