Sauce & Spoon Risk Management Plan (2026)

Objective

The objective of this document is to define and analyse the major risks to the Sauce & Spoon Tablet Rollout Pilot and establish the necessary plans to mitigate their potential negative impact on the project's budget, schedule, and success criteria.

Executive Summary

Sauce & Spoon is launching the Tablet Rollout Pilot Project in the bar areas of its North and Downtown locations over a 13-week period. The pilot aims to enhance operational efficiency by reducing wait times, increasing table turnover, and boosting average check totals through the integration of guest-facing ordering tablets with existing POS and host systems.

This Risk Management Plan identifies and assesses the key risks that could impact the project’s success, focusing on three primary categories: budget, schedule, and operational/ adoption risks. The following tables outline these risks in detail, along with mitigation strategies designed to minimise their likelihood and potential impact.

RISK TYPE ONE: You are at risk of going over budget

BUDGET RISKS

Description	Impact	Probability	Root Cause
Customisation/Vendor Scope Creep	Medium	Low	Underestimated installation/customisation needs; requests for new features (e.g., specific coupon promotion functionality) that rapidly exceed the small $550 customisation budget.
Hardware Failure or Inadequate Quantity	Medium	Low	Bar environment (spills, damage, theft) or initial quantity calculation based on average vs. peak demand requirements leads to replacement costs.
Hidden Integration Costs	High	High	POS integration requires additional third-party API licensing, unforeseen technical support hours, or fees not captured in the initial vendor quote.
Extended Vendor Support Requirements	Medium	Medium	Maintenance budget ($5,000) is consumed by system crashes during peak service or integration bugs requiring immediate vendor escalation.
Training Cost Escalation	Medium	Medium	High staff turnover during the pilot/training phase forces continuous, expensive retraining efforts, exceeding the $10,000 budget. Staff churn is already 50% - even in a short pilot, retraining costs can escalate quickly
Contingency Fund Insufficiency	Low	High	Multiple small overruns accumulate across budget line items due to the small 5-10% contingency allocation.

RISK TYPE TWO: You are at risk of falling behind schedule

SCHEDULE RISKS

Description	Impact	Probability	Root Cause
POS/Host System Integration Delays	Medium	High	Complexity of syncing new tablets with existing legacy POS/host systems; potential for undocumented limitations or vendor coordination issues. Integration nearly always introduces unexpected delays
Compressed Staff Training Window	Medium	Medium	Extremely tight 1-week window (May 20-26) combined with existing high FOH staff turnover, scheduling conflicts, and need to train across all shifts/locations.
Concurrent Two-Location Rollout Complexity	Low	Low	Managing two separate physical sites, two General Managers (Gilly/Alex), and different potential location-specific technical issues simultaneously.
Late Hardware Delivery	High	Low	Supply chain delays, customs holds on imported tablets, or internal procurement issues.
Pilot Site Physical Installation Delays	High	Low	Physical environment factors (bar layout differences, electrical setup, network constraints) or unforeseen site issues.
Testing and Feedback Overruns	Medium	Medium	Extended troubleshooting requirements, scope creep from required fixes, or lengthy stakeholder feedback/approval cycles post-launch.

RISK TYPE THREE: You are at risk of staff or customers not embracing the new tablet system, which could reduce its use, cause service issues, and prevent the project from delivering its goals.

OPERATIONAL / ADOPTION RISKS

Description	Impact	Probability	Root Cause
FOH Staff Technology Resistance and Adoption Failure	High	Medium	Staff perceiving tablets as an added burden or job threat given existing burnout, leading to intentional workarounds or refusal to promote tablet use.
High Staff Turnover Invalidating Training	High	High	Existing 50% FOH staff attrition continues or increases during the pilot, forcing unbudgeted, continuous retraining efforts that drain time and resources.
Tablet System Downtime or Reliability Failure	High	Medium	Unexpected technical failure (Wi-Fi drop, software bug, POS synchronisation error) causes immediate lost orders, customer dissatisfaction, and staff panic.
Customer Adoption Resistance	Medium	Medium	Guests prefer human interaction or find the tablets impersonal/confusing, resulting in low tablet usage and failure to meet efficiency goals.
Inaccurate or Incomplete Data Collection	High	Medium	System configuration errors, integration gaps, or inconsistent manual procedures invalidate the pilot data, preventing an informed decision on full rollout.
Vendor Dependency and Single Point of Failure	High	Low	Heavy reliance on the sole tablet/POS provider for integration, support, and technology creates risk from vendor performance issues, financial instability, or contract disputes.

Notes:

Probability Rating Scale

Risk to Project	Qualitative	Quantitative (if measurable)
Low	Very low chance of risk occurring (Unlikely)	Less than 10% chance of risk occurring
Medium	Medium chance of risk occurring (Possible)	10%-49% chance of risk occurring
High	High chance of risk occurring (Likely)	50%-100% chance of risk occurring

Source: Adapted from the Google Project Management Certificate Capstone Project materials.

Impact Rating Scale

Types of Impact	Low	Medium	High
Financial	Low financial impact, costing the company $1-$14,999	Medium financial impact, costing the company $15,000-$29,999	High financial impact, costing the company $30,000 or more
Operational	Low impact to project operations, causing delays of a few (1-14) days	Medium impact to project operations, with potential to delay project by 15 days or more	High impact to project operations, with potential to cause project failure
People: Customer Experience	Minor inconvenience. Acknowledged by customers but easily recovered (e.g., a 1-minute delay); negligible impact on reviews/ratings	Noticeable dissatisfaction. Multiple service incidents; noticeable dip in customer satisfaction score (like 1-5 points); a few negative online reviews	Significant damage to brand. Widespread, public dissatisfaction; major drop in customer satisfaction score (like 10 points); lost customers; negative local media mention
People: Workforce / Morale	Minor/Isolated. Temporary dip in morale; staff complaints limited to a single FOH staff unit within one restaurant; easily resolved by local management. No measurable change in turnover rate	Moderate/Widespread. Sustained drop in morale across multiple distinct staff groups; noticeable increase in staff grievances/absenteeism; Turnover rate increases by 5–10% of total FOH staff	Severe/Systemic. Significant decline in company culture/reputation; loss of key staff/supervisors; Turnover rate increases by over 10% of total FOH staff, severely impacting service quality and training budget
Technical / System	System issues are isolated and quickly resolved; no data loss; less than 1 hour of system downtime in total during pilot	System issues require vendor intervention or hotfixes; minor data integrity issues that require manual correction; 1 to 4 hours of system downtime affecting peak service	System failure causes service-wide disruption; significant data loss/corruption invalidating results; more than 4 hours of system downtime or the failure of a critical core function
Vendor / Third-Party	Routine Support Required. A vendor-related issue resolved quickly and entirely via Tier 1 (Phone/Email/Chat or remote access) vendor support. The issue is resolved with less than 2 hours of customer/vendor communication	Major Intervention. A vendor-related issue requiring Tier 2 technical support and an on-site technician to resolve. This requires significant management time to coordinate the visit/access, resulting in major distraction and project slowdown	Critical vendor failure (e.g., bankruptcy, major contract default, or complete, sustained failure to provide remote support). This results in an immediate project stop or a need to seek a replacement system or over $10,000 in non-recoverable financial loss

Source: Adapted from the Google Project Management Certificate Capstone Project materials.

Summary of Critical Risks (Top 6 to Monitor Closely)

The following risks are the highest priority (High Impact and/or High Probability) and will require the most immediate focus and resource allocation for mitigation.

Rank	Critical Risk Description	Risk Type	Impact/Prob.	Risk Score
1	Hidden Integration Costs: Unforeseen API licensing or vendor fees on legacy POS systems.	Budget	H/H	Critical
2	High Staff Turnover Invalidating Training: Existing staff attrition requires continuous, unbudgeted retraining.	Operational/Adoption	H/H	Critical
3	Inaccurate or Incomplete Data Collection: System errors or inconsistent procedures invalidate pilot results.	Operational/Adoption	H/M	Critical
4	POS/Host System Integration Delays: Technical complexity of syncing with existing legacy systems.	Schedule	M/H	High
5	Tablet System Downtime or Reliability Failure: Technical failure causing lost orders and staff panic during service.	Operational/Adoption	H/M	High
6	FOH Staff Technology Resistance and Adoption Failure: Intentional workarounds or refusal to promote tablet use	Operational/Adoption	H/M	High

Risk Response / Mitigation Plan

BUDGET RISKS

This section outlines the strategies to mitigate potential cost overruns, focusing first on the Critical and High-Scored risks.

Risk Description	Mitigation Actions	Specific Scenario	Owner(s)
Hidden Integration Costs	(CRITICAL RISK) Transfer & Avoid & Minimise. Transfer risk by negotiating a guaranteed cost cap on all integration and third-party API licensing fees with the vendor. Avoid hidden costs by obtaining a signed, fixed-cost statement that explicitly covers all required API keys, licenses, and unforeseen technical support hours, ensuring the scope is technically verified prior to contract execution.Minimise post-contract risk by holding a portion of the vendor payment in escrow until integration is fully complete.	Example: Technical Lead to obtain a signed, fixed-cost statement from the tablet vendor covering all API keys, licenses, and unforeseen integration fees before the end of Week 2 (Vendor Contract Finalised). Hold $2,000 of the vendor payment in escrow until integration is complete.	Procurement Lead, Legal Lead, IT Lead, Project Manager
Training Cost Escalation	(HIGH-SCORED RISK) Minimise. Develop standardised, reusable, digital training materials (e.g., short video tutorials and laminated quick-reference guides) that are easily accessible to new hires, reducing the dependency on expensive, repeated in-person training.	Example: Convert all core training into 10-minute video modules hosted on the company internal site by the end of Week 7. Implement a "Train the Trainer" model to utilise GMs (Gilly and Alex) as low-cost trainers.	Project Manager, HR Lead, GMs (Gilly & Alex), IT Lead
Extended Vendor Support Requirements	(HIGH-SCORED RISK) Accept & Minimise. Allocate a small, dedicated portion of the contingency fund specifically for vendor support call-out fees. Meanwhile, proactively build internal Tier 1 troubleshooting knowledge.	Example: Allocate $1,000 of the contingency fund exclusively for support costs. Compile a Tier 1 Troubleshooting Guide for FOH staff and GMs (reboot procedures, common error codes) by the end of Week 5 (before Technical Testing is complete).	Project Manager, IT Lead, Restaurant Technology Consultant, GMs
Contingency Fund Insufficiency	(HIGH-SCORED PROBABILITY) Minimise. Establish strict budget tracking and a weekly review process to monitor expense accrual against the small contingency. Immediately notify the Project Sponsor (Omar Mubarak) if the fund drops below 50%.	Example: Project Manager to integrate a Contingency Drawdown Summary into the Bi-weekly Executive Status Report (submitted every second Thursday). Conduct a Final Budget Reconciliation during Week 12 to ensure all pilot expenses are accounted for before the final Project Closeout.	Project Manager, Project Sponsor, Finance Team
Customisation/Vendor Scope Creep	Avoid. Formalise the scope of customisation. Require all requests for new features (e.g., coupon functionality) to be submitted via a formal Change Request (CR) process reviewed and approved by the Project Manager before being sent to the vendor.	Example: Implement a zero-tolerance policy on custom changes exceeding the $550 budget without a signed CR. Review the change request log weekly with the core team.	Project Manager
Hardware Failure or Inadequate Quantity	Minimise & Transfer. Purchase a small buffer of 2 spare tablets using the contingency fund. Ensure the vendor agreement includes a standard 1-year warranty covering replacement costs for non-negligent damage or failure.	Example: Purchase the 2 spare tablets upon initial hardware delivery in Week 4 (aligned with the 'Order Hardware' task). Store one spare tablet at each location (North and Downtown) to ensure zero service disruption from basic hardware failure.	Procurement Lead, Project Manager, GMs, IT Lead

SCHEDULE RISKS

This section outlines the strategies to mitigate potential delays, focusing on reducing technical complexity and managing stakeholder dependencies to keep the project on its 13-week schedule.

Risk Description	Mitigation Actions	Specific Scenario	Owner(s)
POS/Host System Integration Delays	(HIGH-SCORED RISK) Minimise. Require the vendor to provide detailed integration documentation and a dedicated technical liaison early. Schedule a pre-integration check to confirm system compatibility before the main integration task.	Example: During the System Integration Planning task in Week 3, hold a mandatory meeting with IT and the Vendor's Technical Lead to document the POS's exact version, APIs, and known limitations, dedicating 5 extra days of schedule contingency around the actual integration task in Week 5.	IT Lead, Restaurant Technology Consultant, Project Manager, Vendor's Account Manager, Vendor's Technical Lead
Compressed Staff Training Window	(HIGH-SCORED RISK) Minimise. Proactively address scheduling conflicts by requiring GMs (Gilly and Alex) to submit their staff's training schedule matrix by a hard deadline. Minimise the impact of high staff turnover by recording the initial in-person training sessions to create reusable digital assets	Example: GMs must finalise the FOH Staff Training schedule by Week 6. Record in-person training sessions (Weeks 7-8) and edit the footage into concise video modules. These recorded sessions will then be used as training materials for all subsequent new FOH hires and for refresher training. The scheduled Milestone: 100% Staff Training Complete is an inflexible cut-off; however, the subsequent Soft Launch period (Week 9) is specifically designated to provide remedial training and re-testing for any staff members who initially fail to pass.	GMs, Project Manager, HR Lead, IT Lead
Testing and Feedback Overruns	Minimise. Clearly define acceptance criteria (Go/No-Go Checklist) for the technical testing milestone. Implement a fixed-time box for bug fixes during the technical testing period to prevent indefinite scope creep.	Example: Final Technical Testing in Week 5 is strictly limited to 3 days (May 8-12). Any non-critical bugs discovered are logged, but the project proceeds to training if the core Go/No-Go criteria (order flow, POS sync, payment processing) are met.	Project Manager, IT Lead, Restaurant Technology Consultant
Late Hardware Delivery	Transfer & Avoid. Embed specific penalties for late delivery into the Vendor Contract. Maintain regular communication (daily checks) with the Procurement Lead and logistics partner during the delivery window.	Example: Procurement Lead confirms hardware is secured and shipped by the end of Week 4 (April 28). If hardware is late and threatens the Week 4 installation, immediately notify Project Sponsor (Omar Mubarak) to initiate penalty clauses.	Procurement Lead, Legal Lead, Project Manager, Project Sponsor
Pilot Site Physical Installation Delays	Minimise. Assign dedicated IT resources to immediately address infrastructure deficiencies identified by the vendor.	Example: Ensure all infrastructure deficiencies (WiFi, power) identified in the Week 3 Site Assessment are resolved by IT during Weeks 3-4. Only minor, cosmetic fixes should remain by the time hardware installation begins in Week 4 (April 30).	IT Lead, Project Manager, GMs
Concurrent Two-Location Rollout Complexity	Minimise. Delegate clear, separated responsibilities. Utilise the two GMs (Gilly and Alex) to own all site-specific operational training and minor issue resolution, reducing the PM's single point of failure.	Example: PM's focus during the Week 9 Soft Launch will be split evenly between North (Monday) and Downtown (Tuesday) for technical oversight. GMs are responsible for all FOH staff scheduling and performance management in their respective locations throughout the pilot.	GMs, Project Manager

OPERATIONAL / ADOPTION RISKS

This section outlines the strategies to mitigate potential OPERATIONAL / ADOPTION risks, focusing first on the Critical and High-Scored risks.

Risk Description	Mitigation Actions	Specific Scenario	Owner(s)
High Staff Turnover Invalidating Training	(CRITICAL RISK) Minimise & Accept. To minimise impact from attrition, establish a decentralised training system and stabilise the team proactively. HR communicates that tablets support staff, not replace them (addressing job security), and implements a pilot participation bonus to increase retention. Create a 24/7 digital knowledge base using 10-minute micro-training videos, quizzes, and laminated quick guides. Allocate a dedicated £3,000 budget for continuous retraining. Schedule a weekly peer-led refresher mini-session for new hires. Each GM trains one shift supervisor as a “tablet lead” for on-the-job reinforcement and as contingency for key staff loss.	Example: Prior to the 1 June pilot launch, HR finalises and communicates the job security messaging and the pilot participation bonus structure to stabilise FOH staff; the PM and GMs must designate the FOH Tablet Trainers and finalise all quick-reference cards and micro-training videos. The designated Tablet Trainers will then conduct the mandatory 15-minute weekly refresher sessions every Thursday for new hires, logging all attendance and hours against the £3,000 budget for cost control. Simultaneously, HR integrates the online modules into the standard onboarding process, requiring new staff to complete them before their first shift for better data tracking and compliance.	Project Manager, HR Lead, GMs (Gilly & Alex)
Inaccurate or Incomplete Data Collection	(CRITICAL RISK) Minimise & Avoid. To avoid data invalidation, the Restaurant Technology Consultant (Seydou) and IT must establish rigorous validation protocols starting from 3 June. Key actions: Create a Data Collection Checklist defining the exact metrics (e.g., table turn time, average check total) and corresponding measurement procedures. Implement redundant collection using automated system reports plus manual verification by GMs through daily spot-checks. Minimise configuration errors by requiring Seydou and IT to conduct a Pre-Launch Data Validation Test after integration but before the 20 May staff training. The PM and Seydou will conduct weekly Data Quality Reviews, with the Finance team verifying financial metrics once at the end of the pilot to confirm accuracy before the final decision.	Example: The PM and Seydou must establish the Pilot Data Validation Checklist and conduct the Pre-Launch Data Validation Test (after integration, before the 20 May training) by running and verifying ten transactions against the POS for 100% accuracy. During the June 5–26 data collection period, the PM and Seydou will conduct a weekly Data Quality Review, flagging any data discrepancies over 2% for an immediate IT/vendor fix within 48 hours, while the Finance team verifies financial metrics once by 1 July.	Project Manager, Restaurant Technology Consultant, IT Lead, GMs, Finance Team
FOH Staff Technology Resistance and Adoption Failure	(HIGH-SCORED RISK) Avoid & Minimise. Build staff ownership early to reduce resistance. Involve GMs (Gilly & Alex) and early FOH champions in pre-launch testing and feedback. Reinforce messaging that tablets support service (reduce wait times, improve tips) rather than replace staff. HR will implement recognition programmes linked to tablet usage and performance targets, while GMs use integrated POS data to track individual adoption rates and provide coaching for low adopters. Integrate tablet adoption targets into pilot performance reviews.	Example: Prior to launch, HR implements the recognition programme and communicates the incentive structure to all FOH staff, confirming the link between tablet adoption and pilot performance reviews. Throughout the pilot, GMs (Gilly & Alex) will use integrated POS data (e.g., individual tablet usage rates) during weekly meetings to coach low adopters, share success metrics (e.g., faster table turns, higher average checks) and reward staff champions.	GMs, HR Lead, Project Manager
Tablet System Downtime or Reliability Failure	(HIGH-SCORED RISK) Minimise & Transfer. The SLA with financial penalties must be finalised by Legal and Procurement before the pilot launch, guaranteeing a maximum 2-hour vendor response during all service hours (11 am-11 pm). Conduct pre-pilot stress testing and document Tier 1 troubleshooting steps (Wi-Fi reset, POS resync). Maintain printed “Manual Order Backup Sheet” at each bar to continue service during outages. IT will set up automated real-time monitoring to immediately notify the GMs if the system is offline for 5 minutes, triggering the immediate use of the Manual Order Backup Sheet and Downtime Apology Cards.	Example: The SLA with financial penalties must be finalised by Legal and Procurement before the pilot launch, guaranteeing a maximum 2-hour vendor response during all service hours (11 am-11 pm). IT will set up automated real-time monitoring to immediately notify the GMs if the system is offline for 5 minutes, triggering the use of the Manual Order Backup Sheet and Apology Cards. The Marketing team will design and distribute 100 "Downtime Apology Cards" (50 per site) before Soft Launch, and FOH training will include a 5-minute “Downtime Response Drill.” Each site stores backup sheets by the POS terminal, and all incidents are logged by the GM for weekly review with the vendor.	IT Lead, GMs, Legal and Procurement Leads, Marketing Team, Project Manager
Vendor Dependency and Single Point of Failure	Minimise & Transfer. The Mitigation Actions focus on contractual protection and building internal capacity. Legal and Procurement will negotiate strong contractual protections, including a technology escrow clause with guarantees to release the source code and documentation upon vendor failure, guaranteed SLA response times with financial penalties, and explicit termination rights. To minimise dependency, the IT Team will document all configurations to build internal capacity. The PM will establish a "Vendor Failure Protocol" that outlines the immediate operational fallback procedure (to manual POS) and the precise thresholds (24 hours of uncorrected downtime) that trigger the executive escalation to the Project Sponsor (Omar). 72 hours of uncorrected downtime triggers the formal request to the Steering Committee to authorise the invocation of contractual termination and review of the escrow clause.	Example: By April 17th (Week 2), Legal and Procurement must finalise the vendor contract, including the technology escrow clause and SLA penalties. Seydou will conduct two formal knowledge transfer sessions with IT before the pilot launch, ensuring all system configurations are documented and stored centrally. IT documents setup steps and passwords in a shared repository by Week 6 to ensure continuity if vendor support fails. The PM will train GMs on the "Vendor Failure Protocol," outlining the immediate switch to the existing POS system and the process for escalating vendor-related outages that exceed 24 hours. Procurement will research and document two alternative tablet vendors by Week 6 as a confidential backup plan.	Legal and Procurement Leads, IT Lead, Project Manager, GMs, Restaurant Technology Consultant
Customer Adoption Resistance	Minimise & Accept. Introduce tablets as an option, not a replacement for personal service. FOH staff guide customers through the tablet on first use and highlight benefits (customisation, faster checkout). The Marketing team will create clear, friendly table signage and instructional materials. Collect guest feedback to refine the future rollout approach. To drive adoption, monitor tablet usage rates through POS integration, Marketing will implement promotional incentives (e.g., appetiser discount) to drive usage.	Example: Prior to launch, the Marketing team create all table signage and instructional materials, and FOH staff are trained on positive scripts to introduce the tablet as an option and highlight benefits like faster checkout. After the initial two weeks of the pilot, the PM and Director of Operations will review POS data; if the tablet adoption rate is below 60%, Marketing immediately activates a promotional incentive (e.g., appetiser discount) to drive tablet usage, while GMs actively collect guest feedback (via cards or digital survey) to refine the final rollout approach.	Marketing Team, GMs, Project Manager

Risk Interdependence

To maintain strategic oversight, the Project Team acknowledges the interdependence of risks. A failure in one area can cascade, significantly amplifying impact across the project. Key interdependencies include:

Integration Delays → Hidden Integration Costs → Schedule Slippage: Delays in POS/host system integration increase reliance on vendor and consultant support, rapidly consuming the contingency budget. This exposes the project to unforeseen integration costs, which in turn constrain financial flexibility and delay milestone completion. Budget strain and timeline compression could force scope reduction or delay the 06 May integration deadline, impacting data collection and training phases
System Downtime → Staff Adoption Failure: Frequent tablet outages or sync errors erode staff confidence in the new technology. This frustration drives intentional workarounds or avoidance behaviours, directly reinforcing FOH Technology Resistance and Adoption Failure. The pilot may fail to achieve the adoption metrics required for meaningful operational testing and customer engagement goals
System Downtime → Data Inaccuracy: Technical instability pushes staff to revert to manual entry or skip tablet orders during peak hours. These inconsistencies compromise the validity of data collection. Compromised data integrity weakens the reliability of the final evaluation report, jeopardising Project's Goal (Informed Rollout Decision)
High Staff Turnover → Adoption Failure → Data Inaccuracy: Ongoing FOH attrition leads to undertrained replacements, who are less engaged and more likely to avoid new systems. Resistance behaviours and inconsistent tablet usage further increase the probability of incomplete or inaccurate data capture. Reduced staff confidence and data reliability undermine both operational efficiency and the evaluation of pilot outcomes
Vendor Dependency → Hidden Costs & Reliability Risks: Heavy reliance on a single vendor for integration and technical support can expose the project to performance gaps or unanticipated fees. While not a standalone top-six risk, vendor dependency can amplify Hidden Integration Costs and Downtime. Vendor instability can simultaneously trigger financial overruns, operational disruptions, and credibility issues with FOH staff

Risk Monitoring and Reporting Cadence

A formal governance cadence is essential to ensure that project risks are actively managed, tracked, and prevented from escalating into critical issues. The Project Team will maintain continuous visibility of risk exposure through structured review and reporting cycles.

Risk Review: The master Risk Register will be maintained and updated weekly by the Project Manager. Risk status and any newly identified risks will be reviewed as a standing agenda item during the weekly Project Team Meeting to ensure timely mitigation and accountability
Risk Status Reporting: A concise summary of the Top 6 Critical Risks (including status, trend, and mitigation progress) will be prepared monthly and presented to the Project Sponsor and Steering Committee for oversight and decision-making support
Escalation Thresholds: Any risk that (a) moves into the Critical category (High Impact / High Probability), or (b) remains open beyond its agreed mitigation deadline, will be immediately escalated to the Steering Committee. The Committee will determine appropriate intervention measures, including resource reallocation, schedule adjustment, or risk transfer actions