pre-mortem

Identify and classify failure modes for strategic initiatives.

5|Updated Mar 29, 2026

Search Tags:#risk assessment #risk mitigation #business analysis #pre-mortem #initiative planning

Ready to run

npx skills add https://github.com/stefanoskarakasis/Product-Marketing-Skills --skill pre-mortem-stefanoskarakasis

💬 Prompt for ChatGPT / Claude Chat▼

Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: pre-mortem
Source: https://github.com/stefanoskarakasis/Product-Marketing-Skills/tree/main/pmm-execution/skills/pre-mortem
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/stefanoskarakasis/Product-Marketing-Skills --skill pre-mortem-stefanoskarakasis

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

💡 This Skill includes scripts (resource) components.

What problem does it solve?

This Skill assists in identifying and mitigating potential failure modes for strategic initiatives such as product launches, pricing changes, and GTM pivots through a structured risk exercise.

Core Features & Use Cases

Risk Identification: Conducts a cross-functional risk exercise to surface potential failure scenarios.
Failure Scenario Generation: Prompts users to consider various failure narratives, grounded in actual market, team, and competitive context.
Risk Classification: Categorizes risks into Tigers (deal-blockers), Paper Tigers (manageable risks), and Elephants (accepted trade-offs).
Action Plan Development: Generates mitigation or rollback action plans for Tigers.
Output Artifacts: Delivers a Tiger summary, full risk table, and action register.

Quick Start

Run the pre-mortem skill with your initiative details, and follow the 7-step process to identify and address potential risks.

Frequently Asked Questions about pre-mortem

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema

How do I identify potential failure modes before a product launch?▼

A pre-mortem risk assessment helps identify potential failure modes for strategic initiatives by generating cross-functional failure scenarios grounded in market and team context. The exercise categorizes these risks to ensure deal-blockers are addressed before launch.

What is the best way to classify business risks during initiative planning?▼

During initiative planning, business risks are classified into Tigers (deal-blockers), Paper Tigers (manageable risks), and Elephants (accepted trade-offs). This structured risk classification prioritizes mitigation efforts for critical deal-blockers.

How do I create a mitigation action plan for identified strategic risks?▼

To create a mitigation action plan for strategic risks, run a pre-mortem exercise that generates an action register detailing rollback or mitigation steps. This specifically targets categorized Tiger risks that threaten your initiative.

Can I apply scenario planning and risk management to GTM pivots?▼

Yes, you can apply scenario planning and risk management to GTM pivots through a pre-mortem risk exercise. This process requires initiative details to surface failure scenarios and develop targeted rollback action plans.

What output artifacts do I get from a structured risk assessment?▼

From a structured pre-mortem risk assessment, you receive a Tiger summary highlighting deal-blockers, a full risk table categorizing scenarios, and an action register detailing mitigation steps for your initiative.