Project Post-mortem

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

Besides my normal teaching duties at school, every spring I serve as the Graduation Coordinator for the senior class.  As the school is rather large (2300 students, graduation class of 500+) this project or process can become quite involved.  Between the parent volunteers, senior class sponsors, administration, sheriff’s department, and vendors, there are many details that need to be adjusted and communicated each year.  The class of 2009 was our first graduating class, and this year was our largest.

Thankfully, I do not have to do the coordination all by myself.  Each year some of our administrative and faculty staffs change; I am the one static person on the Graduation Team that remains constant from year to year (last year I had to fill in as Mistress of Ceremonies for our senior class Vice Principal who was out on maternity leave).  In this position, I am able to help newcomers acclimate to their individual roles (our vice principals are on a rotation and move up as their group of kids move from one grade to the next), as well as advise the team on how well expectations were met in previous years, and how we can improve our deliverables for the coming year.

In some respects, I act as a project manager, in other ways I am a functional manager.  “Functional managers are responsible for orchestrating their staffs’ assignments among different projects, as well as providing the resources to allow their staffs to perform their assignments in accordance with the highest standards of technical assistance” (Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, Sutton & Kramer (2008).  During graduation practices at the end of the year, I schedule the sequence of practices, guest speakers, student speakers, special events, and parent volunteers.  I also instruct the senior class Vice Principal on what he/she needs to accomplish with the senior class during each day’s practice.  The most difficult part of the position is not having any real authority.  As each role that contributes to the graduation team is either voluntary (in my case) or part of the job requirements (vice principals), there is no incentive to put the best effort forward.  That being said, the entire team always wants the graduation process to achieve the best possible results.  Primarily, the drive is for the students themselves, but also for the parents, guests, VIPs, and the Board of Education members and Executive Staff from the county offices that attend.

There have been several aspects of project management that we have dealt with during the four graduation events since 2009:

                Scope creep: Including a VIP reception and a series of photo booths stretched our resources and didn’t precisely fit in with the overall project.

                Limited budget:  Between the second and third years, our budget available for graduation decreased.  We had to change lighting and sound companies in order to stay within budget.

                Inappropriate staffing assignments:  Staff personalities were sometimes assigned to less-than-ideal locations on graduation night (introverted people assigned to deal with ticket holders at the door, which could sometimes be confrontational).

The team has been able to succeed in the project objective each year, to the satisfaction of most of the guests and graduates.  Our frequent meetings, updates, and communications have been major factors in that success.  For the team, having clearly defined roles and obligations has also helped.  People are not overwhelmed with any aspect and individuals know what their goals and responsibilities should be each year.  After the ceremony is complete, and everyone has had a chance to rest, the team holds a post-mortem to reflect on the good, the bad, and the needs-improvement aspects of the project.

One part of the process that I wish we could do a little better is the communications.  I know I mentioned it earlier as one of the strengths of the project, but it also belongs in the weakness column as well.  The team is pretty good at communicating with each other during monthly meetings, and with each other when working on related aspects of a particular piece.  The communication does not always proceed in the same fashion outside of the Graduation Team.  The Team is comprised of the Principal, Vice Principals, a secretary, the guidance department, me, and the senior class sponsors.  It does not include the group leaders that we utilize on graduation night, such as the faculty member leader for the ticket-taker group, or the leader for the parking crew.  This can, and has, lead to confusion and miscommunications on expectations and established procedures.

With everything considered, I am surprised every year at the graduates and my colleagues for the hard work and accomplishments that go into making graduation happen.  And I am also very thankful that my boss lets me take the day after graduation off.

Reference

Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.