Write reasons independently before discussing

Everyone records failure causes alone first, so the room doesn’t converge too soon.

Why it works

In open discussion, the first or most senior voice anchors the group and quieter dissent gets suppressed, shrinking the range of risks named. Independent writing before sharing preserves the diversity of perspectives, which is what makes the pooled list comprehensive. It defeats anchoring and conformity at the exact moment they would narrow the search.

How to do it

1. Give everyone a few silent minutes to write failure reasons privately.
2. Collect all responses before any discussion.
3. Read them out without attribution, then discuss.

Evidence

Supported by well-documented group-process research: brainstorming and risk-finding produce more and more varied ideas when individuals generate independently before pooling, due to anchoring and production-blocking effects in live groups. (observational)

The independent-first advantage is established for ideation broadly; here it is applied specifically to pre-mortem risk generation.

Sources

• Group ideation research on independent vs interacting groups (e.g., nominal-group / brainstorming literature)

Common mistake

Opening with a group discussion, letting the loudest or most senior person anchor everyone onto the same two risks.