Blog Assignment: Learning from a Project “Post-Mortem”

Blog Assignment: Learning from a Project “Post-Mortem”

 

Several years ago two gentlemen and I were involved in putting together a contemporary service at our church.  As the fellows, one is a Jazz piano player and one plays the guitar, are quite a few years older than I and established, well-respected members of our fairly conservative church, I had little fear of creating buy-in from the congregation… especially as the minister assured everyone that it was a one-time back-to-school event designed to accompany a rather “Low Sunday,” Labor Day; it was generally agreed that no one would be there, anyway.

Although the guitar player was out of town the “keyboard” player and I met several times to pick out music that would please people.  We met with the Sunday school teacher and minister and rehearsed entrance hymns, preludes and postludes, and communion hymns with the participants.  (I wanted the children to sing “Nine to Five” but that was deemed unacceptable.)

I copied music for the children and congregation and made sure that the music inserted in the bulletin was easily read.  I had enough copies of the service bulletin for everyone that came.

I had been to the guitarist’s 60^th birthday party.  His wife bought him a 12-string Ovation guitar.  He was very happy to be asked to play with our group.  He and his wife returned from vacation the night before the event.  They arranged their vacation so that he would be back in time.  He came to rehearsal at 8:30 before the 10:00 service.  He looked at the music.  He said, “I can only play chords in 3 keys, I don’t do flats, at all.”

Although he did play the music he was able to I knew that my assumptions were incorrect and that I had almost caused a nice event to fail, miserably.

The following “post-mortem” was based on “10 Questions” from “The Project Management Minimalist: Just Enough PM to Rock Your Projects”, 2010, http://michaelgreer.biz/?page_id=636 42

Step 1: Define the project concept, then, get support and approval – we did get approval for the music that we played.  We were in general agreement.  The music was designed to be pleasing to a broad group of people.

Step 2: Get your team together and start the project – two out of three key members of our team got together and began the project.  We picked out the music and coordinated with the minister and the Sunday school team.

Step 3: Figure out exactly what the finished work product will be – we decided to keep the ritual and liturgy, change the sermon to a choral presentation by the children, and build the music around more contemporary forms.

Step 4: Figure out what you need to do to complete the work products – the piano player chose music, got approval for music, changed music, practiced the music with each other and with the children, I ensured that our “hand-outs” were appropriate to the audience.

Step 5: Estimate time, effort, and resources – the project, sans the inclusion of the guitarist, proceeded from needs analysis to design, development quite well.  Implementation, however, was based on assumptions could have been a disaster for the whole day had the guitarist insisted that he play with us and that we would have to change the music to accommodate him.  The evaluative phase is this “post-mortem.”

Step 6: Build a schedule – we scheduled practices and appropriately designed the music to fit the service.

Step 7: Estimate the costs – monitary costs were none, except for the pre-planned design of the service bulletins, which was absorbed by the church.  The congregation was unaware of the potential problem with the guitarist.

Step 8: Keep the project moving – the project kept moving, right up until 8:30 that morning.

Step 9: Handle scope changes – handled scope changes – the guitarist played what he was able to.

Step 10: Close out phases, close out the project – the ultimate closeout of the project was our little group, the “Hummers and Strummers” was so well-received that we ran the service every fifth Sunday of the month for years. 

What processes, project artifacts, or activities did you include in the project that contributed to its success? – I believe that I answered this question within the parameters of the “Post-Mortem” above.

What processes, project artifacts, or activities did you not include in the project that might have made the project more successful – we, really, I, did not fully investigate our guitarist’s abilities.  The project was being developed just as he was leaving on vacation and I didn’t bother to ascertain whether or not he could actually play the music, I just assumed that, because he had a 12 - string Ovation guitar, he was an expert.

What did I learn from the project?  I learned that the piano player needed to rewrite music for the keys of C, D, and G, which he did, for several years.  I also learned, long before this Master’s Degree class, to ask more questions and not assume anything.

Reference:

The Project Management Minimalist: Just Enough PM to Rock Your Projects!

Laureate Education Ed. © Copyright 2010, Michael Greer, http://michaelgreer.biz/?page_id=636 42