Lessons Learned Analysis:

Project Feedback Mechanisms and

Workforce Performance Goal-Setting

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How did project feedback mechanisms and performance goal-setting impact your
project? This questionnaire will allow you to analyze these processes, develop
conclusions and make recommendations.

Purpose

This template is designed to assist the project manager during project “post mortem”
activities to analyze two common corporate employee development processes as to their
effect, whether positive or negative, on the project. The two processes are Project
Feedback mechanisms and Coaching, two processes that are designed to provide timely
information on performance status as related to expectations. The template is to be used
as the basis for surveys and discussions to develop conclusions and make
recommendations.

Project Workforce Feedback Mechanisms and Goal-Setting include

• Project status reporting to the workforce

• Workforce performance metrics identification, tracking and use (including
those related to budgets, schedules, output, quality of work, employee
satisfaction, etc.
• Goal-setting for the project and its workgroups, with regards to expectations
for output, schedule, product/ service quality, expenditures, customer
satisfaction, etc.
Generally, employee performance evaluation is not covered in this analysis, but
is covered in another gantthead analysis template.

Instructions

There are two sections. Answer the questions in the first section to compile a complete
list of issues and opportunities for improvement. Use the questions in the second section
to develop conclusions and recommendations for post mortem/lessons learned
documentation.

Determine how to gather the Phase 1 Opportunities for Improvement data by either

• Discussion as usual in post mortem or

• Via a survey to all employees and managers in the project (coordinated with a
corporate human resource development group, organization development group,
and/or a training & development group.)
Facilitate a meeting of appropriate parties, using Phase 1 set of questions to collect a
precise list of actual opportunities for improvement. Do not spend much time attempting
to identify causes at this time.

Once a complete list of problems has been compiled, present these to the group and ask
the Phase 2: Developing Conclusions & Recommendations questions in order.

List recommendations and conclusions and ensure the group agrees to the final version.

Rewrite problems and recommendations in submittal format (in positive tone) for the
post mortem process.

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Example Issues/Problems/Opportunities for Improvement

“Most employees did not know how their team was performing compared to
expectations. Some under-performing workgroups believed they were producing
sufficient output.”

Example Conclusion

“Even though much of this information was collected, it was not made clear how
this information was to be communicated to employees, especially when
changes occurred to expectations during the project.“

Example Recommendations

“Modify the communication plan so that it communicates regular status of team

performance to expectations.”

Phase 1: Identifying Opportunities for Improvement

Did any group of workers lack timely feedback to show them how they were performing
to standards or expectations?

• Does a complete enterprise-wide workforce performance feedback program

exist? Does a program exist for the IT/IS function?
Were there any obvious problems associated with the project workforce performance
feedback mechanisms, such as

• Their not being used?

• Workers not being aware of the deliverables?
If yes, did the program meet the needs of the project?

Were all the feedback mechanisms used, even if they were defined?

Were all the feedback mechanisms used effective?

Was feedback timely and of high quality?

What were the strengths of the program?

If some workgroups had performance feedback and others did not, was their better
performance out of the workgroups that did have the feedback?

Did routine performance reporting in project adequately (timely and accurately) provide
workgroups with performance feedback?

Were there any reporting inadequacies?

Were there project feedback mechanisms other than in routine project reporting? What
other reporting (perhaps data collected by other departments on employee, customer or
stakeholder satisfaction) might have been useful?

How often did workers receive project performance data? Was this adequate?

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Did HR-led annual (quarterly, etc.) employee performance evaluations mesh well with
project needs and project workforce performance reporting? Were there any conflicts
between employee performance evaluation program and the project workforce
management needs?

Were criteria for judging workgroup and project performance clearly stated in the
beginning of the project?

Were criteria used to judge workgroups consistent with those that made maximum
performance in project?

Were there any measures that should have been used, but were not used, to assess
performance of workgroups? Of the entire workforce performance?

Was their an undesirable or unconstructive emphasis on any particular measure?

Does a complete project performance goal-setting program exist?

Were there any obvious problems associated with project performance goal-setting,
such as

• It not being used (no goals identified for measurables)?

• Workers not being aware of it (goals not being communicated effectively)?
Were metrics chosen that reflected a balanced look at project success (weighed to
customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, financial performance, operational
efficiency, etc.)

Were the goals which were set incorporated into the project communication plan? Were
workers notified of the goals early on the project and reminded during the project?

Were appropriate goals chosen for the metrics? (e.g. attainable, specific)

Did the goals defined by the program correspond to project realities?

Were lessons learned from previous projects or experts used to identify realistic and
achievable goals?

Phase 2: Developing Conclusions & Recommendations

A. What were the causes of any problems noted? Did any causes result in multiple
problems?

B. Where in the project workforce feedback (and goal-setting) process does it appear
that these problems developed?

C. Where in the project management process does it appear that these problems
develop?

D. Which individual or department will need to address the issue in the process?

E. What are recommendations to the departments/organizations responsible for those

activities?

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What are the highest priority opportunities for improvement (those that are urgent and
will garner the greatest benefits to the company and subsequent projects)?

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