Understanding bow-ties
A bow-tie diagram maps the full pathway of a risk. Causes sit on the left, the risk event sits in the centre, and effects fan out to the right.
How to open the bow-tie view
Access the bow-tie view from the Bow-tie tab on any risk detail page. Click the tab to load the full interactive diagram where you define causes, effects, and measures.
The bow-tie layout
The diagram follows a left-to-right flow. Causes appear on the left, the risk event sits in the centre, and effects appear on the right. This creates the distinctive bow-tie shape that gives the method its name.
Left side: causes
Events or conditions that could trigger the risk. Prevention measures sit on the connection lines between each cause and the risk event, reducing the probability of occurrence.
Right side: effects
Consequences that follow if the risk materialises. Mitigation measures sit on the connection lines between the risk event and each effect, reducing the impact.
Causes, risk event, effects
Every bow-tie starts with a clearly defined risk event in the centre. You then identify what could trigger that event (causes) and what would happen if it occurs (effects). The diagram gives you a single view of the entire risk pathway.
Think of the risk event as the point of no return. Everything on the left represents what you can do to stop it happening. Everything on the right represents what you can do to limit the damage.
Why bow-ties work
Bow-tie diagrams force you to think about both prevention and response. Many risk frameworks focus on one side or the other. The bow-tie structure ensures you address probability reduction and impact reduction in a single, connected view.
They also make it easy to spot gaps. If a cause has no prevention measure, or an effect has no mitigation measure, the visual layout makes that obvious immediately.
See also
- Adding & managing risks — access the bow-tie from the risk detail page
- Creating measures — attach measures to bow-tie connection lines