What should we focus on in a launch post-mortem / retrospective?

There are three things to focus on: process, qualitative, and quantitative. A launch is very cross-functional – so you can ask yourself, how did the process go? Are there improvements to be made for next time? Especially when you are at a startup and the team and processes are still evolving and maturing.  On the qualitative side, it's harder to measure but – you can ask, did the message resonate? We launched our loomSDK back in June 2021, and we called it the "Record Button for the Internet" (t ...Read More

95% of launch post-mortem discussions fall into one of two categories: Execution: These points are focused on how the launch process went, how the team performed against the plan, and whether the process needs any adjustments. With the complexity and scale of some launches, expect for communication to be a big talking point here. The goal of reviewing this is to determine how the organization can improve the process for the next go-around. Effectiveness: This is focused on the outcomes of your p ...Read More

A launch post-mortem is a safe place for our team to share constructive feedback. Every feedback should lead to some action item. We focus on Reflection on Planning, Reflection on Launch/GTM, and Reflection on communication. Reflection on Planning: Were the requirements and expectations clear (brief)? Was our timeline reasonable? Were deadlines hit? If not, why? Anything which came out that we didn’t plan? What were the main blockers/bottlenecks that we didn’t predict? Reflection on Launch/GTM: ...Read More

First--well done for having a post-mortem! It's really easy to just get caught up in the next thing that comes along, but post-mortems are super important! This is your time to reflect on the launch planning, the launch itself, and whatever happens next.  Launch Planning Reflection - Get feedback from stakeholders involved in the planning. Did everyone have what they need to do their jobs? Was there adequate time to get everything done? Were the right people involved from the beginning or at the ...Read More