This is a Pre-mortem exercise where you imagine the worst: what if our upcoming project were to fail?
This activity helps the team brainstorm the risks to the project and the what would happen if those risks became reality. You can then use these to plan any mitigations to the project.
How to run the Pre-mortem
- Introduce the activity and set the scene. Write the project name at the top of the tombstone.
- Together, complete the goal and plan sections.
- Then each person adds their own stickies for the “What Went Wrong” and “The Result” sections.
- Each person then presents their stickies. Group similar stickies to find similar themes.
- Identify the most important issues to address. You can use a voting round or rearrange stickies according to priority.
- Devise mitigations and incorporate them into your upcoming project plan!
