June 19, 2025

What Can I Learn From This Project?

by Our content team

Nguyentuanhung / Pixabay

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Aim

No doubt you realize that project review is an integral part of the project management process, but you probably find yourself focusing more on planning and implementation. This exercise will help you to focus on the key measures of project success by creating a mock presentation.

By thinking of a project you have worked on recently and answering the sample questions in this task sheet, you will work towards increasing your project review skills, in order to successfully analyze the success of your projects and extract any learning points for the future.

Task

Think of a project on which you have recently worked. Imagine that you have to prepare a presentation on the project to a major client or the project sponsor. You might have to answer questions on any number of topics. Be honest, and be prepared to answer difficult questions.
Concentrate on the following areas: outputs; money; time; expectations.
Use the sample questions on the next page as the basis for your presentation. Think about: how well the project went; how you and your team might have performed better; and how you would do it differently in the future.
Please do not restrict yourself to the questions below. Use them An exercise to help you review a project that you have recently completed.as a starting point to explore the four areas suggested more fully.
You may wish to deliver this presentation to the project team or clients, or simply use it for personal reflection. However you choose to use this exercise, ensure that you consider the main learning points of your project and make a note of actions that you can apply to improve future projects.

Outputs

Were the original objectives/deliverables easily measurable?
Compare the original objectives and deliverables to the actual outputs. Did your project deliver what was agreed at the outset?
If not, why did this happen? Could the original objectives/deliverables have been defined more clearly?

Money

Did the project stay within budget?
Did individual phases of the project meet their budgetary projections?
Were initial budgetary projections accurate? Did they allow sufficient freedom to complete the project with ease?
Was there notable overspend on any individual areas/aspects of the project (e.g. administration, personnel, communications)?
If Yes, why was the budget exceeded, and could this have been avoided?

Time

Did you meet the final project deadline?
Did you meet deadlines for individual phases of the project?
Did you have an effective system for monitoring time spent on the project?
Were clients (either internal or external) satisfied with the amount of time taken to deliver?

Expectations

Were customer/stakeholder expectations met or exceeded?
Were customers/stakeholders kept informed of project progress throughout the project?
Were any changes to the objectives/deliverables discussed and agreed with clients/stakeholders?
Did you seek feedback? What was said?