Pre Mortem for Software Development Teams

The pre-mortem concept, introduced by Gary Klein, a cognitive psychologist, flips the script on traditional post-mortems by prompting teams to envision a project's failure before it occurs. This entails conducting a simulated "premortem" session, during which team members collectively imagine themselves in the future, reflecting on a project that has failed. By mentally reversing the timeline and assuming the failure has transpired, teams are prompted to identify the hypothetical causes and challenges that could have led to the project's demise.

This introspective exercise allows teams to explore a diverse range of potential threats and issues that might not be apparent in the present. By adopting a forward-thinking perspective, development teams can unravel hidden complexities and vulnerabilities within their projects, paving the way for proactive risk management.

Improved Risk Management and Project Outcome Prediction

By simulating a project's failure and thoroughly analyzing the hypothetical reasons behind it, teams gain a heightened awareness of potential risks. This proactive identification of risks equips teams to devise preventive strategies and contingency plans, thereby fortifying the project's resilience against unforeseen adversities. Furthermore, this preemptive risk assessment enhances the team's ability to predict project outcomes with greater accuracy.

Better Team Communication and Morale

The pre-mortem approach fosters a collaborative environment wherein team members can candidly express their concerns and insights without the fear of judgment. This collective introspection nurtures a culture of open communication, wherein diverse perspectives and opinions are valued. As a result, team morale is elevated, and a sense of collective responsibility is instilled, contributing to a more cohesive and proactive team dynamic.

Early Identification and Mitigation of Potential Project Failures

Through the pre-mortem exercise, teams can uncover latent vulnerabilities and challenges that might have been overlooked in the initial project planning phase. By identifying these potential failure points early on, teams are empowered to proactively address them, thus mitigating the risk of such challenges emerging during the project's execution phase.

Step 1: Setting the Stage and Building the Right Mindset

1. Facilitate a Safe and Judgment-Free Environment: Establish a safe space where team members feel comfortable expressing their concerns and opinions without the fear of criticism. Emphasize the importance of open dialogue and assure team members that all perspectives will be valued.

2. Foster a Forward-Thinking Perspective: Encourage team members to adopt a future-oriented mindset, wherein they can envision the project's failure and explore the potential causes without being constrained by the present project status.

3. Outline the Objectives of the Pre-Mortem Session: Clearly articulate the goals and expected outcomes of the pre-mortem exercise, emphasizing the proactive nature of this introspective approach.

4. Prepare a Thought-Provoking Scenario: Introduce a hypothetical failure scenario related to the project at hand, prompting team members to immerse themselves in the repercussions of such a failure.

5. Allocate Sufficient Time for Discussion: Ensure that the session is not rushed, providing ample time for team members to immerse themselves in the pre-mortem exercise and engage in comprehensive discussions.

Step 2: Identifying Potential Failure Points and Risks

1. Stimulate Creative Brainstorming: Encourage team members to think creatively and expansively, exploring various dimensions and aspects of the project that could potentially lead to failure.

2. Leverage Diverse Perspectives: Emphasize the value of diverse viewpoints and encourage participation from team members with varying roles and expertise.

3. Document Insights Methodically: Record all identified failure points and associated risks systematically, ensuring that no insights are overlooked or disregarded.

4. Promote Detailed Scenario Analysis: Delve into specific project scenarios and explore the ripple effects of potential failures on different facets of the project.

5. Identify External Environmental Factors: Consider external influences and environmental factors that could impact the project's trajectory, incorporating a holistic risk assessment approach.

Step 3: Constructing Preventive Measures and Action Plans

1. Translate Insights into Actionable Plans: Collaboratively devise preventive strategies and actionable plans to address the identified failure points and risks.

2. Assign Ownership and Accountability: Allocate responsibilities for implementing the identified preventive measures and establishing clear lines of accountability within the team.

3. Establish Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Define measurable KPIs to track the effectiveness of the preventive measures, enabling ongoing evaluation and refinement.

4. Incorporate Pre-Mortem Insights into Project Planning: Integrate the insights gleaned from the pre-mortem session into the project's overall planning and risk management framework.

5. Cultivate a Continuous Improvement Mindset: Emphasize the iterative nature of risk management and encourage teams to continually refine their preventive strategies as the project progresses.

Step 4: Incorporating the Pre-Mortem Process into Regular Workflows

1. Integrate Pre-Mortem into Agile Rituals: Align the pre-mortem sessions with existing agile methodologies, seamlessly integrating the introspective exercise into the team's regular workflow.

2. Establish Regular Pre-Mortem Cadence: Establish a recurring cadence for pre-mortem sessions, ensuring that the introspective exercise becomes an integral part of the team's project planning and risk management process.

3. Leverage Technology for Documentation: Utilize collaborative tools and platforms to document pre-mortem insights and preventive measures, facilitating accessibility and transparency.

4. Encourage Knowledge Sharing and Cross-Team Pollination: Promote the dissemination of pre-mortem insights across different development teams, fostering cross-pollination of risk management best practices.

5. Strengthen Alignment with Organizational Goals: Ensure that the pre-mortem approach aligns with the broader strategic objectives of the organization, advocating its value in fostering proactive risk management culture.

Step 5: Evaluation and Continuous Improvement

1. Conduct Post-Pre-Mortem Review: Reflect on the effectiveness of the pre-mortem session, eliciting feedback from team members and identifying areas for improvement.

2. Iterate on Preventive Measures: Encourage teams to refine and adapt their preventive strategies based on the insights gleaned from the pre-mortem exercise, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

3. Measure Impact on Risk Mitigation: Track the impact of the implemented preventive measures on mitigating potential failure points, leveraging quantitative and qualitative assessment metrics.

4. Adapt Pre-Mortem Approach Based on Learnings: Integrate the learnings from the post-pre-mortem review into subsequent pre-mortem sessions, optimizing the approach based on real-world insights.

5. Promote Knowledge Sharing: Disseminate the post-pre-mortem learnings across the organization, fostering a culture of knowledge sharing and collective growth.

Pitfall 1: Overemphasis on Individual Accountability

In some instances, the pre-mortem exercise can inadvertently foster a culture of individual blame and accountability rather than collective introspection. This can hinder the free expression of concerns and stifle the collaborative exploration of potential risks. To address this pitfall:

• Foster Collective Responsibility: Emphasize that the pre-mortem exercise is not about attributing blame but about collectively addressing potential risks and challenges.
• Encourage Team Dynamics: Promote a team-oriented approach that values cohesive problem-solving over individual blame, fostering a supportive environment for open dialogue.
• Empowerment Through Constructive Feedback: Encourage team members to provide constructive feedback and constructive criticism, emphasizing the nurturing of a culture of continuous improvement.

Pitfall 2: Lack of Diversity in Perspectives and Opinions

When pre-mortem sessions are dominated by a singular or homogenous set of perspectives, the exercise can overlook critical risks and challenges. This can lead to a limited risk assessment that fails to capture the breadth of potential failure points. To mitigate this pitfall:

• Embrace Inclusive Participation: Ensure that pre-mortem sessions encompass diverse voices and perspectives, welcoming active participation from team members with varying expertise and roles.
• Cross-Functional Representation: Encourage involvement from cross-functional team members to provide a holistic risk assessment that encompasses various facets of the project.
• Facilitate an Inclusive Environment: Create a safe and inclusive environment wherein all team members feel empowered to share their thoughts, fostering a culture of diversity and inclusivity.

Pitfall 3: Neglecting to Document and Track Pre-Mortem Insights

Without systematic documentation and tracking, the valuable insights gleaned from pre-mortem sessions can dissipate over time, impeding the implementation and evaluation of preventive measures. This could result in missed opportunities for enhancing the project's resilience. To avoid this pitfall:

• Establish Clear Documentation Protocols: Implement systematic documentation of pre-mortem insights, ensuring that all identified risks and preventive measures are meticulously recorded.
• Leverage Technology for Tracking: Utilize collaborative platforms and tools to centrally document pre-mortem insights, facilitating accessibility and tracking over time.
• Adopt Agile Principles for Adaptability: Embrace agile principles of adaptability and continuous improvement, encouraging the iterative refinement of preventive measures based on documented insights.