How to Effectively Run a Post Implementation (PIR) Review

Why PIRs are not just for Project Managers but for PMOs too

Hi, Fatimah here! Welcome to the next edition of ‘The PMO Playbook’ newsletter. Each newsletter I will tackle a different area of PMO based on your questions, industry insights or opportunities I see to make a difference.

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• How to set up and manage a Project Pipeline process (step by step)

• How to set up the dependency management process (step by step)

• Building Your EPMO Charter (what to include)

• Choosing the right PPM tool - a step by step guide

• And more…

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Now onto the next play!

Whether you are a Project Manager or a PMO Leader, an invaluable tool at your disposal is the Post Implementation Review (PIR). Conducting a PIR (successfully) has been immensely beneficial for me in ensuring continuous improvement and aligning project outcomes with strategic goals. Taking the learnings from these PIR and processing them so that we have tangible outcomes long term.

In this post, I will cover:

• What is a PIR

• Why you would need to conduct a PIR

• When you would conduct a PIR

• What content would I find in a PIR

• Key components of a successful PIR (so you can complete one effectively)

• What to do with the information once you have completed your PIR

• My top tips for conducting a thorough PIR

I’ll also share some insights on how PIRs benefit not just Project Managers but PMOs as well, fostering a culture of learning and improvement. By leveraging these tips, you can conduct your first PIR or refine your current process and see the positive impact it brings to your projects.

Top tip: Don’t bother undertaking a PIR if you are going to do nothing with the data. It will just waste everyone’s time!

How many times do we, as project professionals, get asked to partake in or run a Post Implementation Review (PIR)? A lot. The number of PIRs I’ve been involved in is countless, and I’ve led many of them. The biggest issue with PIRs is that, too often, the outputs are not acted upon. It becomes a tick-box exercise to show compliance, but there is no real follow-up. This often leaves the project manager and their team, already exhausted from the project, burdened with a PIR that leads to no tangible improvements.

What is a PIR?

In case you're unfamiliar, a Post Implementation Review (PIR) is a process carried out after the completion of a project to evaluate its success and pinpoint areas for improvement. This involves a thorough analysis of the project's objectives, deliverables, and performance against planned outcomes. The aim of a PIR is to gather insights that can be applied to future projects, ensuring continuous improvement and enhanced project management practices.