Post-Mortem Task
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A Post-Mortem Task is a project management task that analyses a completed organizational project to identify lessons learned for future organizational projects.
- Context:
- output: Post-Mortem Document.
- It can (often) perform both Quantitative Analysis and Qualitative Analysis.
- It can (often) be conducted by the Project Team, involving Project Manager and other stakeholders.
- It can (often) involve Root Cause Analysis.
- It can apply for both Successful Projects, Partially Successful Projects and Unsuccessful Projects.
- It can improve Internal Processes, streamline Organizational Workflows, and enhance Team Collaboration.
- It can support Organizational Learning and Process Improvement.
- It can include Quantitative Project Analysis and Qualitative Project Analysis.
- It can summarize the Project Successes and Project Failures.
- It can be evidence of Continuous Improvement.
- It can be used to inform Risk Management Strategies in future projects.
- It can be beneficial for both Successful Projects and Unsuccessful Projects.
- ...
- Example(s):
- Counter-Example(s):
- a Project Retrospective, typically being more comprehensive and final.
- A Project Status Meeting.
- A Pre-Mortem Task, which is a predictive exercise before project commencement.
- See: Post-Mortem Document, Lessons Learned, Risk Management, Project Management Body of Knowledge, Project Retrospective.
References
2023
- (LogRocket Blog, 2023) ⇒ LogRocket Blog. (2023). "A Guide to Conducting a Post-Mortem Analysis."
- NOTE:
- It emphasizes the importance of a post-mortem analysis in IT and other industries, highlighting that it's not just about public apologies or refunds, but about learning and improving internally to prevent future issues. This focus is crucial for mature companies to grow and adapt 】.
- It outlines specific steps for a successful post-mortem analysis, which include brainstorming to identify key project highs and lows, selecting the most impactful topics, analyzing the factors behind major successes or downfalls, and then recapping to draw conclusions and outline steps for future improvement 】.
- It highlights several benefits of conducting a post-mortem analysis, such as developing a growth mindset, uncovering system vulnerabilities, enhancing team communication, and improving overall efficiency and process levels, thereby reducing risks of failure and missed deadlines 】.
- It suggests best practices for implementing a post-mortem analysis, including choosing a skilled moderator, using effective tools for hybrid environments, following a clear agenda, preparing detailed timelines for specific incidents, and focusing on facts and processes rather than individuals 】.
- It concludes with the thought that recognizing both successes and failures through post-mortem analysis is vital for continuous process improvement, encouraging project managers to reflect and adapt rather than simply moving on to the next task without learning from past experiences 】.
- NOTE:
2023
- (Smartsheet, 2023) ⇒ Smartsheet. (2023). "Guide to Post-Mortem in Business."
- NOTE:
- It emphasizes that a post-mortem is a crucial process for improving projects by identifying what worked and what didn't, aiming to refine organizational processes and incorporate lessons learned, as mentioned in the Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK) under "lessons learned".
- It suggests that post-mortems should be conducted not only at the end of a project but also at regular intervals during longer projects for effective course correction and not overlooking incidents, highlighting the role of these meetings in driving process improvements and promoting best practices 】.
- It indicates the versatility of the post-mortem process, which is used not only for project reviews but also for incident analysis in risk management, such as IT/DevOps incidents, with each type focusing on identifying root causes to improve future processes and procedures 】.
- It outlines the procedure for conducting a post-mortem, which involves discussing successes and failures, creating a project timeline, and developing action items based on the root causes identified, to improve processes and repeat successes in future projects 】.
- It discusses the benefits of a successful post-mortem, such as improving internal processes, streamlining workflows, fostering team collaboration, enhancing efficiency, and boosting communication, thus contributing to a more successful organization.
- NOTE:
2023
- (Wikipedia, 2023) ⇒ Wikipedia. (2023). "Postmortem documentation." [1]
- QUOTE: 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.