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20 Common Project Risks - Example Risk

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Download our risk register of 20 key common project risks.

This is a FREE risk register that contains 20 common project risks with mitigating
(/risk/[Link]) and contingency actions that you can take against each
one.

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 The 20 common project risks |  View the risk register |  Download the
Excel template | Bonus mindmap of the common risks (/risk/mindmap-top-
[Link])

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20 Common Project Risks

These are the 20 common project risks which we have included in the risk register
along with suggested mitigating actions and contingency actions

1. Project purpose and need is not well-defined.

2. Project design and deliverable definition is incomplete.

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 3. Project schedule (/project-dictionary/[Link]) is not
clearly defined or understood.

4. No control over staff priorities.

5. Consultant or contractor delays.

6. Estimating and/or scheduling errors.

7. Unplanned work that must be accommodated.

8. Lack of communication, causing lack of clarity and confusion.

9. Pressure to arbitrarily reduce task durations and or run tasks (/project-

dictionary/[Link]) in parallel which would increase risk of
errors.

10. Scope Creep. (/project-dictionary/[Link])

11. Project (/project-management/[Link]) conflicts not resolved in a

timely manner.

12. Business Case (/project-management/[Link]) becomes obsolete

or is undermined by external or internal changes.

13. Delay in earlier project phases (/project-dictionary/[Link])

jeopardizes ability to meet fixed date. For example delivery of just in time
materials, for conference or launch date.

14. Added workload or time requirements because of new direction, policy, or

statute.

15. Inadequate customer testing leads to large post go live defect list.

16. Legal action delays or pauses project (/project-management/what-is-a-

[Link]).

17. Customer refuses to approve deliverables (/project-dictionary/deliverable-

[Link])/milestones (/project-management/project-
[Link]) or delays approval, putting pressure on project manager to
'work at risk'.

18. Theft of materials, intellectual property or equipment.

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 19. Acts of God for example, extreme weather, leads to loss of resources (/project-
dictionary/[Link]), materials, premises etc.

20. Stakeholder (/[Link]) action delays the project (/project-

management/[Link]). For more on the damage stakeholders
(/[Link]) can do see our case studies of real world projects
that faced costs running into millions, because of stakeholder actions
(/[Link]).

Completed risk register with 20 project risks you

need to manage

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 Severity
Impact Rating Owner
Likelihood if the based on Person who will M
of the risk risk impact & manage the A
ID Risk description occurring occurs likelihood. risk.  e

1 Project purpose Medium High High Project Sponsor C

and need is not (/project- (/
well-defined. dictionary/project- m
sponsor- ca
[Link]) p
p
P
d
m
P
m

2 Project design Low High High Project Sponsor D

and deliverable (/project- d
definition is dictionary/project- p
incomplete. sponsor- d
[Link]) w
m
d
e
d

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 Severity
Impact Rating Owner
Likelihood if the based on Person who will M
of the risk risk impact & manage the A
ID Risk description occurring occurs likelihood. risk.  e

3 Project schedule Low Medium Medium Project Manager H

(/project- w
dictionary/project- (/
schedule- te
[Link]) is u
not clearly lik
defined or re
understood S
th
e
p

4 No control over Medium Medium Medium Project Manager T

staff priorities (/
s
b
im
S
(/
m
p
co
d
sc
Id
h
th

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 Severity
Impact Rating Owner
Likelihood if the based on Person who will M
of the risk risk impact & manage the A
ID Risk description occurring occurs likelihood. risk.  e

5 Consultant or Medium High High Project Manager In

contractor delays co
B
in
C
e
C
re
A
n

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 Severity
Impact Rating Owner
Likelihood if the based on Person who will M
of the risk risk impact & manage the A
ID Risk description occurring occurs likelihood. risk.  e

6 Estimating/or Medium High High Project Manager B

scheduling errors e
e
U
e
tr
a
a
B
co
d
sc
T
in
a
p
(/
te
F
d
(/
b

Download this risk register of common project risks

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 …‫احمر شفاه سوبر ستاي من الفينيل المع يدوم طويال ومقاوم ل‬
3,831

‫تسوق اآلن‬

Download this risk register of common project risks

Severity
Impact Rating Owner
Likelihood if the based on Person who wi
of the risk risk impact & manage the
ID Risk description occurring occurs likelihood. risk. 

7 Unplanned work that Low High Medium Team Manager

must be
accommodated

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 Severity
Impact Rating Owner
Likelihood if the based on Person who wi
of the risk risk impact & manage the
ID Risk description occurring occurs likelihood. risk. 

8 Lack of Medium Medium Medium Project Manage

communication,
causing lack of clarity
and confusion. 

9 Pressure to arbitrarily Low High Medium Project Manage

reduce task durations
and or run tasks in
parallel which would
increase risk of errors.

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 Severity
Impact Rating Owner
Likelihood if the based on Person who wi
of the risk risk impact & manage the
ID Risk description occurring occurs likelihood. risk. 

10 Scope Creep (/project- Medium High High Project Manage

dictionary/scope-creep-
[Link])

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 Severity
Impact Rating Owner
Likelihood if the based on Person who wi
of the risk risk impact & manage the
ID Risk description occurring occurs likelihood. risk. 

11 Unresolved project Low Medium Medium Project Manage

conflicts not escalated
in a timely manner

12 Business Case Low High High Project Sponso

(/project- (/project-
management/business- dictionary/proje
[Link]) becomes sponsor-
obsolete or is [Link])
undermined by
external or internal
changes. 

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 Severity
Impact Rating Owner
Likelihood if the based on Person who wi
of the risk risk impact & manage the
ID Risk description occurring occurs likelihood. risk. 

13 Delay in earlier project Medium High High Project Manage

phases jeopardizes
ability to meet fixed
date. For example,
delivery of just in time
materials, for
conference or launch
date. 

14 Added workload or Low Medium Medium Project Sponso

time requirements (/project-
because of new dictionary/proje
direction, policy, or sponsor-
statute [Link])

15 Inadequate customer High High High Project Manage

testing leads to large
post go live snag list. 

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 Severity
Impact Rating Owner
Likelihood if the based on Person who wi
of the risk risk impact & manage the
ID Risk description occurring occurs likelihood. risk. 

16 Legal action delays or Low Medium Medium Project Sponso

pauses project.  (/project-
dictionary/proje
sponsor-
[Link])

17 Customer refuses to Medium Medium Medium Project Manage

approve
deliverables/milestones
or delays approval,
putting pressure on
project manager to
'work at risk'. 

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 Severity
Impact Rating Owner
Likelihood if the based on Person who wi
of the risk risk impact & manage the
ID Risk description occurring occurs likelihood. risk. 

18 Theft of materials, Low High High Project Manage

intellectual property or
equipment.

19 Acts of God for Low High High Project Manage

example, extreme
weather, leads to loss
of resources (/project-
dictionary/resource-
[Link]),
materials, premises
etc. 

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 Severity
Impact Rating Owner
Likelihood if the based on Person who wi
of the risk risk impact & manage the
ID Risk description occurring occurs likelihood. risk. 

20 Stakeholder action Low High High Project Manage

delays project. 

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Download the Risk Register of common Project
Risks

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Excel 1997 - 2003 download (.xls) - FREE Risk Register

of Common Risks (/risk/risk-register-of-common-project-
[Link])

Excel download (.xlsx) - FREE Risk Register of Common

Risks (/risk/[Link])

MindMap download - FREE MindMap of Common

Project Risks (/risk/[Link])

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  The Top 50 Business Risks and how to manage them!
(/risk/[Link])

 Checklist of 30 Construction Risks (/risk/construction-

[Link])

 Download a Risk Register template (/risk/[Link])

 Overall Project Risk Assessment Template (/risk/project-
[Link])

 Simple Risk Register Template (/risk/simple-risk-register-

[Link])

Resources used in this article

Lock, D. (2007) Project Management Nineth Edition ([Link]
Aldershot, England and Brookfield, Vt: Gower Publishing Limited

 © 2008 - 2099 T Morphy. [Link].

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 © 2008 - 2080 T Morphy. [Link]. All rights reserved. Permission queries (/permission-
[Link])
 

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