Community of Practice Live Event: Part 2: Retrospectives and Communications

This Project Life

Co-hosts Jeff Plumblee and Matt Stoltz host Part 2 of this Community of Practice Live Event! The topics were having effective retrospectives and documenting the lessons learned to retrieve later, how PMOs can communicate with impact, and whether the checklist approach is appropriate for a project.

Key Takeaways:

• How do you make retrospectives and “lessons learned” useful? Discuss after each phase what went wrong and what worked well. Use a database system and add metadata tags to the lessons. Metadata tags could include function, incident, category, phase, and more, for subsequent retrieval.
• Lessons learned include what you loved, what you learned, and what you loathed. Discuss these at every sprint or two weeks of work.
• Make PMO communications fun! Highlight different projects so groups see the inherent value they’re getting. Explicitly point out how this will change their world from what they are experiencing today. Also highlight individuals. Use appropriate graphics for interest.
• Make communications concise. Use a separate communication for each topic. Use a few bullet points and add an appendix for detailed information. Use specific tangibles around a case study instead of a generic description.
• Can checklists apply to projects? For repetitive tasks, they have a place. One project plan cannot accommodate every project. Train the project managers well and give them power and autonomy.

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The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right, by Atul Gawande