From the course: Project Management Simplified
How to review a project
- [Instructor] So what should a project review consist of? First, I think it's a good idea to get some pizzas in, or even to go out to a restaurant as a signal that you are thanking everyone and celebrating the fact that the project is finished. It also sets the tone for the review being informal and positive. Not a serious meeting sitting around a table, pointing the finger at anyone who made a mistake. Next, there are three questions to ask. What was good that we will do again next time? What was bad that we will avoid next time? And it was nobody's fault. In fact, thanks to them for finding out that particular potential problem. And what could we do differently next time? This third one is not like the other two. The good and the bad are things that actually happened. But the third one is things that didn't happen, but that we wish had happened in order to be even better. With perfect hindsight, which only lasts for about two weeks, you've got a great opportunity to think about what else you could've done. Involve people more, involve people sooner, spend a bit more time on one part of the planning, et cetera. When you're asking these three questions, you might not be able to remember all of what happened in the project. But if you had a monthly meeting, there might be some minutes, maybe a monthly highlight report, or an issues log, or something that will jog your memory. During the review meeting, someone is to keep some notes of the discussion. Nothing long and detailed that no one will ever read. Just one piece of paper, perhaps in bullet format, or as a chart so that it's easy to refer to in the future. And finally, store the notes in a folder, either physical or virtual. Ideally searchable so that people in future projects can refer to the folder. And if you're managing the project manager, then it's a good idea to say, "Have you done a review?" And, "Where's the folder?" Some project management systems don't allow project closure until a review form has been filled, and I like that. I generally don't like forms, but I do think that a Gantt chart is the number one essential for a project. And number two is a review form. It's the only way that we can learn for the future. And that is step 12 of 12, the end of Project Management Simplified.
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