PMI Risk Management Professional Practice Exam

What is the equivalent of mitigation for threats in terms of opportunities?

1. Enhancement

2. Exploitation

3. Sharing

4. Acceptance

The correct answer is: Enhancement

The equivalent of mitigation for threats in terms of opportunities is enhancement. In risk management, threats require a proactive approach to reduce their potential impact, which is accomplished through mitigation efforts. Similarly, opportunities present potential benefits that can be optimized or amplified, and this process is referred to as enhancement. Enhancement involves taking specific actions to increase the likelihood of realizing an opportunity, or to improve the potential positive impact it could have on project outcomes. This strategy focuses on maximizing benefits rather than merely protecting against losses. For instance, if a project identifies an opportunity for a cost-effective technology that can improve efficiency, enhancement might involve investing additional resources into research or tests to leverage this technology effectively. While exploitation refers to actions that aim to ensure that an opportunity is realized, enhancement is broader, as it encompasses a range of strategies to improve the potential upside of an opportunity rather than simply taking advantage of it. Some of the other terms, like sharing and acceptance, relate more to risk response techniques for managing uncertainty rather than for actively capitalizing on opportunities. Thus, enhancement accurately captures the essence of the approach toward opportunities in a manner analogous to mitigation for threats.