The Keys to a Successful Postmortem

For most start-ups, success and risk go hand in hand. Sure, some risks won't pay off -- that's just the way it is. But here's a strategy for decreasing the odds of making the same mistake twice.

For most start-ups, success and risk go hand in hand. If you are unable to take risks, it is very difficult to take the quantum leaps necessary to survive, much less thrive. By holding a postmortem after every project, you build learning into your process. This will hopefully decrease the odds that you will make the same mistake twice.

Take notes during the process. Don’t use the postmortem as the only occasion to be reflective about the project process. Throughout the project, stop to take notes about what is working and where the team is struggling. These notes will come in handy for the postmortem.

You may also find it useful to do a mid-project check-in with the group. There is no reason to wait for the project to be over before you think about how you can improve the process. If you can fix problems during the process, the project is more likely to be successful.

Send an outline. Make sure your team is prepared for the postmortem meeting. Send out an email prior to the meeting with the key questions that you want to cover. To encourage participation, you might find it helpful to require team members to send you responses to the questions prior to the meeting.

Document the results. Be sure to take detailed minutes during the meeting and include them in a postmortem report. The report should be sent to the members of the team for their approval, then distributed to management and any additional individuals who were involved in the project.

Aggregate learning. Regularly gather a cross-functional team to review the postmortem reports on projects throughout the organization. This is a great opportunity to share learning with other teams and identify systemic problems across the organization that need to be addressed.

Have a clear agenda. Follow a clear map in your discussion to get the most out of the postmortem meeting.

Here are items you might want to include on your postmortem meeting agenda.

Project Planning and Process

Look at how successfully the team developed a project plan, identified risks, and kept on schedule.

  • Were we able to accurately estimate the time required for tasks?
  • Did we coordinate and sequence tasks effectively?
  • Did we come to a clear consensus as to which tasks had the highest priority?
  • Did any team member find himself or herself waiting for another team member to complete a task?
  • What drove the launch date?
  • Were any risks not defined prior to the start of the project?

Communication

Examine how well team members communicated with each other and with people outside the core team.

  • Did the team find it difficult to come to consensus?
  • Did the group respect each member’s expertise?
  • Were there any issues communicating with groups outside the product team?
  • Were stakeholders kept in the loop regarding changes to the features?
  • Did the group receive regular minutes after meetings?
  • Was the documentation clear and unambiguous?
  • Did the group spend too much time in meetings?
  • Were the goals for the project clear to the team and company?
  • Were team members accessible to each other to help answer questions?

Roles

Explore how well roles were defined in the product team.

  • Did the customer play a significant role in the process?
  • Were roles within the team clear?
  • Was it clear who had decision-making power at every level?
  • Was there an executive sponsor for the project who set clear priorities and made available necessary resources within the organization?
  • Did the project manager have someone to perform all the functions necessary for the project to be successful?

Action Items

The postmortem meeting won’t prove to have been useful if you are not able to define some core action items for the team. These action items should address the key lessons from the project. For each action item, be sure to clearly define an owner and timeline for completion.

  • How does the process need to be adjusted?
  • Do any of the product documentation templates (for instance, the test plan) need to change?
  • Are there new document templates that need to be drafted?
  • Should any of the roles be changed?
  • Does management need to play a different role?

Holding a postmortem will only be successful if you are prepared, follow a clear agenda, and execute on the most important action items resulting from the meeting.

Subscribe to get your daily business insights

Whitepapers

US Mobile Streaming Behavior
Whitepaper | Mobile

US Mobile Streaming Behavior

5y

US Mobile Streaming Behavior

Streaming has become a staple of US media-viewing habits. Streaming video, however, still comes with a variety of pesky frustrations that viewers are ...

View resource
Winning the Data Game: Digital Analytics Tactics for Media Groups
Whitepaper | Analyzing Customer Data

Winning the Data Game: Digital Analytics Tactics for Media Groups

5y

Winning the Data Game: Digital Analytics Tactics f...

Data is the lifeblood of so many companies today. You need more of it, all of which at higher quality, and all the meanwhile being compliant with data...

View resource
Learning to win the talent war: how digital marketing can develop its people
Whitepaper | Digital Marketing

Learning to win the talent war: how digital marketing can develop its peopl...

2y

Learning to win the talent war: how digital market...

This report documents the findings of a Fireside chat held by ClickZ in the first quarter of 2022. It provides expert insight on how companies can ret...

View resource
Engagement To Empowerment - Winning in Today's Experience Economy
Report | Digital Transformation

Engagement To Empowerment - Winning in Today's Experience Economy

1m

Engagement To Empowerment - Winning in Today's Exp...

Customers decide fast, influenced by only 2.5 touchpoints – globally! Make sure your brand shines in those critical moments. Read More...

View resource