A Game-Changer for a Project Success
Think of a premortem like a crystal ball for your project's success.
Reducing or preventing project failure is better than the alternative.
Game-Changer for a Project Success
Think of a premortem like a crystal ball for your project's success.
It's a deceptively clever approach where, at the project's kick-off, the team imagines that it's already failed. Everyone then writes down every reason they can think of for the failure, even the stuff they usually keep to themselves.
This not only spots potential issues before they become real headaches but also creates a vibe where everyone feels heard, making the whole project smoother and, importantly, reducing the chances of a painful postmortem later on.
A key aspect of a premortem is that it largely overcomes the bias of sunk capital, where the concept that we’ve come this far, invested so much time and money we have to continue at all costs, pushes aside reality.
The Harsh Reality of Project Failures:
- Projects often crash and burn at an alarming rate, and one major culprit is the silence that shrouds reservations during crucial planning stages.
The Power of Prospective Hindsight:
- Ground-breaking research from 1989 reveals that envisioning an event as if it already happened boosts the ability to predict future outcomes by a whopping 30%.
- Harnessing this concept, we introduce the premortem, a pre-emptive strike against project pitfalls.
Demystifying the Premortem:
- Unlike the postmortem in medicine, where learning comes too late for the patient, the premortem emerges at a project's birth to enhance, not autopsy.
- It's not your typical critique session; it assumes the project has failed and seeks plausible reasons for its demise.
How the Premortem Unfolds:
- After a project briefing, the leader declares the project's spectacular failure, prompting team members to jot down every conceivable reason, even the usually unspoken ones.
- Each team member reads a unique reason aloud, fostering diverse insights. The project manager then sifts through, fortifying the plan for success.
Real-World Impact:
- In a session on a defence project, a normally silent team member unveiled a critical hardware compatibility issue, steering the project away from potential disaster.
- The premortem's prospective hindsight stands out, not just in identifying early problems but also in curbing the dismissive attitude toward risks ingrained in overinvested project enthusiasts.
The Premortem Advantage:
- By exposing weaknesses pre-emptively, team members feel valued and encourage a positive, long-term approach to the project.
- The premortem emerges as the preventative cure, eliminating the need for a painful postmortem autopsy.
The premortem isn't just a risk analysis tool; it's a game-changer that transforms project dynamics. Embrace it early, and watch your projects thrive with resilience and success.