Project Risk Register Examples: IT, Construction, Transportation, and More

It might be easy to write a project risk register and then forget about it. But risk management experts recommend several best practices, such as keep it simple, make it approachable, and how to use it for reference.

Project manager pros share these useful tips to help everyone keep project risk management top of mind: 

• Store the Project Risk Register Where the Team Can Find It: Store the risk register in a location that’s easy for all stakeholders and project team members to access.
• Keep It Simple: The layout of a risk register and its contents may change between projects, verticals, and industries. Using a downloadable project risk register template can streamline the process and ensure you don’t forget crucial items.
  
  “I use an Excel spreadsheet for a project risk register and teach my clients to do the same. It’s easy, accessible, and sustainable,” says MBI Consulting’s Mary Beth Imbarrato, Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Scrum Master (CSM), Strategic Planning Professional (SPP), and Change Management Specialist (CMS).
• Make Project Risk Discussions Approachable: One way to approach a risk register is to start with creating a project risk management plan and identifying potential issues — essentially, starting a list for the risk register.
  
  “People tend to shy away from risk discussions because they don't know how to approach the question, the answers, or the potential scenarios,” explains Imbarrato. “If we can provide tips on making this a simple discussion with easy-to-understand questions and a follow-up task of capturing the risks in a spreadsheet, it just makes the process seem less daunting.”
• Keep the Register Relevant and Focused: Project risk registers don’t have to be exceedingly long to be useful. The goal is to list potential risks that are relevant.
  
  “When you overpopulate your risk register with irrelevant risks, it dilutes the importance of the most critical risks. You may overlook important areas that require further attention,” explains Garrett Smith, Head of Local SEO, GMB Gorilla.
  
  “Keep your risk register focused on the big picture. Ignore any unnecessary risks that will overcrowd the analysis, such as risks that are already covered in prerequisite project plans, deliverables, or other procedures. Only take into account the risks that are not being formally managed elsewhere in the project.”
• Provide Unique IDs: Each risk in a project risk register requires an ID number. Business continuity consultant Alex Fullick of Stone Road LLC  recommends using at least three digits for ID numbers to make sorting long lists easier. 
  
    
• Michele Barry, Principal Consultant at Frontis, echoes that advice and adds that unique ID numbers are essential, especially if you have similar items for different categories, such as the same stock items or those with different dimensions.
  
• Consider Risks and Consider Them Well: Barry explains that listing project risks isn’t a magical act that makes them disappear. It’s vital to consider what you would do if they become issues. “And that's where your team mix has a really important influence. On a good team, you should have someone who's the book or fact nerd. It's great to have someone say, ‘Are you sure? Does this relate to this? Or is it something else?’” she adds.
• Avoid Nasty Surprises: It’s not enough to create a risk register; you still need to refer to it once the project is underway.
  
  “In the vast majority of cases, issues should never suddenly appear because if they do, it means that the issue wasn’t identified as a risk at the start of a project,” says Fullick. “In that case, it means that a team or organization is now playing catch up because they’ve ignored a potential risk and risk trigger events that are now impacting them.”
• Remember the Small Risks: Fullick notes that just because high-impact risks require attention, it doesn’t mean a project manager should ignore lesser-impact risks. He adds, “A risk with a low impact ignored for too long can escalate to a major risk if no action is taken against it. Remember, from small acorns do mighty oaks grow. Ignore low-rated risks at your peril.”
• Use It as a Reference Tool: A project risk register makes a valuable reference tool at regular meetings. Create a separate register to track continuing issues for areas not directly related to the project.
• Lean on Leadership: “The culture of the project and the sponsor and collegiality of the team enable a risk register to be functional,” says Barry. “Yes, the automated items can remind you what needs to happen. And, yes, you must remember to use your checklists. But people can ignore those things. Using the risk register is only as strong as your leadership or your project sponsorship.” 

“The Risk of Risk Registers — Managing Risk Is Managing Discourse Not Tools” in the Journal of Information Technology warns that risk registers become ineffective when managers mistake abstract risk entries for concrete risks. For example, listing a failed product as a customer service risk draws focus from other potential customer service risks. 

Nevertheless, the article maintains that risk registers provide a means to communicate risks across functions throughout an organization. Documenting risks helps focus effort and resources on addressing risk root causes. See this risk management benefits guide and this article on identifying project risks to learn more about the importance of creating a project risk register. This article on enterprise project planning defines how risk registers play a vital role in successful projects.