Use AI to create a pre-mortem analysis that identifies what could go wrong with your project before you start.
Before launching a new project or initiative, use AI to run a pre-mortem—imagine the project has failed, then work backwards to identify the most likely reasons why. This helps you spot risks, dependencies, and blind spots you haven't considered, so you can build contingency plans before problems emerge. It's especially useful when you're leading something new, inheriting a project mid-stream, or need to pressure-test a plan before committing resources.
Try this prompt today
“Act as an experienced project risk consultant. I'm about to start a new project and want to identify what could go wrong before we begin. Here's the project overview: [describe your project, timeline, key goals, and who's involved]. Run a pre-mortem analysis: assume this project has failed six months from now. List the 8 most likely reasons it failed, organized by category (people/resources, communication, timeline, dependencies, assumptions, external factors). For each risk, rate its likelihood (high/medium/low) and suggest one practical mitigation step I can take during planning.”
February 22, 2026
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