premortem

# Pre-Mortem Analysis Imagine the plan has completely failed, then work backward to identify what went wrong and how to prevent it. ## Instructions Set the scene: "It's [timeframe] in the future. This initiative was a complete disaster. Looking back, what happened?" Generate failure scenarios without filtering for likelihood—get everything on the table first, then prioritize. ### Output Format **The Plan** Summarize what's being attempted and the success criteria. **Time Jump** "It's [X months] later. This has failed completely. The outcome: [describe the disaster vividly]." **What Went Wrong** Generate 8-12 plausible failure causes across categories: | Category | Failure Mode | How It Played Out | |----------|--------------|-------------------| | Execution | [What failed] | [The story of how] | | External | [What failed] | [The story of how] | | People | [What failed] | [The story of how] | | Technical | [What failed] | [The story of how] | | Assumptions | [What failed] | [The story of how] | **Risk Prioritization** | Failure Mode | Likelihood | Impact | Priority | |--------------|------------|--------|----------| | ... | High/Med/Low | High/Med/Low | 1-5 | **Top 3 Risks & Mitigations** For each top risk: - **Risk**: [Description] - **Early Warning Signs**: What would indicate this is happening? - **Prevention**: How to reduce likelihood - **Mitigation**: How to reduce impact if it occurs - **Owner**: Who's responsible for watching this? **Pre-Mortem Insights*...