Threat
A type of risk that, if it occurs, would adversely affect one or more project objectives.
Key Points
- Represents negative risk; the counterpart to a positive risk (opportunity).
- Common response strategies include avoid, mitigate, transfer, accept, or escalate.
- Documented in the risk register with cause, event, effect, probability, impact, owner, and response plan.
- Can impact scope, schedule, cost, quality, resources, or stakeholder satisfaction.
Example
A key supplier may miss a delivery on the critical path, potentially delaying the schedule and increasing costs. The project team mitigates the threat by qualifying a backup supplier and building schedule buffer.
PMP Example Question
During risk identification, the team notes that new regulatory approval might delay product launch by two months. How should this be classified?
- Opportunity
- Threat
- Issue
- Assumption
Correct Answer: B — Threat
Explanation: A possible future event that could negatively affect project objectives (schedule) is a threat. It is not an opportunity (positive), an issue (has already occurred), or an assumption.
