What Is a Risk Bow Tie Diagram?
A Bow Tie Diagram visually captures the full risk picture: causes, event, consequences, and mitigations in one clear format.
The center is the Risk Event — starts as the Risk Name but can be edited independently.
The left side lists Root Causes that could trigger the event.
The right side shows Consequences if the event occurs.
Mitigations can be added to both sides:
Pre-Event Mitigations – reduce inherent risk
Post-Event Mitigations – reduce impact after the event
How to Add Items to the Bow Tie
Click “add or create new…” in any Bow Tie section.
Select from the dropdown list or type to search for an item.
If no match appears, you’ll be able to add a new item.
Items are real system records and can be reused across multiple risks and features.
Image description: A user clicks “add or create new…” and sees a searchable dropdown list of causes, mitigations, or consequences.
Working with Portfolios
If the Portfolio feature is enabled:
Users will see items from all portfolios they have access to.
Items from a different portfolio will display the portfolio name in brackets:
Example: “100 Year Flood [ESG]”
Selecting a cross-portfolio item prompts a warning with options to move or copy it to the current portfolio.
Item Behavior and Explorer Consoles
Each Bow Tie item:
Can be linked to multiple risks and features (like Action Plans or Key Indicators)
Has its own Explorer Console for deeper analysis
Is more than just text — it’s a live, reusable system object
Collapsing the Bow Tie Section
The Risk Bow Tie section can be collapsed by clicking the arrow beside the title.
This state is saved in your browser cache and persists after logout or refresh.
Understanding Alert Icons
Items in the Bow Tie may show Indicator Alert Icons:
Indicates linked Indicators are in Alert Status
Could mean thresholds were exceeded or updates missed
These alerts suggest the Risk context may be changing
The alert also appears in the total alert count on the Risk Details screen
Mitigation Effectiveness Scoring
Click on a Mitigation to set its Effectiveness Score and Weighting
Scored mitigations are included in a weighted average, visible at the top of the column
These scores help inform the Control Effectiveness for the risk
Scoring Warnings in Enterprise Risk Console
A large gap between Bow Tie scores and overall Risk Control Effectiveness may trigger a yellow warning
This signals that the overall score may be outdated or misaligned
Want to Go Deeper?
A more detailed walkthrough of Bow Tie Diagrams is available on the Tracker Networks website.
Applies to: Standard Users, Admin Users
Keywords: bow tie, risk diagram, mitigations, indicators, portfolios, scoring, alerts, explorer console