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Risk Review with MCP: Detect Overdue Tasks and Hidden Blockers

Identify project risks by detecting overdue tasks, tasks with many comments but no progress, and tasks lacking owners using MCP. This workflow shows you how to surface hidden blockers, propose mitigations, and generate escalation messages.

What This Workflow Accomplishes

Risk review with MCP proactively identifies project risks:

Key Outcomes

  • Overdue detection: Find tasks that are past their due dates
  • Stale task identification: Surface tasks with activity but no progress
  • Ownership gaps: Identify tasks without clear owners
  • Mitigation proposals: Get AI-suggested actions to address risks
  • Escalation support: Generate messages for escalating critical risks

Prerequisites

Before using this workflow, ensure you have:

Step-by-Step Workflow

Step 1: Find Overdue Tasks

Start by identifying tasks that are past their due dates:

Overdue Tasks Prompt

"Perform a risk review. First, find all overdue tasks (due date is in the past and status is not 'done'). For each overdue task, show: task title, due date, how many days overdue, assignee, and project."

What the AI does:

  1. Calls list_tasks with due_date: "overdue"
  2. Filters out completed tasks
  3. Calculates days overdue
  4. Groups by project and assignee

Step 2: Detect Stale Tasks

Identify tasks with activity but no progress:

Stale Task Detection Prompt

"Find tasks that have many comments but no recent progress: - Tasks with 5+ comments but status hasn't changed in 2+ weeks - Tasks that are 'in_progress' but haven't been updated in 2+ weeks - Tasks with recent comments asking for updates but no response For each, show: task title, number of comments, last status change date, assignee, and project."

What the AI does:

  1. Calls list_tasks to get active tasks
  2. Calls list_task_comments for each task
  3. Analyzes comment count vs. status change date
  4. Identifies tasks with activity but no progress

Step 3: Find Unassigned Tasks

Surface tasks without clear ownership:

Unassigned Task Detection Prompt

"Find tasks that lack an owner: - Tasks with no assignee - Tasks assigned to inactive users (if you can detect this) - Tasks with 'unassigned' or empty assignee field For each, show: task title, project, due date (if any), and current status."

What the AI does:

  1. Calls list_tasks to get all tasks
  2. Filters tasks with null or empty assignee
  3. Groups by project
  4. Highlights unassigned tasks

Step 4: Propose Mitigations

Get AI-suggested actions to address each risk:

Mitigation Proposal Prompt

"For each risk identified (overdue, stale, unassigned), propose mitigation actions: - What should be done to address the risk - Who should take action - Timeline for resolution - Priority level (high, medium, low) Present mitigations as actionable recommendations."

What the AI does:

  1. Analyzes each risk type
  2. Considers task context (project, assignee, due date)
  3. Proposes specific mitigation actions
  4. Prioritizes risks and mitigations

Step 5: Generate Escalation Messages

Create messages for escalating critical risks:

Escalation Message Prompt

"For high-priority risks, generate escalation messages. Each message should: - Clearly state the risk - Explain the impact - Request specific action - Include relevant task links - Be professional and actionable Format messages for different audiences (team lead, project manager, stakeholder)."

What the AI does:

  1. Identifies high-priority risks
  2. Drafts escalation messages
  3. Tailors messages for different audiences
  4. Includes task context and links

Complete Workflow Prompts

Here are complete, copy-paste ready prompts:

Full Risk Review

"Perform a comprehensive risk review: 1. Find all overdue tasks (past due date, not done) 2. Find stale tasks (many comments but no progress in 2+ weeks) 3. Find unassigned tasks (no owner) 4. For each risk category, show: task title, project, assignee, and risk details 5. Propose mitigation actions for each risk 6. Generate escalation messages for high-priority risks Organize by risk type and priority."

Use this when: You want a complete risk assessment

Quick Risk Check

"Do a quick risk check: find overdue tasks, stale tasks (5+ comments, no progress in 2 weeks), and unassigned tasks. Show me the list with basic details."

Use this when: You want a quick risk overview

Project-Specific Risk Review

"Perform a risk review for the [Project Name] project only. Find overdue, stale, and unassigned tasks in this project. Propose mitigations and escalation messages."

Use this when: You want to focus on a specific project

Workflow Variants

Variant 1: Blocker-Focused Review

Focus specifically on blocked tasks:

"Find all blocked tasks and analyze why they're blocked: - How long have they been blocked - What's blocking them (from comments) - Who owns them - What actions are needed to unblock Propose unblocking strategies."

What happens: AI focuses on blocked tasks and unblocking strategies

Variant 2: Timeline Risk Analysis

Analyze risks to project timelines:

"Analyze timeline risks: - Tasks due in the next week that are not in_progress - Tasks with dependencies that are blocked - Tasks that are overdue and blocking other work Identify which risks could impact project deadlines."

What happens: AI analyzes risks specifically related to project timelines

Example: Complete Risk Review Session

Here's a real example of how a risk review session flows:

User Prompt

"Perform a risk review. Find overdue tasks, stale tasks, and unassigned tasks. Propose mitigations."

AI Response (Risk Review)

Risk Review - March 20, 2026

Overdue Tasks (3 found):

  • API Documentation - Due: Mar 15 (5 days overdue) - Project: API Redesign - Assignee: John
    Mitigation: Check with John on status, consider extending deadline or reassigning
  • Homepage Mockups - Due: Mar 18 (2 days overdue) - Project: Q2 Marketing - Assignee: Sarah
    Mitigation: Follow up with Sarah, check if client feedback is blocking progress

Stale Tasks (2 found):

  • Database Migration - 8 comments, last status change: Mar 5 (15 days ago) - Project: Backend - Assignee: Mike
    Mitigation: Schedule a check-in with Mike, review comments to understand blockers

Unassigned Tasks (1 found):

  • Content Calendar Review - Project: Q2 Marketing - Due: Mar 25
    Mitigation: Assign to appropriate team member or mark as blocked until owner identified

High-Priority Escalation:

"API Documentation task is 5 days overdue and may be blocking other work. Recommend immediate follow-up with John to assess status and determine if deadline extension or reassignment is needed."

Troubleshooting

Too Many Risks Found

Symptom: Risk review shows too many issues

Possible causes:

  • Filters are too broad
  • Many tasks are actually at risk

Fix: Narrow scope: "Find only high-priority risks" or "Focus on tasks due in next 2 weeks"

Mitigations Too Generic

Symptom: Proposed mitigations are vague

Possible causes:

  • AI lacks context about tasks
  • Task descriptions are too brief

Fix: Ask for specific actions: "Propose concrete, actionable mitigations with owners and timelines"

Related Tools

This workflow uses these Corcava MCP tools:

list_tasks

Find overdue, stale, and unassigned tasks

list_task_comments

Analyze comment activity for stale task detection

get_task

Get task details for risk analysis

Related Use Cases

Weekly Status Report

Generate status reports with risk sections

Client Progress Report

Include risk highlights in client updates

Dependency Tracking

Identify dependency-related risks

Proactively Identify Project Risks

Connect your AI assistant to Corcava and detect risks before they become problems

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