The Power of the Post-Mortem: Why Communication After Success Matters

Most organizations know the importance of a post-mortem when something goes wrong. But what about when things go right? Breaking it down should be part of your celebrations.

Success isn’t just an outcome, it’s a step in your future process. If you don’t take the time to analyze, document, and communicate how you achieved it, you’re leaving future wins to chance. The best organizations don’t just celebrate victories, they study them, dissect them, and use them as  roadmaps for continued success.

According to a study by the Harvard Business Review, teams that engage in structured post-project reviews improve their performance on subsequent projects by up to 25% (HBR, 2022). Yet, too many organizations move on too quickly, missing out on valuable insights that could turn one success into many.

Why Post-Mortem Communication Is Essential

A well-run post-mortem ensures that the team understands why a project succeeded and how to replicate it. Without this, teams risk:

• Reinventing the wheel instead of refining what already works.
• Losing institutional knowledge as employees move on.
• Failing to recognize and scale best practices.

Success doesn’t guarantee future wins, but learning from it can.

Three Keys to a Successful Post-Mortem

1. Create a Culture of Open Communication

A post-mortem is only valuable if people feel comfortable sharing what worked and what didn’t. Too often, these meetings become one-sided celebrations or fact-finding missions, which end up focused on mistakes rather than learning.

Example: Pixar is famous for its post-mortem process, which they call “Notes Day.” After each film, teams across departments come together to discuss what worked and where they can improve. This open dialogue has contributed to Pixar’s consistent creative excellence, ensuring each film benefits from past experiences.

My Approach: After a major success, I always ask: What specifically made this work? I encourage every stakeholder—whether in leadership or execution—to weigh in on what contributed to the outcome. By fostering open discussions, I ensure that we’re not just patting ourselves on the back, instead we’re truly understanding how to replicate our wins.

2. Document Everything—Wins, Challenges, and Unexpected Insights

Without documentation, even the best insights fade over time. A successful post-mortem captures lessons learned in a structured way, making them accessible for future teams.

Example: NASA meticulously documents every space mission, not just failures but also successes. Their detailed debriefs allow engineers to refine technology, processes, and teamwork, contributing to their long-standing track record of innovation.

My Approach: I treat every major success like a template for future wins. I track patterns, tools, and strategies in a shared document—whether that’s in Excel, a playbook, or a knowledge management system. This way, when a similar project comes up, we’re not starting from scratch.

3. Set Clear Takeaways and Action Items

A post-mortem isn’t just about reflection—it’s about applying what you’ve learned. Without clear takeaways, teams risk gathering insights but failing to act on them.

Example: After the 2008 financial crisis, companies like JPMorgan Chase conducted extensive reviews on risk management. The lessons they applied from their post-mortems helped them weather future financial downturns better than many of their competitors.

My Approach: Every post-mortem I lead ends with a set of actionable next steps—what we will keep, adjust, or kill based on the discussion. Whether that’s refining workflows, improving communication, or investing in new tools, the goal is always to use what we’ve learned to make future projects even more successful.

Final Thoughts: Communication Is the Key to Replicable Success

Great communication isn’t just essential at the start of a project. It’s just as critical after it ends. The organizations that excel don’t just reflect on failures; they study their wins with equal rigor.

To make post-mortem communication part of your company culture, ask:

• Do we conduct post-mortems after successes, not just failures?
• Are we fostering open conversations where every voice is heard?
• Do we document key insights so they aren’t lost?
• Are we turning lessons into clear, actionable steps for the future?

Every success is an opportunity to learn, refine, and improve. How does your team handle post-mortems?

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