pre-mortem

A pre-mortem analysis uses prospective hindsight to imagine a project has failed spectacularly before it launches. This technique helps teams systematically identify potential failure points and develop targeted mitigation strategies to prevent foreseen negative outcomes.

To run a pre-mortem, provide your project description and use structured brainstorming to anticipate failures. The analysis guides you through risk assessment and action planning, generating clear strategies to prevent or address identified risks before execution.

Yes, the pre-mortem technique applies directly to strategic planning, decision-making, and risk management for new initiatives. It helps teams proactively identify and mitigate potential risks and failures in projects or decisions before they occur.

The best way to anticipate project failures is applying Gary Klein's prospective hindsight technique. By assuming the initiative failed and working backward to identify reasons like poor targeting or budget overruns, you can create actionable plans to prevent these issues.

A pre-mortem is designed for new initiatives, strategic planning, and decision-making. It may not be suitable for routine operational tasks or projects where failure scenarios are already well-documented and actively managed through existing risk management processes.