In late 2024, I facilitated a project retrospective for a complex product development initiative that involved multiple teams and components. While we anticipated challenges, the pressure to deliver exceeded our initial expectations. Though one could argue this is inherent in most significant projects.
We identified communication as the primary challenge. Designers and developers had different interpretations of the same requirements, with each group convinced of their understanding. This resulted in numerous iteration cycles that we could have prevented through more thorough initial requirement discussions.
So here's a fundamental principle of project management for you. Alignment must precede execution.
But acknowledging this truth doesn't negate the fact that miscommunications occur in even the most well-planned projects. After all, we all have 20-20 vision in hindsight.
So what do you do?
You have to balance resolution efforts with delivery commitments. You have after all a deadline to ship. This balance, however, should never compromise core product qualities, particularly accessibility. This isn't an excuse to ship an inaccessible product.
The true value then lies in the post-project retrospective analysis.
You conduct honest, blame-free examinations of what happened. You repeatedly ask "why" until you uncover the root causes everyone agrees with.
So that's what we did. We asked "why did this misalignment occur?" followed by "why didn't we catch these differences earlier?" The process revealed a process issue rather than individual mistakes.
The last step of the retrospective involves implementing guardrails for future projects.
For us, these measures focused on enhancing communication channels and verification processes. We also made sure to highlight that we encourage questioning and always reserve judgment.
In all things, remember to ask questions first and judge later - or never.