This document summarizes a presentation titled "Turning Lemons into Lemonade: Lessons Learned from Failures and Mistakes". The presentation will be given by Mary Beth Bigley, Sarah Page, and Catherine D. Patterson and will identify challenges of multi-sector collaborations, practice applying a "pre-mortem framework" to analyze mistakes and failures, and provide examples of where setbacks were recognized and used to change course. The presentation will also explain what a "pre-mortem" is, how to conduct one, and questions to consider like potential issues, unplanned factors, and things outside your control.

2. Turning Lemons into Lemonade:
Lessons Learned from Failures and
Mistakes
June 1, 2017 • 3:30 – 4:30
Ballroom West/C
Mary Beth Bigley, DrPH, MSN, ANP • Sarah Page • Catherine D. Patterson, MPP

3. Catherine D. Patterson, MPP
Senior Program Officer
de Beaumont Foundation
Sarah Page
Senior VP of Community Building & Organizing
Wayfinders (formerly HAPHousing)
Mary Beth Bigley, DrPH, MSN, ANP
Chief Executive Officer
National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties

4. Learning Objectives
• Identify common challenges experienced by multi-sector collaborations
• Practice applying a pre-mortem framework for analyzing mistakes and failures to
harvest lessons learned and facilitate course correction
• Call out examples where setbacks were recognized, analyzed, and used as a
catalyst for a different course of action

5. A lesson in failure
“I have not failed. I've just found
10,000 ways that won't work.”
- Thomas A. Edison

6. A lesson in failure: Portland, OR
Water Fluoridation Campaign, 2013

7. What in the world is a “pre-mortem”?
A pre-mortem is an exercise that helps teams anticipate
and troubleshoot possible challenges that might arise
during a project, event, or initiative.

8. How to conduct a pre-mortem
The first step in a pre-mortem is to imagine all the things
that could go wrong with a project. Brainstorm, write
these potential failures down, and make sure your entire
team feels heard. There are no bad ideas at this stage
of the exercise.

9. Questions to consider
As a way to jog your thinking, consider the following three questions:
1. What will go wrong? List the probable issues with the project. Some
categories to consider are constraints, assumptions, roles, and
resources.
2. What haven’t you planned for that is in your control that could happen?
3. What is out of your control that could happen?

10. Sarah Page
Senior VP of Community Building & Organizing
Wayfinders (formerly HAPHousing)

11. Mary Beth Bigley,
DrPH, MSN, ANP
Chief Executive Officer
National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties

12. Testing out the tool

13. Thank you!
And don’t forget to fill out the
evaluations