Problem Solving and Innovation

Pre-mortem Analysis

Pre-mortem Analysis is a proactive problem-solving method where team members anticipate potential failures and issues in a project before they happen. By imagining a future where the project has failed, teams work backwards to identify what could lead to such outcomes, allowing them to develop strategies to prevent these potential pitfalls.

EFFORT

Medium

While conceptually straightforward, this technique requires thoughtful planning and management to execute effectively.

DIFFICULTY

Moderate

Successfully predicting and mitigating future failures demands a good understanding of the project and the ability to think critically about numerous potential issues.

IMPLEMENTATION

Set the Scenario: Begin by imagining a future scenario where the project has failed spectacularly. Describe what that failure looks like in detail.
Brainstorm Reasons for Failure: Invite team members to identify and list all possible reasons that could lead to the imagined failure, encouraging a wide range of perspectives and creativity.
Group and Prioritize Issues: Organize the reasons for failure into categories and prioritize them based on their likelihood and potential impact.
Develop Mitigation Strategies: For each of the top-priority issues, brainstorm preventive measures and solutions that could be implemented to avoid these outcomes.
Integrate into Planning: Incorporate these strategies into the project plan to proactively address the identified risks.

BENEFITS

Enhances risk management by identifying potential problems before they occur.
Encourages a culture of openness and proactive thinking, as team members consider and discuss possible failures.
Improves project resilience by integrating risk mitigation strategies from the outset.

CHALLENGES

Can be psychologically challenging as it requires focusing on negative outcomes, which may affect team morale.
There's a risk of becoming overly focused on unlikely scenarios, potentially diverting resources from more probable issues.
Requires effective facilitation to ensure the session remains constructive and focused.

RECOMMENDED TEAM MEMBERS

Project Manager, Risk Manager, Product Manager, UI/UX Designer, Engineering, Strategists

DELIVERABLES

A detailed list of potential reasons for project failure, categorized and prioritized.
A set of strategies and actions designed to prevent identified potential failures.
An enhanced project plan that includes these preventive measures.

Pre-mortem Analysis is an invaluable tool for enhancing project success by preparing for and potentially avoiding future setbacks. This proactive approach is especially beneficial in complex or high-stakes projects where the cost of failure is significant.

Select from our collection of Retrospectives.