MASTER Risk Model - Learning Resources - Situation

Financial

Review your last three expense approvals—spot one cost that could be reduced or renegotiated.

List all active subscriptions—cancel or downgrade one not supporting team objectives.

Create a one-page budget forecast for next month—include fixed and flexible allocations.

Set a recurring five-minute reminder to review cash flow or pipeline each week.

Reallocate 10% of discretionary spend to the initiative with the highest visible impact.

Update or create a small reserve target for your department this quarter.

Journal about your best budget decision—what mindset or process guided it?

Write about when financial limits forced innovation—what creative solutions emerged?

Reflect on an expense you often justify emotionally—does it return enough value?

Journal about a time funding delays caused real issues—was it planning or communication?

Journal about whether you track costs more carefully than returns—or the reverse.

Journal about how you usually respond to sudden financial risk—freeze, cut, or reframe?

Categorize all team expenses into must-have, nice-to-have, and waste—act on one.

Create a one-page budget summary and share it with your team for transparency.

Ask a finance colleague to review your latest forecast—what blind spots do they catch?

Build a scenario plan: what would you cut first if your budget dropped by 25%?

Run a “value for money” review: is each major expense tied to measurable outcomes?

Track all expenses for seven days—including small items—and analyze the patterns.

Ask finance: “Which part of our budget keeps you most concerned right now?”

Present your budget plan to a peer manager—ask: “What’s missing or unclear to you?”

Interview a senior stakeholder: “Where are we overinvesting—or underinvesting?”

Share your budget priorities with a junior staffer—can they explain them back clearly?

Ask your staff: “What’s one spend that feels misaligned with our priorities?”

Run a team survey: “If you could reallocate 10% of our spend, where would it go?”

Reframe budgeting from “cutting what’s possible” to “fueling what matters most.”

Shift from “we can’t afford that” to “how could we afford it if it’s worth doing?”

Instead of cutting widely, ask “what priority are we protecting with this spend?”

Recast financial risk as a signal, not a judgment—what data should you explore?

Replace “we always fund this” with “does this still serve top objectives?”

Reframe finance talks from fear to clarity—what do we need to know to act smart?

Notice where budgets in your area overrun—what repeated patterns contribute most?

Track financial approvals—where do bottlenecks stop funds from flowing smoothly?

Watch how stakeholders behave in financial reviews—who engages and who withdraws?

Monitor how funding cycles affect morale—what signals do staff take from them?

Check whether team members know their budget limits—does ambiguity cause waste or caution?

Review past funding proposals—were the best ones always chosen? If not, why?

Technological

List all tools your team uses—highlight one underused platform to assess for replacement.

Clean up your shared digital folders—archive anything no longer relevant for the team.

Run a short tutorial for your staff on one tool they struggle with—focus on one key feature.

Identify one manual task your team does—explore automation with existing tools.

Activate a feature in an existing platform your staff hasn’t tried yet.

Review overlapping tech subscriptions—cancel or consolidate where possible.

Reflect on when technology saved you major time—what enabled that success?

Reflect on tools you avoid using—what barrier stops adoption: complexity, trust, or value?

Journal about your team’s digital skills—where are the biggest strengths and weak points?

Reflect on your usual tech approach—are you early adopter, cautious, or resistant, and why?

Write about when you outgrew a system—did you act early enough or too late?

Reflect on a recent tech rollout—what worked well, and what caused rework or delays?

Compare two digital tools for a common task—evaluate speed, clarity, and usability.

Host a 30-minute “tool swap” where team members teach shortcuts or hidden features.

Create a quick FAQ or cheat sheet for one common process to reduce confusion.

Audit your tech stack—does each tool still have a clear and unique role?

Introduce a simple dashboard to monitor performance of one critical platform.

Block 45 minutes to explore an advanced function in a tool you rely on daily.

Ask your team: “Which tool helps you most—and which one frustrates you most often?”

Invite your team to vote on their most and least useful tools—discuss the implications.

Share your team’s top three digital challenges—ask peers for tool suggestions.

Present one workflow to a peer—ask where they’d add automation or smart tools.

Ask your IT lead: “Where are we over-engineered or under-optimized in our setup?”

Run a retro on tech use: what worked well, what caused failures, what’s missing?

Reframe tech not as “IT overhead” but as a multiplier—what performance are you enabling?

Instead of “this system is too complex,” ask “have we tailored it to our real needs?”

Shift from “let’s buy new software” to “are we maximizing what we already own?”

Recast tech resistance as feedback—what part of the rollout needs simplifying?

Replace “this platform slows us down” with “what behavior is it trying to shape?”

Frame each platform as a strategic partner, not just a tool or system.

Track how long common team tasks take across tools—where does friction slow progress?

Observe where tech adoption drops off—are staff bypassing tools for manual work?

Notice how often staff ask for tech help—where is onboarding or training weak?

Monitor whether tech is used reactively or proactively—does it guide or just record?

Watch for duplicate data entry across tools—what could integrations solve?

Pay attention to workarounds and shortcuts—are they improving or eroding process quality?

Physical

Check your office setup—adjust lighting, seating, or layout to improve team focus today.

Take stock of office supplies—remove or donate items unused for more than three months.

Identify one essential office item slowing your team down—upgrade, fix, or replace it today.

Label shared resources clearly to reduce confusion and speed up access for everyone.

Reset the team workspace at day’s end—notice the effect on tomorrow’s productivity.

Post clear signage near shared spaces—help staff use tools or resources more effectively.

Write about when your work environment boosted performance—and when it held you back.

Journal about one resource you take for granted—but would miss badly if it disappeared.

Write about which spaces energize your staff and which ones consistently drain them.

Write about when equipment delays or quality issues hurt performance—what was the cause?

Reflect on whether your physical resources align with your team’s real priorities.

Write about the most neglected physical asset—what does that signal about ownership?

Walk through your team’s workspace—document friction points in layout, flow, or access.

Create a simple restocking or maintenance schedule for shared high-use equipment.

Assign a clear owner for each shared asset—who maintains, stocks, and troubleshoots it?

Hold a 20-minute team session to brainstorm improvements to shared workspace flow.

Ask your team to use one shared item differently this week—explore new functions.

Lead a cleanup sprint in a cluttered area—invite your team to co-design a better layout.

Ask your staff: “What’s one thing in our space or equipment that slows your work down?”

Interview a peer from another department: “Which resource setup do you rely on most and why?”

Run a poll on which workspace setup needs the most improvement—brainstorm fixes together.

Invite a new hire to walk through your workspace—what feels unclear or inefficient?

Present your current workspace to a peer—ask how they’d optimize it for better results.

Ask facilities staff: “What workspace issues do you see that we might be overlooking?”

Reframe your workspace from “good enough” to “a tool that shapes focus and collaboration.”

Instead of “we’ve always done it this way,” ask “what’s the best use of this space now?”

Recast clutter as a backlog of decisions—what hasn’t been owned or resolved yet?

Shift from “we need more” to “are we fully using what we already have?”

View disrepair not just as cost, but as a signal of how tools are valued.

Frame physical space as an enabler of flow and focus—not just overhead.

Watch how often staff waste time due to poor layout, missing supplies, or unclear setup.

Track how often shared equipment sits idle versus in use—does it match its importance?

Observe where clutter, noise, or layout reduce attention or effective communication.

Monitor wear and tear on shared assets—what does it say about usage and care?

Notice how often maintenance or supply gaps interrupt smooth operations.

Pay attention to how workspace design affects energy, collaboration, and focus.

MASTER Risk Hub