Pre-mortem analysis
Imagine the failure before it happens, so you can prevent it
What it is
About Pre-mortem analysis
Popularised by psychologist Gary Klein, a pre-mortem asks a team to assume a project has failed spectacularly and then generate reasons why, surfacing risks that optimism bias or groupthink would otherwise hide. It's a facilitation technique rather than software — typically run as a structured workshop and often captured using a whiteboard tool like Miro or a simple document.
What you can do with it
Capabilities
Surface hidden risks and blind spots before a project launches
Counteract overconfidence and groupthink in planning
Prioritise mitigation actions for the most plausible failure modes
Build a shared team understanding of project risk
Create a reusable risk register from workshop outputs
How to learn it
Learning Resources
Gary Klein's original Harvard Business Review article on pre-mortems
Project management and facilitation guides (APM, PMI resources)
Practise by running one on a real upcoming project with your team
Templates available in Miro's and Mural's workshop template libraries
Pro Tip
Get people to write their failure reasons individually and silently before sharing aloud — it prevents the loudest voice in the room from anchoring everyone else's thinking.
Skills that use this tool
Roles that use this tool