Program Manager, PPM&PMO Specialist.| Coppel, Mexico.Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico
Colleagues, With the World Cup coming to an end, I couldn’t stop thinking about how much a tournament like this resembles a high-visibility, high-stakes project lifecycle.
For four years, teams plan, build strategies, and manage risks. Then comes a month of intense execution, and finally... the Project Closure. The trophy is awarded, the final milestone is reached, and suddenly a team that worked under extreme pressure disbands.
As Project Managers, we often face our own "World Cup Finals"—those massive projects with high budgets, executive attention, and tight deadlines.
Whether the team won the trophy or faced heartbreak, capturing Lessons Learned right after the final whistle is crucial before people move to new projects.
What is your best strategy for running a Retrospective/Lessons Learned session when the team is exhausted?
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Anonymous
True There is a sense of loss - like something just went missing and you need to redirect your energy and efforts into something else. New routine, new dynamics etc but it’s all worth it. That’s what makes the world go round
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1 reply by Francisco Herrera
Aug 10, 2026 2:53 PM
Francisco Herrera
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I liked your metaphor. "sense of loss" is very real, but redirecting our energy into a new routine and new challenges is exactly what keeps us moving forward. Francisco
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Luis BrancoCEO| Business Insight, Consultores de Gestão, LdªCarcavelos, Lisboa, Portugal
A very relevant question. When teams are exhausted, the answer may be not to rely on a single end-of-project session. Immediate capture helps preserve details, but deeper reflection often benefits from some distance. A phased approach can combine brief individual input at closure, a focused discussion after the team has recovered, and clear ownership for the few lessons that should influence future decisions or organizational practices. The real challenge is not only capturing what the team learned, but ensuring that the learning survives the transition.
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1 reply by Francisco Herrera
Aug 13, 2026 8:02 PM
Francisco Herrera
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Yes Luis, a phased approach is a very practical solution. It respects the team's fatigue while still capturing fresh details. You are right that capturing the lessons is only half the battle; keeping them alive for future projects is the real challenge. Francisco
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Joao MinhotaTransformation and Industrialization Lead| Capgemini PortugalLisboa, Portugal
Great topic, I would add to the comments already made that collecting lessons learned should be part of the normal routine of any project. Not only at the end of the project, but instead supporting a true continuous improvement mindset. Now coming to real life, typically we can hear "I will do it later, when I have time" kind of sentence, right? The good news is that with Artificial Intelligence we can now really achieve the things we relayed to the very end "when we have time", which by the way is never... or as we say in Portugal, the the day of Saint Never,.. in the afternoon... :). My productivity producing relevant documentation, governance documents, presentations and why not Lessons Learned has increased exponecially and this is a great opportunity not to be missed!
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1 reply by Francisco Herrera
Aug 17, 2026 2:08 PM
Francisco Herrera
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Thanks for sharing Joao! the 'Saint Never in the afternoon' expression is so true! You are completely right that lessons learned should be a continuous habit. Also, your point about using AI really takes away the excuse of not having enough time and does the heavy lifting for project documentation. Francisco
Senior IS Project Manager| Baycare Health SystemsClearwater, Fl, United States
There are times when projects can have a large impact at deployment, and it can cause reactions from the community as well as all of the stakeholders, comparable to a major sporting event such as the World Cup. Saving Changes...
One strategy to not have large duration, overwhelming sessions of lessons learned at the very end of the project, when the team is exhausted, is to collect these lessons along the project process. In whatever phase, there is something to file as a lesson to remember in future projects.
So, at the final of the project, the session of lessons learned will be shorter, only to add the latest lessons that could emerge at the final moments. Saving Changes...
Program Manager, PPM&PMO Specialist.| Coppel, Mexico.Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico
Jul 22, 2026 7:26 PM
Replying to anonymous
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True There is a sense of loss - like something just went missing and you need to redirect your energy and efforts into something else. New routine, new dynamics etc but it’s all worth it. That’s what makes the world go round
I liked your metaphor. "sense of loss" is very real, but redirecting our energy into a new routine and new challenges is exactly what keeps us moving forward. Francisco Saving Changes...
Program Manager, PPM&PMO Specialist.| Coppel, Mexico.Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico
Jul 23, 2026 6:01 AM
Replying to Luis Branco
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A very relevant question. When teams are exhausted, the answer may be not to rely on a single end-of-project session. Immediate capture helps preserve details, but deeper reflection often benefits from some distance. A phased approach can combine brief individual input at closure, a focused discussion after the team has recovered, and clear ownership for the few lessons that should influence future decisions or organizational practices. The real challenge is not only capturing what the team learned, but ensuring that the learning survives the transition.
Yes Luis, a phased approach is a very practical solution. It respects the team's fatigue while still capturing fresh details. You are right that capturing the lessons is only half the battle; keeping them alive for future projects is the real challenge. Francisco Saving Changes...
Program Manager, PPM&PMO Specialist.| Coppel, Mexico.Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico
Jul 23, 2026 3:39 PM
Replying to Joao Minhota
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Great topic, I would add to the comments already made that collecting lessons learned should be part of the normal routine of any project. Not only at the end of the project, but instead supporting a true continuous improvement mindset. Now coming to real life, typically we can hear "I will do it later, when I have time" kind of sentence, right? The good news is that with Artificial Intelligence we can now really achieve the things we relayed to the very end "when we have time", which by the way is never... or as we say in Portugal, the the day of Saint Never,.. in the afternoon... :). My productivity producing relevant documentation, governance documents, presentations and why not Lessons Learned has increased exponecially and this is a great opportunity not to be missed!
Thanks for sharing Joao! the 'Saint Never in the afternoon' expression is so true! You are completely right that lessons learned should be a continuous habit. Also, your point about using AI really takes away the excuse of not having enough time and does the heavy lifting for project documentation. Francisco Saving Changes...
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