How to build a risk register

By Sam Rivera, Founder, SentinelPanda · June 19, 2026 · 1 min read · Compliance

A risk register is only useful if risks move through it — identified, owned, treated, reviewed. A static list is just anxiety in a spreadsheet.

What the register is for

The risk register is the operational output of risk assessment: the living list of what could go wrong, how bad it would be, and what you are doing about it. It is what makes risk management auditable and accountable rather than a once-a-year document.

What each entry holds

• The risk, described concretely (not "security" but "customer data exposed via misconfigured storage").
• Likelihood and impact, scored on a consistent scale so entries are comparable.
• An owner accountable for it, the treatment (mitigate / accept / transfer / avoid), and the control or action that addresses it.
• A review date and status.

Score consistently

The value of scoring is comparison — you cannot prioritise if every risk is "high." Use a defined scale for likelihood and impact and apply it the same way across entries. Accepted risks should be signed off by someone with the authority to accept them.

Keep it moving

A register that looks identical year over year tells an auditor nobody is managing risk. Review it on a cadence and when something material changes; record what moved. SentinelPanda keeps the register linked to controls and prompts the reviews so it stays a program, not a relic.