Project Risk Register
A register for project risks with scoring, owners, and responses.
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What’s Included in This Resource
Every resource on The Office File provides a complete toolkit rather than an empty, unhelpful document shell:
- Editable Microsoft Word (.docx) template (42 KB)
- Printable PDF version (99 KB)
- Matching Excel workbook: Excel action + risk register (.xlsx)
Sample included: Example: Project Risk Register in use. Tracking project risks in one register: risk log with scores, scoring guide, top risks review, and new risks raised.
How to Use This Template
Follow these practical steps to customize and roll out this procedure with your team:
1. Score every risk
Give each risk a likelihood, impact, and score from the guide.
2. Assign an owner and response
No risk sits without a named owner and a response plan.
3. Escalate high risks
Escalate risks scoring 13–25 to the sponsor immediately.
4. Review at the set frequency
Review the register at the stated frequency and log new risks.
About This Template
Good record-keeping is invisible when it works and catastrophic when it does not. This register gives you a clean, expandable table format for logging entries chronologically with all the fields that matter. Print it for a binder or use it digitally, either way, your records stay complete and findable.
Tracking project risks in one register: risk log with scores, scoring guide, top risks review, and new risks raised.
When to Use This Template
- Handing over responsibilities with complete, organised historical data
- Tracking items over months or years with a clear chronological record
- Supporting insurance claims or legal matters with contemporaneous documentation
- Spotting patterns, such as recurring issues, that scattered records would hide
- Producing evidence of compliance during audits or inspections
Key Sections Explained
Understanding what goes in each part of the document helps you fill it in correctly the first time:
Reference numbers
Unique IDs per entry so items can be cited precisely in emails, reports, or audits.
Entry rows
One row per item or event, filled in chronologically. Never delete rows; correct with a new dated entry.
Review and sign-off
Periodic review dates and reviewer signatures, proving the register is actively maintained, not just created.
Register title and owner
What is being tracked and who is responsible for keeping the register current.
Column headings
The defined fields for each entry, consistent columns are what make a register searchable and auditable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Paper or spreadsheet?
Spreadsheets win for anything you need to search, filter, or back up. Paper works for simple, low-volume logs. Either way, keep a backup, a register that exists in one copy is one accident from gone.
What makes a good register entry?
Complete, dated, and factual. Fill every column, use consistent naming, and record entries promptly, a register reconstructed weeks later is a liability, not a record.
Should entries ever be deleted?
No. Correct errors with a new dated entry referencing the original. Deletion destroys the audit trail that gives a register its value.
How do we keep a register from going stale?
Assign a named owner, set a review rhythm, and make updating it part of the workflow it tracks, not a separate admin chore people postpone.