Model Risks

Model Risks are risks that arise from the mental models, abstractions, and communication systems we use to understand and build software.

Every software project depends on models: the models in our heads about how the system works, the models we use to communicate with each other, the abstractions we build into our code, and the coordination mechanisms we use to work together. When these models are wrong, incomplete, or misaligned, we face Model Risks.

Types Of Model Risk

Communication Risk

Risk associated with getting messages heard and understood and the transfer of information.

Complexity Risk

Risks caused by the weight of complexity in the systems we create, and their resistance to change and comprehension.

Coordination Risk

Risks due to the fact that systems contain multiple agents, which need to work together.

Internal Model Risk

Risks due to the differences between reality and an internal model of reality, and the assumption that they are equivalent.