How to Use the Pre-Mortem Command for Risk Analysis in pm-skills

The /pre-mortem command is a Markdown-based tool in the pm-skills repository that analyzes product requirements documents to identify potential launch failures, categorizing risks as Tigers, Paper Tigers, or Elephants before generating a structured mitigation report.

The pre-mortem command is a thin wrapper within the pm-execution plugin of the pm-skills repository. It enables product teams to simulate project failure scenarios before launch by feeding PRDs, launch plans, or feature descriptions into a specialized AI skill. This command requires no custom code; it operates entirely through Markdown specifications that the pm-toolkit runtime parses and executes.

How the Pre-Mortem Command Works

The command implements a three-phase workflow defined in pure Markdown files.

Command Dispatch

When you invoke /pre-mortem, the runtime parses pm-execution/commands/pre-mortem.md. This file's header block defines the expected input format—specifically a free-form argument representing your PRD, plan, or feature description. The framework captures this input and prepares it for the skill execution phase.

Skill Loading

The command acts as a thin wrapper that locates the corresponding skill definition. Upon invocation, the runtime searches for a skill matching the command name and loads pm-execution/skills/pre-mortem/SKILL.md. This file contains the Instructions section that drives the AI analysis behavior.

Execution and Output

Inside the skill file, the AI receives explicit instructions to imagine the launch has already failed. It enumerates potential risks and classifies them into three categories: Tigers (real risks), Paper Tigers (overblown concerns), and Elephants (unspoken issues). The system ranks Tigers by urgency into launch-blocking, fast-follow, or track priorities. The skill formats the output as a Markdown report using the template defined in the skill file, injecting the user-provided content into the $ARGUMENTS placeholder. The command optionally offers next steps such as updating the PRD, creating test scenarios, or drafting a launch checklist.

Running a Pre-Mortem Analysis

Invoke the command with either direct text or file uploads to analyze your product artifacts.

Basic Text Input

Pass your feature description or project summary directly as an argument:

/pre-mortem We're launching a self-serve billing portal next month

The toolkit passes this text to the pre-mortem skill, which returns a structured risk report including mitigation strategies, ownership assignments, and deadlines.

Document Upload

For detailed analysis of existing documents, reference a PRD file directly:

/pre-mortem <upload: MyProduct_PRD.pdf>

The pm-toolkit's file-ingestion layer extracts relevant sections from the PDF and processes them through the same risk-classification pipeline.

Understanding the Output Structure

The pre-mortem skill organizes findings into a standardized Markdown report with specific risk classifications and actionable items.

Risk Categories

The analysis identifies three distinct risk types:

• Tigers: Real risks that threaten launch success. These are further prioritized by urgency:

  • Launch-blocking: Critical issues requiring immediate resolution
  • Fast-follow: Important concerns needing post-launch attention
  • Track: Known risks requiring monitoring

• Paper Tigers: Overblown concerns that appear significant but lack actual impact based on available data.

• Elephants: Unspoken issues or organizational blind spots that teams avoid discussing but could derail the project.

Report Components

The generated report includes a Go/No-Go Checklist validating that all launch-blocking Tigers have mitigation plans, a Risk Registry with owners and deadlines, and Follow-up Actions for updating the PRD or creating test scenarios.

Key Source Files

The command behavior is defined in two primary Markdown files:

• pm-execution/commands/pre-mortem.md: Defines the command syntax, argument expectations (expecting <PRD, plan, or feature description>), and workflow outline.
• pm-execution/skills/pre-mortem/SKILL.md: Contains the complete skill specification including step-by-step instructions, risk categorization logic, and the output template that formats the $ARGUMENTS placeholder.

These pure-Markdown specifications require no compilation; editing them immediately changes command behavior when processed by the pm-toolkit runtime.

Summary

• The /pre-mortem command is a Markdown-driven risk analysis tool in the pm-skills repository that requires no custom code implementation.
• It processes PRDs and feature descriptions through the skill defined in pm-execution/skills/pre-mortem/SKILL.md.
• Risks are classified as Tigers (real), Paper Tigers (overblown), or Elephants (unspoken), with Tigers ranked by urgency into launch-blocking, fast-follow, or track categories.
• Input can be direct text or uploaded files via the toolkit's ingestion layer.
• Output generates a structured Markdown report with mitigation owners, deadlines, and a Go/No-Go checklist.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I install the pre-mortem command?

The command ships as part of the pm-execution plugin in the pm-skills repository. Since it consists of Markdown specifications rather than compiled code, installation involves cloning the repository and ensuring the pm-toolkit runtime can access the pm-execution/commands/ and pm-execution/skills/ directories.

Can I modify the risk categories in the pre-mortem analysis?

Yes. Because the classification logic lives in pm-execution/skills/pre-mortem/SKILL.md, you can edit the Instructions section to add, remove, or redefine risk categories. The pm-toolkit runtime will use your updated definitions on the next command invocation without requiring redeployment or compilation.

What file types does the pre-mortem command accept?

The command accepts free-form text arguments and file uploads. Through the pm-toolkit's file-ingestion layer, it can process PDFs and other supported document formats, extracting relevant sections automatically before running the risk analysis against the skill's instruction set.

Where is the output format defined?

The report structure—including the tables for Tigers, Paper Tigers, and Elephants—is defined in the Generate Pre-Mortem Report section of pm-execution/skills/pre-mortem/SKILL.md. You can customize the column headers, add new fields like "contingency budget," or modify the Go/No-Go checklist by editing this Markdown file.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}