Avoiding failure before it happens
The power of pre-mortems
Every project starts with optimism and good intentions, but even the best plans can go off track. What if you could spot potential problems before they happen, while there's still time to do something about them? In this article, you'll learn about the pre-mortem: a simple, practical technique for identifying risks early and building more resilient plans.
We'll explore what a pre-mortem is, why it's valuable for teams of any size, and how you can run one effectively. By the end, you'll have a clear, actionable approach to help your team anticipate challenges and avoid failure before it happens.
What is a Pre-mortem?
A pre-mortem is a proactive technique for uncovering potential problems before they happen. Instead of waiting for things to go wrong and analyzing failures after the fact, a pre-mortem asks you and your team to imagine that your project has already failed. Then, you work backwards to brainstorm all the reasons why things might have gone off track.
By anticipating obstacles and pitfalls in advance, you can develop strategies to prevent them or reduce their impact. This approach helps teams surface hidden risks, challenge assumptions, and prepare more effectively for success.
Why do a Pre-mortem?
Big projects—like migrating a service, enabling a major feature, or launching a new product—are complex and full of unknowns. Even the most experienced teams can overlook hidden risks or make assumptions that don't hold up in practice. When things go wrong, it's often not because of a single mistake, but a series of small issues that add up.
A pre-mortem helps you get ahead of these problems. By imagining your project has already failed, you give your team permission to voice concerns, challenge assumptions, and surface risks that might otherwise go unspoken. This process not only uncovers potential pitfalls, but also encourages creative thinking about how to avoid or mitigate them.
Ultimately, a pre-mortem builds resilience into your planning. It helps teams feel more prepared, reduces the likelihood of unpleasant surprises, and increases the chances of a successful outcome.
How to do a Pre-mortem?
Running a pre-mortem is straightforward and can be adapted to any project or team.
Here's a simple step-by-step approach:
Set the stage: Gather your team and explain the purpose of the pre-mortem. Make it clear that the goal is to surface risks and concerns in a safe, blame-free environment.
Imagine failure: Ask everyone to imagine that the project has failed spectacularly. The goal is to suspend disbelief and assume things went wrong, no matter how confident you feel today.
Brainstorm reasons for failure: Invite each team member to list all the possible reasons why the project might have failed. Encourage people to think broadly. Consider technical issues, communication breakdowns, resource constraints, external dependencies, and even unlikely scenarios.
Share and discuss: Collect everyone's ideas and discuss them as a group. Look for patterns, common themes, and surprising risks that might not have been obvious.
Prioritize risks: Identify which risks are most likely or would have the biggest impact. Focus on the issues that could truly derail your project.
Develop mitigations: For each high-priority risk, brainstorm actions you can take now to prevent it or reduce its impact. Assign owners and make these mitigations part of your project plan.
Review and revisit: As your project progresses, revisit your pre-mortem findings. Update your risk list and mitigations as new information emerges.
This process is similar to planning a big family holiday: you map out each step, anticipate what could go wrong, and put plans in place to avoid or handle problems. By thinking ahead, you give your team the best chance of a smooth journey and a successful arrival.
It's time for a holiday
Imagine you're planning a family holiday. From leaving your house to arriving at your hotel, countless things could go wrong. A pre-mortem approach helps you anticipate and prepare for these risks, making your journey smoother.
For example:
Packing the car: You might forget essential items.
Mitigation: Use a checklist and involve everyone in packing.Getting to the airport: Traffic, getting lost, or a flat tire could delay you.
Mitigation: Leave early, check traffic, and ensure your car is ready.Checking in: Missing documents or luggage can cause stress.
Mitigation: Keep travel documents together and double-check your bags.Going through security: Forgetting to remove items can slow you down.
Mitigation: Pack smart and wear easy-to-remove shoes.Boarding and flying: Missing snacks, toys, or comfort items can make the trip harder, especially for kids.
Mitigation: Prepare a travel kit with essentials for everyone.Arriving and getting to your hotel: Transportation mix-ups or missing luggage can derail your plans.
Mitigation: Pre-book transport and clearly label all bags.
By thinking through each step and planning for what might go wrong, you set yourself up for a successful, stress-free holiday. The same mindset applies to projects: anticipate, prepare, and mitigate risks before they become problems.
Conclusion
Pre-mortems are a simple but powerful way to build resilience into your projects. By taking the time to anticipate what could go wrong, you empower your team to surface hidden risks, challenge assumptions, and put practical mitigations in place—before problems arise.
While no process can guarantee a flawless project, running pre-mortems will help you catch issues early and avoid many of the pitfalls that lead to failure. The more you invest in pre-mortems, the fewer postmortems you'll need to write. In the end, it's about giving your team the best possible chance for success and learning from challenges before they become setbacks.
