Risk Management & Mitigation Flashcards

A project team discovers a critical defect two days before release. The defect affects only 2% of users in a non-critical workflow. Which risk response is MOST appropriate?

Answer: Accept the risk and release with a known issues note

Accepting the risk is appropriate when the impact is low and the cost of mitigation outweighs the benefit, especially close to release.

Which metric is MOST useful for tracking residual risk after mitigation actions have been applied?

Answer: Risk exposure post-mitigation

Risk exposure post-mitigation measures the remaining risk level after controls are applied, directly tracking residual risk.

In risk-based testing, which factor determines the PRIORITY order in which risks should be tested first?

Answer: The combination of likelihood and impact

Risk priority in risk-based testing is determined by multiplying (or combining) likelihood and impact to produce a risk level.

A software team uses a risk register to track identified risks. What information should a risk register entry typically contain?

Answer: Risk ID, description, probability, impact, mitigation plan, and owner

A complete risk register entry includes identification, assessment (probability and impact), mitigation strategy, and accountability (owner).

Which technique involves creating a diagram that shows the sequence of events leading to a risk materializing?

Answer: Fault tree analysis

Fault tree analysis uses a top-down logical diagram to map failure modes and their contributing causes.

A tester is asked to focus testing efforts on components that have changed recently. This practice BEST exemplifies which risk mitigation approach?

Answer: Risk-based test prioritization

Targeting recently changed components reduces the risk of regression defects escaping, which is a core risk-based test prioritization strategy.

Which of the following BEST describes a 'risk appetite' in a software testing context?

Answer: The level of risk an organization is willing to accept in pursuit of its objectives

Risk appetite is the threshold of risk an organization deliberately accepts, balancing opportunity against potential harm.