Post-Mortem Document

A Post-Mortem Document is an analysis document for a concluded project.

• Context:
  • It can (typically) be produced by a Post-Mortem Task.
  • It can (often) include Quantitative Analysis and Qualitative Analysis about the project.
  • It can summarize the Project Successes and Project Failures.
  • It can contain a Root Cause Analysis of the project issues.
  • It can list Lessons Learned and Recommendations for future projects.
  • It can be a key component for Organizational Learning and Process Improvement.
  • It can be used to inform Risk Management Strategies in future projects.
  • It can be beneficial for both Successful Projects and Unsuccessful Projects as a tool for continuous improvement.
  • It can differ from a Software Development Retrospective in that it is typically more comprehensive and final.
  • ...
• Example(s):
  • ...
• Counter-Example(s):
  • Pre-Mortem Document (for a pre-mortem).
• See: Lessons Learned, Risk Management, Project Management Body of Knowledge.

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References

2024

• (Wikipedia, 2024) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postmortem_documentation Retrieved:2024-2-2.
  • A project post-mortem is a process used to identify the causes of a project failure (or significant business-impairing downtime), and how to prevent them in the future. This is different from a Retrospective, in which both positive and negative things are reviewed for a project.

    The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) refers to the process as lessons learned. Project post-mortems are intended to inform process improvements which mitigate future risks and to promote iterative best practices. Post-mortems are often considered a key component of, and ongoing precursor to, effective risk management.

2024

• GPT-4
  • For a smaller project, the structure of a post-mortem document can be simplified to focus on the most critical aspects while ensuring a comprehensive review. Here's a suggested table of contents:

1. **Executive Summary**
  - Brief Overview of the Project
  - Key Objectives and Scope
  - Summary of Outcomes
2. **Project Overview**
  - Brief Description of the Project
  - Timeline and Major Milestones
3. **Objectives and Results**
  - Stated Goals of the Project
  - Results Achieved
  - Variance from Planned Outcomes
4. **Key Learnings**
  - Major Successes and What Contributed to Them
  - Main Challenges Encountered
  - Overview of Failures or Shortcomings
5. **Analysis of Key Issues**
  - Brief Root Cause Analysis of Major Problems
  - Discussion of Unexpected Challenges
6. **Recommendations for Future Projects**
  - Key Lessons Learned
  - Actionable Recommendations
  - Suggestions for Process Improvements
7. **Conclusion**
  - Final Thoughts
  - Next Steps or Follow-Up Actions
8. **Appendices (if necessary)**
   - Supporting Data or Analysis
   - Meeting Notes or Feedback Summaries

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