Which action is essential before designing a new key risk indicator (KRI)?

Understanding operational workflows is essential before designing a new key risk indicator (KRI) because it provides critical context about how various processes function within an organization. By gaining insights into the operational workflows, you can identify areas that may be prone to risk and determine what specific indicators will effectively measure those risks.

Operational workflows outline the steps involved in business processes, the dependencies between different activities, and the roles and responsibilities of different stakeholders. This understanding helps ensure that the KRIs you design are relevant to the specific operational context. It allows for the creation of indicators that directly align with organizational objectives, capture meaningful data, and enable timely and effective monitoring of risks.

Without a solid grasp of how workflows operate, KRIs might become misaligned with actual risk factors, leading to ineffective risk management strategies. Thus, understanding operational workflows is foundational for developing KRIs that can accurately reflect the risks and help in decision-making processes.