Conducting Project Post-Mortems

One of the toughest tests of your leadership isn't how you handle success. It's how you navigate disagreement. I noticed this in the SEAL Teams and in my work with executives: Those who master difficult conversations outperform their peers not just in team satisfaction, but in decision quality and innovation. The problem? Most of us enter difficult conversations with our nervous system already in a threat state. Our brain literally can't access its best thinking when flooded with stress hormones. Through years of working with high-performing teams, I've developed what I call The Mindful Disagreement Framework. Here's how it works: 1. Pause Before Engaging (10 seconds) When triggered by disagreement, take a deliberate breath. This small reset activates your prefrontal cortex instead of your reactive limbic system. Your brain physically needs this transition to think clearly. 2. Set Psychological Safety (30 seconds) Start with: "I appreciate your perspective and want to understand it better. I also have some different thoughts to share." This simple opener signals respect while creating space for different viewpoints. 3. Lead with Curiosity, Not Certainty (2 minutes) Ask at least three questions before stating your position. This practice significantly increases the quality of solutions because it broadens your understanding before narrowing toward decisions. 4. Name the Shared Purpose (1 minute) "We both want [shared goal]. We're just seeing different paths to get there." This reminds everyone you're on the same team, even with different perspectives. 5. Separate Impact from Intent (30 seconds) "When X happened, I felt Y, because Z. I know that wasn't your intention." This formula transforms accusations into observations. Last month, I used this exact framework in a disagreement. The conversation that could have damaged our relationship instead strengthened it. Not because we ended up agreeing, but because we disagreed respectfully. (It may or may not have been with my kid!) The most valuable disagreements often feel uncomfortable. The goal isn't comfort. It's growth. What difficult conversation are you avoiding right now? Try this framework tomorrow and watch what happens to your leadership influence. ___ Follow me, Jon Macaskill for more leadership focused content. And feel free to repost if someone in your life needs to hear this. 📩 Subscribe to my newsletter here → https://lnkd.in/g9ZFxDJG You'll get FREE access to my 21-Day Mindfulness & Meditation Course packed with real, actionable strategies to lead with clarity, resilience, and purpose.

It was 3:42 AM. A junior data engineer had just deployed an update to a core ETL pipeline. Minutes later, critical data jobs started failing, no reports were loading, dashboards were blank, execs across 5 time zones started pinging Slack. Panicked, he called the on-call senior. His first words were exactly, “I think I broke something in the latest DAG. Data isn’t moving. I’m really sorry, it’s on me. How should we tackle this?” The senior didn’t say: → “Did you not test locally?” → “Why didn’t you follow the migration checklist?” → “This is why we don’t deploy at night.” Instead, he said: “Breathe. I’m here.” Within 15 minutes, they had looped in another data engineer and the analytics lead. They spun up a staging pipeline, checked data snapshots, and started tracing the failure. By morning, the pipeline was fixed. No critical data was lost. The dashboards were live before the CEO even noticed. Was it a serious incident? Absolutely. Could it have been avoided? Most likely. But it was also a huge learning moment. No one sent blame emails. No one asked for “accountability reports.” In the post-mortem, here’s what was said: When production’s on fire, it’s not about who to blame. It’s about who steps up, who calls for help, and who’s willing to fix it together. He flagged the issue early, owned up, and asked for backup. That’s what you want in a teammate. Mistakes will happen. Even in big data. Even with your most careful plans. But when someone tells you the pipeline’s on fire at 3 AM, → Don’t make them feel smaller. → Hand them a playbook, not a punishment. Lessons come after. First, you help put out the fire. That’s real data engineering leadership. That’s what I’ve learned leading teams in the trenches as a Senior Engineer

Leadership can really shine during high-stakes retrospectives (a.k.a. postmortems). Teams get worried immediately following major failures, like a total outage. Customers are upset, company perception is impacted, and teams feel down. Times like that demand a leader who can simultaneously show stability, encourage transparent discussion, and steer the team toward productive resolutions. One of the most crucial initial steps is creating an environment where root causes can be identified. If you have ever been in one of these high pressure situations, you will know that they are often multi-dimensional, including a set of unforeseen conditions, lack of communication, insufficient process, and cross-functional elements. Right from the start, the leader should make it clear that the retros purpose is learning and prevention, not blame. Underscore a non-judgmental atmosphere, “We’re here to identify where we could have done better, not to single out individuals.” This tone encourages the team to share insights and challenges, ultimately leading to a deeper discussion. Beyond setting the tone, a leader should actively model the behaviors they wish to see: action, curiosity, improvement. When groups are knocked off their center, the leader plays a critical role to reunify the group and being laser-focused on finding paths forward. You can ask: What signals did we miss? Did we fail to communicate certain risks? Which assumptions proved false? Highlighting systematic or procedural gaps rather than individual errors fosters a sense of collective responsibility for solutions. Last, clear follow-through is important. Tell the team what you expect at the end of the retrospective: well-defined action items with assigned owners and timelines. Hopefully, you already have a documented process for retros. You can point to this and reiterate that the outcomes will be real changes that focus on the current failure, but importantly, prevention of the class of potential failures. While it’s necessary to provide an accurate account of what went wrong, it’s just as important to convey a measured plan for preventing a recurrence. During the period when all of the answers are not known, leaders often need to provide teams protection and time to make recommendations. If you do these things well, a leader can transform a moment of failure into a more resilient and proactive team.

The conversations you’re avoiding are the ones that could change everything. When was the last time you avoided a hard conversation? Maybe it was with your boss, your partner, or a friend. You convinced yourself it wasn’t the right time. Or hoped the issue would solve itself. But deep down, you knew: Avoiding it didn’t help. It made things worse. 70% of employees avoid difficult conversations at work (HBS Online). This leads to lower trust, weaker teams, and missed opportunities. The truth? Trust isn’t built in comfort zones. It’s built in hard conversations. Here are 9 steps to master them: 1/ Breathe first, and prepare. Take a moment to center yourself. Try saying: "I’m nervous about this, but I believe it’s necessary.” 2/ Start with gratitude Show respect and appreciation. Try saying: “Thank you for being open to this. I believe this conversation is important.” 3/ Use “I” statements. Vulnerability creates connection. Try saying: “I feel frustrated because…” or “I’m concerned about…” 4/ Stick to facts, don’t assume. Be objective. Try saying: “I noticed this project was delayed” instead of “You’re unreliable.” 5/ Ask open-ended questions. Show you’re listening. Try saying: “How do you see the situation?” or “What’s your perspective on this?” 6/ Embrace silence. Let the other person process. Try saying: Nothing... 7/ Collaborate on solutions. Shift the focus to problem-solving. Try saying: “How can we work together to handle this differently moving forward?” 8/ Avoid phrases that escalate conflict. Stick to the specifics. Try NOT saying: “You always…” or “You never…” 9/ End with gratitude. Try saying: “Thank you for being open to this. I value how we’re working through challenges together.” The conversations we fear most don’t just build trust. They’re how trust is built. Show up, even when it’s messy. Because that’s where growth begins. Which step resonated with you the most? ♻️ Repost to inspire more honest conversations.

Don’t avoid the hard conversation. Use these 8 steps instead: Like many people, I used to avoid hard conversations until it was too late. When the stakes and emotions are high, and opinions differ, silence breaks trust. Tension builds. Trust erodes. Opportunities are lost. I learned this time and again. What if you could handle these moments with clarity and kindness? Use these 8 steps to navigate difficult conversations: 1. Ask to Understand: - Help me understand your perspective. - Can you walk me through your thinking? 2. State Only the Facts: - Here’s what I’ve observed [..]. - What’s your take on this situation? 3. Focus on Shared Goals - We both want [shared goal]. Let’s figure this out together. - How can we ensure the best outcome for everyone? 4. Stay Calm Under Pressure - I can see this is important to you. Let’s talk it through. - I’m committed to finding a solution with you. 5. Acknowledge Their Perspective - I hear what you’re saying. - It sounds like [paraphrase their perspective]. Is that right? 6. Address Misunderstandings - Can we clarify what you meant by [..]? - What do you think I might not be seeing? 7. Find a Path Forward - What’s the best way for us to move forward? - Here’s what I propose. What are your thoughts? 8. Recap & Align - We've agreed on [..]. Anything else to consider? - Let's check back in [specific timeframe]. Difficult conversations aren’t the problem. It’s how we show up for them that makes the difference. With the right approach, you can turn high-stakes moments into shared understanding. ➕ Follow me, Melody Olson, for Leadership, Tech & Career Insights. ♻️ Repost to help your network navigate difficult conversations with trust.

Ever wondered what a failed project can teach you? Here’s the truth: 𝑭𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒐𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒓! 5 Lessons from a Failed Geospatial Project! After facing my fair share of setbacks in geospatial projects, I’ve learned that each failure holds a lesson that reshapes how we approach future work at New Light Technologies Here’s what I learned—and how it’s transformed my entire process: 1️⃣ 𝘾𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙊𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙭𝙞𝙩𝙮 What Went Wrong: We tried to solve everything, and in the end, we solved nothing. Focus on one clear goal at a time. Simplify the problem, and progress will follow. 2️⃣ 𝘿𝙖𝙩𝙖 𝙌𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 = 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙌𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 What Went Wrong: Poor data quality led to outputs no one trusted.  The Fix: Invest in data validation—quality is always more important than quantity. 3️⃣ 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙨 𝙆𝙚𝙮 What Went Wrong: Miscommunication caused misaligned expectations across teams.  The Fix: Regular, open communication keeps everyone aligned and on track. 4️⃣ 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙎𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 What Went Wrong: The system couldn’t scale, leaving users frustrated.  The Fix: Design with growth in mind. Ensure systems are built to adapt. 5️⃣ 𝘼𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙄𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 > 𝙋𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙮 𝙈𝙖𝙥𝙨 What Went Wrong: Beautiful maps that didn’t help drive decisions.  The Fix: Focus on actionable insights. Results speak louder than aesthetics. Failure isn’t the end—it’s the beginning of a new approach. Ready to turn your data into actionable insights? Let’s collaborate at newlighttechnologies.com to bring your next project to life. Follow Ghermay A. #Geospatial #Lessons #innovation #DataScience #ProjectManagement

Do you want to know who to blame, or do you want to understand what went wrong so you can fix it? The answer should be obvious, but when things go wrong, it can be much easier to start pointing fingers. In the Navy, we used “near miss reporting” to understand the root cause of any failures. This no-fault reporting structure was a way to bring together different people to understand how something happened, rather than who was to blame, and then to figure out how to remedy the situation going forward. If this process works for something as important as a nuclear reactor or a submarine, it can certainly work just as well in the business world. We use this same concept of “near miss reporting” at RightHand Robotics, Inc. If something goes wrong, we conduct post-mortems to identify the root cause of the issue and to construct effective solutions. Maybe that means creating a new process, or maybe it means eliminating a broken process that isn’t working anymore. Either way, we focus on finding a solution rather than finding someone to blame. That same examination process works when things go right. We can figure out why something worked well and determine how to replicate that in the future for better results. My experience with post-mortems in the Navy taught me that continued growth isn’t about pointing fingers. It’s about pointing out potential solutions. This concept has worked for us at RightHand Robotics again and again.

Incidents in modern software-driven businesses present opportunities that are much greater than is typically recognized. Developing effective countermeasures, preventative designs, and other improvements require understanding an incident in deeper ways than simply when it occurred, how long it lasted, and what the customer impact was. This deeper understanding comes from reconstructing the event(s) in the context they were in, exploring the multiple perspectives of those who are responsible for responding to the incident and those defending the organization from these types of events, and connecting them in ways that have lasting influence on the business. “Learning from failure” does not come from filling out a template and plotting shallow data on a chart. It means developing and maintaining the expertise to know how to analyze incidents deeply, identify which elements of the event are most valuable and which are not, and synthesizing this in ways that provide the greatest insight for the broadest audience possible. Most importantly, it means doing this analyses efficiently, because businesses cannot wait for a dissertation to be published every time an outage happens. This is what we train people to do.

When projects fail, people often misinterpret the cause. Consider the following situation. Engineer: "We were unable to launch on time because the design was late. The designers need to be done on time." If you stopped the discussion here, you might assume that the designers need to get their act together. Designer: "We had the first version of the design ready, but the product management team kept requesting changes. We could never get agreed upon designs." Ok, we've just learned the issue, right? It seems like the product team couldn't make up their mind! Product: "Remember, we had contracted with the user research group. But we did it so late that they gave us the results halfway through the project. Still, the results told us that we were building the wrong thing. We had to change the product and design, or we would have failed." Now we have a more complex and interesting answer. Real life is often more complex than it first appears. If we had gone with the simple answer, the engineering team would continue assuming that the designers were the cause of their issues. The design team would assume the product managers couldn't make up their mind. This is also a good reason for a post-mortem (retrospective) meeting process to include all stakeholders. Because we now have a compelling and complex cause of the delay. Someone will need to take responsibility for getting user research done further in advance of the project. This is why we do a Post-Mortem. We look under the surface. We pull together disparate sources of data to tell a story. We build collective organizational knowledge, and then disperse organizational learning. Everyone learns something, opens their mind to the complexities of project management, and we execute the next project that much better. For more about how this process works, read on!

Closing a project is just as important as starting one. A well-executed closure ensures knowledge transfer, captures key learnings, and sets the stage for future success. Your project closure process should focus on: → Ensuring deliverables meet expectations → Capturing lessons learned → Strengthening stakeholder relationships Here’s a roadmap to guide you: 1/ Finalize Deliverables and Validate Outcomes: → Ensure objectives are met and approved → Verify that deliverables meet scope and quality standards → Conduct final testing, QA, and user acceptance reviews → Obtain stakeholder sign-offs for formal closure 2/ Complete Documentation: → Update and store all project documents → Close contracts, budgets, and financials → Archive key artifacts like requirements and risk logs → Document scope deviations and resolutions 3/ Conduct Lessons Learned Sessions: → Hold a team retrospective on wins and challenges → Capture insights on risks, issues, and best practices → Document key takeaways for future projects → Foster open discussion for continuous improvement 4/ Transition Responsibilities: → Ensure ongoing support and maintenance plans → Transfer knowledge to relevant teams → Conduct end-user or operations training → Provide stakeholders with final documentation 5/ Celebrate Success and Recognize Contributions: → Acknowledging team achievements → Share project impact with leadership → Organize a final reflection meeting → Send personalized appreciation messages 6/ Formalize Project Closure: → Conduct a final stakeholder review → Report key outcomes and learnings to leadership → Close out remaining administrative tasks → Archive all closure documents 7/ Strengthen Stakeholder Relationships: → Follow up to maintain key relationships → Gather stakeholder feedback for future improvements → Identify opportunities for collaboration → Address any final questions or concerns 8/ Reflect and Improve Future Processes: → Assess areas for improvement → Integrate lessons into team best practices → Update templates and workflows → Refine risk management, communication, and execution strategies Project closure isn’t just about wrapping things up. It’s about ensuring that knowledge, relationships, and insights continue. Focusing on 𝗱𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 ensures a smooth handoff and future success. What best practices help you close projects effectively?