thinking-pre-mortem
Imagine a project has failed and work backward to identify why. Use at project kickoffs, before major decisions, or when optimism may be obscuring risks.
Profile →npx skills add majiayu000/claude-skill-registry --skill thinking-pre-mortem --agent claude-code
Same command for any agent — swap --agent for codex, cursor, copilot.
Weekly change comes from our own snapshots, not the repository page — it measures attention, not adoption.
# Pre-Mortem Analysis ## Overview The pre-mortem, developed by psychologist Gary Klein, uses "prospective hindsight" to improve risk identification. Instead of asking "What could go wrong?" (which triggers defensiveness), assume the project HAS failed and ask "Why did it fail?" This simple reframe improves risk identification by approximately 30%. **Core Principle:** It's easier to explain failure after the fact than predict it beforehand. Use this bias productively. ## When to Use - Project kickoff (before work begins) - Before committing to a major technical decision - Sprint planning for high-risk work - Before launch or major release - When team seems overconfident - After a plan is formed but before execution Decision flow: ``` Starting significant work? → yes → Team confident? → yes → PRE-MORTEM ESSENTIAL ↘ no → Pre-mortem still valuable ↘ no → Standard risk assessment may suffice ``` ## The Process ### Step 1: Set the Stage (2 min) Gather the team. Explain: > "Imagine we're 6 months in the future. The project has failed—not just missed a deadline, but failed spectacularly. We're in the postmortem. Your job: explain what went wrong." Key: Use past tense. The failure has alrea
- Overview
- When to Use
- The Process
- Step 1: Set the Stage (2 min)
- Step 2: Silent Brainstorming (5-7 min)
- Step 3: Round-Robin Sharing (10-15 min)
- Step 4: Categorize and Prioritize (5-10 min)
- Step 5: Develop Mitigations (10-15 min)
- Step 6: Update the Plan
- Pre-Mortem Template
- Why Pre-Mortems Work
- Common Failure Categories to Prompt
- Facilitation Tips
- Verification Checklist
What does the thinking-pre-mortem skill do?
Imagine a project has failed and work backward to identify why. Use at project kickoffs, before major decisions, or when optimism may be obscuring risks.
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add majiayu000/claude-skill-registry --skill thinking-pre-mortem --agent claude-code` — it drops the skill into your project so the agent can pick it up. Swap the --agent value for codex, cursor or copilot if you use one of those.
Where does this skill come from?
From majiayu000/claude-skill-registry, a repository with 534 stars. We read it straight from the repository tree rather than a submitted listing, so what you see here is what is actually published.
Is a popular skill a good skill?
Not necessarily. Stars measure attention, not adoption — a repository can trend for a week and be abandoned. That is why we show the weekly change from our own snapshots next to the total, instead of a single flattering number.