How do you learn from your past concept design projects and improve your budgeting skills and practices?

I review each concept design project by analyzing what went well and where I faced challenges, especially in terms of budget allocation. Tracking actual expenses against initial estimates helps me identify patterns like where I tend to under- or over-budget. I also gather feedback from team members and stakeholders to understand how budget decisions impacted the project outcome. This allows me to refine my cost projections, prioritize spending, and improve my budgeting accuracy for future projects. Continuous learning and adjusting based on past experiences is key to better financial planning and successful project execution.

I've learned that being in constant bottleneck identification and analysis makes a HUGE difference. I do weekly breakdowns of what my bottlenecks were and how to improve. Then I put action steps in for the next week to free up those areas. The great thing about this is that it works for ALL areas of life. Once you're in the flow of this practice for your career, you'll be seeing bottlenecks all over. It also helps to have a partner in this practice. Our blindspots are revealed by stakeholders with the same goals.

Learning from past design projects is all about reflection and adaptation. After each project, I like to sit down and really dig into what went well and what didn’t. I focus on the budget - where did I overspend, and where could I have saved more? It's like a detective game, finding clues in my own work. I also keep a record of all expenses, so I can spot patterns over time. Maybe I always go over in a certain area – that’s a cue to adjust future budgets or rethink my approach. ??I share these insights with my team too, so we can all get better together. It’s about being honest with yourself and always striving to do better next time. Plus, it’s pretty satisfying to see how these small changes add up to big improvements in our work!