rust_browser/_bmad/tea/testarch/knowledge/risk-governance.md

Risk Governance and Gatekeeping

Principle

Risk governance transforms subjective "should we ship?" debates into objective, data-driven decisions. By scoring risk (probability × impact), classifying by category (TECH, SEC, PERF, etc.), and tracking mitigation ownership, teams create transparent quality gates that balance speed with safety.

Rationale

The Problem: Without formal risk governance, releases become political—loud voices win, quiet risks hide, and teams discover critical issues in production. "We thought it was fine" isn't a release strategy.

The Solution: Risk scoring (1-3 scale for probability and impact, total 1-9) creates shared language. Scores ≥6 demand documented mitigation. Scores = 9 mandate gate failure. Every acceptance criterion maps to a test, and gaps require explicit waivers with owners and expiry dates.

Why This Matters:

• Removes ambiguity from release decisions (objective scores vs subjective opinions)
• Creates audit trail for compliance (FDA, SOC2, ISO require documented risk management)
• Identifies true blockers early (prevents last-minute production fires)
• Distributes responsibility (owners, mitigation plans, deadlines for every risk >4)

Pattern Examples

Example 1: Risk Scoring Matrix with Automated Classification (TypeScript)

Context: Calculate risk scores automatically from test results and categorize by risk type

Implementation:

// risk-scoring.ts - Risk classification and scoring system
export const RISK_CATEGORIES = {
  TECH: 'TECH', // Technical debt, architecture fragility
  SEC: 'SEC', // Security vulnerabilities
  PERF: 'PERF', // Performance degradation
  DATA: 'DATA', // Data integrity, corruption
  BUS: 'BUS', // Business logic errors
  OPS: 'OPS', // Operational issues (deployment, monitoring)
} as const;

export type RiskCategory = keyof typeof RISK_CATEGORIES;

export type RiskScore = {
  id: string;
  category: RiskCategory;
  title: string;
  description: string;
  probability: 1 | 2 | 3; // 1=Low, 2=Medium, 3=High
  impact: 1 | 2 | 3; // 1=Low, 2=Medium, 3=High
  score: number; // probability × impact (1-9)
  owner: string;
  mitigationPlan?: string;
  deadline?: Date;
  status: 'OPEN' | 'MITIGATED' | 'WAIVED' | 'ACCEPTED';
  waiverReason?: string;
  waiverApprover?: string;
  waiverExpiry?: Date;
};

// Risk scoring rules
export function calculateRiskScore(probability: 1 | 2 | 3, impact: 1 | 2 | 3): number {
  return probability * impact;
}

export function requiresMitigation(score: number): boolean {
  return score >= 6; // Scores 6-9 demand action
}

export function isCriticalBlocker(score: number): boolean {
  return score === 9; // Probability=3 AND Impact=3 → FAIL gate
}

export function classifyRiskLevel(score: number): 'LOW' | 'MEDIUM' | 'HIGH' | 'CRITICAL' {
  if (score === 9) return 'CRITICAL';
  if (score >= 6) return 'HIGH';
  if (score >= 4) return 'MEDIUM';
  return 'LOW';
}

// Example: Risk assessment from test failures
export function assessTestFailureRisk(failure: {
  test: string;
  category: RiskCategory;
  affectedUsers: number;
  revenueImpact: number;
  securityVulnerability: boolean;
}): RiskScore {
  // Probability based on test failure frequency (simplified)
  const probability: 1 | 2 | 3 = 3; // Test failed = High probability

  // Impact based on business context
  let impact: 1 | 2 | 3 = 1;
  if (failure.securityVulnerability) impact = 3;
  else if (failure.revenueImpact > 10000) impact = 3;
  else if (failure.affectedUsers > 1000) impact = 2;
  else impact = 1;

  const score = calculateRiskScore(probability, impact);

  return {
    id: `risk-${Date.now()}`,
    category: failure.category,
    title: `Test failure: ${failure.test}`,
    description: `Affects ${failure.affectedUsers} users, $${failure.revenueImpact} revenue`,
    probability,
    impact,
    score,
    owner: 'unassigned',
    status: score === 9 ? 'OPEN' : 'OPEN',
  };
}

Key Points:

• Objective scoring: Probability (1-3) × Impact (1-3) = Score (1-9)
• Clear thresholds: Score ≥6 requires mitigation, score = 9 blocks release
• Business context: Revenue, users, security drive impact calculation
• Status tracking: OPEN → MITIGATED → WAIVED → ACCEPTED lifecycle

---

Example 2: Gate Decision Engine with Traceability Validation

Context: Automated gate decision based on risk scores and test coverage

Implementation:

// gate-decision-engine.ts
export type GateDecision = 'PASS' | 'CONCERNS' | 'FAIL' | 'WAIVED';

export type CoverageGap = {
  acceptanceCriteria: string;
  testMissing: string;
  reason: string;
};

export type GateResult = {
  decision: GateDecision;
  timestamp: Date;
  criticalRisks: RiskScore[];
  highRisks: RiskScore[];
  coverageGaps: CoverageGap[];
  summary: string;
  recommendations: string[];
};

export function evaluateGate(params: { risks: RiskScore[]; coverageGaps: CoverageGap[]; waiverApprover?: string }): GateResult {
  const { risks, coverageGaps, waiverApprover } = params;

  // Categorize risks
  const criticalRisks = risks.filter((r) => r.score === 9 && r.status === 'OPEN');
  const highRisks = risks.filter((r) => r.score >= 6 && r.score < 9 && r.status === 'OPEN');
  const unresolvedGaps = coverageGaps.filter((g) => !g.reason);

  // Decision logic
  let decision: GateDecision;

  // FAIL: Critical blockers (score=9) or missing coverage
  if (criticalRisks.length > 0 || unresolvedGaps.length > 0) {
    decision = 'FAIL';
  }
  // WAIVED: All risks waived by authorized approver
  else if (risks.every((r) => r.status === 'WAIVED') && waiverApprover) {
    decision = 'WAIVED';
  }
  // CONCERNS: High risks (score 6-8) with mitigation plans
  else if (highRisks.length > 0 && highRisks.every((r) => r.mitigationPlan && r.owner !== 'unassigned')) {
    decision = 'CONCERNS';
  }
  // PASS: No critical issues, all risks mitigated or low
  else {
    decision = 'PASS';
  }

  // Generate recommendations
  const recommendations: string[] = [];
  if (criticalRisks.length > 0) {
    recommendations.push(`🚨 ${criticalRisks.length} CRITICAL risk(s) must be mitigated before release`);
  }
  if (unresolvedGaps.length > 0) {
    recommendations.push(`📋 ${unresolvedGaps.length} acceptance criteria lack test coverage`);
  }
  if (highRisks.some((r) => !r.mitigationPlan)) {
    recommendations.push(`⚠️  High risks without mitigation plans: assign owners and deadlines`);
  }
  if (decision === 'PASS') {
    recommendations.push(`✅ All risks mitigated or acceptable. Ready for release.`);
  }

  return {
    decision,
    timestamp: new Date(),
    criticalRisks,
    highRisks,
    coverageGaps: unresolvedGaps,
    summary: generateSummary(decision, risks, unresolvedGaps),
    recommendations,
  };
}

function generateSummary(decision: GateDecision, risks: RiskScore[], gaps: CoverageGap[]): string {
  const total = risks.length;
  const critical = risks.filter((r) => r.score === 9).length;
  const high = risks.filter((r) => r.score >= 6 && r.score < 9).length;

  return `Gate Decision: ${decision}. Total Risks: ${total} (${critical} critical, ${high} high). Coverage Gaps: ${gaps.length}.`;
}

Usage Example:

// Example: Running gate check before deployment
import { assessTestFailureRisk, evaluateGate } from './gate-decision-engine';

// Collect risks from test results
const risks: RiskScore[] = [
  assessTestFailureRisk({
    test: 'Payment processing with expired card',
    category: 'BUS',
    affectedUsers: 5000,
    revenueImpact: 50000,
    securityVulnerability: false,
  }),
  assessTestFailureRisk({
    test: 'SQL injection in search endpoint',
    category: 'SEC',
    affectedUsers: 10000,
    revenueImpact: 0,
    securityVulnerability: true,
  }),
];

// Identify coverage gaps
const coverageGaps: CoverageGap[] = [
  {
    acceptanceCriteria: 'User can reset password via email',
    testMissing: 'e2e/auth/password-reset.spec.ts',
    reason: '', // Empty = unresolved
  },
];

// Evaluate gate
const gateResult = evaluateGate({ risks, coverageGaps });

console.log(gateResult.decision); // 'FAIL'
console.log(gateResult.summary);
// "Gate Decision: FAIL. Total Risks: 2 (1 critical, 1 high). Coverage Gaps: 1."

console.log(gateResult.recommendations);
// [
//   "🚨 1 CRITICAL risk(s) must be mitigated before release",
//   "📋 1 acceptance criteria lack test coverage"
// ]

Key Points:

• Automated decision: No human interpretation required
• Clear criteria: FAIL = critical risks or gaps, CONCERNS = high risks with plans, PASS = low risks
• Actionable output: Recommendations drive next steps
• Audit trail: Timestamp, decision, and context for compliance

---

Example 3: Risk Mitigation Workflow with Owner Tracking

Context: Track risk mitigation from identification to resolution

Implementation:

// risk-mitigation.ts
export type MitigationAction = {
  riskId: string;
  action: string;
  owner: string;
  deadline: Date;
  status: 'PENDING' | 'IN_PROGRESS' | 'COMPLETED' | 'BLOCKED';
  completedAt?: Date;
  blockedReason?: string;
};

export class RiskMitigationTracker {
  private risks: Map<string, RiskScore> = new Map();
  private actions: Map<string, MitigationAction[]> = new Map();
  private history: Array<{ riskId: string; event: string; timestamp: Date }> = [];

  // Register a new risk
  addRisk(risk: RiskScore): void {
    this.risks.set(risk.id, risk);
    this.logHistory(risk.id, `Risk registered: ${risk.title} (Score: ${risk.score})`);

    // Auto-assign mitigation requirements for score ≥6
    if (requiresMitigation(risk.score) && !risk.mitigationPlan) {
      this.logHistory(risk.id, `⚠️  Mitigation required (score ${risk.score}). Assign owner and plan.`);
    }
  }

  // Add mitigation action
  addMitigationAction(action: MitigationAction): void {
    const risk = this.risks.get(action.riskId);
    if (!risk) throw new Error(`Risk ${action.riskId} not found`);

    const existingActions = this.actions.get(action.riskId) || [];
    existingActions.push(action);
    this.actions.set(action.riskId, existingActions);

    this.logHistory(action.riskId, `Mitigation action added: ${action.action} (Owner: ${action.owner})`);
  }

  // Complete mitigation action
  completeMitigation(riskId: string, actionIndex: number): void {
    const actions = this.actions.get(riskId);
    if (!actions || !actions[actionIndex]) throw new Error('Action not found');

    actions[actionIndex].status = 'COMPLETED';
    actions[actionIndex].completedAt = new Date();

    this.logHistory(riskId, `Mitigation completed: ${actions[actionIndex].action}`);

    // If all actions completed, mark risk as MITIGATED
    if (actions.every((a) => a.status === 'COMPLETED')) {
      const risk = this.risks.get(riskId)!;
      risk.status = 'MITIGATED';
      this.logHistory(riskId, `✅ Risk mitigated. All actions complete.`);
    }
  }

  // Request waiver for a risk
  requestWaiver(riskId: string, reason: string, approver: string, expiryDays: number): void {
    const risk = this.risks.get(riskId);
    if (!risk) throw new Error(`Risk ${riskId} not found`);

    risk.status = 'WAIVED';
    risk.waiverReason = reason;
    risk.waiverApprover = approver;
    risk.waiverExpiry = new Date(Date.now() + expiryDays * 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000);

    this.logHistory(riskId, `⚠️  Waiver granted by ${approver}. Expires: ${risk.waiverExpiry}`);
  }

  // Generate risk report
  generateReport(): string {
    const allRisks = Array.from(this.risks.values());
    const critical = allRisks.filter((r) => r.score === 9 && r.status === 'OPEN');
    const high = allRisks.filter((r) => r.score >= 6 && r.score < 9 && r.status === 'OPEN');
    const mitigated = allRisks.filter((r) => r.status === 'MITIGATED');
    const waived = allRisks.filter((r) => r.status === 'WAIVED');

    let report = `# Risk Mitigation Report\n\n`;
    report += `**Generated**: ${new Date().toISOString()}\n\n`;
    report += `## Summary\n`;
    report += `- Total Risks: ${allRisks.length}\n`;
    report += `- Critical (Score=9, OPEN): ${critical.length}\n`;
    report += `- High (Score 6-8, OPEN): ${high.length}\n`;
    report += `- Mitigated: ${mitigated.length}\n`;
    report += `- Waived: ${waived.length}\n\n`;

    if (critical.length > 0) {
      report += `## 🚨 Critical Risks (BLOCKERS)\n\n`;
      critical.forEach((r) => {
        report += `- **${r.title}** (${r.category})\n`;
        report += `  - Score: ${r.score} (Probability: ${r.probability}, Impact: ${r.impact})\n`;
        report += `  - Owner: ${r.owner}\n`;
        report += `  - Mitigation: ${r.mitigationPlan || 'NOT ASSIGNED'}\n\n`;
      });
    }

    if (high.length > 0) {
      report += `## ⚠️  High Risks\n\n`;
      high.forEach((r) => {
        report += `- **${r.title}** (${r.category})\n`;
        report += `  - Score: ${r.score}\n`;
        report += `  - Owner: ${r.owner}\n`;
        report += `  - Deadline: ${r.deadline?.toISOString().split('T')[0] || 'NOT SET'}\n\n`;
      });
    }

    return report;
  }

  private logHistory(riskId: string, event: string): void {
    this.history.push({ riskId, event, timestamp: new Date() });
  }

  getHistory(riskId: string): Array<{ event: string; timestamp: Date }> {
    return this.history.filter((h) => h.riskId === riskId).map((h) => ({ event: h.event, timestamp: h.timestamp }));
  }
}

Usage Example:

const tracker = new RiskMitigationTracker();

// Register critical security risk
tracker.addRisk({
  id: 'risk-001',
  category: 'SEC',
  title: 'SQL injection vulnerability in user search',
  description: 'Unsanitized input allows arbitrary SQL execution',
  probability: 3,
  impact: 3,
  score: 9,
  owner: 'security-team',
  status: 'OPEN',
});

// Add mitigation actions
tracker.addMitigationAction({
  riskId: 'risk-001',
  action: 'Add parameterized queries to user-search endpoint',
  owner: 'alice@example.com',
  deadline: new Date('2025-10-20'),
  status: 'IN_PROGRESS',
});

tracker.addMitigationAction({
  riskId: 'risk-001',
  action: 'Add WAF rule to block SQL injection patterns',
  owner: 'bob@example.com',
  deadline: new Date('2025-10-22'),
  status: 'PENDING',
});

// Complete first action
tracker.completeMitigation('risk-001', 0);

// Generate report
console.log(tracker.generateReport());
// Markdown report with critical risks, owners, deadlines

// View history
console.log(tracker.getHistory('risk-001'));
// [
//   { event: 'Risk registered: SQL injection...', timestamp: ... },
//   { event: 'Mitigation action added: Add parameterized queries...', timestamp: ... },
//   { event: 'Mitigation completed: Add parameterized queries...', timestamp: ... }
// ]

Key Points:

• Ownership enforcement: Every risk >4 requires owner assignment
• Deadline tracking: Mitigation actions have explicit deadlines
• Audit trail: Complete history of risk lifecycle (registered → mitigated)
• Automated reports: Markdown output for Confluence/GitHub wikis

---

Example 4: Coverage Traceability Matrix (Test-to-Requirement Mapping)

Context: Validate that every acceptance criterion maps to at least one test

Implementation:

// coverage-traceability.ts
export type AcceptanceCriterion = {
  id: string;
  story: string;
  criterion: string;
  priority: 'P0' | 'P1' | 'P2' | 'P3';
};

export type TestCase = {
  file: string;
  name: string;
  criteriaIds: string[]; // Links to acceptance criteria
};

export type CoverageMatrix = {
  criterion: AcceptanceCriterion;
  tests: TestCase[];
  covered: boolean;
  waiverReason?: string;
};

export function buildCoverageMatrix(criteria: AcceptanceCriterion[], tests: TestCase[]): CoverageMatrix[] {
  return criteria.map((criterion) => {
    const matchingTests = tests.filter((t) => t.criteriaIds.includes(criterion.id));

    return {
      criterion,
      tests: matchingTests,
      covered: matchingTests.length > 0,
    };
  });
}

export function validateCoverage(matrix: CoverageMatrix[]): {
  gaps: CoverageMatrix[];
  passRate: number;
} {
  const gaps = matrix.filter((m) => !m.covered && !m.waiverReason);
  const passRate = ((matrix.length - gaps.length) / matrix.length) * 100;

  return { gaps, passRate };
}

// Example: Extract criteria IDs from test names
export function extractCriteriaFromTests(testFiles: string[]): TestCase[] {
  // Simplified: In real implementation, parse test files with AST
  // Here we simulate extraction from test names
  return [
    {
      file: 'tests/e2e/auth/login.spec.ts',
      name: 'should allow user to login with valid credentials',
      criteriaIds: ['AC-001', 'AC-002'], // Linked to acceptance criteria
    },
    {
      file: 'tests/e2e/auth/password-reset.spec.ts',
      name: 'should send password reset email',
      criteriaIds: ['AC-003'],
    },
  ];
}

// Generate Markdown traceability report
export function generateTraceabilityReport(matrix: CoverageMatrix[]): string {
  let report = `# Requirements-to-Tests Traceability Matrix\n\n`;
  report += `**Generated**: ${new Date().toISOString()}\n\n`;

  const { gaps, passRate } = validateCoverage(matrix);

  report += `## Summary\n`;
  report += `- Total Criteria: ${matrix.length}\n`;
  report += `- Covered: ${matrix.filter((m) => m.covered).length}\n`;
  report += `- Gaps: ${gaps.length}\n`;
  report += `- Waived: ${matrix.filter((m) => m.waiverReason).length}\n`;
  report += `- Coverage Rate: ${passRate.toFixed(1)}%\n\n`;

  if (gaps.length > 0) {
    report += `## ❌ Coverage Gaps (MUST RESOLVE)\n\n`;
    report += `| Story | Criterion | Priority | Tests |\n`;
    report += `|-------|-----------|----------|-------|\n`;
    gaps.forEach((m) => {
      report += `| ${m.criterion.story} | ${m.criterion.criterion} | ${m.criterion.priority} | None |\n`;
    });
    report += `\n`;
  }

  report += `## ✅ Covered Criteria\n\n`;
  report += `| Story | Criterion | Tests |\n`;
  report += `|-------|-----------|-------|\n`;
  matrix
    .filter((m) => m.covered)
    .forEach((m) => {
      const testList = m.tests.map((t) => `\`${t.file}\``).join(', ');
      report += `| ${m.criterion.story} | ${m.criterion.criterion} | ${testList} |\n`;
    });

  return report;
}

Usage Example:

// Define acceptance criteria
const criteria: AcceptanceCriterion[] = [
  { id: 'AC-001', story: 'US-123', criterion: 'User can login with email', priority: 'P0' },
  { id: 'AC-002', story: 'US-123', criterion: 'User sees error on invalid password', priority: 'P0' },
  { id: 'AC-003', story: 'US-124', criterion: 'User receives password reset email', priority: 'P1' },
  { id: 'AC-004', story: 'US-125', criterion: 'User can update profile', priority: 'P2' }, // NO TEST
];

// Extract tests
const tests: TestCase[] = extractCriteriaFromTests(['tests/e2e/auth/login.spec.ts', 'tests/e2e/auth/password-reset.spec.ts']);

// Build matrix
const matrix = buildCoverageMatrix(criteria, tests);

// Validate
const { gaps, passRate } = validateCoverage(matrix);
console.log(`Coverage: ${passRate.toFixed(1)}%`); // "Coverage: 75.0%"
console.log(`Gaps: ${gaps.length}`); // "Gaps: 1" (AC-004 has no test)

// Generate report
const report = generateTraceabilityReport(matrix);
console.log(report);
// Markdown table showing coverage gaps

Key Points:

• Bidirectional traceability: Criteria → Tests and Tests → Criteria
• Gap detection: Automatically identifies missing coverage
• Priority awareness: P0 gaps are critical blockers
• Waiver support: Allow explicit waivers for low-priority gaps

---

Risk Governance Checklist

Before deploying to production, ensure:

• Risk scoring complete: All identified risks scored (Probability × Impact)
• Ownership assigned: Every risk >4 has owner, mitigation plan, deadline
• Coverage validated: Every acceptance criterion maps to at least one test
• Gate decision documented: PASS/CONCERNS/FAIL/WAIVED with rationale
• Waivers approved: All waivers have approver, reason, expiry date
• Audit trail captured: Risk history log available for compliance review
• Traceability matrix: Requirements-to-tests mapping up to date
• Critical risks resolved: No score=9 risks in OPEN status

Integration Points

• Used in workflows: *trace (Phase 2: gate decision), *nfr-assess (risk scoring), *test-design (risk identification)
• Related fragments: probability-impact.md (scoring definitions), test-priorities-matrix.md (P0-P3 classification), nfr-criteria.md (non-functional risks)
• Tools: Risk tracking dashboards (Jira, Linear), gate automation (CI/CD), traceability reports (Markdown, Confluence)

Source: Murat risk governance notes, gate schema guidance, SEON production gate workflows, ISO 31000 risk management standards