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3. How to Facilitate a Pre-mortem: Introduction
In this three-part lesson, you’ll watch a filmed Pre-mortem session unfold, and not everything goes as planned. Using the ShadowBox ExpertEyes™ platform introduced in the first video of the lesson, you’ll complete an exercise where you observe a facilitated Pre-mortem and are prompted to identify what the facilitator does well, what he gets wrong, and what could be improved. Then, in the final video of the lesson, Gary breaks down each of those moments to reinforce best practices to help you get it right the first time.
The Power of Pre-mortems: How to Spot Problems Before They Happen
Learn how to uncover potential failure points before they derail your plan. In this self-paced course, cognitive psychologist Gary Klein teaches you how to run and adapt the Pre-mortem method to real-world challenges, helping teams surface candid feedback and build foresight when it matters most.
Lesson info
In this three-part lesson, you’ll watch a filmed Pre-mortem session unfold, and not everything goes as planned. Using the ShadowBox ExpertEyes™ platform introduced in the first video of the lesson, you’ll complete an exercise where you observe a facilitated Pre-mortem and are prompted to identify what the facilitator does well, what he gets wrong, and what could be improved. Then, in the final video of the lesson, Gary breaks down each of those moments to reinforce best practices to help you get it right the first time.
About this course
Course Description
What if you could see a major flaw in your plan before it becomes a bigger problem? In this self-paced, video-based course, Gary Klein introduces you to the Pre-mortem method: a simple exercise that helps teams anticipate and discuss potential project failure points before they happen, when there’s still time to fix them. This course is designed for professionals and teams in complex, high-stakes environments where mistakes can be costly, team cohesion and trust matter, and preventing problems is the best outcome. You’ll learn how to conduct and facilitate a Pre-mortem, recognize common pitfalls, and discover variations to adapt the method to suit your team’s real-world challenges. Whether you’re new to Pre-mortems or use them regularly, this course will teach you how to extract candid feedback, shift mindsets, and improve foresight—before the project begins.
This course includes:
- 55 minutes of self-paced, standalone, video-based lessons
- Downloadable transcripts and other related resources
- 12-question comprehension quiz
- Certificate of completion (Requires a passing score of 80% or higher on the comprehension quiz)
Browse Lessons
Lesson 1: The Power of the Pre-mortem
In the opening lesson, Gary Klein challenges traditional approaches of risk assessment, and demonstrates why they are often ineffective. You’ll learn the psychological dynamics that keep people silent even when they see flaws, and how the Pre-mortem leverages a clever mindset shift to help teams surface hidden concerns.
Lesson 2: Insights About the Pre-mortem
This lesson features a conversation between Gary Klein and John Schmitt, the CEO of ShadowBox. Discussion topics include the origin of the Pre-mortem, the method’s key steps, and what often goes wrong when teams try to apply it. You’ll come away with a better understanding of how the Pre-mortem originated and actionable advice from two expert Pre-mortem facilitators.
Lesson 3: How to Facilitate a Pre-mortem: Introduction
In this three-part lesson, you’ll watch a filmed Pre-mortem session unfold, and not everything goes as planned. Using the ShadowBox ExpertEyes™ platform introduced in the first video of the lesson, you’ll complete an exercise where you observe a facilitated Pre-mortem and are prompted to identify what the facilitator does well, what he gets wrong, and what could be improved. Then, in the final video of the lesson, Gary breaks down each of those moments to reinforce best practices to help you get it right the first time.
Lesson 4: How to Facilitate a Pre-mortem: ExpertEyes™ Demonstration
Using the ShadowBox ExpertEyes™ platform introduced in the first video of the lesson, you’ll complete an exercise where you observe a facilitated Pre-mortem and are prompted to identify what the facilitator does well, what he gets wrong, and what could be improved. When you're done, you'll meet Gary back here in the Learning Center where he breaks down each of the identified points within the facilitated demonstration to reinforce best practices to help you get it right the first time.
Lesson 5: How to Facilitate a Pre-mortem: Debrief
After completing the ShadowBox ExpertEyes™ exercise, join Gary as he breaks down each of the identified areas of opportunity from the exercise to reinforce best practices and help you get it right the first time.
Lesson 6: Adaptations of the Pre-mortem
Not every plan, and not every team, needs the same approach. In this final lesson, Gary introduces three variations to the traditional Pre-mortem: the Racking & Stacking technique for prioritizing failure modes, the Success Scan for goal-driven planning, and the Double-Barreled approach for balancing risk and inaction. You’ll also hear testimonials from professionals who have adapted the method in creative, effective ways.