Learning from Failure: Quick and Easy Guide to Conduct Postmortems

The work of a Product Manager never ends, even if the product does.

We've all been there—a project or a product we poured our hearts into didn't quite turn out as expected. It’s an undesired situation for anyone and most of the times the reason why the scope ends it doesn’t even rely on our performance.

Actually, the reasons can be many and very diverse:

• Budget went over

• It was a build trap from the very beginning

• The team dynamics were off

• Timelines were unrealistic

• Project met the deadline (not all scenarios have to be negative)

• There was a major incident during development

• External factors beyond control impacted the outcome

Whatever the case may be, it's important to learn from these experiences and use them as stepping stones for future success. This is where the power of a postmortem comes into play. Let's dive into this quick guide 👇

Image illustration credits https://www.deviantart.com/k-hots/art/coffin-dance-meme-836478408

What is a Project Postmortem?

Think of a postmortem as a structured review and analysis of a completed project or product. It involves gathering your team, reflecting on what worked well and what didn't, identifying the root causes of any issues, and generating actionable insights for future endeavors. The goal is to improve your processes and prevent similar mistakes in the future.

Why should you do a Postmortem?

First and foremost, doing a postmortem helps turn failure into an opportunity for growth. It fosters a culture of learning, innovation, and continuous improvement within your team or organization. Additionally, it promotes transparency, accountability, and collaboration among team members.

By identifying and addressing the root causes of failures, you're paving the way for future success:

• Learning and Improvement: They provide an opportunity to learn from past experiences, successes, and failures, enabling you to make informed decisions in future projects.

• Accountability: They help identify areas where individuals or teams can be held accountable for their roles in the project.

• Communication: Postmortems foster open and transparent communication within teams and organizations, promoting a culture of continuous improvement.

• Documentation: They document key project details and outcomes for future reference.

How to conduct a Postmortem

1. Define Objectives and Goals: Set clear objectives for your postmortem. What do you want to achieve? Common goals include improving processes, identifying successes and failures, and fostering a culture of learning.

2. Assemble the Team: Invite key stakeholders, team members, and contributors to the postmortem. A diverse group can provide different perspectives and insights.

3. Gather Data: Collect relevant data and documentation related to the project or product. This may include project plans, timelines, budgets, performance metrics, and customer feedback.

4. Create a Timeline: Construct a timeline of the project's major milestones, key decisions, and events. This provides context for the discussion.

5. Identify Successes and Failures: Facilitate a discussion on what went well and what didn't. Encourage honest and constructive feedback. Focus on outcomes, processes, and decisions.

6. Perform Root Cause Analysis: For any failures or issues identified, perform a root cause analysis to understand the underlying reasons, not just the symptoms.

7. Document Lessons Learned: Capture key insights and lessons from the discussion. Highlight actionable takeaways that can inform future projects.

8. Recommend Actionable Changes: Based on the lessons learned, create a list of actionable recommendations for improvement. Prioritize them based on impact and feasibility.

9. Assign Responsibility: Clearly assign responsibility for implementing the recommendations. Ensure accountability for follow-through.

10. Implement Changes: Put the recommendations into action. Monitor progress and track improvements over time.

11. Schedule Follow-Ups: Schedule follow-up meetings or checkpoints to assess the effectiveness of the changes and whether they have addressed the identified issues.

12. Share Findings: Communicate the findings and action plan with the broader team or organization. Transparency is key to fostering a culture of learning.

13. Repeat the Process: Make postmortems a regular practice for continuous improvement. Incorporate feedback from previous postmortems into future projects.

Recommended Templates

To make your postmortem process even easier, here are a couple of recommended templates you can use:

• Asana Postmortem Templates

• Whiteboards Postmortem Template (made by Atlassian)

• Smartsheet Postmortem Templates

• Classic Trello Postmortem Template

• Easy Notion Postmortem Template

Remember, these templates are just starting points. Feel free to customize them based on the specifics of your project.

Wrapping Up

In conclusion, conducting a postmortem analysis is a crucial part of any project or product development process. It allows teams to reflect on their achievements and failures, learn from their experiences, and implement improvements for future success. The key is to foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement, where mistakes are embraced as opportunities for growth.

Key Takeaways:

• Create a safe and blame-free environment for open and honest communication

• Define clear objectives and goals for the postmortem

• Involve all relevant stakeholders to gain different perspectives

• Analyze both the successes and failures of the project or product

• Identify the root causes of the outcomes

• Generate actionable insights and recommendations for improvement

And there you have it! Once you create a postmortem, you're turning experiences and learnings into stepping stones towards future success. See it as an opportunity to learn, grow, and become better.

Have you ever conducted a postmortem? What valuable lessons did you learn from it? Share your experiences and insights in the comments below 👇