GameDevFoundry

Running a Premortem: A Positive Ritual for Risk Awareness

A premortem is a proactive exercise used to identify potential risks before a project or milestone goes off track. Unlike a postmortem, which reflects on what went wrong after the fact, a premortem imagines that failure has already happened—and asks, “What caused it?”

Premortems create space for teams to voice concerns early, without fear of being seen as negative or alarmist. Done right, they become a creative, empowering ritual that promotes alignment, foresight, and shared ownership.

1. Set the Stage

Begin by framing the activity clearly:

The goal is to collaboratively identify risks that could lead to project failure.
Emphasize this is a roleplaying exercise, not a prediction or complaint session.
Ask the team to imagine: “The project has failed. What happened?”

Set a positive, open tone. Reassure participants that surfacing concerns is a sign of care and professionalism—not criticism.

2. Silent Brainstorming (5+ Risks Per Person)

Give everyone 5–10 minutes to write down at least five potential issues.

This pushes participants beyond the obvious.
Encourage inclusion of wild, unlikely, or funny ideas.
Allow anonymous submissions if that helps people feel more comfortable.

Go around the group and share ideas one at a time.

Praise every contribution: “Good insight,” “Interesting angle,” “Clever catch.”
Normalize vulnerability and thank people for being thoughtful and honest.
After the first round, encourage more with playful questions:
- “What if our server host disappears?”
- “What would make our Steam reviews go nuclear?”

This is where the creativity and humor come in. Push gently to uncover hidden risks and assumptions.

4. Discuss Mitigations and Action Items

Review each issue and collaboratively discuss:

Can we reduce the likelihood?
Can we mitigate the consequences?
Are there early warning signs to watch for?
Is there a small action we can take now?

Capture these insights and assign follow-up tasks when needed.

5. Close with Positivity

Premortems can feel heavy—you’re literally talking about failure. So close the session on a positive note:

Thank the group for their thoughtfulness and honesty.
Celebrate the act of risk prevention.
Reaffirm team strength and your shared goals.
Crack a joke, share a snack, or simply say: “We’ve got this.”

Leave everyone feeling supported, not burdened.

Why This Works

Premortems work because they:

Create psychological safety for raising concerns.
Normalize risk awareness as a team habit.
Spark creative thinking through roleplay.
Empower ownership of project outcomes.

By making premortems a regular part of your workflow, you build a culture that’s not just reactive—but resilient.

When to Run a Premortem

Premortems are most effective when timed just before major commitments or transitions. Consider scheduling one:

At the start of a new project or feature
Before major milestones (e.g., Alpha, Beta, Release Candidate/Launch)
After significant team changes or shifts in scope
Every few months during longer projects as new risks emerge

Making premortems a recurring ritual—not a one-off event—helps normalize proactive risk management.

Common Risk Categories (Idea Prompts)

If your team needs inspiration during the brainstorming phase, consider prompting with common areas of concern:

Technical – Build instability, toolchain issues, integration problems
Production – Missed deadlines, scope creep, unclear responsibilities
Team – Burnout, miscommunication, unavailable team members
Design – Unclear mechanics, untested assumptions, missing feedback loops
Marketing – Trailer delays, store page underperformance, poor wishlist traction
Community – Negative reviews, unmet expectations, content gaps
External – Platform policy changes, competitor releases, industry shifts

Encouraging a wide range of risk types helps teams surface less obvious failure points.

Facilitation Tips

If you’re leading a premortem for the first time, here are some tips to help guide the process effectively:

Set the tone early – Lighthearted, open, and safe.
Model vulnerability – Share your own concerns first.
Avoid solutions at first – Focus on generating ideas before analyzing.
Use humor when stuck – Playful exaggeration can unstick creative thinking.
Give everyone a voice – Encourage input from quieter team members or use anonymous methods.

Your role is to keep the energy constructive and curious, not judgmental or overly serious.

Optional Worksheet Format

To help teams apply this process easily, consider using a worksheet with these sections:

Session Goal: What milestone or project are we analyzing?
Risk List: At least 5 ideas from each team member.
Mitigation Plan Table:

Risk	Mitigation Action	Owner	Priority
Example: Server instability during launch	Build load-testing plan	DevOps Lead	High