Conducting Project Post-Mortems

In the last 2 decades of my career, while working at EMC, Adobe, and Meta, I’ve attended enough retros and SEV-1s to know the importance of blameless postmortems. I’ve made my fair share of mistakes in my career, and each of them has made me better, but if I were persecuted for making mistakes and had no safety to make them in the first place, I do not think I’d have been able to grow as I did. That is why, as a technical leader, I bring the same behavior into the room whenever things fall apart. Because when a system breaks, the easiest thing in the world is to find a person and make them the story. But that’s lazy leadership. A production incident is rarely just one person’s mistake. It is usually a chain: a risky assumption that was never challenged. a review that missed context. a missing guardrail in deployment. a noisy signal that buried the real one. a system that made the wrong action too easy. That is why I care so much about how retros and postmortems are written. When emotions are high, people naturally write like this: I did this. I missed that. I broke this. I prefer reports written in the third person and, when needed, with as much anonymity as possible. The moment you take the person out of the first line, the room starts focusing on the mechanism instead of the blame. People speak more honestly. Junior engineers stop defending themselves and start explaining what really happened. A good postmortem should do three things: - Tell the truth clearly. - Make psychological safety. - Make the system safer than it was yesterday. If it only does the first one, the culture gets worse. If it only does the second one, nothing improves. If it does all three, people grow, and the system gets stronger. Some of the best engineering cultures I have seen are not the ones where mistakes never happen. They are the ones where mistakes are examined without humiliation, lessons are extracted without politics, and guardrails are added without turning fear into policy. In the long run, fear does not create reliability. Honesty and trust do.

No one likes a difficult conversation... These 8 reframes make them easier. The biggest myth in difficult conversations---that the right words will magically appear in the moment. They won't. But these practical swaps will help you navigate them with confidence: 1️⃣ Instead of: "We need to talk..." Say: "I'd like to share some observations and get your perspective." Why: Reduces immediate defensive reactions and shows you value two-way dialogue. 2️⃣ Instead of: "The problem is..." Say: "Here's the situation as I understand it..." Why: Creates space for different viewpoints without assigning blame. 3️⃣ Instead of: "You always/never..." Say: "I've noticed that recently..." Why: Focuses on specific instances rather than character judgments. 4️⃣ Instead of: Starting with complaints Say: "My goal for this conversation is..." Why: Sets a constructive tone and clear direction. 5️⃣ Instead of: "You made me feel..." Say: "When [situation happens], I feel..." Why: Takes ownership of your emotions while clearly linking them to specific actions. 6️⃣ Instead of: Avoiding silences Say: "Let's take a moment to consider this." or “Lets come back to this” Why: Gives both parties time to process and respond thoughtfully. 7️⃣ Instead of: Pushing for immediate solutions Say: "What options do you see for moving forward?" Why: Invites collaboration rather than forcing outcomes. 8️⃣ Instead of: Ending vaguely Say: "Let's agree on next steps and check in [specific time]." Why: Creates accountability and clear path forward. These phrases are particularly relevant where there is a power dynamic at play. Remember---difficult conversations become easier when you focus on clarity over comfort. ♻️ repost if this resonated and follow Scarlett McCabe for more communication tips!

Hi everyone, 📘 Lessons Learned: The Secret to Continuous Project Success Why do some companies keep getting better, while others repeat the same mistakes? The answer often lies in how well they capture and apply lessons learned. 🔍 A 2019 PMI report found that organizations prioritizing lessons learned are 30% more successful in their projects. That’s huge. 💡 Best practices for building this habit: 1️⃣ Keep a lessons log throughout the project — don’t wait until the end. 2️⃣ Involve everyone — from core team to subcontractors. Diverse insights = stronger solutions. 3️⃣ Break lessons down into two categories: what worked ✅ and what didn’t ❌. 📌 Examples: Amazon uses its PR FAQ method to envision future press releases & FAQs before launching initiatives — forcing clarity and foresight. Microsoft learned from the failures of Windows Vista to create the far more successful Windows 7. 👉 The takeaway: Lessons learned aren’t just paperwork — they’re fuel for continuous improvement. How do you and your team capture and apply lessons learned? Hasta la vista! #ProjectEconomy #ProjectManagement #ContinuousLearning 🎯💡

Difficult conversations are the defining moments of leadership — how you handle them sets the tone for your entire team. Over the years, I’ve found that the key to navigating these conversations effectively comes down to three things: ✅ Create a Safe Space: People need to feel psychologically safe to open up. Start by listening—without judgment or interruption. ✅ Separate the Person from the Problem: Focus on the issue, not the individual. Attack the problem together—not each other. ✅ Balance Honesty with Empathy: Be direct, but not brutal. Tough conversations require clarity, but they also need emotional intelligence. 💡 One of the hardest conversations I ever had involved addressing underperformance with a valued team member. It would have been easy to sugarcoat it—but being direct AND supportive helped us turn things around. Authentic feedback, when delivered well, strengthens trust—not breaks it. 👉 How do you approach difficult conversations? Share your insights—I’d love to learn from you! 👇 #CareerMoment #Leadership #Communication #EmotionalIntelligence

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒉𝒊𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒂𝒍. 𝑪𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅. 𝑴𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒏. 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒙𝒕 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕. Sound familiar? A team closed a major deal. Leadership congratulated them. Everyone moved on to the next quarter. No one asked: “What made this work? What would we do differently?” Three months later, they tried to replicate the success — couldn’t. Because no one had captured what actually drove the win. McKinsey found that organizations with structured learning processes are 2.5× more likely to sustain performance, yet most skip the debrief and wonder why progress doesn’t stick. 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘴𝘯’t 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳 — 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑳𝒐𝒐𝒑 High-performing teams don’t just execute. They learn, capture, and apply. 1. Execute → Deliver the outcome 2. Reflect → Ask: What worked (and why)? What didn’t (facts, not blame)? What will we do differently next time? 3. Capture → Store lessons where people actually use them (not slides no one opens) 4. Apply → Embed learnings into the next cycle Most teams stop at Step 1. The best close the loop. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒉𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒎 𝒐𝒇 𝑰𝒎𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 Improvement isn’t a project. It’s a practice. Daily: 5-min huddles → “What’s working? What’s stuck?” Weekly: 15-min retros → “What did we learn this week?” Quarterly: Strategic debriefs → “What patterns are emerging?” If reflection only happens when things go wrong, you’re learning too late. 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 ❌ Celebrating wins without decoding success ❌ Repeating mistakes because no one reflected ❌ Treating improvement as a one-off project ❌ No feedback loops — teams flying blind 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐃𝐨: ✓ Debrief every outcome — success and failure ✓ Make reflection part of weekly rhythm ✓ Capture insights in living systems, not cluttered docs ✓ Apply relentlessly 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒕𝒉: If you’re not getting better, you’re getting beaten. The fastest teams aren’t the busiest — they’re the most reflective. Reflect: → When did you last debrief a success to understand what made it work? → Do you have a weekly rhythm for learning — or only during crises? 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘴𝘯’t 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦. P.S. To build this discipline into your leadership rhythm → 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑰𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒓 𝑬𝒅𝒈𝒆 https://lnkd.in/gi-u8ndJ #TheInnerEdge #ContinuousImprovement #ExecutionExcellence #LeadershipRhythm #StrategicLeadership

The way we engage in difficult conversations can either build bridges or shut them down entirely. If you want to spark meaningful dialogue, start with curiosity, not confrontation. Use questions like, “Tell me more about that,” or “I’m curious about your perspective—can you help me understand?” These phrases invite openness and allow for a strategic, effective discussion. The key? Be approachable and friendly, but hold your ground. Don’t let your questions come across as accusatory—once people feel they’re being judged, they’ll stop listening. Instead, engage with empathy while staying firm in your values. This balance of kindness and conviction can transform conversations, creating opportunities for deeper understanding and genuine change.

How important are postmortems for SRE? They're vital! In the context of SRE, a postmortem refers to a structured and thorough analysis of a significant event in a system or service. It's primary goal is to understand what went wrong, why it happened, and how to prevent similar incidents in the future. Why are they so essential for SRE? - Learning and Improvement: Postmortems provide an opportunity for teams to learn from failures and mistakes. By conducting a thorough analysis of the incident, SRE teams can gain insights into the root causes of the issue, identify vulnerabilities in the system, and discover areas that need improvement. - Preventing Recurrence: The primary purpose of a postmortem is to identify the root cause of an incident. Once the root cause is known, teams can take specific actions to address the underlying issues and prevent similar incidents from happening in the future. This might involve implementing code changes, infrastructure improvements, process adjustments, or enhanced monitoring. - Cultural Shift: Postmortems foster a blameless culture within the organization. Instead of focusing on finding someone to blame for the incident, the emphasis is on understanding the systemic issues that led to the problem. This encourages open communication, knowledge sharing, and collaboration among team members. - Documentation: Postmortems serve as valuable documentation of incidents. They provide a detailed account of what happened, how it was resolved, and the steps taken to prevent recurrence. This information becomes a knowledge base for future incidents, helping teams respond more effectively and efficiently. - Continuous Learning: SRE is rooted in the concept of continuous improvement. Postmortems play a key role in this by enabling teams to iterate on their processes, technologies, and practices. Each postmortem contributes to the collective experience and knowledge of the team, leading to better systems and operations over time. - Transparency: Postmortems promote transparency both within the SRE team and across the organization. Sharing insights from incidents, along with the actions taken to address them, allows different teams to learn from each other's experiences and contribute to a culture of learning and innovation. - Adapting to Change: Systems and services evolve over time. Postmortems help SRE teams adapt to changes by providing a mechanism to evaluate the impact of changes, whether they are related to infrastructure, code deployments, or processes. This adaptability is essential in maintaining reliability as systems grow and evolve. In summary, postmortems offer a structured approach to learning from failures, preventing future incidents, fostering a blameless culture, and continuously improving systems and processes. Through postmortems, SRE teams can enhance the reliability, scalability, and performance of the systems they manage. #devops #sre #postmortem

Post-mortem your projects. For a team I coached, post-mortems were non-negotiable. After every project, they would sit down and unpack the process and the outcome, celebrating the hits without tiptoeing around the misses. Because it was expected and just a regular part of their process, no one took it personally. There was no blaming and shaming, but there was accountability and learning. Through these sessions, giving and receiving feedback became something each person owed the team. This meant that with each project, whether it went well or otherwise, the organisation sharpened its skills and systematically got better at what they did. You can imagine how that kind of progress compounds over time. When you build a culture of improvement, growth is inevitable. But that culture has to be built intentionally and purposefully. The best teams don’t just deliver projects. They learn from them. 💯 Do you post-mortem your projects, or leave them to become skeletons in your closet?

🔥 No Blame, All Accountability: The Postmortem Paradox 🚀 "Blameless postmortem" can feel like a trap. Go too soft, and nothing changes. Go too hard, and you create a culture of fear. The truth is, most teams get it wrong. They focus on who made the mistake, not why the system allowed it to happen. 📊 Consider this: • Psychological safety is key: Teams with high psychological safety are up to 2.5 times more likely to be high-performing, largely because they feel safe to admit mistakes and flag issues. • Repeat incidents are a tax: 96% of organizations say repeat incidents happen because they fail to learn from the first one. These aren't just technical issues; they are a direct hit to productivity and morale. • Blame hides the real problem: Focusing on "human error" masks the real, fixable root causes in your systems and processes. So, how do you run a postmortem that drives accountability without the blame game? ✔️ Shift from "Who?" to "How?": Instead of asking, "Who pushed the bad code?", ask, "How did our test pipeline allow this to get to production?" ✔️ Accountability is for the action items, not the error: The person who made a mistake doesn't need blame. The owners of the follow-up actions need to be held accountable for implementing the fix. This is the key to real change. ✔️ Focus on systemic fixes: The goal isn't to make one person "more careful." It's to build guardrails (better alerts, more robust testing, clearer processes) that make the entire system safer for everyone. ✔️ Celebrate the learning: A postmortem is not a punishment; it's a learning opportunity that the entire company paid for. Treat it like the valuable investment it is. ✨ The takeaway: Blameless doesn't mean no one is responsible. It means you hold the system responsible first, and you hold the team accountable for fixing it. 👥 Your turn: What's one tactic you use to keep postmortems focused on systems, not just individuals? Let's share what works in the comments. #IncidentResponse #SRE #DevOps #EngineeringCulture #PsychologicalSafety #Postmortem