Lessons learned - last 5% (part 1)

As project managers know, the last part of processes is "closing". Part of that would be "lessons learned". It's also one of the parts that people aren't really interested in doing. Why? Because it means "looking back and revisit some of the not so fun times of the project, see what we could learn for next time and of course look at the things that worked and make a note of those as well". Needless to say, people are BUSY and they don't see the value of doing this (sometimes quite) time consuming part. Add on top that it might open some now half-closed wounds that they don't want to revisit.

For you as a project manager however, it is part of what you do - get people do what is best, might not what they (think they) want to do....

So last weekend I took a little "lessons learned" for myself. Went to a beach, left the phone in the hotel room, frolicked around in the ocean, drank too much sugar infused alcohol, talked too much, stared into the dark night when the sun set and the lit cruise ships took off into the wild of the ocean while the water sloshed and came up on the sand where I was sitting. The sound of waves crashing onto sand, the sea breeze making just enough sound to cancel out other noise coming from the party streets a couple of blocks over. Making it you and the stars in the dark, sand under you to keep you grounded.

Refreshed. Renewed. Restart.

Realizing what is important in life. What I should care about. And what I should spend time on.

More beach to the people. More "check out time" where regular life does not interfere. Most of all, more time in the present and not over-planning, over-worrying or over-reflecting. Done is done. Future will come. And beside all of this, there is the moving ocean - stinging your eyes with salty water, cleaning your nose out when the waves surprise you while you jump and and down trying to find the rhythm of the dunes, leaving your skin tingling when the sun rays hit you. Cleaning you up and tying a bow in the end of the project. Excellent. The project manager would be proud. Lessons learned part 1.

bliss - especially under a beach umbrella to protect from sun rays