Stop Disasters Before They Start

The Fatal Five Framework reveals why 96% of disasters follow the same predictable patterns—and how Agile project management can prevent them.

50 Disasters Analyzed
174 Years of Data
500,000+ Lives Lost
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The Fatal Five Framework Diagram

The Fatal Five Framework

Five interconnected failure patterns appear in 72-96% of all major disasters. Understanding these patterns is the key to prevention.

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Risk Management Failures

96%

Organizations fail to properly identify, assess, or respond to known risks. The Titanic received six ice warnings but had no systematic process for evaluating them.

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Communication Failures

88%

Critical information fails to reach decision-makers or gets lost in organizational hierarchies. NASA engineers' O-ring concerns never reached launch decision-makers.

⚙️

Quality Management Failures

80%

Degraded standards and accumulated technical debt create catastrophic vulnerabilities. The Challenger's O-rings had shown problems for years before the disaster.

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Stakeholder Management Failures

76%

Critical voices are ignored or marginalized. Aberfan residents warned about unstable coal tips for years before 116 children died in the school collapse.

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Integration Management Failures

72%

Different systems, teams, and processes fail to coordinate effectively. Piper Alpha's sophisticated safety systems couldn't coordinate during the emergency.

Fatal Five Interconnected Patterns

Beyond the Wreckage

How Agile Project Management Prevents Disasters

The most comprehensive analysis of disaster patterns ever conducted, examining 50 major disasters spanning 174 years to reveal the Fatal Five patterns that cause preventable catastrophes.

Original Research

First systematic analysis of disasters through project management lens

Practical Solutions

Specific Agile practices that address each Fatal Five pattern

Economic Validation

ROI analysis showing 800:1 cost-benefit ratios for prevention

Contemporary Examples

COVID-19, Surfside collapse, and other recent disasters analyzed

Get Publishing Updates

Forthcoming 2025 • Seeking Publisher

Beyond the Wreckage

How Agile Project Management Prevents Disasters

Book Cover Concept

Fatal Five Assessment Tool

Discover your organization's vulnerability to each of the Fatal Five patterns. Get your personalized risk profile and prevention recommendations.

Get Your Fatal Five Risk Assessment

Free comprehensive evaluation of your organization's disaster prevention capabilities.

What You'll Receive:

  • ✅ Comprehensive Fatal Five risk profile
  • ✅ Personalized prevention recommendations
  • ✅ Industry-specific implementation guidance
  • ✅ Access to exclusive case studies
  • ✅ Monthly disaster prevention insights
Assessment Results Preview

Disaster Prevention Insights

Regular analysis of current events through the Fatal Five framework, plus practical implementation guidance.

Current Analysis

COVID-19 Response: A Fatal Five Case Study

How the global pandemic response exemplified all five failure patterns, and what Agile methodology could have changed.

March 2024 8 min read
Implementation

Building Psychological Safety in High-Risk Projects

Practical strategies for creating environments where team members can raise concerns without fear.

February 2024 6 min read
Case Study

Surfside Collapse: Infrastructure and the Fatal Five

How the 2021 condominium collapse in Florida demonstrates classic Fatal Five patterns in infrastructure management.

January 2024 10 min read
Framework

Risk Registers That Actually Work

Why traditional risk management fails and how Agile approaches create living, actionable risk assessment.

December 2023 7 min read
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Speaking & Training

Bring the Fatal Five framework to your organization, conference, or industry event.

Popular Presentations

"The Fatal Five: Why Disasters Repeat the Same Patterns"

Keynote presentation revealing the universal patterns behind major disasters and how organizations can break the cycle.

45-60 minutes Keynote or breakout All industries

"Agile Disaster Prevention Workshop"

Interactive workshop teaching practical Agile techniques for preventing each Fatal Five pattern in your organization.

Half or full day Workshop format Project teams

"Building Antifragile Organizations"

How to create organizations that get stronger from stress and uncertainty rather than breaking under pressure.

30-45 minutes Executive presentation Leadership teams

Perfect For:

  • Project Management Conferences
  • Safety & Risk Management Events
  • Agile & DevOps Conferences
  • Industry Safety Summits
  • Executive Leadership Programs
  • Corporate Training Events
Book Speaking Engagement
"The Fatal Five framework completely changed how we think about project risk. This should be required training for every project manager."
— PMI Chapter Leader

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🏢 Consulting

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