Post mortem report

Info-Tech Research Group
Project Post Mortem Template
Introduction:
The purpose of the Project Post Mortem Report Template is to record, in detail, the specific
project activities that were most effective and those that require adjustments for future projects.
The objective of this report is to inform future project teams of important lessons learned during
the project (i.e. obstacles, challenges, successes, what could be done differently next time, etc.).
How to Use This Tool:
Fill in the report template provided below. Use the sample instructions provided in grey text as a
guide. Be sure to delete grey text once finished. In filling out the spaces provided be sure to think
about the project as a whole.
Consider the following areas in your comments and analysis:
 Planning
 Resources
 Scope
 Scheduling
 Project management
 Development
 Communication
 Quality assurance
 Testing
 Budget
 Team
 Tools and practice
 Product/deliverable(s)/outcome(s)
For each of the aforementioned areas be sure to think about:
 What worked well?
 What did not work well and caused the project to struggle?
 What would you do differently next time?

[Project Name]
Project Post Mortem Report
[Version 1.0]
[Date]

Report Owners and Contact Information
Name E-mail Phone Role
John Doe johndoe@sample.com 416-555-2651 Project Manager
[Insert more rows as needed]
Report Revision History
Date Reason for Change(s) Author(s)
12/28/2008 First draft John Doe
[Insert more rows as needed]

1. Introduction to Report
The Project Post Mortem Report is one of the final documents for the project and is used by the
project manager and senior level management to assess the success of the project, identify best
project practices, problem areas, and provide detailed suggestions for improvement on future
projects.
[Edit above as necessary]
2. Report Goals
The Project Post Mortem Report aims to:
 Review and validate the deliverables and success of the project.
 Identify project highlights and accomplishments for future projects.
 Identify problem areas and how problems were mitigated/dealt with.
 Outline key lessons learned/key takeaways from the project to apply to future projects.
[Edit above as necessary]

3. Project Parameters
Project Name:
Department:
Project Sponsor:
Project Manager:
Post Mortem Facilitator:
Target Completion Date:
Actual Completion Date:
Project Overview
[Provide a summary/describe the project in detail in the box provided below.]
For Example:
 Discuss the original project goals and objectives
 What was the original project success criterion?

4. Project Performance
Key Accomplishments
[List and describe key project accomplishments in the space provided below. Explain elements
that worked well and why. Consider listing them in order of importance. Be specific.]
For Example:
 What went right?
 What worked well?
 What was found to be particularly useful?
 Project highlights
Key Problem Areas
[List problem areas experienced throughout the project. Be specific.]
For Example:
 What went wrong?
 What project processes didn’t work well?
 What specific processes caused problems?
 What were the effects of key problems areas (i.e. on budget, schedule, etc.)?
 Technical challenges
Risk Management
[List project risks that have been mitigated and those that are still outstanding and need to be
managed.]
Project risks that have been mitigated:
Outstanding project risks that need to be managed:

Overall Project Assessment
[Score/rank the overall project assessment according to the measures provided. A 10 indicates
excellent, whereas a 1 indicates very poor.]
Criteria Score
Performance against project goals/objectives 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Performance against planned schedule
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Performance against quality goals
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Performance against planned budget
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Adherence to scope
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Project planning
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Resource management
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Project management
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Development
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Communication
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Team cooperation
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Project deliverable(s)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Additional Comments:
Other general comments about the project, project progress, etc.

5. Key Lessons Learned
Lessons Learned
[Summarize and describe the key lessons and takeaways from the project. Be sure to include
new processes or best practices that may have been developed as a result of this project and to
discuss areas that could have been improved, as well as how (i.e. describe the problem and
suggested solution for improvement).]
For Example:
1. Problem: The limited availability of key project resources resulted in the potential to
significantly delay the project.
Solution: The impact of limited resource availability was identified early in the project and
as a result steps were taken to mitigate the potentially negative impact of schedule and
timeline.
Post Project Tasks/Future Considerations
[List and describe, in detail, all future considerations and work that needs to be done with respect
to the project.]
For Example:
 Ongoing development and maintenance considerations
 What actions have yet to be completed and who is responsible for them?
 Is there anything still outstanding or that will take time to realize? (i.e. in some instances
the full project deliverables will not be realized immediately)

6. Approval
__________________________ __________________________ _________________
Project Sponsor (PRINT NAME) Project Sponsor (SIGNATURE) Date
__________________________ __________________________ _________________
Project Manager (PRINT NAME) Project Manager (SIGNATURE) Date
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Post mortem report

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Post mortem report