How do I install the Risk Assessment skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add nandanosql/risk-assessment in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Risk Assessment safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Risk Assessment?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Risk Assessment free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Risk Assessment?

nandanosql (@nandanosql) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Risk Assessment by nandanosql — Agent Skill

Name: Risk Assessment
Author: nandanosql

File contents

Purpose

Systematically identify and evaluate risks across four dimensions — technical, market, usability, and business — before committing significant resources. Creates a risk register with ownership, impact assessment, and mitigation plans.

Key Concepts

Four Risk Dimensions (Marty Cagan)

Risk	Question	Example
Value	Will customers want it?	"Users might not care about this feature"
Usability	Can users figure it out?	"The workflow is too complex for non-technical users"
Feasibility	Can we build it?	"ML model accuracy might be insufficient"
Viability	Does it work for the business?	"Unit economics don't work at this price point"

Risk Matrix

              IMPACT
         Low    Med    High
   Low  │  1  │  2  │  3  │
PROB Med │  2  │  4  │  6  │
   High │  3  │  6  │  9  │

Application

Step 1: Brainstorm Risks

For each dimension, list potential risks:

### Value Risks
- [Risk 1: description + "What if..." scenario]
- [Risk 2]

### Usability Risks
- [Risk 1]
- [Risk 2]

### Feasibility Risks
- [Risk 1]
- [Risk 2]

### Viability Risks
- [Risk 1]
- [Risk 2]

Step 2: Evaluate and Prioritize

| # | Risk | Dimension | Probability | Impact | Score | Owner |
|---|------|-----------|------------|--------|-------|-------|
| 1 | [Description] | [V/U/F/B] | [H/M/L] | [H/M/L] | [1-9] | [Name] |
| 2 | [Description] | [V/U/F/B] | [H/M/L] | [H/M/L] | [1-9] | [Name] |

Step 3: Mitigation Plans (Top Risks)

For each risk scoring ≥6:

## Risk: [Name]
**Mitigation strategy:** [How to reduce probability or impact]
**Contingency plan:** [What to do if it happens anyway]
**Leading indicator:** [How we'll know early if this risk is materializing]
**Decision point:** [When we'll re-evaluate this risk]

Quality Rubric

Dimension	0	1	2
Coverage	1 risk dimension	2-3 dimensions	All 4 (value, usability, feasibility, viability)
Specificity	"Something might go wrong"	Named risks	Risks + probability + impact
Mitigation	None	"We'll watch it"	Specific actions + owners + indicators
Honesty	All low probability	Mix	Unflinching, includes uncomfortable truths
Actionability	List only	Risk register	Register + decision points + contingencies

Common Pitfalls

Pitfall 1: Risk Assessment as Checkbox Exercise

Fix: If your risk assessment has zero high-probability items, you're being dishonest. Every initiative has real risks.

Pitfall 2: Identifying Risks But No Mitigation

Fix: A risk without a mitigation plan is just a worry. Every high-scored risk needs an owner and a plan.

References

Related Skills

skills/planning/epic-hypothesis/SKILL.md — Hypotheses have embedded risk assumptions
skills/planning/dependency-map/SKILL.md — Dependencies create feasibility risks
skills/planning/decision-log/SKILL.md — Risk decisions should be logged

External Frameworks

Marty Cagan, Inspired — Four risk dimensions
PMBOK Risk Management — Risk register format

Skill type: Component Domain: Planning & Prioritization

---name: risk-assessmentdescription: Identify, evaluate, and mitigate product risks across technical, market, usability, and business dimensions before committing resources. Produces a risk register with owners and contingencies.---## PurposeSystematically identify and evaluate risks across **four dimensions** — technical, market, usability, and business — before committing significant resources. Creates a risk register with ownership, impact assessment, and mitigation plans.---## Key Concepts### Four Risk Dimensions (Marty Cagan)| Risk | Question | Example ||------|----------|---------|| **Value** | Will customers want it? | "Users might not care about this feature" || **Usability** | Can users figure it out? | "The workflow is too complex for non-technical users" || **Feasibility** | Can we build it? | "ML model accuracy might be insufficient" || **Viability** | Does it work for the business? | "Unit economics don't work at this price point" |### Risk Matrix``` IMPACT Low Med High Low │ 1 │ 2 │ 3 │PROB Med │ 2 │ 4 │ 6 │ High │ 3 │ 6 │ 9 │```---## Application### Step 1: Brainstorm RisksFor each dimension, list potential risks:```markdown### Value Risks- [Risk 1: description + "What if..." scenario]- [Risk 2]### Usability Risks- [Risk 1]- [Risk 2]### Feasibility Risks- [Risk 1]- [Risk 2]### Viability Risks- [Risk 1]- [Risk 2]```### Step 2: Evaluate and Prioritize```markdown| # | Risk | Dimension | Probability | Impact | Score | Owner ||---|------|-----------|------------|--------|-------|-------|| 1 | [Description] | [V/U/F/B] | [H/M/L] | [H/M/L] | [1-9] | [Name] || 2 | [Description] | [V/U/F/B] | [H/M/L] | [H/M/L] | [1-9] | [Name] |```### Step 3: Mitigation Plans (Top Risks)For each risk scoring ≥6:```markdown## Risk: [Name]**Mitigation strategy:** [How to reduce probability or impact]**Contingency plan:** [What to do if it happens anyway]**Leading indicator:** [How we'll know early if this risk is materializing]**Decision point:** [When we'll re-evaluate this risk]```---## Quality Rubric| Dimension | 0 | 1 | 2 ||-----------|---|---|---|| **Coverage** | 1 risk dimension | 2-3 dimensions | All 4 (value, usability, feasibility, viability) || **Specificity** | "Something might go wrong" | Named risks | Risks + probability + impact || **Mitigation** | None | "We'll watch it" | Specific actions + owners + indicators || **Honesty** | All low probability | Mix | Unflinching, includes uncomfortable truths || **Actionability** | List only | Risk register | Register + decision points + contingencies |---## Common Pitfalls### Pitfall 1: Risk Assessment as Checkbox Exercise**Fix:** If your risk assessment has zero high-probability items, you're being dishonest. Every initiative has real risks.### Pitfall 2: Identifying Risks But No Mitigation**Fix:** A risk without a mitigation plan is just a worry. Every high-scored risk needs an owner and a plan.---## References### Related Skills- `skills/planning/epic-hypothesis/SKILL.md` — Hypotheses have embedded risk assumptions- `skills/planning/dependency-map/SKILL.md` — Dependencies create feasibility risks- `skills/planning/decision-log/SKILL.md` — Risk decisions should be logged### External Frameworks- Marty Cagan, *Inspired* — Four risk dimensions- PMBOK Risk Management — Risk register format---**Skill type:** Component**Domain:** Planning & Prioritization

Frequently asked questions

Risk Assessment