An effective post-mortem includes reviewing the deliverables, processes, and people that were a part of the project. The review takes place at the levels of the project from stakeholders and/or sponsors, to subject matter experts, instructional designers and project managers. The post-mortem begins with asking questions of the participants, gathering their answers and then analyzing the results and using them to improve the next project (Greer, 2010). For a learning project, the post-mortem can be used to begin the evaluation phase of the ADDIE model by providing useful information to continue to not only improve the next project, but also the content.
When conducting a post-mortem on a e-learning development project that was completed in 2010, the stakeholders and subject matter experts were asked about their experiences with the design team and deliverables throughout the design and development phase. The feedback included a bit of confusion when the process was explained during the kick-off meeting; and a question about how we would know if all the work that was done would make a difference. Through this basic questioning, we identified gaps in the process that included the need to break down the process and expectations in plain English; and in establishing basic knowledge of the target learning audience through the use of a pre-test before content is launched.
Some of the benefits of breaking down the processes and expectations into plain English is that it provides the SME clear role definition and clarification which allows them to plan their schedule to meet the tasks and deadlines required by the project (ACS White Paper, 2008). For the next project, we began to review the specific phase of the process before we executed it which provided further opportunities to check on comprehension, gain agreement and share ownership of the project. This ownership and agreement makes it a team effort that can have positive outcomes for everyone involved instead of a solo effort where the subject matter expert has no ownership or responsibility in the outcome.
By capturing the learners knowledge before they complete instruction and then capturing their knowledge after the instruction, we are able to better evaluate and quantify the learner transfer; diagnose potential problems and improve content and tools for the manager on the job.
Post-mortems help to improve processes by providing valuable data that the project manager may not have otherwise had. It will be up to the project manager to sort through all of the data, identify relevant information and then use that information to improve or change processes to enable an effective project team that meets the expected outcomes. Without the post-mortem and more importantly including the sponsors and subject matter experts in the process, our next project where we implemented new elements of the process, may not have been as successful.
References:
Greer, M. (2010). The Project Management Minimalist: Just Enough PM to Rock Your Projects! Retrieved from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5364556&Survey=1&47=6368695&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1
Post-mortem. (2011). Free online dictionary. Retrieved from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/postmortem
Working with subject matter experts. (2008). ACS Expertise in ActionTM White Paper. Retrieved from http://www.trainingindustry.com/uploadedFiles/Our_Community/List_of_Sponsors/Elite_Sponsors/ACS_Working-With-SMEs.pdf
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