WIP-Wednesdays: Save your project from failure with your DeLorean

Add value to your software process by mastering this high leverage activity, the premortem. Get to the end of the post for a quick checklist you can steal to make your premorterm a success. A pre-mortem, or premortem, is a managerial strategy in which a project team imagines that a project or organization has failed, and then works backward to determine what potentially could lead to the failure of the project or organization. **Step 1: Discuss the Current Plan** Begin by talking with your team about the plan you have for your big project right now. Make sure everyone understands what's supposed to happen. **Step 2: Imagine the Worst** Imagine that the project has already finished, but it failed gloriously. Pretend like it's a movie about the project failing. This might feel strange, but it helps you think ahead. **Step 3: Sticky Note Brainstorming** Give everyone sticky notes and ask them to write down all the reasons they can think of for why the project failed. Each person should jot down their own ideas. Don't worry about being right or wrong; just write down anything that comes to mind. **Step 4: Share and Discuss** One by one, have each team member put their sticky notes on the wall. Then, talk about why they think those things could make the project fail. Listen to everyone's thoughts. **Step 5: Group Similar Reasons** If you notice that some reasons are similar or the same, put those sticky notes together on the wall. This helps you see patterns in your concerns. **Step 6: Identify Common Themes** Now, try to find common themes or big problems that could cause the project to fail. Look at all the sticky notes and see what they have in common. **Step 7: Create an Action Plan** After discussing all the reasons, it's time to make a plan to avoid these problems: -- Figure out how to reduce the risk of the most likely problems happening. What steps can you take? -- Decide what you need to investigate further to understand better. Are there things you don't know yet? -- Assign specific tasks to people after the meeting. Make sure everyone knows what they need to do to make everything go smoothly. So, remember, a premortem helps your team prepare for a project by thinking about what might go wrong and making a plan to avoid those problems. It's like practicing before the big game to make sure you're ready for whatever comes your way. **Steal this check-list! ** Premortem Checklist: Get Ready for Your Big Project [ ] Discuss Current Plan: Talk about your project plan with the team. [ ] Imagine the Worst: Pretend the project already failed, and visualize why. [ ] Sticky Note Brainstorm: Write down reasons for failure on sticky notes. [ ] Share and Discuss: Put sticky notes on the wall and talk about each reason. [ ] Group Similar Reasons: Combine sticky notes with similar reasons. [ ] Identify Common Themes: Find patterns or big problems from the sticky notes. [ ] Create an Action Plan: Make a plan to prevent these problems: -- Reduce risk for likely issues. -- Investigate what you need to know. -- Assign tasks to team members. These WIP-Wednesdays series include time-proven methods to help you improve the success of your project and make you a more valuable member. Want to grow your value, follow so you don’t miss out on future tips.