Plan and commit
Premortem
Also called Pre-mortem
Imagine the project has failed, then work out why, so risks get named while there is still time to act on them.
- Time30 to 45 minutes
- People3 to 12 people
- Steps5
What it's for
Asking "what could go wrong?" gets polite answers. Saying "it's a year from now and this failed, what happened?" gives people permission to say what they have been worried about. Imagining the failure as certain makes people more specific about its causes.
Run it once a plan exists but before it's locked in.
How to run it
Set the scene2 min
It's a year from now. The project failed badly. Everyone takes that as given.
Write why it failed8 min
Silently, each person writes the reasons, one per note.
Group and vote8 min3 votes each
Cluster similar reasons, then vote on the most likely and most damaging.
Spot the warning signs8 min
For the top reasons, what would we see early on?
Decide what changes10 min
What do we do now to make each one less likely?
Tips
- Ask the most senior person to write and share last.
- Some reasons will feel uncomfortable. Those are the ones that justify the exercise.
Where it comes from
Developed by the psychologist Gary Klein, who described it in "Performing a Project Premortem", Harvard Business Review, 2007.
Pairs well with
Hopes and fears
People write what they hope the session or project achieves and what they fear could go wrong, so both are said out loud early.
Assumption map
Place every assumption behind a plan by how important it is and how much evidence you have, to find what to test first.
Reverse brainstorm
Brainstorm how to make the problem worse, then turn each bad idea around to find good ones.