Post mortem is the type of meeting that is often totally skipped because it generates extra costs and takes time. However, to draw any conclusions from the finished project, it’s good to hold Post Mortem. It is a dedicated space for the team and clients to analyze projects and processes — turning negative energy into productive actions.

Advantages

📍 Improving team performance. You will identify areas for improvement and find a better way to approach tasks next time

📍 Boosting communication in the team — listening to each other and talking about feelings brings the team closer to each other

📍 Learning from mistakes — figuring out what went wrong will help you develop insights for your following actions

📍 Closing the chapter — this is the way to end the project officially

📍 Increasing team morale — celebrating success together will give you positive energy. Discussing the bugs and problems will allow you to discuss your fears and end personal tensions

📍 Sharing the results of the meeting in the organization — maybe someone met with similar difficulties but didn’t find a solution? Or the other way around. It will surely be a building block for more transparent communication in the company!

6 steps to an effective post-project meeting

1. Arrange a meeting a few days after completing the project

The post-project analysis is most effective when team members still have the project in mind. The best way to make sure it gets done at the right time is to schedule it while you are scheduling your project. Including a post-project meeting in your workflow ensures that it is not missed.

Usually, the best time to meet after the end of the project is a few days after the work is done. This allows team members to gain perspective and summarize it themselves before carrying out a flashback in a larger group.

2. Send out the survey before the meeting

After the project is completed, before the meeting, it is a good idea to send a short survey to team members to get an initial idea of ​​what they think about the project. For example, if several employees mention the same issue at once, discuss it in the meeting.

Sample questions before the meeting:
👉 Choose three things that were successful with this project,
👉 Pick three things that failed with this project,
👉 Do you have any suggestions on what could be improved in the next project?

Once you have defined the topics for discussion, create an agenda and send it to your team members.

3. Share the meeting agenda after the end of the project

It is a good practice to share the agenda before each meeting, not just the post-project meeting. Thanks to this, team members will know the key topics and prepare for them accordingly.

Sample agenda:
1. Intro to post mortems, Project Manager (2–5 min)
2. Recap of the project (area, users/sites, timeline, goals, and outcome), Project Manager (5–10 min)
3. Client provided feedback, Project Manager and Client Care Manager (5–10 min)
4. How did we do? Each individual team member gets the floor (10–15 min each)
5. Vote and decide on process and systems changes, Led by the Project Manager, and the entire team is involved (10–15 min)
6. Review and confirm all process and systems changes, Project Manager (10–15 min)
7. Set goals for future projects, Led by the Project Manager, and the entire team is involved (5–10 min)

4. Designate a note taker for the meeting and a moderator

Before the meeting starts, designate a note taker and a moderator. These should be two different team members, as having both roles simultaneously may result in the continuous breaking of the conversation. The lead project leader often takes on the moderator role, and someone else takes notes.

If you are conducting a virtual meeting, it is a good idea to record it so each team member can return to it later and quickly check the meeting notes.

5. Conduct the meeting

When conducting a meeting, it is essential to define the basic principles of its operation. The moderator usually steers the conversation based on key elements of the agenda. But what if the conversation stops?

The moderator’s job is to keep the conversation going and encourage further discussions about the project. Here are some questions to ask to start a conversation:
👉 Has anyone found it difficult to meet the project deadlines? If so, why?
👉 In light of the experience gained, what could be changed by implementing this project?
👉Would you like to work on a similar project in the future? Why?
👉Do you think this project was successful? Why?

Open-ended questions such as the ones outlined above will help you identify uncertainties about your project. You can use them to improve the process for your future projects.

6. Send participants a summary of the meeting

After the meeting, send your team members a summary of the meeting. Make sure this also covers the follow-up identified during the meeting, and share your thoughts on how the lessons learned will affect how future projects are implemented.

Summary — Checklist

👉 Appoint a moderator
It’s not easy to be neutral when it’s your team or project. Find a moderator not related to the project.

👉 Remember the format of the meeting
It’s easy to confuse post-mortem with retro. Both meetings are summarized. Post mortem is a comprehensive analysis of events in the ending project to avoid making the same mistakes in the next one.

👉 Be constructive
Find a solution to each reported problem. This helps to maintain a positive outlook and gives the team something to work on.

👉Don’t make any feedback personal
The meeting should be a safe space for everyone. Don’t attack yourselves mutually. Look for solutions and compromises.

👉 Stick to the agenda and the specific time for each point
It is essential that the organizer tells about the project’s background at the beginning and outlines what was happening in it. It’s good to show the timeline of events.

👉 Follow-up and action points
Summarize the meeting in a document, e.g., on Notion. Define activities and assign specific people to them.

👉 Be open and transparent
You all play to one goal and want your cooperation to be comfortable and practical. Be open to feedback, and don’t treat it personally.

👉 Stay focused on the facts
Give constructive feedback. Refer to the specific situation. Describe how it influenced you and what improvements you see in this situation.

👉 Take care of freedom of expression for everyone
Let everyone have a chance to speak up. Allow adequate time for the meeting. Respect the emotions and statements of others.

Drawing conclusions is very important, but even more important is the plan. Popular wisdom says that prevention is more accessible than cure. It is similar in business; analysis of failed ventures is essential and often unavoidable, but it is usually cheaper and simpler to spend time and resources preparing for a challenge.

These challenges can take various forms: from creating essential business tools to defining further development paths to specific activities (such as a presentation to investors).