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Pre-mortem · IN SHORT

Imagine the plan failed.What did you miss?

Examine a plan before execution by imagining that it later failed. The skill explores possible causes and connects the most significant risks with early signals, preventive actions and stopping criteria.

Download the skill (English)Explore the example
Pre-mortemSKILL

Your brief

We want to open a client portal in six weeks. Ten clients will join the pilot. One project lead manages everything, but there is no backup person or support agreement.

Possible draft

Fictional example: launching a client portal

One possible failure is unanswered client questions while the project lead is away. Early signal: unanswered pilot questions accumulate. Discuss a backup person and a tested support agreement as launch conditions.

Illustrative example
Illustrative example

01 / THE FOUNDATION

You bring the context.The skill adds structure.

What you provide

  • The specific plan, timeline and people it affects.
  • The time, money, people and reputation at stake.
  • What success and failure mean, plus the assumptions and evidence behind the plan.

What you get back

A scored risk list, five critical points and early signals, three proposed adjustments and two stopping criteria to discuss.

02 / SEE HOW IT WORKS

From an idea to a draft.

Illustrative exampleFictional example: launching a client portalRead the example

Your brief

We want to open a client portal in six weeks. Ten clients will join the pilot. One project lead manages everything, but there is no backup person or support agreement.

Possible draft

One possible failure is unanswered client questions while the project lead is away. Early signal: unanswered pilot questions accumulate. Discuss a backup person and a tested support agreement as launch conditions.

This example shows the approach. It is not a client result or a guarantee of a particular outcome.

03 / GET STARTED

A repeatable approach.Your own context.

  1. Imagine the failure

    Establish the plan, resources and criteria first. Then look back from an imagined failure after the deadline.

  2. Explore and assess causes

    Develop at least fifteen possible causes across seven categories. Rank them using estimated likelihood and impact.

  3. Set intervention points

    Give the top five risks an observable early signal, prevention and mitigation. Agree in advance when to change course or stop.

04 / MAKE IT YOURS

Ready foryour work.

Take the instructions, add your own context and review the draft. You stay in control.

Full information

Pre-mortem

Download. Apply. Refine.

Download the skill (English)

File language: English

From download to use

  1. Save the ZIP file: ai-pre-mortem-analyst-skill-for-claude.zip.
  2. Using Claude? Follow the installation guide for your environment. Downloading alone does not activate the skill.
  3. Then provide your own brief and the context listed above. Review the output before using it.
Installation guide (Dutch)
Keep in mind
  • An imagined failure is a thinking exercise, not a prediction. Likelihood and impact scores are estimates to check.
  • Do not invent facts about competitors, customers or resources to make a risk sound specific.
  • The skill does not replace market research or specialist assessment and is not intended for reviewing a failure that has already happened.