Business risks have the potential to cause serious profit loss and, in worst cases, bankruptcy. Generally, any enterprise faces five types of uncertainties: strategic, operational, compliance, reputational, and financial risks. A big company employs a qualified business risk manager to run an extensive department systematically. But smaller enterprises tend to overlook this area. No matter the size of your business, it is important to learn the most important steps to comprehensive risk management.
Recognition
Recognition is the process of identifying risks in the operating environment. It can be legal, market-based, regulatory, environmental, etc. Your company should have a risk management team to note down the impending threats. The risks must be visible to all managers and junior employees. There’s no need to hide the risk management system. Every stakeholder must be in a position to access it.
Analysis
It is imperative to determine the scope of the risk through analysis. Here, the business risk manager seeks to understand the correlation between the danger and other organizational factors. It is necessary to see the functions that the risk affects when determining its severity. Some risks bring down the entire company while others cause minor inconveniences. Risk analysis also helps in mapping out a framework to evaluate the far-reaching effects of the risk and possible solutions.
Ranking
Every risk must be categorized and ranked into a priority level. Risk management strategies are executed based on the severity, and ranking enables an organization to take a holistic perspective. Your business might be prone to some low-level risks which do not need intervention by upper management. However, a high-rated risk requires immediate action.
Elimination
Business risks must be contained fully by letting every stakeholder know about them and set up meetings. Notifications are sent, and the discussions of possible solutions must be held within the system. High-level managers must watch out for the suggestions and monitor the progress.
Monitoring and Review
Some risks are hard to eliminate in certain business environments, e.g., environmental and market risks. These two need to be monitored by a diligent team. The digital system monitors the whole risk framework. Computerized management monitors the risk more effectively than people, though the process remains the same.
Hopefully, you know what every business risk means and its potential impacts. Before taking the above steps, identify the issue at hand then valuate to mitigate the risk. You can do it informally for a small business, but a big enterprise needs to codify the process. The idea is to maintain stability as you record growth.