Reflect and Change

The project is launched in some way. Now it is time to learn the lessons of the project, for Common Knowledge, for the collaborator with us and for the movement as a whole. This is crucial. We reflect and then we bring about some change.

Between Notion and FigJam we have a standard template for the project retrospectives. We can do a project retrospective by following these templates. It begins by us all reminding ourselves how we came to begin this project and why.

The best project retrospective would be with the collaborator, in the same meeting, in an atmosphere of openness and collaboration. We end the project as we started. However, where this is not possible, we should do a retrospective internally and also have a meeting to wrap the project where we solicit feedback from the collaborator. We want to hear their feedback, even - perhaps especially - when it is painful. It is the only way we are going to improve. It is the responsibility of the Project Steward to ensure this retrospective happens.

Project retrospective are easy to feel they should be skipped, as we are always very busy. But we should avoid skipping them, because we never regret doing them. Apart from anything else, it draws a line under the project emotionally, which is important if the project has been tricky throughout, or at particular points.

The project is now over. Onto the next one!