I'm leaving my company in about 3 weeks time and will be hosting a Lessons Learnt (project closure) meeting a week before I leave. The project overran by four months (which is a big delay in my company), but delivered everything it was designed to. A lot of people in the project team are unhappy - two departments don't get on (which caused most of the delays) and the sponsor is also unimpressed. The biggest factor in the delay to the project was the lack of buy - in to the project of a senior decision maker. However, this person has now left the role. I have two options in the meeting - highlight the political issues which led to delays or simply instead state that the delays were caused by me missing some clear risks to the delivery of the project. With the context of me leaving, do you think it's better for me to focus on areas that I missed, or should I be upfront about the lack of co-operation? I'd say the areas that I missed were responsible for about 10% of the delay. I have sent out feedback forms to all of the project team and their take on the project will also be covered in the meeting. Your advice is appreciated! Saving Changes...
Sort By:
Andy JordanPresident| Roffensian Consulting S.A.Cherry Grove, AB, Canada
James, I think that there is a totally different approach needed. The only reason that a PIR / post mortem / lessons learned meeting should take place is to identify ways that the next project can be done better. You should not be looking to answer the question 'what did we do wrong' (or maybe more pointedly 'who did it') you are looking to answer the question 'what do we need to do differently next time' - for each individual and for the team as a whole. Also, remember that the people come and go, but the roles remain. By that I mean that the company will have a different sponsor and a different PM on the next project but in order to help the project succeed the sponsor needs to be engaged, the PM needs to manage the risks, the departments need to be aligned, etc. If you can (and it can be hard) stay away from the people and the past, and focus on the process / roles and the future. Andy Jordan, President, Roffensian Consulting Inc., www.roffensian.com Saving Changes...
Anonymous
Andy, thanks for the advice - very useful! My organisation is a very silo based culture and project management is a fairly new discipline here, so it can be tricky to avoid simply talking about the past. I will be adopting most of your advice in the meeting, so I'll let everyone know how it went next week. Saving Changes...
