The review will serve as a guiding light for all your future projects by explaining the reasons for project success or failure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this guide, we\u2019ll explain all the basics of a post-implementation review and cover:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- What the post-implementation review is,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- When, why, how, and by whom it should be conducted,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- What the common barriers are, and<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- 10 tips to overcome these barriers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Whether you\u2019re a project manager or a project team member<\/a> \u2014 this guide should deepen your project management skills<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, keep reading.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"Post-implementation](\"https:\/\/plaky.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Post-implementation-review-cover.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nWhat is the post-implementation review (PIR) in project management?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The post-implementation review (sometimes referred to as the post-project review or the post-mortem review), is a formal project performance assessment that serves to establish some of the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Whether the project has achieved the intended results,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- How certain project activities<\/a> have performed,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Why a project failed to meet desired objectives, and<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- What can be done to improve future projects.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
The PIR is an important part of the entire project planning, as it doesn\u2019t only answer whether the project succeeded, but it also uncovers far more important insights such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- If the project did succeed, to what extent did it succeed?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- What are the underlying reasons for its success\/failure?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
These insights are extremely useful as they can be applied in all future projects in the form of lessons learned<\/a> (a term commonly used by the Project Management Institute).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When to conduct the PIR<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Generally speaking, the PIR is in most cases conducted during the final project phase<\/a> \u2014 the project closure phase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In more specific terms, if you want to be able to analyze the project and its outcomes \u2014 you need to actually finish the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Perhaps the best moment to conduct the PIR is after the project has been formally implemented. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You should choose the timing for the PIR carefully as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Conducting it too early, you might overlook outcomes that require more time to pass to fulfill, whereas <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Conducting it too late, you might miss the opportunity to apply the lessons learned to other projects.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Depending on the project duration and complexity, you can choose to conduct the PIR periodically, to assess both:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Short-term outcomes (to assess project benefits and value shortly after project completion), or<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Long-term outcomes (to assess its full impacts after longer time periods have passed).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Certain organizations might even choose to conduct the PIR the moment they hit an important project milestone, to check if there\u2019s a need for some adjustments or changes during the project implementation phase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the diagram below, you can see the possible timing for conducting the PIR:<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"Diagram](\"https:\/\/plaky.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Diagram-showing-the-PIR-timing.png\")
Diagram showing the PIR timing<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n It\u2019s important to note that you should plan the PIR in advance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As soon as the initial project planning phase begins, skilled project managers (PMs) should know what planning documents they\u2019ll need later for the PIR. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
These documents include project management plans<\/a> \u2014 e.g. a project scope<\/a> plan or a work breakdown structure<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n\nFree project management software<\/h2>\n
Take control of your team's workload and achieve better project results with Plaky.<\/p>\n\n
\n Sign up<\/a>\n\n Learn more<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n\n \n ![\"Illustration\"](\"https:\/\/plaky.com\/learn\/wp-content\/themes\/cake-learn\/src\/images\/plaky\/banners\/default.png\")
\n <\/picture>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n\n\n\nWho should be involved in the post-implementation review?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Dragan Z. Milosevic and Russ J. Martinelli suggest in Project Management Toolbox<\/em><\/a> that a \u201cwell-respected\u201d and \u201cnon-biased\u201d person should be in charge of information gathering for the PIR. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Milosevic and Martinelli do not recommend the project manager<\/a> to be the post-mortem review facilitator, probably because the project manager might be too emotionally involved with the project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
An independent team, or someone outside the project team, will focus on gathering facts with objectivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the other hand, project team members might be able to conduct the review more efficiently and within a shorter period, as they are already familiar with the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another option is to include both the original project team and an independent team in the review to get two perspectives on the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why should you conduct a post-implementation review (PIR)?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Suppose you\u2019ve completed a project successfully \u2014 how can you repeat the success if you don\u2019t know what actions led you to it? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Or, if you have failed \u2014 how can you perform better next time if the reasons for project failure<\/a> are too vague?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Conducting the post-implementation review should help you pinpoint the reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the article Post-project reviews as a key project management competence<\/em><\/a>, people don\u2019t automatically<\/em> learn from their past project experience<\/a>. On the contrary, most people need their learning to be structured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also, the knowledge of what happened during a project is often scattered among team members, making it essential to share insights within the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A post-implementation review should help you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Understand all cause-and-effect relationships that lead to project failure\/success, and <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Identify opportunities for further improvement and growth. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Specifically, the PIR helps you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Understand the differences between the original scope and the result,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Analyze project team performance,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Discover what project methodology<\/a> best suits a specific project,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Learn what good practices you should apply to future projects, and<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Learn what actions you should avoid in future projects.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
You can identify the problematic areas in the project management process by analyzing recurring patterns and events within a project, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Frequent request changes, <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Frequent disputes regarding quality, or <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Frequently missed project deadlines<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
In essence, a PIR is a learning process and should be an opportunity to improve your project planning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How to make a post-implementation review in 6 steps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Suppose you\u2019re not sure where to start with the review. In that case, our suggestion is to divide the PIR process into several steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Step #1: Review existing documents and plans,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Step #2: Collect feedback from the people involved in the project,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Step #3: Use a checklist to facilitate gathering data,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Step #4: Conduct a meeting with the project team,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Step #5: Identify lessons learned, and<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Step #6: Make a post-implementation review report.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Now, let\u2019s analyze the 6 steps in more detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
#1 Review existing documents and plans<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The first step of the PIR review is to collect all existing documents and plans for the project you\u2019re reviewing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example, a project charter<\/a> is a place to start, as it contains all the relevant information about the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the project charter, you should have all your project goals<\/a> and objectives clearly outlined and ready for comparison with the actual project deliverables<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
#2 Collect feedback from the people involved in the project<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
After gathering the documents, you can move on to collecting data from people involved in the project, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Project team, <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Users\/customers, and<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Project stakeholders<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s good to use several information-gathering techniques<\/a> (e.g. questionnaires, surveys, or face-to-face interviews) to collect all the necessary data, as it increases data objectivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
#3 Use a checklist to facilitate gathering data<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Generally, project checklists<\/a> are a great way to improve your team\u2019s efficiency<\/a> and organization. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Using a simple checklist as a part of the PIR process facilitates information gathering as you can easily collect information that can be further examined and discussed in meetings with the project team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Project Management Toolbox, <\/em>there\u2019s an example of a checklist with questions divided into different project categories that you can ask the project team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s best if the questionnaire is anonymous, as the responses will be more honest and realistic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s what the PIR checklist may look like:<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"Post-implementation](\"https:\/\/plaky.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Post-implementation-review-checklist-with-questions-template.png\")
Post-implementation review checklist with questions<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n Get the PIR checklist template here<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
#4 Conduct a meeting with the project team<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Meetings are an excellent opportunity to analyze the information you\u2019ve gathered about the project and further discuss the review with your team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Apart from the information gathered, according to Milosevic and Martinelli, it\u2019s nice to have an agenda prepared before the meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s what a post-project review meeting should generally look like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Welcome and introduce participants,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Review the ground rules of the meeting,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Summarize the collected information,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Review and analyze issues and critical success factors<\/a>,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Create a list of what went wrong,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Create a list of what went right,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Identify opportunities for improvement with actionable recommendations, and<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Outline specific steps for the future.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
Using team communication skills<\/a> in review meetings will significantly improve the outcomes of the entire review process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
#5 Identify lessons learned<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The PMBOK\u00ae Guide<\/a> (Seventh edition), defines lessons learned as \u201cthe knowledge gained during a project, which shows how project events were addressed or should be addressed in the future, for the purpose of improving future performance.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lessons learned are an integral part of the PIR process as they help you identify both good and bad actions in a project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can also choose to create lessons learned log that consists of:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Change or performance consequence,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Cause,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Lessons learned,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Action, and<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Process change recommendation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s what the basic lessons learned log may look like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Illustration\"](\"https:\/\/plaky.com\/learn\/wp-content\/themes\/cake-learn\/src\/images\/plaky\/banners\/default@2x.png)
\n <\/picture>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"PIR](\"https:\/\/plaky.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/PIR-report-template-part-1.png\")
![\"PIR](\"https:\/\/plaky.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/PIR-report-template-part-2.png\")
![\"PIR](\"https:\/\/plaky.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/PIR-report-template-part-1-1.png\")
![\"Illustration\"](\"https:\/\/plaky.com\/learn\/wp-content\/themes\/cake-learn\/src\/images\/plaky\/banners\/landing-4@2x.png)
\n <\/picture>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n