pre-mortem
Predictive failure analysis
A pre-mortem is a risk assessment technique where a team imagines a project has already failed and works backward to identify what could go wrong.
Unlike a post-mortem, which analyzes failure after it happens, a pre-mortem anticipates problems before they occur: We did a pre-mortem on the product launch and identified three major vulnerabilities.
The term plays on the medical sense of post-mortem examination, shifting the timing from after death to before.
Postulated event sequence
- contingencyUncertain possible event
- brainstormingGenerating many ideas freely
- simulationImitation of real processes
- forecastingEstimating future conditions
mitigation · strategy · preparation · readiness · prevention · anticipation · checklist · protocol
Forecast of coming events
- projectionSomething that extends outward
- anticipationState of awaiting something
- forecastingEstimating future conditions
- forethoughtPlanning before acting
prescience · prospective · imagination · visualization · extrapolation · what-if · hypothetical · worst-case
Possibility of harm
- evaluationDetermining worth or quality
- assessmentFormal evaluation of worth
- diagnosisIdentification of illness
- examinationMethodical assessment or review
scrutiny · review · audit · investigation · appraisal · calculation · estimation · measurement
Persistent apprehensive distress
- dreadIntense anticipatory fear
- forebodingFearful anticipation of harm
- pessimismExpecting unfavorable outcomes
- catastrophizingImagining worst-case outcomes
worry · concern · apprehension · uncertainty · overconfidence · groupthink · denial · complacency
scenario
Postulated event sequence
- contingencyUncertain possible event
- brainstormingGenerating many ideas freely
- simulationImitation of real processes
forecasting · mitigation · strategy · preparation · readiness · prevention · anticipation · checklist · protocol · agenda
prediction
Forecast of coming events
- projectionSomething that extends outward
- anticipationState of awaiting something
- forecastingEstimating future conditions
forethought · prescience · prospective · imagination · visualization · extrapolation · what-if · hypothetical · worst-case · best-case
risk
Possibility of harm
- evaluationDetermining worth or quality
- assessmentFormal evaluation of worth
- diagnosisIdentification of illness
examination · scrutiny · review · audit · investigation · appraisal · calculation · estimation · measurement · interpretation
anxiety
Persistent apprehensive distress
- dreadIntense anticipatory fear
- forebodingFearful anticipation of harm
- pessimismExpecting unfavorable outcomes
catastrophizing · worry · concern · apprehension · uncertainty · overconfidence · groupthink · denial · complacency · vigilance
pre-mortempost-mortem
Analysis after conclusion
postmortem · autopsy · after death · posthumous · necropsy
pre-mortempostmortem
Examination after death
post-mortem · retrospective · after-action review · lessons learned · debrief