Enables project managers to reduce the level of uncertainty and to focus on high-priority risks.
Prioritizing risks for further analysis or action by assessing and combining their probability of occurrence and impact.
Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis assesses the priority of identified risks using their relative probability or likelihood of occurrence, the corresponding impact on project objectives if the risks occur, as well as other factors such as the time frame for response and the organization’s risk tolerance associated with the project constraints of cost, schedule, scope, and quality. Such assessments reflect the risk attitude of the project team and other stakeholders. Effective assessment therefore requires explicit identification and management of the risk approaches of key participants in the Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis process. Where these risk approaches introduce bias into the assessment of identified risks, attention should be paid to identifying bias and correcting for it.
Establishing definitions of the levels of probability and impact can reduce the influence of bias. The time criticality of risk-related actions may magnify the importance of a risk. An evaluation of the quality of the available information on project risks also helps to clarify the assessment of the risk’s importance to the project.
Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis is usually a rapid and cost-effective means of establishing priorities for Plan Risk Responses and lays the foundation for Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis, if required. The Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis process is performed regularly throughout the project life cycle, as defined in the project’s risk management plan. This process can lead into Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis or directly into Plan Risk Responses.