Definition
A risk management tool used in the Perform step of the 3P (Perceive, Process, Perform) model, in which the pilot decides how to handle each identified hazard by choosing one of four actions: Transfer the risk to someone better equipped to handle it, Eliminate the risk entirely, Accept the risk as it stands, or Mitigate the risk to reduce its severity or likelihood.
Plain English
A simple four-choice list a pilot uses to decide what to do about each risk on a flight: hand it off, get rid of it, live with it, or reduce it.
Context Anchor
Seen in aeronautical decision-making discussions, especially when applying the Perceive, Process, Perform model before or during a flight.
Derivation
TEAM is an acronym formed from the first letters of the four options: Transfer, Eliminate, Accept, Mitigate. The word 'mitigate' comes from the Latin mitigare, meaning 'to make mild or soften' — which is exactly what mitigation does to a risk.
Why Pilots Care
It reduces the chance of overlooking critical information during in-flight or preflight decisions, lowering risk of poor choices.
Intuition Check
TEAM does not mean a group of people here. In this FAA context, it means four possible actions a pilot can take to handle risk: transfer, eliminate, accept, or mitigate.
Example Sentence 1
After spotting a line of thunderstorms along the route, the pilot used the TEAM checklist and chose to mitigate the risk by deviating fifty miles south.
Example Sentence 2
Using the TEAM checklist helped the student pilot organize the information gathered during the perceive step of the 3P model.