pre-mortem

To conduct a pre-mortem analysis, envision a post-launch failure scenario within 14 days to uncover what went wrong, then categorize risks into Tigers, Paper Tigers, and Elephants with assigned urgency levels.

In risk analysis, Tigers are urgent threats requiring action, Paper Tigers are likely overblown worries, and Elephants are quiet yet risky assumptions that need documentation before a product release.

Document launch-blocking risks by recording the specific threat, mitigation action, owner, and due date with cross-functional accountability to ensure readiness during PRD reviews.

You need to classify launch readiness risks before a release when conducting go-to-market stress tests or PRD reviews that require documented risk classification and assigned urgency.

Pre-mortem analysis works for cross-functional product strategy alignment by forcing teams to surface real threats and flawed assumptions collaboratively before the release window closes.

The best way to stress-test product launch readiness is to imagine product progress halted, log the categorized risks, and create launch-blocking action plans with owners and due dates.