The document outlines the agenda for a pre-mortem workshop aimed at identifying potential risks that could lead to project failures. Participants are guided through exercises to imagine a total project failure, generate reasons for that failure, and analyze the risks involved. Follow-up actions include consolidating findings, revisiting plans, and ongoing reviews to mitigate risks throughout the program's lifecycle.

1. HRIS: Pre Mortem Workshop
August 10th 2011

2. Agenda
 Introduction
 Imagine a Fiasco
 Generate Risks from Failure
 Risk Analysis
 Next Steps
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3. Introduction
“A pre-mortem sets the team’s early mindset for risk sharing,
transparency, trust, and opportunity to reduce the severity of a post-
mortem. Start the pre-mortem by informing everyone that the program
failed to meet its objectives and we are here to discuss the reasons for the
failures. “
“The ability to execute is very dependent on the severity and duration of
the unknowns. Technical unknowns have the greatest potential program
impact due to the “dictated innovation” necessary to keep to the contract.
On the other hand, executional risks have a better chance of being
controlled through additional/alternate resources or team task
adjustments. In all cases, the sooner the team is aware of the future
unknowns, the better the opportunity exists to make program adjustments
to minimize impact. “
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4. Imagine a Fiasco (Group)
“ Assume you are looking into a crystal ball and seeing that the project has
failed. It isn’t a simple failure either. It is a total, embarrassing, devastating
failure. The people on the team are no longer talking to each other;
customers are upset. Things have gone as wrong as they could. However,
we cannot make out the reason for the failure and ask, “What could have
caused this?”
Failure Resource/Skill Planning Org Change
(Time, Cost, Scope)
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5. Generate Risks from Failure (Individual)
“Spend the next three minutes writing down in chart below, individually
and without discussion, all the reasons why you believe the failure
occurred. Here is where intuitions of the team members come into play.
Each person has a different set of experiences, a different set of
expertise, and a different mental model to bring to this task. “
Failure Reasons
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6. Generate Risks from Failure (Individual)
Failure Reasons/Risks
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7. Risk Analysis(Group)
After risks have been identified, a risk analysis should be performed to
prioritize those risks:
• Assess the likelihood (or frequency) of the risk occurring.
• Estimate the potential impact if the risk were to occur
Risk Criteria
Rating
5 Virtually certain or expected to occur;
>95%
4 Likely to occur
3 Possible
2 Unlikely
1 Remote chance of occurring; <5%
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8. Risk Analysis(Group)
Risk Risk Rating Cost Reputation Legal Regulatory Business Business
ID Impact Impact Continuity
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9. Identify Risk Responses (Group)
There Are 4 Responses To Risks:
1. Risks can be terminated or eliminated by preventing exposure to future possible events
from occurring e.g. department closure
2. Risks can be transferred by shifting the risk to a financially capable, independent
counterparty e.g. an outsourcing arrangement
3. Risks can be taken (accepted) and we therefore maintain the current risk level
4. Risks can be treated (mitigated) e.g. implementing a control; redesigning the process.
Risk ID Response
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10. Next Steps
Follow Up Steps To This Meeting Include:
1. Consolidate The Lists From This Workshop
2. Revisit The Plan And Apply Learnings
3. Periodically Review The List Through Out Program Lifecycle
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