Want to stop your next project from derailing before it starts? Try a pre-mortem—a powerful, team-driven technique that uncovers hidden risks before they sabotage your success. It’s a proactive form of risk analysis that turns uncertainty into strategy—and teams into thinkers.
What Is a Project Pre-Mortem (And Why Smart Leaders Use It)
A project pre-mortem is a planning activity used in project management to imagine a future failure and explore the potential causes—before the project is even launched. Instead of asking, “What went wrong?” we ask, “What could go wrong?”
This exercise goes beyond the typical risk list or check-the-box formality. It’s a deep, creative exploration of assumptions, pressure points, and project risks—especially the kind you don’t see coming.
🔍 In fact, the Project Management Institute (PMI) promotes advanced risk identification strategies like pre-mortems at events such as the PMI Global Congress, emphasizing that real insight often comes from collaborative reflection, not spreadsheets.
From Theory to Practice: Why Pre-Mortems Beat Traditional Risk Planning
While risk registers and hierarchical breakdowns of threats can be useful, they tend to rely on documented knowledge and past experience. But what if your next risk doesn’t look like the last one? That’s where a pre-mortem shines—particularly when conducted through LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®.
Here’s how:
- 🧱 1. Turn Risk into Story (and Stories into Strategy): Participants build models of project failure. These physical representations—based on subconscious knowledge—reveal unspoken fears and surprising insights.
- 🤝 2. Elevate Diverse Voices: Pre-mortems using LEGO® bricks reduce the dominance of hierarchy. Everyone at the table builds and speaks. From interns to project sponsors, input is equal.
- 🧠 3. Activate Both Sides of the Brain: According to Pritchard (1997) and Meredith & Mantel (1995, John Wiley & Sons, Inc), successful project-based management requires both analytical and intuitive thinking. LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® makes this dual-brain activity practical.
How to Run a Pre-Mortem Using LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®
Here’s a proven process used by certified Serious Play Business facilitators:
- Frame the Session: Prompt: “The project has failed spectacularly. What happened?”
- Build the Failure: Each participant constructs a LEGO® model of what caused the collapse. Was it unclear team goals? Poor stakeholder communication? Market shifts? Tech overload?
- Share and Reflect: Each model is explained. Teams discuss insights, noting patterns in causes—this is the heart of Project Risks – identifying causes.
- Group & Prioritize Risks: Use Affinity Grouping to organize risks thematically. This turns unstructured input into clear risk statements.
- Act: Document mitigation strategies. These become your real-world action plan, shaping a smarter delivery process.
🎯 This format works across project sizes—from small initiatives to global transformation efforts.
Real-World Example: Sample Project Breakdown
Imagine a Sample Project for a global HR transformation. During the pre-mortem, teams identified:
- Misalignment between regional and global goals
- Hidden cultural assumptions
- Leadership fatigue and bottlenecks
- Tech-driven processes without user testing
These weren’t in the Gantt chart. But they came up during storytelling, model sharing, and facilitated reflection. The result? An adjusted timeline, enhanced communication loop, and fewer blind spots.
FAQs: Pre-Mortems in Risk Management
What is the difference between a pre-mortem and risk analysis?
Risk analysis often focuses on known variables. A pre-mortem goes deeper—into the unknown—by simulating failure and surfacing unseen threats using creative and visual tools.
Does PMI support this type of planning?
Yes. The Project Management Institute actively encourages evolving methodologies for risk planning—including participatory, visual techniques like LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®—as seen in PMI publications and congresses.
Can I run this online?
Absolutely. Our Serious Play Business facilitators conduct both in-person and online workshops using digital LEGO® kits and structured facilitation.
Is this suitable for non-technical teams?
Yes! In fact, creative pre-mortems work exceptionally well in marketing, HR, education, and innovation projects—where data isn’t always black and white.
Bonus Tip: Tie Your Pre-Mortem to Your Post-Mortem
Don’t treat your pre-mortem as a one-time event. At project close, review your risk predictions and mitigation steps during the post-mortem. This strengthens your project-based management system and creates a feedback loop for continuous improvement.