What are some practices for conducting post-success debriefs with cross-functional teams?

Scope creep will impact the quality of feedback you receive if you let it. Be quite mindful of the purpose, and keep firm boundaries of what needs to be discussed. Keep note of what falls outside of the meeting scope, and if the need is apparent set up a time to meet with another group of stakeholders around the new scope with clear objectives.

Debriefs should also include a discussion of what the team is still unsure about (for example, whether a particular tactic was successful) so that it can shape learning priorities and testing for future projects. The purpose isn’t just to debrief on this project, but to set future ones up for success.

I’ve just had to do this with a training session and keeping people on topic - discussing with my Team Leads how to stay within the scope and not let things get out of control. They are learning and it’s been helpful!

Research across dozens of teams shows that teams who debrief outperform those that don’t by 20-25% or more, demonstrating validated impact in organizations.

May I suggest that a success model and debrief is more effective if you do it before the success? Using the same items you outlined but conduct as a pre-mortem ( what could go wrong) and a post-mortem ( why did we win).

If done correctly, people will desire to attend these meetings and provide feedback to support the continuous improvement process. Correct looks like everyone having an opportunity to speak up and the freedom to provide both supportive and critical feedback to discover future opportunities.

I would rather keep the project debrief to the cross-functional team and everyone who contributed to the project. Sponsors/senior leaders can be invite to an executive debrief meeting with a slightly different agenda - high level overview, major highlights/lowlights and a call for action/support the project team may need from the Leadership Team.

Definitely include their direct supervisor or leadership chain. This will help to clearly articulate the on-going needs for success. They need to buy in to the plan and support their piece of the puzzle.

It’s also helpful to “pre-meet” with key players / SMEs if there were known issues and invite them to be prepared to kick off discussion on that topic. Can we foresee this happening again? What would help us intervene earlier as a leadership team? What tools/resources/decisions are needed to support the team in that situation? Is there a timing and sequencing dependency that we need to prepare for next time? Having a SME prepared to grab the bull by the horns for the bigger issues is a great way to make sure the session is productive. The framework of quickly identifying the issue, combined with a hypothetical solution gives the entire team something to react to and add-on to.

A facilitator plays the critical role of setting expectations, guiding the discussion, and holding everyone accountable to the task at hand. The person you choose to facilitate the session should be seasoned and trusted, and ideally should be someone who wasn’t deep in the weeds on the project. It’s difficult to effectively facilitate the meeting when you should be an active contributor.

It's important that the individuals invited to the debrief come to the table with their own thoughts and opinions formed BEFORE the meeting starts. Often these meetings can become a sort of 'groupthink' and don't allow for novel ideas to come to the table. By having participants come prepared, and ideally sharing their thoughts individually before the group discusses major topics, you have a more well-rounded discussion and better outcome.

There definitely needs to be a standardized, succinct method to receive feedback and document opportunities for growth. The STAR method is translatable to many industries and easy to review.

It's also important to effectively communicate the results to other teams in your organization. Reviewing lessons learned from other teams is a critical first step when commencing a new project.

It's often important to reassess the level of success sometime later -- 6 to 12 months later -- to determine if the project or product has met business goals, customer expectations, quality targets, and more. These lagging indicators are critical for improving the processes associated with product and business strategy, product development, and post-release support.

Many tools exist to help you in this endeavor! Zoom IQ will revolutionize documenting meetings and summarizing discussions. You can use AI to assist in the recording, recovery, and analysis.

We have a team audit annually to get a pulse check on how we are doing. By masking individual data and sharing total result, we provide transparency. Finally, we structure a team around 1-2 areas to improve to demonstrate we listened and are doing something about it.

Post-mortem project review is not about assigning blame. It is about fostering a culture of continuous improvement. It is an opportunity to celebrate successes, learn from mistakes, and enhance project management practices for future endeavors.

Remember to recognize even the small players on projects or tasks. You may be surprised on how willing they are to jump in and help with success for the next project. Most everyone welcomes being recognized for their work and contributions.

Showing gratitude goes a long way with employee engagement. People work hard and should be recognized for their efforts. There are many ways to show individual gratitude, but realize that most people enjoy monetary appreciation. Ideas can be big or small such as a small gift card, extra PTO for self care after a big project/ deal, or a bonus.

In my experience I celebrate wins all the time and ensure those that have contributed are recognized! This shows my appreciation of their efforts and helps them build their confidence for the next project!

There is no such thing as too small of a win to celebrate. Regardless of how team members tick, everyone likes a little encouragement every once and awhile or else you create a demotivated, uninspired culture.