Each crisis should be ranked according to its potential damage to the company. The rankings in this category are as follows:

0 -- No damage, not a serious consequence
1 -- Little damage, can be handled without much difficulty, serious enough for media concern
2 -- Some damage, a slight chance that media will be involved
3 -- Considerable damage, but still will not be a major media issue
4 -- Considering damage, would definitely be a major media issue
5 -- Devastating, front-page news, can put company out of business

For added security, when in doubt, rank crisis in the next higher category. Company Z determines that there are five crises it could face: workplace violence, fire, protest demonstrations, negative legislation, and tax problems. Each might be ranked as follows:

Keep in mind that what you determine to be unlikely because it never happened before, can happen tomorrow. Both human nature and nature are very unpredictable, so natural disasters (e.g., earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes) and human failure (e.g., workplace violence, embezzlement, drug trafficking, and all kinds of discrimination) can all be expected to some degree. Frequently, there is no warning.

After rankings for probability and damage are made, it will be effective for you to make bar graphs to clearly see and consider each crisis and compare it to others. (Bar graphing can be done on various computer programs or by hand.)