A premortem is a strategy developed by Gary Klein in the 1980s, designed to help people surface realistic possibilities and threats before undertaking a project, in order to improve the plan or product (00:11:11.000). The idea is to imagine a future failure and then work backward to determine what could lead to this failure, allowing for preventative measures to be put into place. It's a way to inject a healthy dose of reality into planning and to help ensure that teams are prepared to pivot based on what they learn and stay resilient or flexible as things develop (00:24:03.000). The premortem also creates a culture of candor where people learn they can voice unpopular ideas without punishment, therefore getting a broader range of insights and gaining respect for their colleagues (00:16:10.000).