Sydney, Australia – [06 Nov 2025] – TBH, a leading project delivery consultancy, today at Indo Pac announced the launch of its new Integrated Defence Risk Management service, designed to revolutionise how defence programs handle risk by moving from qualitative assessments to quantitative, data-driven decision-making.

The new service addresses a critical need in Defence project delivery: the ability to translate abstract risk discussions into concrete, measurable impacts on schedule and budget that decision-makers can act upon with confidence.

“Major Defence programs can’t rely on red–amber–green indicators and qualitative assessments that don’t give leaders the confidence to act. Our Integrated Defence Risk Management service draws on a deep understanding of Defence and its three pillars – time, cost and risk. It delivers quantified, cascaded impacts that account for interdependencies and the butterfly effect, fully integrated with the master baseline. The result is a pragmatic yet sophisticated framework – simple to implement, bulletproof in effect, and built for real decisions,” says Moataz Mahmoud, Director of Risk Services at TBH.

From Abstract to Actionable

The integrated service is built on four founding principles that distinguish it from traditional risk management approaches:

• It treats risk as a function of time and cost rather than an abstract concept;
• It is scalable, tailorable approach that adjusts to project maturity and complexity through Bottom-Up, Hybrid, or Top-Down methodologies building;
• It establishes clear accountability structures; and,
• It maintains structured simplicity over rudimentary approaches.

“We see risk not as a standalone discussion topic, but as a factor that directly determines when projects will finish and what they will cost,” explained Mahmoud. “That fundamental shift in perspective – from saying ‘this might be a problem,’ ‘I feel this is an issue,’ or ‘I have a concern’ to ‘the cumulative impact, given current circumstances, may cost us between 45 and 60 days and $2.3 to $4 million if it materialises in 11 months, adding complexity and shifting priorities as once non-critical risks become critical’ – completely transforms how leadership teams engage with risk.”

Methodology Matched to Maturity

The service is implemented through a systematic “lift and shift” approach built on a solid analytical foundation. It applies Quantitative Cost and Schedule Risk Analysis (QCSRA) using three calibrated methodologies – Bottom-Up, Hybrid, and Top-Down – matched to each project’s definition maturity rather than its size or perceived importance.

“A critical insight we bring is that the sophistication of risk analysis should reflect the level of detail actually available about the project – not an idealised standard,” he added. “An early-stage project using strategic assumptions and top-down factors is not less mature than one using detailed bottom-up modelling – it’s simply applying the right level of analysis for the information at hand.”

“One of the most underestimated yet frequent and impactful causes of delay and cost overrun is uncertainty,” continued Mahmoud. “Unlike traditional qualitative approaches that often overlook these compounding factors, the quantitative approach identifies and measures them – revealing how uncertainty actually drives time and cost outcomes.”

These methodologies are fully aligned with Defence acquisition gates – from the Project Initiation Review through to Project Closure Review – ensuring continuity, consistency and confidence throughout the project lifecycle.

Program-Level Integration

For complex, multi-stream defence programs, the service establishes integrated risk management that captures both governance-level risks and critical cross-stream dependencies.

“One of the biggest challenges in large defence programs is that risks in one stream can cascade into others, access delays, sequencing conflicts, shared resource constraints,” said Peter La Franchi, National Defence Director at TBH.

“Our approach makes these interdependencies visible and manageable at the program level while keeping each stream focused on its specific local risks.”

The service leverages the Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) as the foundation for all quantitative analysis, ensuring consistency and enabling alignment of schedule risk drivers across projects.

Implementation and Capability Building

TBH’s primary implementation roadmap spans approximately 12 months in total, progressing from maturity baseline and framework establishment through to full embedding of risk management into development team practice. Modular solution design allows for phasing and tailoring to meet specific program and individual needs.

“We’re not just delivering frameworks and leaving it to the client to resolve the challenges,” said Mahmoud. “We work alongside program teams, building capability through doing. By the end of our engagement, risk data is actively informing business decisions, all functions are working together consistently, and the organisation has the competency to sustain and evolve its risk management approach independently.”

The service encompasses three core capability areas: governance structures including assessment and reporting criteria; processes for risk assessment, data analytics, and integration; and capability development covering both technology platforms and competency building.

Designed for Defence Realities

The Integrated Defence Risk Management service has been specifically designed to support both new defence programs from inception and to assist in the recovery of troubled projects.

“Defence projects operate in uniquely complex environments, long timelines, multiple stakeholders, evolving requirements, technical uncertainty,” said La Franchi.

“Our service provides the structured, quantitative foundation that program leaders need to navigate that complexity with confidence, whether they’re launching something new or getting a challenged project back on track.”

The service is available immediately to the Australian Department of Defence and defence industry partners.

The full white paper, “Integrated Defence Risk Management: Transforming Risk from Abstraction to Action”, is available for download at: https://tbhconsultancy.com/integrated-defence-risk-management/