Risk management should push decisions. In many organisations, it becomes reporting theatre. The register fills up, reviews happen, and exposure stays the same.
Signs your risk register lost its purpose
- Risks have no single named owner.
- Mitigation dates move every quarter.
- Actions depend on “future budget” with no sponsor.
- Ratings change to match comfort, not evidence.
- The register tracks symptoms, not root causes.
Why this happens
1) People confuse visibility with control
Logging a risk does not reduce it. It only documents it.
2) Leadership wants reassurance
If leaders treat the register as a status report, teams optimise for appearance. They avoid hard statements like “we accept this risk”.
3) No consequence model exists
If nothing happens when deadlines slip, people learn that dates mean nothing.
How to rebuild the register into a decision tool
Make ownership non-negotiable
- One business owner per risk
- One accountable executive sponsor for high risks
Attach a decision to every high risk
Examples:
- Accept with rationale and review date
- Fund remediation with timeline
- Reduce scope to reduce exposure
- Transfer via contract and insurance, with proof
Kill zombie risks
If a risk stays open for 12 to 18 months with no action, it is not “pending”. It is accepted exposure. Label it that way and force leadership to sign it.
The hard truth
A risk register without decisions trains your organisation to tolerate exposure. Good risk management makes leaders uncomfortable in a productive way.
