/premortem
Imagines the project failed and lists why, with ways to prevent it.
The full prompt
/premortem Run a premortem: imagine [project] has failed [time after launch]. Context: [timeline, team, budget, key dependencies]. List the 8 most likely reasons it failed, rate each as high, medium, or low likelihood and impact, and give one early warning sign and one prevention step for each. Put the highest risks first.
Replace the highlighted [brackets] with your own details, then send.
What you're asking
Asks the AI to imagine failure so you can spot risks early. You get a ranked risk list with warning signs and prevention steps.
Give it
- The project and timeline
- Team and key dependencies
- What success looks like
Filled-in example
/premortem Run a premortem: imagine our website redesign has failed 3 months after launch. Context: launch in 8 weeks, team of 3, outside vendor builds the templates, content comes from 6 departments. List the 8 most likely reasons it failed, rate each as high, medium, or low likelihood and impact, and give one early warning sign and one prevention step for each. Put the highest risks first.
Use it in any AI chat. The slash word is a label, not a built-in command; the prompt does the work, and answers vary by app. How these work