Plan a Wrap-Up Session (Every Single Time)

Reach Partners knows the value of a wrap-up or lessons-learned meeting and how that can offer insight into future projects. We have talked about how best to present a Post Activity Report and who should be part of this kind of reflection.
 
But recently, someone asked whether it’s necessary to plan a wrap-up session when the event is never going to happen again.
 
The short answer: yes. The longer answer, here’s why:

• Knowledge and experience gained from an event or project always matters. You won’t know until it’s needed, but life throws us challenges that are only manageable because of the wisdom we gained earlier. A few years ago, Reach Partners worked with MeritCare on its once-in-a-lifetime Centennial project. At the time, staff joked that they wouldn’t be around for the next big milestone: the hospital system’s 125th or 150th. Still, we insisted on a wrap-up session after the centennial celebration and guess what? Many of the lessons learned informed projects and events around MeritCare’s merger with Sanford Health a few years later.
  
  
• Those present today may not be the ones present tomorrow. Documenting “lessons learned” can be helpful for team members who join the team later, giving them insights otherwise lost. It also can make them feel as if they were part of the experience, thus onboarding them faster. Likewise, documentation can serve as a historical report. If a stakeholder shares what seems to be a new idea, you can refer back to the post activity report or wrap-up notes and confirm.
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• You don’t know what you don’t know. Make no assumptions. The wrap-up discussion may lead to unexpected findings. Maybe the event SHOULD happen again. Maybe the team lost sight of the purpose or stumbled during the execution. Maybe it WAS a success, but it isn’t being measured correctly. These kinds of insights can only be gained during the crucial time period following the event or project. From experience, we know that the results of an event or project may not be fully realized in 30 days, the time frame within which you should hold a wrap-up meeting.
  
  
• Breaking down an event/project into pieces can be helpful. Some events (and projects too) have different parts. For example, a VIP experience could be part of a larger audience event. If so, consider each portion of the event separately when discussing lessons learned. There are likely different takeaways for each portion. The agenda for the wrap-up meeting needs to identify the sections clearly. If not, the event will be talked about as a whole.
  
  
• We are energized by and consistently learning. A project doesn’t happen within a bubble. It is easy to finish a project and move on to the next thing. But stay accountable for the entire project, from start to finish.

 
Holding a focused, agenda-led, wrap-up meeting is worth everybody’s time and energy. Don’t skip it.
 
– Anita