HKSM
Risk Acceptance
A risk response approach in which the team acknowledges the risk and chooses no proactive action, taking steps only if the event actually occurs.
Key Points
- Used when the risk is low priority, not cost-effective to treat, or largely outside the team's control.
- Can be passive (do nothing until it happens) or active (set aside contingency and define triggers and fallback actions).
- Still requires documenting the risk, assigning an owner, and monitoring for trigger conditions.
- Strategy can be revisited; if conditions change, the team may switch to avoid, mitigate, transfer, or exploit.
Example
A project team notes a small chance that a minor browser version will not support a new feature. They choose to accept the risk and continue. If the issue appears after launch, they will deploy a quick patch using a small contingency reserve.
PMP Example Question
A team identifies a low-probability, low-impact risk. The cost of mitigation exceeds the potential loss, so they will monitor the risk and use a fallback plan only if it happens. Which response strategy are they using?
- Avoidance
- Transfer
- Acceptance
- Mitigation
Correct Answer: C — Risk acceptance
Explanation: The team acknowledges the risk and chooses not to act in advance, responding only if it occurs (active acceptance with a fallback plan).
