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- In BIMpedia
Risk management is the habit of asking "what could go wrong, and what will we do about it?" before it does. Every project keeps a risk register. Information has its own risks, and a coordinator who brings them to the register early is worth a lot.
| Step | What it means |
|---|---|
| Describe | Cause → event → effect ("If X, then Y, leading to Z") |
| Score | Likelihood × impact (often 1–5 each) |
| Own | One named person |
| Respond | Avoid, reduce, transfer or accept |
| Review | At every project meeting |
Information risks worth registering
| Risk | Typical response |
|---|---|
| A key model or subcontractor late | Appoint earlier; interim design model |
| Data required at handover not planned | Write it into requirements now; check at milestones |
| Teams' software can't exchange well | Test exchange at mobilisation; agree formats |
| Key BIM person leaves | Second person trained; documented procedures |
| Sensitive information shared too widely | Security assessment; access rules |
ISO 19650 asks the delivery team to assess information delivery risks as part of its tender response, and to keep them on the project's risk register.
Everyone knows the façade subcontractor will be appointed late, but nobody writes it down. Stage 4 coordination runs without façade brackets; the clashes appear in fabrication, and the slab edges have to be re-detailed.
The coordinator adds the risk to the register: cause (late appointment), effect (no bracket coordination), owner (PM), action (the façade engineer models bracket zones by stage 3). The zones are coordinated, and fabrication fits.
For a new office building, write three information risks in cause–event–effect form, with a score (likelihood and impact, 1–5), an owner and a response.
Key takeaways
- A risk is an uncertain event that would affect the project's objectives; an issue is a risk that has happened.
- Each risk is described, scored (likelihood × impact), owned, and given a response: avoid, reduce, transfer or accept.
- Information risks belong on the register: late or missing deliverables, poor data, interoperability, skills, security.
- ISO 19650 asks the delivery team to assess information delivery risks in its tender response and keep them up to date.