Lecture Notes: Project Post-Mortem Meetings

Importance of Post-Mortem Meetings

• Objective: Evaluate project execution to improve future projects.
• Post-Pandemic Challenges:
  • Changing team configurations
  • Increased reliance on virtual communication
• Purpose:
  • Celebrate successes
  • Identify areas for improvement
  • Enhance project workflow and team collaboration

Conducting a Post-Mortem Meeting

• Timing: Held at the end of a project.
• Participants:
  • All team members involved in different project aspects, including those from initial discovery
  • Management stakeholders
  • Possibly contractors and sales team for scope-related issues
• Duration: 45-50 minutes recommended
• Benefits:
  • Reflect on and appreciate work accomplished
  • Boost team morale
  • Learn better collaboration practices
  • Share different perspectives

Differences Between Post-Mortem and Retrospective

• Post-Mortem:
  • Occurs after project completion
  • Includes all project team members and stakeholders
  • Focuses on overall project insights
• Retrospective:
  • Occurs at the end of each sprint/iteration
  • Focuses on current sprint insights

Preparing for a Post-Mortem Meeting

• Preparation Tips:
  • Conduct quickly after project wrap-up
  • Send agenda and attendee list beforehand
  • Brief project recap so everyone is aligned
• Motivating Participation:
  • Survey team before meeting
  • Schedule prep time in attendees' calendars

Running the Meeting

• Moderator's Role:
  • Keep meeting on track
  • Engage participants
  • Facilitate constructive discussion
• Meeting Focus:
  • Identify project wins and challenges
  • Brainstorm solutions
• Add Fun: Consider new formats like a team-building activity if morale is low

Using Tools for Post-Mortem Meetings

• Collaborative Boards:
  • Use apps like Fig Jam or TeamGantt for visual feedback
  • Organize comments by priority

Creating a Post-Mortem Report

• Report Elements:
  • Project basics: name, dates, attendees
  • Opportunities for improvement
  • Actionable solutions and responsible persons
  • Relevant project context
• Purpose:
  • Document and share findings
  • Facilitate organizational process improvement

Conclusion

• Summary: Post-mortem meetings and reports foster continuous improvement.
• Tools: TeamGantt offers features for managing post-mortem insights and actions.
• Call to Action: Like, subscribe, and turn on notifications for more content.