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Five Steps of the Risk Management Process

Posted on: January 25, 2023

Risk Management Process

The risk management process is a framework for the actions that need to be taken. There are
five basic steps that are taken to manage risk; these steps are referred to as the risk
management process. It begins with identifying risks, goes on to analyze risks, then the risk is
prioritized, a solution is implemented, and finally, the risk is monitored. In manual systems,
each step involves a lot of documentation and administration.
Here Are The Five Essential Steps of A Risk Management Process

1. Identify the Risk

2. Analyze the Risk
3. Evaluate or Rank the Risk
4. Treat the Risk
5. Monitor and Review the Risk

Step 1: Identify the Risk

The initial step in the risk management process is to identify the risks that the business is
exposed to in its operating environment.
There are many different types of risks:

 Legal risks
 Environmental risks
 Market risks
 Regulatory risks etc.

It is important to identify as many of these risk factors as possible. In a manual environment,

these risks are noted down manually. If the organization has a risk management solution
employed all this information is inserted directly into the system.
The advantage of this approach is that these risks are now visible to every stakeholder in the
organization with access to the system. Instead of this vital information being locked away in
a report which has to be requested via email, anyone who wants to see which risks have been
identified can access the information in the risk management system.
Learn in depth about risk identification
Step 2: Analyze the Risk
Once a risk has been identified it needs to be analyzed. The scope of the risk must be
determined. It is also important to understand the link between the risk and different factors
within the organization. To determine the severity and seriousness of the risk it is necessary
to see how many business functions the risk affects. There are risks that can bring the whole
business to a standstill if actualized, while there are risks that will only be minor
inconveniences in the analysis.
In a manual risk management environment, this analysis must be done manually.When a risk
management solution is implemented one of the most important basic steps is to map risks to
different documents, policies, procedures, and business processes. This means that the system
will already have a mapped risk management framework that will evaluate risks and let you
know the far-reaching effects of each risk.
Step 3: Evaluate the Risk or Risk Assessment
Risks need to be ranked and prioritized. Most risk management solutions have different
categories of risks, depending on the severity of the risk. A risk that may cause some
inconvenience is rated lowly, risks that can result in catastrophic loss are rated the highest. It
is important to rank risks because it allows the organization to gain a holistic view of the risk
exposure of the whole organization. The business may be vulnerable to several low-level
risks, but it may not require upper management intervention. On the other hand, just one of
the highest-rated risks is enough to require immediate intervention.
There are two types of risk assessments: Qualitative Risk Assessment and Quantitative Risk
Assessment.
Qualitative Risk Assessment
Risk assessments are inherently qualitative – while we can derive metrics from the risks,
most risks are not quantifiable. For instance, the risk of climate change that many businesses
are now focusing on cannot be quantified as a whole, only different aspects of it can be
quantified. There needs to be a way to perform qualitative risk assessments while still
ensuring objectivity and standardization in the assessments throughout the enterprise.
Quantitative Risk Assessment
Finance related risks are best assessed through quantitative risk assessments. Such risk
assessments are so common in the financial sector because the sector primarily deals in
numbers – whether that number is the money, the metrics, the interest rates, or any other data
point that is critical for risk assessments in the financial sector. Quantitative risk assessments
are easier to automate than qualitative risk assessments and are generally considered more
objective.
Go in more depth Bringing Quantitative Risk Analysis to Enterprise Risk Management
Step 4: Treat the Risk
Every risk needs to be eliminated or contained as much as possible. This is done by connecting with
the experts of the field to which the risk belongs. In a manual environment, this entails contacting
each and every stakeholder and then setting up meetings so everyone can talk and discuss the
issues. The problem is that the discussion is broken into many different email threads, across
different documents and spreadsheets, and many different phone calls.

In a risk management solution, all the relevant stakeholders can be sent notifications from
within the system. The discussion regarding the risk and its possible solution can take place
from within the system. Upper management can also keep a close eye on the solutions being
suggested and the progress being made within the system. Instead of everyone contacting
each other to get updates, everyone can get updates directly from within the risk management
solution.
Check our recent post: Improving Risk and Compliance Results With Smarter Data
Step 5: Monitor and Review the Risk
Not all risks can be eliminated – some risks are always present. Market risks and environmental risks
are just two examples of risks that always need to be monitored. Under manual systems monitoring
happens through diligent employees. These professionals must make sure that they keep a close
watch on all risk factors. Under a digital environment, the risk management system monitors the
entire risk framework of the organization. If any factor or risk changes, it is immediately visible to
everyone. Computers are also much better at continuously monitoring risks than people. Monitoring
risks also allows your business to ensure continuity.

We can tell you How you can create a risk management plan to monitor and review the risk.
The Basics of The Risk Management Process Stay the Same
Even under a digital environment, the basics of the risk management process stay the same. What
changes is how efficiently these steps can be taken, and as it should be clear by now, there is simply
no competition between a manual risk management system and a digital one. There are also
many new risks that businesses are facing for the first time in 2019, and modern problems require
modern solutions.

Risk Management Evaluation

Any business that wants to maximize its risk management efficiency needs to focus on risk
management evaluations. These evaluations and assessments help businesses truly understand
their own capabilities, strengths, and vulnerabilities. More evaluations result in more insights
about where the business needs to improve its risk management framework. It can be difficult
to carry out these evaluations manually, but risk management solutions and technology can
simplify the evaluation and assessment workflow. It is important to do an evaluation before
making any major changes to the risk management framework.
What is Risk Management
Risk management is an important business practice that helps businesses identify, evaluate,
track, and improve the risk mitigation process in the business environment. Risk management
is practiced by the business of all sizes; small businesses do it informally, while enterprises
codify it.
Businesses want to ensure stability as they grow. Managing the risks that are affecting the
business is a critical part of this stability. Not knowing about the risks that can affect the
business can result in losses for the organization. Being unaware of a competitive risk can
result in loss of market share, being unaware of financial risk can result in financial losses,
being aware of a safety risk can result in an accident, and so on.
Businesses have dedicated risk management resources; small businesses may have just one
risk manager or a small team while enterprises have a risk management department. People
who work in the risk management domain monitor the organization and its environment.
They look at the business processes being followed within the organization and they look at
the external factors which can affect the organization one way or the other.
A business that can predict a risk will always be at an advantage. A business that can predict
a financial risk will limit its investments and focus on strengthening its finances. A business
that can assess the impact of a safety risk can devise a safe way to work which can be a major
competitive advantage.
If we think of the business world as a racecourse then the risks are the potholes which every
business on the course must avoid if they want to win the race. Risk management is the
process of identifying all the potholes, assessing their depth to understand how damaging
they can be, and then preparing a strategy to avoid damages. A small pothole may simply
require the business to slow down while a major pothole will require the business to avoid it
completely.
Knowing the severity of a risk and the probability of risk helps businesses allocate their
resources effectively. If businesses understand the risks that affect them then they will know
which risks need the most attention and resources and which ones the business can disregard.
Risk management allows businesses to act proactively in mitigating vulnerabilities before any
major damage is incurred. There are different types of risk management strategies and
solutions for different types of risks.
Read also: The Importance of Real Time Risk Appetite Tracking
Why is Risk Management Important?
Risk management is important because it tells businesses about the threats in their operating
environment and allows them to preemptively mitigate risks. In the absence of risk
management, businesses would face heavy losses because they would be blindsided by risks.
If you want to see what risk management tools like Predict360 can do for your organization,
simply sign up to get a live demo of Predict360’s most exciting features by getting in touch
with us through chat, or request a demo.
About the Company
360factors, Inc. (Austin, TX) helps companies improve business performance by reducing
risk and ensuring compliance. Predict360, its flagship software product, vertically integrates
regulations and requirements, policies and procedures management, risks and controls, audit
management and inspections, and on-line training and qualifications, in a single cloud-based
platform based on artificial intelligence. Remain up-to-date on industry news/updates through
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