Identify failure modes before they occur using structured risk analysis
Identify failure modes before they occur by systematically questioning plans, designs, and implementations. Based on Gary Klein's technique, popularized by Shreyas Doshi (Stripe).
/premortem # Auto-detect context, choose depth
/premortem quick # Force quick analysis (plans, PRs)
/premortem deep # Force deep analysis (before implementation)
/premortem <file> # Analyze specific plan or code
"Imagine it's 3 months from now and this project has failed spectacularly. Why did it fail?"
| Category |
|---|
| Symbol |
|---|
| Meaning |
|---|
| Tiger | [TIGER] | Clear threat that will hurt us if not addressed |
| Paper Tiger | [PAPER] | Looks threatening but probably fine |
| Elephant | [ELEPHANT] | Thing nobody wants to talk about |
Do NOT flag risks based on pattern-matching alone. Every potential tiger MUST go through verification.
Common mistakes that create false tigers:
if exists(): fallbackBefore flagging ANY tiger, verify:
potential_finding:
what: "Hardcoded path at line 42"