Project Planning: The Project Review

After the project is done, team members have been rewarded, and the project is complete, the final step for a project is to conduct a project review. The goal of the review is to help the project leader, along with other leaders and staff, to make the next project even better. While there are a variety of ways to conduct a project review, I’m going to describe the method I’ve had the best success with during recent years.

My project reviews, derived from a good friend, Rob, can be accomplished during a single meeting, usually an hour in duration. Every team member, along with other leaders and teams that were involved with the project, should attend. Have a large whiteboard or writing pad available, along with plenty of whiteboard pens. Designate a recorder – someone who has nice handwriting – to record notes during the meeting. The recorder, or another attendee, should be given the task of typing in the notes and distributing them after the meeting is complete (don’t type them up during the meeting, as that will be too distracting).

The meeting should operate in three phases:

Phase 1: Identify everything that went right

Go around the room and allow every attendee to express what went right with the project. This may be related to an individual’s performance, the decisions made during the project, or the results of a part of the project. Be specific and be thorough, as you will want to know what worked well so that the process can be repeated for the next project. During all phases, use the rules of brainstorming – no one can be considered wrong.

Phase 2: Identify everything that went wrong

Now, go around the room and identify things that didn’t work out so well. Much like Phase 1, be specific and identify processes that need to be fixed for the next project. Don’t worry about solving the problems in this phase, just identify them.

Phase 3: Identify what will be done better

Finally, for each item identified from phase 2, allow the group to brainstorm on how it can be prevented next time. It may require the elimination of a process, addition of a process, or improvement of an existing process. Follow the patterns of Phase 1 and Phase 2, but be sure that the recorder is tracking each brainstorm idea with each item from Phase 2. This will provide staff and leaders with a traceable path between the brainstorms and what they are intended to fix.

Keep the meeting moving, make it as short as possible, and make sure outspoken attendees don’t dominate the conversation. Make sure everyone has a chance to provide input. Use the results from each phase as a way to learn and improve your project planning methods and make the next project even better.

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