Post-Project Blues

Post-project reviews (PPRs) are a valuable tool for project managers and teams to improve their performance and skills. They offer a mechanism to help fuel continuous improvement as well as improve team morale.

A PPR is a meeting that takes place after the completion of a project to assess its success and identify areas for improvement. The meeting should involve all key stakeholders, including the project manager, team members, and clients.

The PPR should focus on the following areas:

• Project goals: Were the project’s goals achieved? If not, why not?
• Project scope: Did the project stay within scope? If not, what were the reasons for the scope creep?
• Project budget: Did the project stay within budget? If not, what were the reasons for the overspend?
• Project schedule: Did the project stay on schedule? If not, what were the reasons for the delays?
• Project quality: Did the project meet the required quality standards? If not, what were the areas of improvement?
• Project risks: How were the project’s risks managed? Could the risks have been managed more effectively?
• Project communication: How well did the project team communicate with each other and with stakeholders? Could the communication have been improved?
• Project lessons learned: What are the key lessons learned from the project? How can these lessons be applied to future projects?

The PPR should be a constructive and collaborative meeting. The goal is to identify areas for improvement, not to assign blame. The findings of the PPR should be documented and shared with the project team and other stakeholders.

Benefits of post-project reviews

There are many benefits to conducting post-project reviews, including:

• Identify areas for improvement: PPRs can help project managers and teams to identify areas where they can improve their performance. This information can then be used to improve future projects.
• Celebrate successes: PPRs can also be used to celebrate the successes of the project team. This can help to boost morale and motivation.
• Share lessons learned: PPRs provide an opportunity to share lessons learned from the project with other stakeholders. This can help to improve the overall performance of the organisation.
• Improve team communication: PPRs can also help to improve communication within the project team and with stakeholders. This can lead to more successful projects in the future.

What about in a hybrid workplace?

That is where Microsoft Viva Pulse comes in.

Viva Pulse is a survey tool that can be used to gather feedback from employees on a variety of topics, including post-project feedback. Pulse surveys can be customised to ask specific questions about the project, such as:

• Were the project’s goals achieved?
• Did the project stay within scope, budget, and schedule?
• Was the project quality satisfactory?
• Were the project risks managed effectively?
• How well did the project team communicate with each other and with stakeholders?
• What are the key lessons learned from the project?

Pulse surveys can be sent to all project stakeholders, including team members, clients, and managers. The results of the survey can then be used to identify areas for improvement.

Here are some ways that Microsoft Pulse can improve post-project feedback:

• Make it easy to collect feedback: Pulse surveys are easy to create and send, and they can be customized to meet the specific needs of the project.
• Get feedback from all stakeholders: Pulse surveys can be sent to all project stakeholders, regardless of their location or role. This ensures that everyone’s feedback is heard.
• Get timely feedback: Pulse surveys can be sent immediately after the project is completed, while the project is still fresh in everyone’s minds. This helps to ensure that the feedback is accurate and relevant.

Let’s have a look at this in action.

The first thing to do is to chose the correct template for your needs. Ours is at the bottom of the screen here.

There then is the opportunity for you to alter the existing questions or add your own.

You can then choose the recipients for the survey.

Once sent, you have to wait until there is a quorum of reponders to ensure anonymity.

The results are easy to read and understand, with the ability to see an overview of responses and re-send the survey if required.

Conclusion

Post-project reviews are a valuable tool for project managers and teams to improve their performance and skills. By conducting regular PPRs, organisations  can ensure that they are continuously learning and improving.