Make-Buy, Outsourcing & Network Design worked example

Footprint Optimization Score with footprint risk severity of 3 score: a worked example

Here is what the math looks like when conditions slip. We hold every other input steady and drop footprint risk severity to 3 score, then walk the calculation through step by step. Estimate footprint optimization for make-buy, outsourcing and network design using production-ready inputs so teams can rank risks and decide which issue needs containment, controls, or escalation first.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Footprint risk severity (impact if it goes wrong): 3 score (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 6)
  • Footprint risk occurrence (how likely it happens): 4 score (held at the documented default)
  • Footprint risk detection (how easily you'd catch it): 3 score (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Footprint optimization risk score = footprint optimization severity score × footprint optimization occurrence score × footprint optimization detection score.
  • Footprint optimization risk score works out to 3.35 score at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Footprint optimization severity score works out to 3 score at these inputs.
  • Footprint optimization occurrence score works out to 4 score at these inputs.
  • Footprint optimization detection score works out to 3 score at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where footprint risk severity sits at 6 score and the headline result is 4.55 score, this scenario comes in 26.37% below the baseline at 3.35 score.
  • The practical read: the gap between this scenario and the baseline is entirely attributable to footprint risk severity, so recovering it is worth quantifying in dollars before considering equipment or staffing changes. RPN is ordinal, not linear — a 200 is not literally twice as risky as a 100, and the multiplication can mask a high-severity item hiding behind low occurrence and detection, so always review severity 9–10 risks on their own regardless of total.

Results at a glance

  • Footprint optimization risk score: 3.35 score (headline result)
  • Footprint optimization severity score: 3 score
  • Footprint optimization occurrence score: 4 score
  • Footprint optimization detection score: 3 score

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Footprint Optimization Score calculator, set footprint risk severity to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.