Risks and assumptions

Identifying risks and assumptions serves to assess whether the Goals and Activities proposed are realistic and achievable in the given time frame and within the given available human and financial resources.
In this context, a risk is defined as an uncertain threat that, in case of occurring, could have a negative impact in the completion of the Goal or Activity. An assumption, on the other side, is the necessary condition that will enable the successful completion of the Goal or Activity.
In order to avoid repetition and redundancy, risks and assumptions should be defined at two levels: general and specific level.

General risks and assumptions can be either related to the overall implementation of the Roadmap or common to all Goals included in the Roadmap. Specific risks and assumptions will be related to a concrete Activity, i.e. a particular risk that could hinder the successful implementation of a concrete Activity or an assumption that is key to the implementation of a specific Activity. For instance, a specific assumption for the Activity “establishing an Authorised Economic Operators Scheme” is that incentives granted to AEOs are enough to motivate private traders to invest in the time and resources to get the certification.

If described negatively, an assumption can become a risk. On the contrary, if defined in positive terms, a risk can be transformed into an assumption. Thus, it is very important to pay attention to redundancy.
Assumptions that were considered in the form of risks do not need to be noted again and vice-versa. Similarly, risks and assumptions that were defined at general level, do not need to be mentioned again at specific level. If resistance to change is a major risk for the overall completion of the Roadmap’s Goals, it would be also risk for the different Activities considered.