A key stakeholder changed the specifications and the testing criteria for the product. The finished product was defective and unacceptable to the customer. A post-mortem analysis is performed to:

While a post-mortem might indirectly reveal who was involved, its primary goal is learning and process improvement, not assigning blame or assessing responsibility for individual failure.

The primary purpose of a post-mortem analysis (also known as a lessons learned session) is to methodically identify and document the reasons for the project's failure, focusing on what went wrong and what could be done differently in the future.

Accepting cost figures is a financial closure activity related to project accounting and reconciliation, distinct from the analytical purpose of a post-mortem.

Releasing resources is an administrative project closure task, involving disbanding the project team and reassigning personnel, which is separate from a post-mortem's investigative role.