Think outside the box – think the unthinkable

I was sat in a programme planning meeting in HBOS (remember them?) when I suggested that the company going bankrupt was a risk to the business change programme we were planning. How everyone laughed: we had only made approx £3Bn profit the previous year…

This was in mid-2007 and the company didn’t exist as a separate entity by the end of 2008!

Risks exist for all organisations and functions. Some are more serious than others. Some or more likely than others. Some can be contained. Some can be mitigated. Some may have to be accepted without anyone doing anything. Some may come from external factors. Some will be internal: process, people or infrastructure can all pose risks to your business or organisation.

The system melt-down at British Airways shows that there needs to be a relentless focus on risk because, sometimes, the unthinkable does happen.