Reflecting Back on a Project Completed

It feels great to complete a project, regardless of the size. There is a sense of accomplishment and pride that comes from getting to the finish line. Whether your project was a tremendous success or it had bumps along the way there is something that every project has. Learning.There are always things that can be gained from taking time to review a project that has just completed. I recommend that every leader schedule time when a project comes to a close in order to review the process, the learning, and the impact the project has created. I recently completed a project and was able to come away with many positive things I can do in the future to make the next project equally or more successful. Here are the steps I took:

Reflect on your leadership

The first thing I wanted to do was look at my own performance. Did I provide the level of support necessary to make the project as successful as it possibly could be? Thinking in terms of a Situational Leadership model, did I match my style to the needs and development of my team members working on the project? I looked at whether I jumped in too soon (not allowing the team to learn along the way) or too late (potentially letting a team member fail beyond a learning point).In my case, I took away that I should have been closer to one individual sooner to understand the level of skills she had for a big portion of the project. Had I jumped in a little sooner, I likely could have steered her to a different support partner sooner to continue her learning curve, but ensure she never felt overwhelmed with the project. I also recognized that I was able to set her on a learning path she never realized she would be on. More positives than negatives, but it was important for me to realize where I could improve for the next project.

Conduct a full debrief of the project with key players

Set up time soon after the project reaches a complete or nearly complete state to review what others learned while working on the project. By conducting this session immediately after the project, the process and steps will be fresh in everyone’s memory. They will be better positioned to speak to what they learned or struggled with. Did they see the same things you did? What were the benefits they gained from working on the project? What would they do differently in the future? This turns the debrief session into as much a development session as a process improvement discussion. It can serve multiple purposes. Take advantage of this to set the team up for future successes.

Recognize the successes

Even if the project had challenges along the way, there is always a way to find positives that can be recognized and encourage for the future. Take the time to be specific about the things that did go well and what lead to those positive outcomes.In the project I was leading, we definitely had some struggles at different stages. But one of the most obvious positives was the perseverance of some of the individuals in seeing the project through and working to overcome the challenges they faced. This is a great quality to reinforce as I am certain they will find themselves in future projects that will not go as planned. Their success in working through issues will help them in those situations as it did in this one. In doing this, you can help the team see the value they bring beyond just the project itself.Many times when we complete a project, we simply want to move on to the next one. Without taking some time to reflect on your own performance and that of the team you miss the opportunity for some of the best learning and development opportunities we have as a leader. I would even encourage that you build the review session into the project plan itself. Schedule it from the beginning. I look forward to these sessions and all that comes from the discussion, I think you will as well.How can planning a project review benefit you and your team? Share your thoughts in comments.Photo by Landon Arnold on Unsplash