Page 31 - MetalForming January 2012

mitigating the other potential prob- lems identified.)
As the plan for the new project unfolds, the premortem list should be revisited periodically to see if any of the items are appearing, and identify any new failure opportunities that may have arisen.
environment where employees further down the hierarchical line, and closer to the actual implementation itself, become comfortable speaking up to the more senior members of the man- agement team—those who conceived the initiative.
Hones ability to spot problems before or as they occur: Like any skill, problem spotting requires practice. Premortems provide a continuous
opportunity for all levels of personnel to exercise this skill.
At a recent presentation on pre- mortems, an attendee struggling to understand the concept asked. “Why don’t you just spend more time trying to make it right, instead?” In the words of Winston Churchill, I answered: “Fail- ing to plan is planning to fail.” And planning to fail is just good business sense. MF
Using Premortem strategies
reduces project failures by 30%
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Four Reasons
to Value Premortems
Overinvested people are not objec- tive: For the same reason that it is more effective to have a fresh set of eyes proofread a report before its submis- sion, those who initiate a project are the last ones able to find fault with either the premise or the implementation. Because the premortem team is cross- functional and multi-leveled, it will be able to develop a desirable, unbiased 360-deg. perspective of the initiative.
A productive role for devil’s advo- cates: Every organization has at least one person tagged as a naysayer, always pointing out why a project or initia- tive will not work. Because this person is known to be cranky, his perspective and points often are discounted. How- ever, the use of a premortem process places value on the naysayer’s view- point, and encourages devil’s advoca- cy in others.
Easy for all levels to speak on an even footing: The insights and what- ifs provided by those who are truly going to be carrying out the work are invaluable. Actively seeking construc- tive criticism of a project creates an
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