How to Conduct a Pre-Mortem for Project Managers

Most projects fail. But there’s a simple technique to give yours a fighting chance. It’s not a to-do list. It’s not a fancy tool. It’s not a 12-step system. It’s a single question that flips the way you think. Here’s how it works: It’s called a “premortem.” You’ve heard of a postmortem what went wrong after a project dies. A premortem asks: What if we ran that analysis now? Before anything dies. Before the first misstep. Before failure sets in. The premortem comes from psychologist Gary Klein. Here’s how to run one: → Gather your team. → Imagine it’s 2 years in the future. → The project has completely failed. → Ask: What went wrong? No sugarcoating. No happy talk. Start listing the causes of failure. Budget misfire? Wrong team? Lack of buy-in? Scope creep? Missed deadlines? You’ll be shocked how quickly people identify risks—once they feel safe predicting failure. Why this works: It defeats irrational optimism. • It turns hindsight into foresight. • It makes risk visible. • It aligns the team before chaos hits. Because the best time to fix a problem… is before it happens. Pre-mortems don’t require special skills. Just a shift in mindset: Don’t assume success. Assume failure—and reverse-engineer your way out. Ask: What will future-you wish you had done? Then… do that now. I run a premortem for every big project I take on. Writing a book? Premortem. Launching a podcast? Premortem. Planning an event? Premortem. It never guarantees success—but it always makes success more likely. Summary: The Premortem Playbook → Imagine future failure. → List the causes. → Turn those risks into action steps. → Adjust your plan today. It’s one of the most underrated tools in your productivity toolkit. Try it before your next project. You won’t regret it.

"Our game failed. What went wrong?" That’s the question at the heart of a premortem—a proactive ritual I’ve used at studios of all sizes. Unlike postmortems, which reflect on what happened after failure, premortems invite your team to imagine that failure has already happened—and work backward to uncover what caused it. It's not about pessimism—it's about creativity, foresight, and psychological safety. This structured, collaborative exercise helps surface the uncomfortable concerns people might otherwise keep to themselves out of fear of “rocking the boat.” And the earlier those issues are addressed, the easier they are to solve and avoid. Here's how a premortem works: 1. Set the Stage Frame the session as imaginative roleplay. The project has failed. Now, as a group, you’re investigating why. This reframing helps reduce defensiveness and encourage open contribution. 2. Individual Reflection Everyone silently writes down at least five reasons the project might fail. Pushing beyond the obvious helps uncover deeper or more surprising risks. 3. Share & Celebrate Each person shares their risks one by one. Every contribution should be met with praise and curiosity. Once the first wave is done, encourage more ideas—playfully, if needed. This isn’t about being “right”—it’s about being thoughtful and thorough. 4. Mitigation Planning Discuss each risk: Can it be prevented? Mitigated? Detected early? What actions can we take now? Document any clear follow-ups or process adjustments. 5. Close on a Positive Note Premortems can be emotionally heavy—so end with appreciation, humor, and a reminder of your shared goals. This turns what could be an anxiety-inducing conversation into a confidence-building team ritual. I’ve also included in the full guide: - Ideal timing for premortems during a project - Common risk categories to prompt deeper thinking - Tips for first-time facilitators - A worksheet layout for turning discussion into action If you're leading a team or shipping something ambitious, I hope this helps you build resilience and alignment—not just reaction. The full guide is now live on Game Dev Foundry, alongside other free tools for indie developers and studio leaders. #gamedev #leadership #projectmanagement #riskmanagement #indiedev #gamedesign

This one practice reduces failure by 30%: Research from Wharton and Cornell confirms it works. I learned this practice from my former boss, Jason Adams, where he led our product & engineering teams. He ran these before every major initiative. I now run these for any big strategic company project. I call it the Pre-Mortem Party: 90 minutes that turn your biggest risks into safeguards. Here is the Pre-Mortem Party agenda: → Set the Tone (5 min): Why this is important. → Silent Reflection (15 min): Everyone writes 3 reasons. → Share & Cluster (30 min): Group similar risks. → Prioritize (15 min): High impact + likelihood only. → Build Safeguards (20 min): Prevention + warnings. → Assign & Close (5 min): Owners + check-in. The energy shift is incredible after one of these sessions. Saturday's The Moat (my newsletter) will dive deeper into this topic. Link in comments to subscribe. Don't miss out. ♻️ Share with a leader who needs this. 🔔 Follow me for more strategic execution.

You just lost money on a job that hasn’t even started yet. That’s what I told a client during a project kickoff last month. They looked at me sideways....until I asked this: “Let’s say the job is already off the rails... what went wrong?” We sat in silence for a second. Then the answers started rolling in: – Scope wasn’t clear – Sub buyout dragged – Schedule didn’t match reality – RFIs and design gaps already piling up – Everyone assuming someone else had it covered That conversation changed everything and shifted mindsets to be more aware of what responsibilities lied ahead. No finger-pointing. Just honest discussion about what could go wrong....BEFORE IT ACTUALLY DID! Many contractors do Post-Mortem. I challenge you to think differently and perform a Pre-Mortem. Why be the contractor who waits until closeout to figure out what went wrong. The best ones, do it before they even mobilize. This is what I encourage to my consulting clients. If your kickoff meeting doesn’t include this kind of conversation, you’re missing the opportunity to get ahead of the curve. That missed opportunity is costing you more than you think! This was a part of the conversation we had in our latest Preconstruction Peer Group which I lead. These conversations are imperative if you want to stand out from the crowd and its great having them with a dozen plus contractors who can all bring their own perspectives. #proaccel #constructionconsulting #constructionoperations #preconstruction #constructionpeergroup