Project Debriefs Are Too Little and Too Late

Agency Patterns and Pivots
Written By Brian Kessman

THE PATTERN:

“We only debrief on a project if something went wrong on the project or with a client.”

The Pivot:

Wouldn’t it be better to prevent this?

If you run a debrief at the end of a project, it’s already too late to change the outcome. And any learning is often forgotten by the time the next project begins or may not apply.

Instead, run a brief retrospective discussion after every milestone, or better yet, every two weeks.

Reflect and discuss:

  • What is going well?

  • What can we improve?

  • What will we change starting today?

With this approach, you’re making incremental adjustments to how you work. 

Since not much can go wrong in two weeks, these discussions can be short, and adjustments tend to be small. 

And it’s easier to keep teams aligned with the creative strategy and client priorities. 

This lightweight, low-effort change will have a significant impact on your business.

Give it a try and start improving your agency’s profitability, work quality, employee morale, and client satisfaction.

Brian Kessman

Brian Kessman works with agency leaders who are ready to think differently and unlock their firm’s full growth potential.

As Lodestar's founder and principal consultant, Brian helps agencies move beyond billable hours and commoditized services to scalable, profitable models centered on client outcomes.

His strategies tackle the toughest agency growth challenges: redefining market position to attract premium clients; developing value-led pricing approaches to increase deal size; and creating diverse revenue streams for predictable income.

His programs deliver results. A full-service agency nearly doubled revenue from premium clients (from 36% to 73%) and increased overall income by 39%. A content agency grew a retainer deal size by 50%. Other firms boosted margins by optimizing their client mix, redesigning their offerings, and modernizing operations.

Brian is an inaugural member of the 4As Expert Network, and his transformative approach has been shared across the industry through presentations for Mirren, the 4A’s, AMIN, Magnet, Worldcom, and other top industry organizations. Combining hands-on and advisory expertise, he is a trusted partner to leadership teams looking to break free from outdated models and thrive in an era of disruption.

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