Rejection Post-Mortem
Most product ideas don’t fail because they were bad ideas.
They fail because one assumption was treated as non-negotiable when it didn’t have to be.
The Rejection Post-Mortem is a short, focused review of product ideas your organization has
already decided not to pursue, and the reasoning behind those decisions.
What You Provide
What I Do
For each idea, I:
- Trace the primary reason it was rejected back to the underlying assumption
- Evaluate whether that assumption is truly binding given your market and capabilities
- Show how a different (but realistic) framing would alter feasibility, risk, or value
- Highlight which constraints remain — and which ones don’t
For at least one rejected idea, I provide:
- The specific assumption(s) that must be reframed for the idea to become viable
- A clear explanation of why that reframing is defensible in your market context
- A low-commitment next step appropriate for re-evaluation (e.g., analysis, diligence, or
small experiment)
What You Get
- A clear explanation of which assumption matters most
- Why that assumption isn’t necessarily binding in your context
- A reframed version of at least one rejected idea that becomes viable under a different (but realistic) set of assumptions
This is not a brainstorming exercise. It is a structured error-correction process.
You can benefit from this analysis if:
- You have strong teams generating ideas that seem to die “for good reasons”
- You suspect value is being left on the table but can’t see where
- You want a second look that respects the original decision logic rather than attacking it
What This Is Not
- A critique of your team
- A generic innovation workshop
- A promise that every rejected idea should be resurrected
Sometimes the conclusion is, “This really was the right call.”
That clarity is valuable too.