Risk Management
Managing risks in difficult places
Risk management of operational and fiduciary risks is at the core of our business.
Go beyond checklists to identify the real-world risks, allowing you to fix problems before they get out of hand.
Get the clear, objective facts needed to adjust solutions that aren't working and make practical course corrections.
How does a risk management process work?
We bring robust risk management routines, and established systems for monitoring and problem solving.
Risk management ordinarily starts with:
- mapping of risks
- prioritization of probability and impact
- identification of residual risks
- design of solutions to reduce residual risks as much as possible
- consideration of scenarios and options for risk response options
There is dedicated technology to support analytics and design.
We do much work with clients who have corporate level risk frameworks but that need specificity and design of solutions for highly specific problems.
Support from abyrint
Our risk management work falls into three main categories:
- Strategic level mapping, benchmarking and assessment of strategic and operational risk, monitoring and risk response options. A risk team is typically of 2-3 consultants led by an experienced partner. There is senior involvement in all aspects of the problem solving process. A typical process may take 8-12 weeks and includes iteration with the client, high quality board level presentations, high quality documentations, and data sheets.
- Ongoing recurrent monitoring and pre-emptive work for select high risk areas. This is typically focused on high risk areas of finance, procurement, environmental and social. This is granular and operational. Our approaches are designed to be highly pre-emptive, ensuring that the client is not exposed.
- Specific design of robust solutions for finance, procurement, and environmental and social risks to ensure that the client exposure is reduced. This often involves design and implementation of solutions for finance management and other procedures to ensure robust pre-emptive systems that can avoid situations escalating.
Risk management is how this company got started and it remains the substantial part of the business.
Perspectives
Investment-Grade Due Diligence for Development Aid Applying Investor Rigor to Major Programs
June 29, 2025
Learn how applying investment-grade due diligence to development aid programs goes beyond basic compliance. Discover a holistic, forward-looking assessment of operational models, technology, governance, and resilience for strategic assurance.
Adaptability in Project Monitoring
June 28, 2025
Learn why adaptability is crucial for project monitoring in uncertain environments, shifting from static plans to dynamic, principle-based approaches that thrive amidst global shocks.
The Workaround IS the Workflow Finding Risk in Post-it Notes and Unofficial Spreadsheets
June 28, 2025
Discover how informal workarounds and "Shadow IT" like Post-it notes and unofficial spreadsheets reveal critical risks and expose the true, de facto workflows in organizations.
Designing for Reality How to Structure a Monitoring Engagement in a Politically Complex World
June 27, 2025
Learn how to structure monitoring engagements in politically complex environments to ensure rigor and maintain productive relationships. Discover essential pillars for transparent terms of reference, data access, and communication protocols.
The Triple Nexus in Practice A Framework for Verification in Humanitarian Development and Peacebuilding Contexts
June 26, 2025
Explore a verification framework for the Triple Nexus (Humanitarian-Development-Peace), moving beyond siloed monitoring. Learn how to assess interdependencies and strategic coherence across interventions in complex environments.
Test Data Sets The Ultimate Lie Detector for Financial Software
June 25, 2025
Discover how curated test data sets can act as the ultimate lie detector for financial software, revealing hidden flaws and ensuring system robustness beyond "happy path" scenarios.
The Silent Failures How Tech Can Go Wrong Without Anyone Noticing
June 21, 2025
Explore the hidden dangers of silent systemic failures in financial technology, where errors occur without alarms. Learn about archetypes of silent failure and the need for proactive, independent verification.
Auditing the Override Who Holds the Keys to Bypass Your Controls
June 18, 2025
Explore the critical risk of privileged user accounts in financial systems and why auditing them is paramount. Learn about the governance framework for managing superuser access to ensure fiduciary oversight.
The Pragmatists Case for the Monolith Reassessing Architectural Risk in Low-Capacity States
June 10, 2025
Explore the pragmatic argument for monolithic financial systems in low-capacity states. This article re-evaluates architectural risks, arguing that basic fiscal control and centralized accountability may outweigh the pursuit of modular agility in certain contexts.
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