Complete firstShared context
Period and goal are set.
Without a frame, contributions are hard to compare.
Method guideDecision Making
Pre-Mortem
A practical method guide: clarify prerequisites and materials, understand the complete process, and look up outputs, pitfalls, and stop criteria.
ComplexityLow
Time20–45 min
ParticipantsSmall cross-functional group
FormatWorkshop
MaturityEstablished
01
Prerequisite
What needs to be finished first
02
Preparation
What needs to be ready before start
Materials
Board, Stickies, Timer
People / roles
The facilitator holds the hypothetical frame; the sponsor provides goal and boundaries; participants collect reasons independently; the scribe records risks, signals, and owners.
Pre-read
Collect the decision, goal, success criteria, assumptions, dependencies, and assumed failure point beforehand.
Time needed
45 minutes
Setup
Show the scenario sentence. Collect risks silently first, then cluster causes, signals, effects, and mitigations.
03
Core question
The one question this method answers
Which plausible reasons could make this initiative fail at the assumed point, and how will we detect or reduce them?
04
Flow
Phases with goal, actions, output and pitfall
A hypothetical failure makes concrete risks, signals, and fitting mitigations visible.
Working board
Fictional example
Structured board with a blank workspace and fictional example view.
Risks
Fictional: late inventory sync
Returns sync late; double bookings increase.
Signals
Fictional: two double bookings per week
Leading signal for inconsistent availability.
Actions
Fictional: sync spike
Sam checks the sync before the pilot; manual confirmation is the contingency.
- Stay hypothetical
- Reasons are plausible assumptions until evidence or tests change them.
- 1
Frame
Clarify initiative and horizon
Goal
Define the initiative, success, and the assumed failure point.
Inputs for this step
- Fictional tool-rental context
- Shared observations
Actions
- Define the initiative, success, and the assumed failure point.
- Capture the result visibly.
Output
Context, goal, horizon
Context, goal, horizon
Quality check
Is the step concrete, safe, and actionable?
Pitfall
The discussion stays generic or blames people. Return to observable work, effects, and the next check.
Timing: 10–20 minutes
- 2
Assume
Assume failure
Goal
Imagine the group after failure and state the hypothetical frame.
Inputs for this step
- Fictional tool-rental context
- Shared observations
Actions
- Imagine the group after failure and state the hypothetical frame.
- Capture the result visibly.
Output
Hypothetical outcome
Hypothetical outcome
Quality check
Is the step concrete, safe, and actionable?
Pitfall
The discussion stays generic or blames people. Return to observable work, effects, and the next check.
Timing: 10–20 minutes
- 3
Surface
Collect reasons independently
Goal
First collect concrete reasons, cascades, and leading signals silently.
Inputs for this step
- Fictional tool-rental context
- Shared observations
Actions
- First collect concrete reasons, cascades, and leading signals silently.
- Capture the result visibly.
Output
Risks and signals
Risks and signals
Quality check
Is the step concrete, safe, and actionable?
Pitfall
The discussion stays generic or blames people. Return to observable work, effects, and the next check.
Timing: 10–20 minutes
- 4
Act
Act on risks
Goal
Prioritize actionable risks and link prevention, monitoring, contingency, owner, and review date.
Inputs for this step
- Fictional tool-rental context
- Shared observations
Actions
- Prioritize actionable risks and link prevention, monitoring, contingency, owner, and review date.
- Capture the result visibly.
Output
Mitigation plan
Mitigation plan
Quality check
Is the step concrete, safe, and actionable?
Pitfall
The discussion stays generic or blames people. Return to observable work, effects, and the next check.
Timing: 10–20 minutes
- 5
Follow-up
Agree review and ownership
Goal
Prepare a clear follow-up review.
Inputs for this step
- Selected actions
- Potential effect signals
Actions
- Record an owner, review date and observable signal for each selected action.
- Confirm the agreement and choose where later results will be recorded.
Output
Agreed follow-up plan
Action · owner · review date · signal · record location
Quality check
Are owner, review date and effect signal clearly agreed?
Pitfall
The pre-mortem is left unchanged after the workshop. Anchor a concrete review date and visible status maintenance.
Timing: 5–10 minutes to agree follow-up
05
Artifact
What comes out at the end
Sketch: what the artifact looks like
Form
Preventive risk artifact with hypothetical failure, independent reasons, risk chains, leading signals, prevention, monitoring, contingency, owner, and review date.
Versioning / ownership
Keep date, period, and owner on the artifact.
Tool alternatives
- Whiteboard
- Confluence page
- Miro board with risk matrix
pre-mortem-working-template.md
Plan purpose, period, and the next work block.
Pre-Mortem: Worksheet
Question
To be confirmed
Desired outcome
To be confirmed
Scope
Whole flow Time: In one session
Complete this worksheet on paper or in your own document during the work.
Preparation for this scope
Method setup
- Materials: Board, Stickies, Timer
- Roles: The facilitator holds the hypothetical frame; the sponsor provides goal and boundaries; participants collect reasons independently; the scribe records risks, signals, and owners.
- Advance information: Collect the decision, goal, success criteria, assumptions, dependencies, and assumed failure point beforehand.
- Overall time needed: 45 minutes
- Setup: Show the scenario sentence. Collect risks silently first, then cluster causes, signals, effects, and mitigations.
Prepare for the work steps
Frame: Clarify initiative and horizon
- Fictional tool-rental context
- Shared observations
Assume: Assume failure
- Fictional tool-rental context
- Shared observations
Surface: Collect reasons independently
- Fictional tool-rental context
- Shared observations
Act: Act on risks
- Fictional tool-rental context
- Shared observations
Follow-up: Agree review and ownership
- Selected actions
- Potential effect signals
Working board
Risks
...
Signals
...
Actions
...
Working policies
Stay hypothetical ...
How to Run Pre-Mortem Exercises | Atlassian
Frame: Clarify initiative and horizon
Expected artifact: Context, goal, horizon
Context, goal, horizon
Entry:
...
- Is the step concrete, safe, and actionable?
Assume: Assume failure
Expected artifact: Hypothetical outcome
Hypothetical outcome
Entry:
...
- Is the step concrete, safe, and actionable?
Surface: Collect reasons independently
Expected artifact: Risks and signals
Risks and signals
Entry:
...
- Is the step concrete, safe, and actionable?
Act: Act on risks
Expected artifact: Mitigation plan
Mitigation plan
Entry:
...
- Is the step concrete, safe, and actionable?
Follow-up: Agree review and ownership
Expected artifact: Agreed follow-up plan
Action · owner · review date · signal · record location
Entry:
...
- Are owner, review date and effect signal clearly agreed?
Open questions and next steps
...
Method guide: https://methodatlas.meierhoff-systems.de/en/methods/pre-mortem/run-sheet
06
Example output
Concrete filled scenario, fictional example
Fictional example for orientation. Counts and timings describe this case and are not universal requirements.
pre-mortem-beispiel.md
Concrete filled scenario, fictional example
Fictional pre-mortem: tool rental
Scenario: Three months after launch, online reservations fail.
Risk: Inventory data syncs late after returns. Signal: More than two unresolved double bookings per week. Prevention: Run a sync spike before the pilot, owner: Sam. Contingency: Confirm affected devices manually. Review: Before pilot approval.
07
Pitfalls
Recognize symptoms and steer against them
Quick overview, the full text is in the matching phase in the flow
- Clarify initiative and horizonThe discussion stays generic or blames people.View in phase
- Assume failureThe discussion stays generic or blames people.View in phase
- Collect reasons independentlyThe discussion stays generic or blames people.View in phase
- Act on risksThe discussion stays generic or blames people.View in phase
- Agree review and ownershipThe pre-mortem is left unchanged after the workshop.View in phase
Trap
Clarify initiative and horizon
Symptom
The discussion stays generic or blames people.
What to do
Return to observable work, effects, and the next check.
Trap
Assume failure
Symptom
The discussion stays generic or blames people.
What to do
Return to observable work, effects, and the next check.
Trap
Collect reasons independently
Symptom
The discussion stays generic or blames people.
What to do
Return to observable work, effects, and the next check.
Trap
Act on risks
Symptom
The discussion stays generic or blames people.
What to do
Return to observable work, effects, and the next check.
Trap
Agree review and ownership
Symptom
The pre-mortem is left unchanged after the workshop.
What to do
Anchor a concrete review date and visible status maintenance.
08
Stop criteria
When to pause, resolve prerequisites, or choose another approach
The failure scenario, boundary, and point in time are clear.
Reasons were collected independently first and marked as assumptions.
Top risks have a leading signal, prevention or contingency, owner, and review date.
The artifact explicitly labels assumptions as hypothetical rather than forecasts.
A later status and effect review is scheduled.
Finished the method guide?
Go to the profile for purpose, similar methods, and sources or continue to the next method in the catalog.