Take Action to Reduce Risk
Measures are the concrete actions you take to reduce the probability or impact of risks. Learn how to create, assign, and track measures effectively.
What Are Measures?
Measures are specific actions, controls, or barriers designed to reduce either the likelihood of a risk occurring or the severity of its consequences. In Risk Companion, measures are the primary way you actively manage and mitigate your risks.
Unlike risks themselves, which describe what could go wrong, measures describe what you are doing about it. They transform risk management from passive observation into active control.
Measure Fields
Clear, action-oriented description of the measure
Select from team members via dropdown with avatars
Not started, In progress, or Complete
Percentage slider showing completion (0-100%)
Target completion deadline
When work on this measure should begin
Date to receive a follow-up notification
Anticipated risk reduction percentage
How to Access Measures
Risk Companion provides two ways to view and manage measures: the global Action Register for organization-wide oversight, and project-level Actions for focused project work.
Global Action Register
View all measures across your entire organization in one place.
- See measures from all projects
- Filter by status, owner, due date, risk, or project
- Great for management oversight and reporting
Project-Level Actions
Focus on measures within a specific project context.
- Measures scoped to one project
- Same filtering and management options
- Ideal for project team members
Creating Measures from Bowtie View
The most intuitive way to create measures is directly from the bowtie visualization. Measures attach to EventRelations - the connections between causes and risks, or between risks and effects.
Open the Bowtie View
Navigate to your risk and open the bowtie visualization. You will see causes on the left side, the risk event in the center, and effects on the right.
Click on a Connection Line
Click on the line connecting a cause to the risk (cause-risk connection) or connecting the risk to an effect (risk-effect connection). This opens the measure creation panel for that specific pathway.
Fill in Measure Details
Complete the measure form with the following fields:
- Title: Action-oriented description of what will be done
- Owner: Select from the dropdown (shows team member avatars)
- Status: Not started, In progress, or Complete
- Progress: Percentage completion (0-100%)
- Due date: Target completion deadline
- Start date: When work should begin
- Reminder date: When to receive a notification
- Expected effectiveness: How much this measure reduces the risk
Save the Measure
Save to create the measure. It will appear on the bowtie diagram along the connection line, visually showing how it protects against that specific pathway.
Drag and Drop Measures
You can drag and drop measures between different causes and effects in the bowtie view. This makes it easy to reassign a measure if you realize it better addresses a different pathway, or to reuse similar measures across multiple connections.
Assigning Owners and Due Dates
Every measure should have a clear owner and timeline. Without accountability, measures tend to remain as good intentions rather than completed actions.
Measure Owners
- Assign one person who is accountable
- Choose someone with authority to act
- Owners receive notifications and reminders
- Track owner workload across measures
Key Dates
- Start date: When work should begin
- Due date: Target completion deadline
- Reminder date: Follow-up notification
- Overdue measures are flagged automatically
Status Workflow and Tracking
Track measure implementation through a simple three-stage workflow. Combine status with progress percentage for detailed visibility into where each measure stands.
Status Options
Measure is defined but work has not begun. Typically progress is 0%.
Active work is underway. Update the progress percentage as work advances.
Measure has been fully implemented and verified. Progress is 100%.
Progress Tracking
Use the progress slider to indicate completion percentage. This provides a more granular view than status alone and helps identify measures that may be stalling.
Status vs. Progress
Status indicates the workflow stage (Not started → In progress → Complete). Progress shows how much of the work is done (0-100%). A measure can be "In progress" at 25% or 90% - progress gives you the detail. When calculating risk reduction, the expected effectiveness is scaled by the progress percentage.
Filtering and Organizing Measures
Use powerful filtering options in both the global Action Register and project-level Actions view to find exactly the measures you need to focus on.
Available Filters
Filter to see only Not started, In progress, or Complete measures
See all measures assigned to a specific team member
Find overdue measures or those due within a date range
View all measures associated with a specific risk
Filter to measures within a specific project (global view only)
Common Filter Combinations
- My overdue items: Owner = Me + Due date = Past
- Stalled work: Status = In progress + No recent updates
- High-risk focus: Filter by critical risks only
- Team review: Owner = Team member + All statuses
Tips for Staying Organized
- Review the Action Register weekly for overdue items
- Set reminder dates for long-running measures
- Use "In progress" filter in team standups
- Export filtered views for management reports
Cause vs. Effect Measures
In the bowtie model, measures attach to the connections (EventRelations) between elements, not directly to risks. This distinction is crucial for understanding how measures work.
Cause Measures (Preventive)
Attach to the connection between a cause and the risk. These measures reduce the probability of the risk occurring.
Measure: Maintain qualified backup suppliers
Effect: Reduces likelihood of supply disruption
Effect Measures (Mitigating)
Attach to the connection between the risk and an effect. These measures reduce the impact if the risk occurs.
Measure: Automated failover to backup site
Effect: Reduces downtime impact on customers
Why This Matters
By placing measures on specific connections, Risk Companion can accurately calculate how each measure affects the overall risk score. Cause measures reduce probability scores, while effect measures reduce impact scores. This granular approach ensures your risk calculations remain accurate and meaningful.
Measuring Effectiveness
Expected effectiveness indicates how much a measure is anticipated to reduce the risk. This helps prioritize which measures to implement first and validates whether your risk management strategy is working.
How Effectiveness Works
Set expected effectiveness when creating the measure (e.g., 30% reduction)
Effectiveness scales with progress - a 30% effective measure at 50% completion contributes 15% reduction
Risk scores update automatically as measures progress, showing current vs. target risk levels
Multiple measures combine to show cumulative risk reduction on each pathway
Tips for Writing Effective Measures
- Use action verbs (implement, install, train, review)
- Be specific about what will be done
- Make measures measurable and verifiable
- Ensure measures are achievable within the timeline
- Link measures to specific causes or effects
- Vague measures like "improve quality"
- Measures without clear owners
- Unrealistic timelines or scope
- Duplicate measures across similar risks
- Measures that cannot be verified as complete
Example Measure Comparison
"Improve supplier relationships"
"Conduct quarterly business reviews with top 5 suppliers including performance scorecards"
See Measures in Context
Measures are best understood in the bowtie visualization, where you can see how they protect against specific causes and effects.
Need More Help?
Our support team is here to help you get the most out of Risk Companion. Reach out for personalized assistance.