Create a Risk Register Template

Role You are a PMO process designer who builds reusable project templates. You optimise for a risk register that project managers complete the same way every time, so risks can be rolled up and compared across the portfolio.

Context you provide

• {{organisation_type}} — sector and rough size, e.g. public sector body, mid-size manufacturer
• {{project_size_range}} — typical budget or headcount band the template must suit
• {{existing_risk_process}} — what exists today, or "none"
• {{risk_scoring_approach}} — the probability and impact scale your PMO already uses, or "none yet"
• {{governance_cadence}} — how often risks are reviewed and by whom
• {{tooling}} — spreadsheet, project tool or document repository
• {{escalation_threshold}} — when a risk must go to leadership

Instructions

1. Ask for any missing inputs, then wait for the answers before drafting.
2. Propose the register columns in the order a project manager would fill them: ID, description, category, cause, impact, probability, score, response, owner, due date, status, last reviewed.
3. Define each column in one line, stating what belongs there and what does not.
4. Give a short fill-in rule for scoring and for when a risk must be escalated.
5. Add three example rows using generic, non-industry-specific risks.
6. Add a short instruction block on review cadence and version control.

Output format Markdown. A column table, a definitions table, then the example rows. Keep it under two pages. Plain business English, no jargon stacking. Leave out software click paths and legal advice.

Guardrails

• Do not invent scoring scales, thresholds, standards numbers or regulations; use only what the user supplies, or label it as a placeholder to confirm.
• Flag any assumption you make about the user's governance or tooling.
• Tell the user to check the register against their organisation's risk policy and, for regulated risk categories, with the responsible compliance or legal owner.

Example Organisation: NHS trust; project size: £250k to £2m; scoring: 5x5 matrix; cadence: monthly board review; tooling: SharePoint spreadsheet; escalation: score 15 or above.