The canonical public reference for Risk-Driven Management: a management framework for making and fulfilling commitments under conditions of uncertainty.
RDM makes Risk the driver of management. In RDM Risk evidence is not produced after the decision; it is the driver behind the decision.
In most management frameworks, Risk Management operates as a supporting discipline. Decisions are made, plans are drawn up, work is commissioned, and Risk is then recorded alongside the activity.
Risk-Driven Management starts from a different premise: organisations operate through commitments, and those commitments exist under uncertainty. Management Control is exercised by identifying Threats, assessing their impact as Risks, and implementing Risk Responses that protect the Commitment.
The result is management that is forward-looking rather than historical, evidenced rather than assumed, and accountable rather than merely busy.
RDM is designed to scale across strategy, leadership, operations, programmes, projects, portfolios and individual delivery. Specialist applications include RDSM, RDLM, RDOM, RDPM, RDPgM and RDPfM.
Version 3.00 formalises Internal Policy as the source of Internal Constraints, clarifies the routing of Warnings to Policy owners, strengthens the symmetry between Delivery Contracts and Internal Policies, and introduces the Commitment Definition Process (RDM-CDP).
Open the Framework Master DocumentOpen the Foundational Paper
Suggested citation: Linnell, P.J. (2026). Risk-Driven Management (RDM) Framework Master Document: Canonical Reference Edition v3.00. Risk-Driven Management Ltd. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20810447
Suggested citation: Linnell, P. (2026). Risk-Driven Management (RDM): A Foundational Management Framework for Managing Commitment Amid Uncertainty. Zenodo. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18315017
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| Framework Master Document | Published on Zenodo as Canonical Reference Edition v3.00 |
| Canonical DOI | 10.5281/zenodo.20810447 |
| SHA-256 verification | a7952eee2d36c20eef4718c855dd139b04da3ca26884ed188d9677ebdd1b5e4d |
| Foundational Paper | Published on Zenodo: DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18315017 |
| Company | Risk-Driven Management Ltd, UK Company No. 06143397 |
| UK trade mark | Application filed: UK00004400739 |
Risk-Driven Management (RDM), the RDM Framework, and the associated concepts, models, terminology, diagrams and processes are the intellectual property of Philip J. Linnell and are licensed to Risk-Driven Management Ltd.
The Framework Master Document is published as the canonical public reference edition of the framework. Copyright © Philip J. Linnell 2026. Licensed to Risk-Driven Management Ltd. All rights reserved. It may be cited and referenced, but commercial reuse, adaptation, derivative publication and instructional exploitation require permission.
Applied materials, training, software tools, consultancy methods and derivative publications are managed separately and may be made available under controlled, instructional or contractual terms.
Risk-Driven Management Ltd is developing practical materials to support adoption of RDM, including executive briefings, practitioner guides, training material, consultancy support and software tools.
For enquiries relating to Risk-Driven Management, permitted use, licensing, training, software, teaching or collaboration, contact:
Philip J. Linnell DipM MSc
Founder and Director, Risk-Driven Management Ltd
Email: plinnell@risk-driven-management.com
Location: Cyprus / United Kingdom