According to the PMBOK Guide, specifically the Plan Risk Responses process, risks are categorized as either " Threats " (negative) or " Opportunities " (positive). When an opportunity is identified that has a high impact and high probability of success, specific strategies are applied.
* Exploit (Choice B): The " Exploit " strategy is used for high-priority opportunities where the organization wants to ensure that the opportunity is realized. By identifying a net saving of 10% and a schedule reduction of 20%, the team has found a significant positive impact. To " exploit " this means to eliminate the uncertainty associated with the opportunity by ensuring it definitely happens (e.g., by assigning the most talented resources to it or utilizing new technology). Given the specific, quantified benefits, the project manager should take definitive action to capture these gains.
* Escalate (Choice A): Escalation is used when an opportunity is outside the scope of the project or beyond the project manager's authority. A 10% cost saving and 20% time reduction are typically within the project manager ' s mandate to manage the project successfully, so escalation is unnecessary unless it impacts the entire organization ' s portfolio.
* Transfer (Choice C): " Transfer " (or " Share " ) involves giving ownership of the opportunity to a third party who is better able to capture the benefit. If the team has already identified and analyzed the opportunity successfully, there is no need to give the benefits to a partner.
* Create a Trial / Enhance (Choice D): While " Enhancing " is a valid strategy (increasing the probability
/impact), " creating a trail " because of " associated risk " suggests a hesitant approach. In PMI terminology, if an opportunity is analyzed and found to be clearly beneficial with specific percentages, moving to Exploit it is the proactive leadership choice.
By choosing to Exploit this opportunity, the project manager directly improves the project ' s performance metrics, contributing to the " Value " delivery principle emphasized in the Standard for Project Management.