A project manager is assigned to a new project and is told they need to develop the project's risk register. When should the project manager identify…

Risk identification should be an ongoing process throughout the project lifecycle. Encouraging project

team members to proactively identify risks allows for continuous risk management and the

development of appropriate response strategies as new risks emerge.

According to the PMI Risk Management Professional (PMI-RMP)® Examination Content Outline1, one

of the tasks in the domain of Risk Identification is to ensure that project team members proactively

identify risks throughout the project life cycle, using various tools and techniques, to enable planning

for possible risk response strategies1. Risk identification is an iterative process that should be

performed regularly and frequently throughout the project, as new risks may emerge or existing risks

may change due to internal or external factors2. The project manager should involve the project

team members and other relevant stakeholders in the risk identification process, as they may have

different perspectives, expertise, and insights on the project risks3. The project manager should not

identify risks only at the project’s midpoint for the stakeholders to review them, because that would

be too late and ineffective to manage the risks that may have already occurred or escalated4. The

project manager should not identify risks at the beginning of the project because the risk posture will

not change, because that would be unrealistic and imprudent to assume that the project

environment and conditions will remain static and predictable5. The project manager should not

delegate risk identification to each team member and have them record the risks on separate risk

registers for their areas, because that would create inconsistency, duplication, and fragmentation of

the risk information, and prevent a holistic and integrated view of the project risks. Reference: 1: PMI

Risk Management Professional (PMI-RMP)® Examination Content Outline, page 82: A Guide to the

Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Sixth Edition, page 3983: A Guide to the

Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Sixth Edition, page 3994: Risk

Identification: When and How Often to Do It During the Project Life Cycle5: Risk Management: Why

Is It Important?. : Risk Register in Project Management - Project Management Academy.