Procrastination is a common element. People tend to put off important tasks for unimportant ones like in the case of the student who chose social media over studying. Another is lack of planning. Just like the homemaker who didn't plan her day well and ended up in a mess.
Nervousness is a common one. For example, in a first public speaking event, people are often so nervous that they forget their lines or speak too fast. Another element is lack of experience. Like the first time driving on a highway, not knowing the rules well can lead to bad situations.
Well, a typical element is misjudgment of time. People tend to underestimate how long tasks will actually take. Just like the guy who thought he could cook and be on a call at the same time. And then there's the lack of self - discipline. We see it in the person who snoozed their alarm for an hour instead of getting up early. Another common thing is unexpected interruptions. In the case of the team member who was always late to meetings because he was doing other things first, that was an unexpected interruption to the overall project schedule.
One common element is poor preparation. If you don't prepare enough for your first time doing something, it's likely to go wrong. For example, if you don't study for your first college exam, you'll probably get a bad grade. Also, being in a hurry can be an issue. When you rush through your first time painting a picture, it'll probably end up looking messy.
One common element is unexpected events. Like in my story of missing the flight, the traffic jam was unexpected. Another is the feeling of loss or disappointment. When I didn't do well in the exam due to being sick, I felt disappointed. And often there is stress involved, just as in the work project when my computer crashed and I had to meet the deadline under pressure.
One common element is the unknown. For example, in many bad scary stories, there are things that lurk in the shadows or in places that are not fully understood, like a dark basement or an abandoned asylum. Another is the feeling of being trapped, like in a haunted house where the characters can't seem to escape the evil within.
One common element is a sense of loss. In most bad endings stories, the characters lose something important, like in 'The Necklace'. The woman loses years of her life trying to replace a lost necklace. Another element can be a lack of redemption. The characters often don't get a chance to make things right. For example, in 'Macbeth', Macbeth's actions lead to his downfall and he doesn't get to redeem himself. And sometimes, there's an element of fate or inevitability. It seems like no matter what the characters do, the bad ending is coming, like in 'Oedipus Rex' where he tries to avoid his fate but still ends up fulfilling it.
Sure. One story is about a student who always procrastinated on studying for exams. He would waste hours on social media instead of preparing. Then, right before the exam, he would cram all night, feeling exhausted and not being able to retain much information. As a result, his grades were not good.
One common element is lack of proper resource management. For example, hiring the wrong people or not having enough resources. Incompetent leadership also plays a role. A bad project manager who doesn't listen to the team or make good decisions can doom a project. Additionally, scope creep is often seen in horror stories. The project keeps expanding without proper control, making it impossible to finish on time.
Often, there's a lack of expertise in risk management. People in charge might not have the right knowledge or skills to accurately assess risks. Another common element is not updating risk assessments regularly. The business environment changes constantly, and risks that were negligible before can become major threats. And in some cases, external pressure like tight deadlines or cost - cutting measures leads to shortcuts in risk management, which ultimately results in horror stories.
One common element is a lack of respect for the players' ideas. DMs might disregard character backstories or player - suggested plot twists. Another is being too rigid in the game world rules. For example, not allowing any creativity when it comes to using skills or magic. Also, unfairness in encounters, like creating unbeatable foes without any real purpose or way out for the players.