We push anyone on a team who identifies a risk to come up with several potential mitigating actions at the time she submits it. Our rule of thumb: at least five. A proposed mitigation might resolve a risk, or it might partially resolve a risk, or it might make team members smarter about steps they should take next to resolve the risk. It might address the cause as a suggestion that the current circumstance be changed. It might reduce the effect of the risk—for example, by funding a backup plan. Finally, it could address the impact—for example, by changing who is the target customer, and making
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