Free Pre-Mortem Templates to Identify Risks & Improve Planning

Most project failures don’t come out of nowhere—they’re there from the start, waiting to be noticed.

Without the right tools, you might miss these red flags until they escalate into bigger issues, leading to costly setbacks and frustrated teams.

But what if you could identify these risks before they become problems? Pre-mortem templates help you do just that, making it easier to assess risks, encourage team members to perform strategically, and plan more effectively from the start. 

In this blog post, we’ll share 15 of the best pre-mortem templates that will change the way you approach project planning.

What Are Pre-Mortem Templates?

The idea is simple: instead of reacting to risks as they arise, you proactively assess what could go wrong to prevent problems at an early stage.

What Makes a Good Pre-Mortem Template?

To be truly effective, a pre-mortem template must guide your team through a process that addresses potential project risks before they become real problems. 

Here’s what a solid pre-mortem template should include:

• Risk identification and assessment: A good template will lead your team through identifying and evaluating potential risks, allowing for a proactive approach to managing them
• Team collaboration: Engaging everyone during risk assessment ensures all diverse perspectives are considered, making the process thorough and well-rounded
• Custom statuses and fields: Customizing statuses and fields lets your team track risks in ways that make sense for your specific project, ensuring that critical details are not missed
• Custom views: Like Kanban boards or Gantt charts, custom views help teams visualize risks clearly, making tracking and planning responses easier
• Actionable contingency plans: Beyond just identifying risks, a great pre-mortem template helps your team outline the next steps for mitigation, preparing them to act swiftly if any issues arise.

15 Pre-Mortem Templates 

You can’t predict every challenge, but you can be prepared. These free pre-mortem templates give you the clarity and structure needed to make smarter decisions, plan effectively, and avoid costly setbacks.

1. Pre-Mortem Template

The Pre-Mortem Template helps teams spot potential project failures before they become actual problems. It’s built to simplify risk assessment and ensure everyone is aligned and prepared.

The template enables prompt critical thinking to ensure successful risk mitigation and encourages creative problem-solving. 

With this template, you can:

• Track project progress using the Task List View
• Collaborate with team members on risks using the Discussion Board View
• Plan and structure your pre-mortem meetings with the Premortem Meeting Form View
• Monitor and analyze tasks for maximum productivity

2. Issue Tracker Template

The Issue Tracker Template is designed to help teams manage and resolve project issues efficiently. It centralizes all your issue tracking, allowing you to prioritize bugs, assign responsibilities, and keep everything organized. 

With this template, you can:

• Create a centralized database for all project issues
• Get more visibility into the development process
• Improve quality assurance and execute the project smoothly
• Ensure all team members are aware of priority issues to tackle

3. Project Management Risk Analysis Template

Risk management is crucial to keeping projects on track, especially when the stakes are high. The Project Management Risk Analysis Template helps you proactively identify risks before they escalate. It’s designed to give teams a clear view of potential obstacles—including project cost risk, resource shortages, or delays—so they can address them head-on.

This template simplifies the risk analysis process, letting you assess risk likelihood, develop mitigation strategies, and allocate resources more effectively.

With this template, you can:

• Identify and assess project risks at a glance with the Overview View
• Gain visibility into project risks and learn how they impact the project
• Prioritize project risks according to severity
• Create an effective risk management plan to deliver projects successfully

Learn how to prioritize project tasks 👇

4. Value Risk Matrix Template

One of the common ways to assess whether a risk is worth it is to analyze the value of the project. The Value Risk Matrix Template comes in handy here. It helps you visualize, evaluate, and prioritize tasks based on their value and risk. 

This template gives your team the clarity to focus on high-value, low-risk tasks, ensuring that your efforts are aligned with your project’s objectives.

With this template, you can:

• Assess which tasks should be tackled first and how resources should be allocated using the High-Value List View
• Assign values and risk ratings to each task
• Compare and contrast different projects and their associated risks
• Make more informed decisions to increase business revenue

5. Risk Register Template

The Risk Register Template offers a structured way to identify, assess, and track risks across the project lifecycle. With this template, you can ensure that all potential risks are evaluated and appropriate mitigation strategies are implemented so you can focus on executing your project with confidence.

This template helps organize risks by severity, impact, and likelihood so you can monitor progress, adjust mitigation strategies, and keep stakeholders informed.

With this template, you can:

• Calculate the potential impact of each risk on your project with the Costs of Risks View
• Track risks and their current status with the List of Risks View
• Gain insights into risk responses using the Risks by Response View
• Understand the severity of each risk with the Risks by Level View

6. Risk Benefit Analysis Template

Effective decision-making is about balancing risk with reward. The Risk Benefit Analysis Template gives your team a structured way to assess and compare options by mapping out potential risks and rewards.

You can visualize each option’s risk and benefit. This ensures that your team makes informed, objective decisions about business strategies or project priorities.

With this template, you can:

• Create a project for each analysis goal
• Assign tasks to team members and set timelines for each option
• Organize tasks into categories to track progress and compare risks and rewards
• Set up notifications to stay up-to-date on the status of each task

7. Risk Assessment Whiteboard Template

The Risk Assessment Whiteboard Template provides a powerful, interactive platform for your team to evaluate risks and their impacts. With this template, your team can brainstorm potential risks and develop actionable plans to address them. This offers a clearer understanding of priorities and ensures that no risk goes unnoticed or unaddressed.

With this template, you can:

• Identify and prioritize risks and create a mitigation plan with the Risk Assessment View
• Track the progress of risk management tasks and ensure that all actions are completed on time
• Highlight risks that need further attention
• Collaborate with key stakeholders to keep everyone informed and adjust strategies as needed

8. Risk Analysis Whiteboard Template

The Risk Analysis Whiteboard Template helps analyze risks based on two factors: severity and probability. This way, you can see how risks affect a project from different angles, making it easier to address them before they escalate. 

By documenting risks, their impacts, and risk mitigation plans, your team can approach every challenge with a proactive mindset.

With this template, you can:

• Create tasks for each risk and assess them in the Risk Analysis View
• Determine the probability and magnitude of a risk event
• Visualize the risk analysis process for similar ideas

9. SCRUM Sprint Planning Template

Teams often struggle with managing sprints and staying on track with Agile projects. The SCRUM Sprint Planning Template provides your team with a structured space to plan, execute, and monitor every sprint phase from start to finish.

This template brings clarity and focus to your SCRUM process, helping you break down sprint goals into actionable tasks, track progress, and address issues as they arise.

With this template, you can:

• Add tasks to the sprint and manage submissions with the Ticket Submission Form View
• Define the completion criteria with the Definition of Done View to ensure quality standards
• Get an overview of your sprint goals and track large project components with the Epics View
• Organize and monitor sprints in real time with the Sprints View

10. Agile Sprint Planning Board Template

Managing Agile sprints is no easy feat, especially when you have multiple tasks, deadlines, and team members to coordinate. The Agile Sprint Planning Board Template makes organizing and tracking your sprint tasks easier in a clear, visual format. It gives your team everything they need to plan, assign, and monitor functions in real time.

This template lets you easily visualize task dependencies, set deadlines, and track progress. With all the information in one place, you can make adjustments quickly and ensure that your sprint goals are met on time and within scope.

With this template, you can:

• Organize tasks by priority and track progress using the Sprint Backlog Items View
• Monitor real-time task updates with the Development Status View
• Access necessary resources for completing tasks with the Resources View
• Set realistic deadlines for each task using the Calendar View and monitor deadlines to keep the sprint on track

11. Planning Document Template

A well-structured plan is essential for successful project execution, yet organizing complex details can be overwhelming. The Planning Document Template simplifies this by providing a clear framework for teams to capture objectives, break down tasks, and ensure everyone stays aligned with project goals.

This template organizes tasks with Custom Statuses, due dates, and priorities, making it easy to track progress and adjust timelines as needed. With all your key goals, action items, and deadlines in one place, your team can stay focused, collaborate more effectively, and execute the project seamlessly.

With this template, you can:

• Set clear project goals and break them down into manageable tasks
• Create a visual timeline with the Gantt Chart View to map out your project
• Track task progress using the Board View and adjust as needed
• Hold regular meetings to discuss project updates and changes, including post-mortem meetings to analyze outcomes and improve future planning

12. Decision Making Framework Document Template

The Decision Making Framework Document Template helps you make informed project choices by enabling you to weigh the pros and cons of each decision. You can objectively assess each potential outcome and finalize high-priority action items. The template also makes it easier for teams to align on goals and move forward confidently.

With this template, you can:

• Gather all relevant information and input from stakeholders for informed decision-making
• Generate and list potential solutions to compare the pros and cons
• Assess each solution’s benefits and drawbacks objectively with the Table View
• Assign tasks to ensure implementation of the chosen solution, with clear timelines and accountability

13. Issue Management Template

The Issue Management Template goes beyond simply tracking project problems—it encourages teams to strategically prioritize, assign ownership, and actively resolve issues to prevent project delays and resource waste.

This template provides a comprehensive framework for addressing issues by categorizing them, setting actionable timelines, and ensuring your team knows exactly who is handling what. 

With this template, you can:

• Log and track new issues with the Issue Registration View
• Monitor real-time progress using the Issue Status View
• Assign owners and set deadlines with the Gantt Chart View
• Ensure that all issues are closed and documented properly once resolved

14. Project Pre-mortem Template by Miro

Planning ahead is essential to project success, and Miro’s Project Pre-mortem Template makes that process easier. By envisioning what could go wrong, you’ll be able to tackle challenges head-on, ensuring a smoother project execution.

With this template, you can:

• Predict project success and failure rate
• Align stakeholders on project goals and strategies
• Steer the project towards favorable outcomes

15. Pre-mortem Template by Figma

Figma’s Pre-Mortem Template helps teams prepare for potential setbacks before a project begins. The template guides teams through analyzing risk factors, discussing solutions, and creating a detailed action plan. It also encourages collaborative brainstorming by proactively identifying potential failures, critical issues, and strategies to address them. 

With this template, you can:

• Visualize potential roadblocks and take preventive actions for smoother project execution
• List possible strategies to address critical issues
• Create an action plan for project implementation

Prevent Project Pitfalls from Day One with

Starting your project with means you’re setting up for success right from the get-go. 

offers an all-in-one solution to manage every aspect of your project. From Custom Statuses and real-time collaboration to automated workflows and task dependencies, it helps you eliminate risks early by giving your team clear visibility and control from the start.

’s project pre-mortem templates help your projects stay on track, no issues are overlooked, and your team remains aligned at every step. What are you waiting for?

Sign up for to streamline your project management, prevent risks, and deliver successful outcomes every time.

Explore article topics