Pre-Mortems: Finding Failure Before It Happens

Running a project is often about building towards a desired outcome. Savvy project managers know better than to simply wish for success; instead, they run a pre-mortem. This thought experiment flips the script: the team gathers, assumes the project has failed six months down the line, and asks, "What went wrong?"

The immediate benefits of this technique are clear. Instead of falling into confirmation bias—where everyone only points out things that could go right—the pre-mortem forces confrontation with potential disaster. Consider a recent digital transformation rollout for an organisation we managed remotely. During the initial planning, everyone assumed communication tools would suffice. After hosting a hypothetical "failure meeting," the team realised they hadn't scoped out the training burden for the warehouse staff, leading to initial resistance and delays.

Organizationally, the process involves assigning roles. One person acts as the 'narrator' detailing the failure, while others brainstorm causes. For distributed teams, structure is key. Running this synchronously via a video call works, but dedicating a collaborative whiteboard session (Miro or Mural are excellent tools here) ensures every member can contribute asynchronously before the main discussion.

Mistake to avoid: Treating the session like a blame game. Success comes from radical candour, not criticism. Focus questioning on processes and assumptions, not on people. Turning potential failures into logged, mitigated risks is how you optimise your delivery trajectory.

Takeaways

• Assume failure happened: Begin the session by establishing the project has already failed.
• Focus on process gaps: Critique assumptions about technology, training, and handover, not team competency.
• Use digital whiteboards: For distributed teams, collaborative, persistent surfaces keep insights readily accessible and neutral.

Resources

• Brookings: The Art and Science of Pre-Mortems (For theory)
• Master the Premortem: Stop Project Failure Before It Starts (For practical steps)