---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Teach Others Who Weren’t There Even if…"
description: "\"“Teach Others Who Weren’t There Even if everyone involved in a production understands what it taught them, the postmortem is a great way of passing on ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f1/ed-catmull-1553_postmortem_teach-others-who-weren-t-there-even-if-e_2315524.jpg"
---

#  Teach Others Who Weren’t There Even if everyone involved…

![“Teach Others Who Weren’t There Even if everyone involved in a production understands what it taught them, the postmortem is a great way of passing on the positive and negative lessons to other people who were not on the project. So much of what we do is not obvious—the result of hard-won…” quote by Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f1/ed-catmull-1553_postmortem_teach-others-who-weren-t-there-even-if-e_2315524.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f1/ed-catmull-1553_postmortem_teach-others-who-weren-t-there-even-if-e_2315524.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f1/ed-catmull-1553_postmortem_teach-others-who-weren-t-there-even-if-e_2315524.jpg)

> ““Teach Others Who Weren’t There Even if everyone involved in a production understands what it taught them, the postmortem is a great way of passing on the positive and negative lessons to other people who were not on the project. So much of what we do is not obvious—the result of hard-won experience. Then again, some of what we do doesn’t really make sense. The postmortem provides a forum for others to learn or challenge the logic behind certain decisions.””

[Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Postmortems capture hidden lessons, allowing teams to learn from successes and failures beyond obvious outcomes.

**In simple terms:** Team reviews after projects reveal hidden insights for future work.

Key Takeaway

Conduct thorough reviews to improve future decisions.

Themes

learning process improvement team collaboration

Mood

analytical constructive

Type

professional educational

When to use this quote

- software development
- film production
- product launches
- research projects

Key Concepts

knowledge management organizational learning critical thinking

Questions to Reflect On

- What lessons have you missed without a postmortem?
- How can you create a safe space for honest critique?

A Different Perspective

May be time‑consuming or reveal uncomfortable truths.

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[Mark Lutz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lutz/)

## More by Ed Catmull

> [“So I tell myself that I have time, even when I don’t. As in, ‘Okay, I’m going to proceed as if I have time—I’m…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/so-i-tell-myself-that-i-have-time-even-when-i-don-t-as-in-okay-i-m/)

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> [“How, then, do you make failure into something people can face without fear? Part of the answer is simple: If we as leaders can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/how-then-do-you-make-failure-into-something-people-can-face-without/)

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> [“Andrew Stanton says, adding that on each of his own films, he has made a point of doing this on a smaller scale, separate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/andrew-stanton-says-adding-that-on-each-of-his-own-films-he-has-made/)

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> [“This was a success in itself, but it came with an added and unexpected benefit: The act of thinking about the problem and responding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/this-was-a-success-in-itself-but-it-came-with-an-added-and-unexpected/)

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> [“This principle eludes most people, but it is critical: You are not your idea, and if you identify too closely with your ideas, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/this-principle-eludes-most-people-but-it-is-critical-you-are-not-your/)

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> [“Toy Story went on to become the top-grossing film of the year and would earn $358 million worldwide. But it wasn’t just the numbers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/toy-story-went-on-to-become-the-top-grossing-film-of-the-year-and/)

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> [“THERE IS NOTHING quite like ignorance combined with a driving need to succeed to force rapid learning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/there-is-nothing-quite-like-ignorance-combined-with-a-driving-need-to/)

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> [“What makes Pixar special is that we acknowledge we will always have problems, many of them hidden from our view; that we work hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/what-makes-pixar-special-is-that-we-acknowledge-we-will-always-have/)

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> [“Every morning, as I walk into Pixar Animation Studios—past the twenty-foot-high sculpture of Luxo Jr., our friendly desk lamp mascot, through the double doors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/every-morning-as-i-walk-into-pixar-animation-studios-past-the-twenty/)

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Browse all 7 Postmortem quotes

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