The Innovation Post-Mortem: A Survey for Product Builders
Innovation is hard, and not every project succeeds. This anonymous survey helps our community learn from experiences—especially the tough ones. Your responses will help us understand common pitfalls that lead to failed products, services, and business models. The survey should take approximately 8-10 minutes to complete (MAX).

As a thank you, there will be an option at the end to receive FREE access to our Jobs-to-be-Done Masterclass on Eliminating JTBD Interviews with artificial intelligence. It includes an entire portfolio of tried and tested prompts developed by an expert practitioner. It's never to late to catch up!
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What is your primary role? *
What is the approximate size of your organization? *
Which industry best describes your organization? *
How would you describe your organization's approach to innovation? *
Briefly, what was the primary goal of a recent project that was not considered to be a wild success? (e.g., "Launch a new mobile app for B2B logistics," "Develop a new subscription service for existing customers") *
What was the final outcome of the project? *
For the following statements, please indicate how much you agree or disagree based on your experience with the project. *
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
The problem we were trying to solve was clearly defined and understood by the entire team.
We thoroughly explored multiple distinct ideas before committing to a single direction.
We actively sought out and incorporated input from actual customers at this early stage.
The decision to move forward was based on strong, objective data (market research, user interviews) rather than just internal opinion or a single leader's vision.
For the following statements, please indicate how much you agree or disagree based on your experience with the project. *
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
We clearly defined our key assumptions about the user, the market, and the technology before building anything significant.
We used prototypes or a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) to test our most critical assumptions with real users.
The feedback we received from early testing was systematically used to make changes to the product or strategy.
We had clear, measurable success metrics defined from the start (e.g., adoption rate, conversion, revenue).
For the following statements, please indicate how much you agree or disagree based on your experience with the project. *
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
Our initial timelines, budgets, and projected benefits were realistic.
The team felt safe to voice concerns, challenge assumptions, or admit mistakes without fear of blame (high psychological safety).
It was easy for the project to pivot or change direction when we encountered negative feedback or new data.
Leadership provided consistent support and clear direction throughout the project.
To what extent did the following factors influence the project's direction? *
Not at all
Slightly
Moderately
Significantly
Extremely
Over-commitment to an initial idea: The team was slow to adjust to new information that contradicted our first concept.
Overly optimistic planning: We underestimated the time, cost, or risks involved and overestimated the potential benefits.
Pressure to deliver "good news": Information about the project's costs, benefits, or risks was sometimes presented in a more positive light to maintain support or funding.
Ignoring historical precedent: The team believed this project was so unique that lessons from past projects (both internal and external) didn't apply.
Sunk cost fallacy: We continued to invest in the project because of the time and money we had already spent, even when data suggested we should stop.
Influence of a few vivid examples: Decisions were heavily swayed by a small number of compelling anecdotes or recent events rather than broader data.
In your own words, what do you believe was the single biggest reason this project failed? *
If you could go back in time and change one thing about how this project was run, what would it be?
How much impact could a more structured innovation process have had on preventing this failure? *
Would you like FREE access to my JTBD Masterclass? *
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