Unable to gain the participation of a key person for a project retrospective? A retrospective, sometime called a post-mortem or lessons learned session, is an event designed to discover and preserve the aspects of a project that were managed well; and discover and change the aspects that weren't. I consider this event a fundamental feedback … [Read more...]
We Know Best
"We know better than they do about what's needed." Whenever you hear an influential member of your team utter those words, fasten your safety belt. The team is nearing the Twilight Zone. The person saying, "We know better than they do about what's needed," is referring to the customer. When decision-makers say "We don't have time for their … [Read more...]
Ingredients for Successful Teamwork
I have had the good fortune to be a member of many successful teams during my career: But my career hasn't been all bliss—I have also been a member of unsuccessful teams. In my experience, the recipe for the most successful and satisfying team experiences contained ingredients that were ignored by the unsuccessful teams. What ingredients … [Read more...]
Visual Project History
What element of a project retrospective, in your experience, separates the average retrospective from the outstanding? For today, I would answer, "A visual history of the project created by the participants during the retrospective." What does a visual project history look like? Why is it a key element to an outstanding retrospective? This … [Read more...]
What Haven’t You Told Me?
What vital element of business communication is the most forgotten? Discovering what hasn't been said. Marianne, Jamshid, Johanna, and Dave are participants in a project retrospective for the CRM system. Lan, the retrospective leader, asks the group to brainstorm the question, "What problems did you experience working with your clients … [Read more...]