Adaptive Consulting - Exploring all paths to reach the peak in your business

"Why would someone want a Risk Assessment done for their business?". This is a question that was asked of me a few weeks ago by a client. It made me realise that most people don't usually give any thought to what potential risks they or their businesses could be exposed to.

I had a think about the pros and cons of performing a Risk Assessment and having a Risk Management Plan for any business and listed my thoughts below:

Pros

• Provides a snapshot of the business with regards to current or future risks and issues
• Identify areas where the business can be protected from different types of risks
• Provides a basis for implementing the most relevant and cost-effective safeguards and to avoid costly and long-winded resolution of issues
• Identify opportunity risks so that the business is ready for or working towards potential opportunities that may arise as a result of certain situations
• Increase the likelihood of achieving business or project objectives
• Provides customers and stakeholders an improved confidence and trust in the business

Cons

• Costs time and/or money to perform a risk assessment
• Costs time and/or money to implement recommendations
• Monitoring risks can be time consuming
• Not all risks could be identified upfront as these change depending on a variety of circumstances
• Not all risks will eventuate

It is important to note that Risk Management is an ongoing activity and doesn't stop after an assessment is completed.