Which is the correct order of the RM process steps in the ABCD Model?

• A. Assess the situation, balance your resources, communicate with others, and do and debrief the event
• B. Do and Debrief, Assess, Balance, Communicate
• C. Engineering, Administrative, PPE
• D. TRiPS, SA, Debrief, Debrief

Answer: (A)

In RM for small unit leaders, the ABCD sequence starts with assessing the situation to understand hazards, mission requirements, and environmental factors. You can only plan effectively once you know what you’re facing. After that, you balance your resources—deciding how to allocate people, equipment, time, and constraints to control or mitigate the identified risks. Next, you communicate your plan and the reasons behind it to the team and any partners so everyone understands their roles and the approach. Finally, you Do the plan, monitor progress, adapt as needed, and Debrief afterward to capture lessons learned and improve future RM.

Doing and debriefing before assessment would leave you guessing rather than basing decisions on real hazards and needs. The option that lists control categories like Engineering, Administrative, and PPE focuses on types of controls rather than the step order. The option with items like TRiPS and SA plus repeated debriefing doesn’t reflect a coherent, correct flow of the RM process.