Business Risk Map in 7 Phases: From Inventory to Monthly Review
Maps the risks of your business in seven steps: a full risk inventory, a probability-impact score with the top 3, hidden blind spots, single points of failure, mitigation plans, catastrophic low-probability risks and a monthly review of the map.
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- Phase 1 — Risk inventory
Context about my business: [paste] Task: list every risk my business faces today. Be exhaustive. Put each risk in one of these categories: market, execution, financial, competitor or founder risk. Present the list grouped by category.
- Phase 2 — Probability and impact scoring
My list of risks: [paste] Task: give each risk a probability score (low / medium / high) and an impact score (low / medium / high). Then name the 3 risks that need attention right away. Show the scores in a table with the columns Risk, Probability, Impact, then list the top 3 below it.
- Phase 3 — Hidden risks and blind spots
Context about my business: [paste] Question: which risks am I failing to see? Starting from my business model, my market and the stage I am at, point out the blind spots that founders in a position like mine usually ignore until it is too late.
- Phase 4 — Single points of failure
My business model: [paste] Task: in my business, find each single point of failure, meaning every place where one event, one person, one platform or one decision could bring the whole thing down.
- Phase 5 — Mitigation plan for the top 3 risks
My top 3 risks: [paste] Task: write a concrete mitigation plan for each of them. For every risk, state: 1. The early warning sign I should monitor 2. The preventive action to take now 3. How I respond if the risk actually happens
- Phase 6 — Asymmetric risk filter
My current risks: [paste] Task: identify the risks with an asymmetric downside, meaning their probability is low but their impact would be catastrophic. Then explain how I should handle them differently from ordinary operational risks.
- Phase 7 — Monthly risk map review
Last month's risk map and my updated context: [paste] Task: review the map and tell me: - what has changed - which new risks have appeared - which risks I have mitigated successfully