Paul Naybour
List and Describe five considerations a project manager must make when planning a post project review
I am a little confused to the components that are wanted in this question
I have come up with the following:
1). Have the necessary project team members and stakeholders been contacted for attendance at the review.
Here the necessary personnel would need to be contacted in order to discuss either what went well within the project or what went wrong. Here any issues anyone has got can be expressed.
2). What key documents will be needed for the review
Key documents such as budgets and schedules will be needed for the review to show budgeted/scheduled vs actuals.
3). Were the deliverables/objectives met
How did the planned outputs line up with the actual outputs. This is helpful for lessons learned and for future projects.
4). Who was involved within the project
A list of persons involved within the project so that they can be utilised possibly (performance related) in future projects.
This is as far as I got, however some are feel as if they are not relevant at all.
Help and any comments would be appreciated.
Thanks
Ben
Sinitta How about considering who will receive a copy of the lessons learned report and if any confidential elements will need to be removed of the report is available for general circulation. The project manager will need to find out if there is a lessons learned database or circulation process within the company. The report will need to be written in a format that is acceptable for circulation by these means.
I also struggled a little with this question, i can only think of 4.. I can think of generic options however don’t think they’re what the examiner will be looking for? I also stole your answer Paul – thought it was really good.
Having a clearly structured agenda will help the PM ensure they will get the best out of the post project review. Listing definite and exact questions, for example – why the project was/wasn’t successful or why the project did not meet milestones on time, will ensure the PPR is project specific. Furthermore, it will allow for the attendees to prepare ahead of the PPR as they will be aware of what the session will focus on, and they will also have the chance to add if something was missed or they feel is relevant.
The PM must ensure the correct and all necessary bodies are invited and able to attend the PPR. Having their feedback will highlight best practice and lessons learned, which will all be documented for the business to learn and improve from. It will also allow the chance for everybody to feel involved and that their opinion is valued. For those who are unable to attend, a VC/conference should be made available, as well as having the session well documented/recorded.
The PM should have enough time allocated for the PPR so that there is enough time for everybody in the room to have a say and be able to deep-dive. The PM should facilitate the PPR and ensure that dialogue does not steer away from what the session should be focused on. Having a fairly good idea of how the project went and what the successes/failures were will help keep the PPR on the right route.
The key documents from the project will be needed for the review. These include the business case, project management plan and associate schedules such as the time line, cost plans,risk registers, change logs. These documents are key input to the review because they provide a written record of the project intent and the decisions taken along the way. Without this documentation the review team will have to rely on their memory of events which may be flawed or they may not have been involved in the whole project.
Ben, good answer. How was the timing remember there is a time limit of 15 minutes for each questions. Practice doing some questions against the clock.
Paul here is an additional answer in full:
5). Look at lessons learnt and make recommendations for future projects
The project manager would look at the lessons learnt throughout the whole project lifecycle and reflect on whether or not they had actually been learnt or not. If gate reviews have been used within the project for funding purposes from the sponsors point of view the lessons will be learnt at each of these gates. If funding is granted then the sponsoring organisation has seen that the project should proceed to the next phase, if funding has not been granted due to problems with the project then lessons learnt plays a huge role in getting funding granted. Reflecting on this is hugely important for future projects, which the PM may or may not be involved in, however, he/she still needs to reflect on the good and bad elements from the project. A continual review of project documentation, Key performance indicators and team performance will all provide a clear view of where things can be improved.
The confusing word in this question is components, these could be things elements. It is best to think about what you would need to arrange a project review. You have the right sort of list but your answer is too brief to get a good mark in the exam. Each paragraph needs three sentences for example
2). The key documents from the project will be needed for the review. These include the business case, project management plan and associate schedules such as the time line, cost plans,risk registers, change logs. These documents are key input to the review because they provide a written record of the project intent and the decisions taken along the way. With out this documentary evidence the review team will have to rely on there memory of events which may be flawed or they may not have been involved in the whole project.
I always try the answer the question, why is this item important in my answer. Why would you take the key documents to an end of project review, what would happen if you didn’t do this. It clearly demonstrates that you know what you are talking about.