The Dos and Don’ts of The Post-Mortem Meeting
When the last hashtags are tweeted and the final tickets are sold, it is finally time to say to goodbye to that big project that you’ve poured your heart and soul into. Right?
Wrong.
One of the most important steps in the lifecycle of a campaign or project is the post-mortem meeting. If the term “post-mortem” is a little morbid for your taste, you can also refer to these wrap-up convos as “debriefs” or “retrospectives.” But whatever you call it, it’s a final step you don’t want to ignore.
Think of a post-mortem as a brainstorm with a past. It’s the perfect opportunity to grow and learn as an organization or brand, with all the benefits of collected data and shared experience.
These vital end-of-project meetings offer a space to evaluate and analyze the entire process across all departments from strategy to creative to communication.
It’s a time to give props to all the things that went well…
Examine exactly what happened with the things that did not go well…
And explore things that were ok, but could’ve gone better.
Ultimately, post-mortem meetings can be a great way to gain key insight into how you can successfully bring your big ideas to life in the future.
Here are a few dos and don’ts to make sure you’re making the most out of the post.
>>DO it for every project.
No matter how big or how small an initiative, it’s important to revisit the process. Understanding a misstep in communication for a tiny project could make a huge impact in your next long-term campaign.
>>DON’T wait to do it.
The fresher in your mind the experience is, the better. And don’t think you have to wait until the end of a project to consider what is or is not working: a few check ups along the way usually lead to a longer life and a healthier end.
>>DO stay positive.
A valuable post-mortem isn’t just an hour-long rant of regrets. Your organization or brand can learn a lot from what did work and how you can expand on that success in future endeavors or next steps. So be sure to consider both the good and the bad.
>>DON’T play the blame game.
Focus on the work. Approach growth by asking, “How can we, as a team, create a better process and a better product?” Singling out individual mistakes is a quick way to divide a team and miss out on productive discoveries.
>>DO get specific.
Write down goals and actions that you can use next time around, and share them with the entire team. What good is learning something amazing if you forget it the next day?
>>DON’T come unprepared.
Like any successful meeting, have an agenda and thoughts to share. You may even want to send around a pre-meeting questionnaire to get your team buzzing early. Post-mortem meetings offer value and promise progress to the work that you and your team does, so don’t brush them off. Treat post-mortems with respect, and you may just get more out of them than you’d expect.
Remember, when you reflect, you learn: and when you learn, you can take action.
Photo: voycomp.com
From our experience, action based in reflection and knowledge is a recipe for success. It’s basically another way of saying “strategy.”
So when your next project or campaign comes to a close, make sure you’ve got the reflection part covered. Get a post-mortem meeting in the calendar and keep that strategic circle of life flowing.
