What is a risk register?
Updated Oct 25, 2026
Definition
A risk register is a list of the risks that could hurt a project or business, with how serious each one is, what is being done about it, who owns it and whether it is still open. Teams review it regularly so risks are dealt with before they become problems.
What a risk register includes
- The risk: what could go wrong, in one sentence.
- Impact: how bad it would be, often High, Medium or Low.
- Mitigation: what will be done to prevent it or reduce it.
- Owner and date: who is responsible, and by when.
- Status: open, being mitigated, or closed.
Why risk registers go stale
Risks are raised in meetings but the register is a separate spreadsheet that someone has to remember to update. Within weeks it no longer matches what the team is actually worried about.
| Risk | Impact | Mitigation | Owner | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launch may slip: refund flow still failing | High | Fix the payment bugs by Friday | Ravi | Mitigating |
| Only one engineer knows the billing service | Medium | Pair a second engineer on billing | Not set | Open |
| SMS vendor contract unsigned | Low | Ask legal for the signed copy | Ravi | Closed |
How Acta keeps a risk register for you
Acta's Risk Registry, under My meetings → Risk Registry, collects every risk raised in your meetings and updates it after each new meeting. The same risk raised in several meetings stays one row. Each risk shows the agreed mitigation (or a suggested one), owner, date, impact and status, and a history of every meeting it came up in. When a meeting says a risk is solved, Acta closes it as a suggestion for you to confirm.
Acta featuresFAQ
What's the difference between a risk and an issue?
A risk is something that might happen. An issue is something that has already happened and needs fixing now.
How often should a risk register be reviewed?
At least at every project status meeting. High risks without an owner or with an overdue fix need attention first.