Activity

Project retrospective

60m
Medium
Include: Design Team, Stakeholders
Use this: At the end of a project
A project retrospective is a meeting to run at the end of your project with any key stakeholders and the design team. It’s also a good idea to include any key people from your key audience that you met during the Discovery phase.

The purpose is to set the intent for the end of the project. You might have launched your solution, but are you really done?

Use our Mural template to help structure your project retros: Project Retro Mural Template
  • 01
    Set the tone

    Think about what you want to get from the meeting, and be intentional with the tone. Are you celebrating your success already, or was it actually quite a stressful experience? Do you have lots of actions outstanding, or was your project plan executed precisely?

    The project retro itself is quite simple, so make sure anyone invited has all the right context. It’s good to bring in elements of your Discovery report and problem statement to remind yourselves of the journey.

    It’s important to create a safe space for discussion that encourages open and honest feedback.

  • 02
    what went Well

    The first thing on your agenda should be to understand success. What measures, feedback, and impact data do you have that makes you proud? Note these down and get the perspective of everyone in the room.

  • 03
    What could we do Better

    Next, gather what you could have done better as a project team. How reactive were your stakeholders? What was working with any third parties like? Be open, honest, and constructive with your observations - you're looking to improve ways of working, not blame for any perceived shortcomings.

  • 04
    What will we do Differently

    Now you’ve defined what you’d like to improve on as a team, outline what you’ll do differently, whether that's in the project phase or working together again in general.

    This could be as simple as “We’ll have more regular project meetings - weekly instead of fortnightly.” or “We’ll use a different print provider next time to reduce costs.”

    Focus on outcome-oriented actions. The input you gather here should be useful to your stakeholders and your teams when going into the next project.

  • 05
    What actions are there?

    Even though you’re at the end of the project, there might be some outstanding actions to complete. These could be additional phases of work, ongoing communications, or any BAU activities that your solution generates.

    Make sure you’re clear on who's doing what and when, and follow up with additional project support or delegation if needed.

SPEAKING FROM EXPERIENCE…

Aim for honesty in your project retros,. A round of mutual back-slapping doesn’t help anyone.

Celebrate your successes, but make sure that you’re getting candid, open input from everyone involved in the project. This can be tricky as you’ll have stakeholders, your audience, and your team in the meeting, but if you’ve set the tone right, the project retro should be valuable and productive.