4 ms·

Why do people use the term "postmortem" for retrospectives of projects that didn't fail?

by blt 13y ago

logfromblammo 13y ago
Because people who work from chairs behind desks in climate-controlled buildings get all their excitement from stock phrases and edgy buzzwords? Why do people say they have a fast-paced work environment when most of the employees move at exactly zero meters per second for hours at a time? It's all about marketing, and the lies we tell ourselves to prop up our self-image. A rose not named Bloodpetal Olfactoryblastin' Extreme Transcendent Amazing Ultraromance Blossom does not, in fact, smell as sweet.
flohofwoe 13y ago
At least in the games industry this is the typical term for the analysis of a project or process that has been finished, successful or not. Don't know about the origin of the term though.
- nodeftw 13y ago
  You've got to love the way language evolves.... I mean, who was the first person to write every word in the sentences you and I are using right now! Who first said "you" ? Who first used the contractive "you've" ? Who first used the word "got" ? :)
mnem 13y ago
Postmortem doesn't (to me at least) imply failure. Specifically for games it's just a critical analysis of what worked and what didn't on a project for the purposes of learning for the next one. I don't know if the phrase was originated by Game Developer Magazine, but it certainly popularised it's use within the games industry. The GD Mag postmortems are generally exceptionally candid and a great series to learn things from. See http://www.gamasutra.com/features/postmortem/ http://www.gamasutra.com/features/postmortem/ and the general archives at http://www.gdcvault.com/gdmag http://www.gdcvault.com/gdmag (I'm not sure if the website has all the postmortems that featured in the, sadly defunct, printed magazine).
- jrochkind1 13y ago
  you know 'mortem' means 'death', right?
  - thuuuomas 13y ago
    Not all deaths are failures. Sometimes things just end.
    - psykovsky 13y ago
      It's only a game. You may restart it using a new life.
  - mnem 13y ago
    you know 'post' here means 'after', right? Being around after death sounds pretty successful to me. Especially if it involves lots of quaffing and hairy Vikings.
Figs 13y ago
Is there something else you'd rather they call it?
dspillett 13y ago
"Postmortem" refers to the project, not the product. The project has ended, but the output from it may live on.

Why do people use the term "postmortem" for retrospectives of projects that didn't fail?

by blt 13y ago

Why do people use the term "postmortem" for retrospectives of projects that didn't fail?

Because people who work from chairs behind desks in climate-controlled buildings get all their excitement from stock phrases and edgy buzzwords? Why do people say they have a fast-paced work environment when most of the employees move at exactly zero meters per second for hours at a time? It's all about marketing, and the lies we tell ourselves to prop up our self-image. A rose not named Bloodpetal Olfactoryblastin' Extreme Transcendent Amazing Ultraromance Blossom does not, in fact, smell as sweet.

flohofwoe 13y ago

At least in the games industry this is the typical term for the analysis of a project or process that has been finished, successful or not. Don't know about the origin of the term though.

nodeftw 13y ago
You've got to love the way language evolves.... I mean, who was the first person to write every word in the sentences you and I are using right now! Who first said "you" ? Who first used the contractive "you've" ? Who first used the word "got" ? :)

mnem 13y ago

Postmortem doesn't (to me at least) imply failure. Specifically for games it's just a critical analysis of what worked and what didn't on a project for the purposes of learning for the next one. I don't know if the phrase was originated by Game Developer Magazine, but it certainly popularised it's use within the games industry. The GD Mag postmortems are generally exceptionally candid and a great series to learn things from. See http://www.gamasutra.com/features/postmortem/ http://www.gamasutra.com/features/postmortem/ and the general archives at http://www.gdcvault.com/gdmag http://www.gdcvault.com/gdmag (I'm not sure if the website has all the postmortems that featured in the, sadly defunct, printed magazine).

jrochkind1 13y ago
you know 'mortem' means 'death', right?
- thuuuomas 13y ago
  Not all deaths are failures. Sometimes things just end.
  - psykovsky 13y ago
    It's only a game. You may restart it using a new life.
- mnem 13y ago
  you know 'post' here means 'after', right? Being around after death sounds pretty successful to me. Especially if it involves lots of quaffing and hairy Vikings.

Figs 13y ago

Is there something else you'd rather they call it?

dspillett 13y ago

"Postmortem" refers to the project, not the product. The project has ended, but the output from it may live on.