"P" Is For Post-Mortem

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As always, I want to offer my sincere apology to Sue Grafton for using (stealing??) her approach for the titles of her many outstanding mystery novels for this series of articles that I hope makes YOU a happier and more effective leader working with a truly empowered team that really enjoys what they do! Oh, and if you have not read any of Ms. Grafton’s novels I highly recommend that you give her a try.

The Post-Mortem Meeting

“By three methods we may learn wisdom; first, by reflection, which is noblest; second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third, by experience, which is the most bitter.”

- Confucius

This can be one of the most enlightening and challenging meetings that you can ever facilitate, where you review the project after completion, you can see where the problems occurred and why. No judgment or finger pointing can be permitted in these sessions, only honest ego-less problem solving, research, data gathering and analysis.  

If you have a problem project do this meeting! Or if you have an exceptional project, ALSO do this meeting to find out what made it exceptional. Don’t spend all of your time looking for problems, also look for successes..

Meeting rules are:

  • Everybody who worked on the project attends with their prepared written agenda of items, things that went poorly and things that went well along with their reason(s) why.

  • The facilitator gets all of these agendas together before the meeting and shares them with everybody so that they can review and prepare for the meeting.

  • Have a time keeper to stay on schedule.

  • Also have a scribe to collect and record all of the information developed during the Post- Mortem meeting. Use a recording device if needed.

Topics for the agenda must at least include:

  • What worked and why?

  • What didn’t work and why?

  • What went really well and why?

  • Lessons learned and why?

  • Formal changes needed in policies or processes and why?

“If you do not know how to ask the right question, you discover nothing.”

- W. Edwards Deming

I wish you empowerment, happiness and every success!!

Jonesy