Risk Enhancement
An opportunity response in which the team takes deliberate actions to raise the chance the opportunity occurs or to increase the positive benefit if it does.
Key Points
- Applied to opportunities (positive risks), not threats.
- Focuses on increasing probability, impact, or both to amplify upside.
- Involves proactive steps (e.g., extra resources, pilots, training, R&D).
- Unlike exploit, it boosts likelihood/benefit but does not guarantee realization.
Example
A project team identifies that integrating an optional performance optimization could attract premium customers. To make the upside more likely and larger, they add a specialist engineer and expand performance testing, increasing both the chances of finishing the optimization on time and the revenue impact if it succeeds.
PMP Example Question
Your team discovers that running a beta program could significantly increase adoption if enough early users join. You can fund incentives and targeted outreach to raise sign-ups, but you cannot ensure participation. Which opportunity response is most appropriate?
- Exploit
- Enhance
- Share
- Accept
Correct Answer: B — Enhance
Explanation: You are taking actions to increase the probability and potential benefit of the opportunity, not guaranteeing it (exploit) or transferring/partnering (share) or doing nothing proactive (accept).
