This paper outlines the design principles for software project risk management systems. The artifact accounts for the interrelationships among factors belonging to four risk dimensions: project traits, undesirable events, management practices, and project outcomes. We conducted a case survey of 60 software projects and observed patterns of interplay among risk components. Four patterns were found: the multiplicative effect of project traits, the sequentiality effect of undesirable events, the presence of a third variable, and the tradeoff when implementing risk management practices. Those patterns were then used to derive three design principles for the IT-artifact – the association, the regulation, and the simulation principles. To validate those principles, we intend to prototype the IT-artifact and intervene in an organizational setting. If the artifact is judged to be useful, it presents a practical solution to project managers by providing a more accurate assessment of risk exposure than existing computational techniques