Post-event analysis and cleanup

Overview

Purpose: Clean up temporary configurations, analyze event performance, and prepare improvements for future high-traffic WooCommerce events.

Key principle: Learn from successes and challenges to optimize future performance. The data and insights gathered now directly impact the success of your next event.

Timeline: Complete within 48-72 hours after event conclusion while data is fresh and team memories are clear.

Success criteria:

• Normal operations fully restored within 24 hours
• Comprehensive performance data collected and analyzed
• Actionable improvement recommendations documented
• Lessons learned captured for team knowledge transfer
• Next event preparation plan created

Each task includes key information to help with delegation, timelines, understanding the purpose of the task, and prioritization in a [Who] [Urgency] [Time Required] format.

Immediate cleanup tasks (first 24 hours)

Restore DNS TTL values

[Technical Lead] [Important] [15-30 min]

Data to collect: Current TTL values, propagation status, DNS query volume during event.

Procedure:

1. Access your DNS provider dashboard (Cloudflare, GoDaddy, etc.)
2. Navigate to DNS management for your domain
3. Change TTL values back to standard (typically 3600 seconds):
   • A records: 3600
   • CNAME records: 3600
   • MX records: 3600 (if modified)
4. Document restoration time for future planning
5. Monitor propagation via whatsmydns.net

Success indicators: TTL values restored to 3600+ seconds, global propagation complete within 24 hours.

Improvement opportunities: Evaluate if DNS changes were necessary, consider keeping lower TTL if frequent changes are expected.

Documentation requirements: Record DNS change timeline, any issues encountered, propagation delays experienced.

Re-enable paused plugins

[Technical Lead] [Critical] [1-2 hours]

Data to collect: List of disabled plugins, performance impact of each, functionality dependencies.

Analysis procedure:

1. Reference your documented list of plugins disabled for the event
2. Reactivate plugins in priority order:
   • Critical business functions first (backup, security)
   • Marketing and analytics tools
   • Social media integrations
   • Development/debugging tools last
3. Test site functionality after each reactivation:
   • Monitor response times with each plugin enabled
   • Check for conflicts or errors
   • Verify plugin functionality restored
4. Document performance impact of each plugin

WP-CLI approach:

# Reactivate plugins from your list

wp plugin activate plugin-1 plugin-2 plugin-3

# Verify all expected plugins are active

wp plugin list --status=active --format=table

Success indicators: All plugins reactivated without errors, site performance remains acceptable, all functionality restored.

Improvement opportunities: Identify plugins that significantly impact performance, consider alternatives or permanent removal.

Documentation requirements: Plugin performance impact measurements, any conflicts discovered, recommendations for plugin audit.

Restore normal cache routines

[Technical Lead] [Important] [30-60 min]

Data to collect: Modified cache settings during event, cache performance metrics, Edge Cache statistics.

Analysis procedure:

1. Using Pressable Cache Management Plugin:
   • Restore standard cache duration
   • Clear any temporary cache exclusions
2. Verify normal cache behavior with the snippet below
3. Review Pressable Metrics dashboard for cache patterns
4. Document cache hit ratios during normal operations vs. event

# Check cache headers are normal

curl -I https://yoursite.com/ | grep -E "cache-control|x-ac"

# Remember, you may need to run that command twice 
# The first run might set the cache rather than hit cached data

Success indicators: Cache hit ratio returns to normal patterns, no unusual cache misses.

Improvement opportunities: Identify whether the site could benefit from longer cache times in general, optimize cache exclusion rules.

Documentation requirements: Cache configuration changes made and reversed, performance differences observed.

Pressable cleanup note: Restore normal cache configurations through the Pressable Cache Management plugin. Review Metrics dashboard data for cache efficiency during the event. Reset any temporary DNS or performance settings to standard configurations.

Email system restoration

[Technical Lead] [Critical] [30-60 min]

Data to collect: Email sending rates during the event, queue backlogs, delivery success rates, bounce rates.

Analysis procedure:

1. Verify SMTP service status and limits:
   • Check SendGrid/Mailgun/SES/your provider dashboard for event metrics
   • Review delivery rates and any throttling encountered
   • Verify SPF/DKIM records still valid
2. Test normal email operations:
   • Send test order confirmation
   • Verify customer emails delivering
   • Check admin notifications working
3. Review Pressable’s 200/hour email limit impact it not using an SMTP plugin to route site email through the domain’s primary email provider

Success indicators: Delivery rates above 98%, no customer complaints about missing emails.

Improvement opportunities: Evaluate need for dedicated transactional email service, optimize email sending patterns.

Documentation requirements: Peak email volume during the event, any delivery issues, recommendations for email infrastructure.

Performance analysis framework

Traffic and system performance analysis

[Technical Lead] [Critical] [2-4 hours]

Data to collect: Complete traffic patterns, system resource utilization, response time distributions, error logs.

See our guide to accessing server logs here.

Analysis procedure:

1. Google Analytics deep dive:
   • Export hourly traffic data for event period
   • Identify traffic peaks and valleys
   • Analyze traffic sources and campaign effectiveness
   • Review geographic distribution and performance
   • Compare mobile vs. desktop patterns

Success indicators: Clear understanding of capacity limits, bottlenecks identified, performance patterns documented.

Improvement opportunities: Infrastructure scaling needs, caching strategy refinements, database optimization priorities.

Documentation requirements: Peak capacity metrics, performance degradation timeline, infrastructure recommendations.

Pressable performance analysis: Use the Metrics dashboard to analyze cache hit ratios and response time distributions during your event. Export this data before it ages out of the dashboard for long-term analysis.

Mobile conversion analysis

[Business Analyst] [Critical] [2-3 hours]

Data to collect: Mobile vs. desktop conversion rates, device-specific error rates, mobile checkout abandonment patterns.

Suggested analysis procedure:

1. Google Analytics mobile analysis:
   • Segment all metrics by device category
   • Compare conversion funnels mobile vs. desktop
   • Identify mobile-specific drop-off points
   • Review page load times by device type
2. WooCommerce mobile metrics:
   • Cart abandonment rates by device
   • Payment method preferences by device
   • Average order value differences
   • Checkout completion times
3. Mobile-specific issues identified:
   • JavaScript errors on mobile devices
   • Responsive design problems
   • Touch target accessibility issues
   • Payment button functionality

Success indicators: Mobile conversion within 80% of desktop rates, mobile checkout completion under 3 minutes.

Improvement opportunities: Mobile-first optimization needs, simplified mobile checkout flow, responsive design improvements.

Documentation requirements: Device performance comparison, mobile optimization priorities, UI/UX improvement recommendations.

Business impact assessment

Revenue and conversion metrics

[Business Analyst] [Critical] [2-3 hours]

Data to collect: Total revenue, order volume, conversion rates, average order values, cart abandonment rates.

Suggested analysis procedure:

1. WooCommerce Analytics review:
   • Export complete order data for event period
   • Calculate hourly revenue patterns
   • Identify best-selling products during event
   • Analyze customer segments and behavior
2. Conversion funnel analysis:
   • Homepage → Product views: ____%
   • Product views → Add to cart: ____%
   • Add to cart → Checkout start: ____%
   • Checkout start → Completion: ____%
   • Overall conversion rate: ____%
3. Revenue performance assessment:
   • Total event revenue: $_____
   • Revenue vs. projections: _____%
   • Peak hour revenue: $_____ at _____
   • Lost revenue from issues: $_____

Success indicators: Revenue targets achieved, conversion rates maintained despite traffic, minimal cart abandonment.

Improvement opportunities: Conversion optimization priorities, pricing strategy adjustments, product mix optimization.

Documentation requirements: Complete revenue analysis, conversion funnel performance, ROI calculations.

Payment gateway performance review

[Business Analyst] [Critical] [1-2 hours]

Data to collect: Success rates by gateway, transaction failures, timeout errors, payment method distribution.

Suggested analysis procedure:

1. Gateway-specific analysis:
   • PayPal: Success rate ____%, failures ____, average processing time ____s
   • Stripe: Success rate ____%, failures ____, average processing time ____s
   • Other: Success rate ____%, failures ____, average processing time ____s
2. Failure analysis:
   • Use the appropriate code snippet below to pull failed orders by payment method (gateway)
3. Calculate lost revenue from payment failures:
   • Failed transactions: ____ orders
   • Estimated lost revenue: $_____
   • Recovery rate: ____%

# Count failed orders by payment method if using HPOS

wp db query "
SELECT pm.meta_value AS payment_method,
       COUNT(*)      AS failures
FROM   wp_posts p
JOIN   wp_postmeta pm
       ON pm.post_id = p.ID AND pm.meta_key = '_payment_method'
WHERE  p.post_type = 'shop_order'
  AND  p.post_status = 'wc-failed'
GROUP BY pm.meta_value
ORDER BY failures DESC;
"

# Count failed orders by payment method if using not HPOS
wp db query "
SELECT o.payment_method AS payment_method,
       COUNT(*)         AS failures
FROM   wp_wc_orders o
WHERE  o.status = 'wc-failed'
GROUP BY o.payment_method
ORDER BY failures DESC;
"

# Remember, you will need to account for event time and date as well
# Either modify the query or manually filter the output

Success indicators: Payment success rates above 97%, no gateway timeouts, balanced payment method usage.

Improvement opportunities: Gateway configuration optimization, backup payment methods needed, webhook performance improvements.

Documentation requirements: Payment performance metrics, failure patterns identified, gateway recommendations.

Customer service impact assessment

[Team Lead] [Important] [1-2 hours]

Data to collect: Support ticket volume, response times, common issues, customer satisfaction scores.

Suggested analysis procedure:

1. Support metrics analysis:
   • Total tickets during event: ____
   • Average response time: ____ minutes
   • Average resolution time: ____ hours
   • Ticket volume vs. normal: ____%
2. Common issue categories:
   • Payment problems: ____% of tickets
   • Site performance: ____% of tickets
   • Order status inquiries: ____% of tickets
   • Technical issues: ____% of tickets
3. Customer satisfaction assessment:
   • Post-purchase survey responses
   • Social media sentiment analysis
   • Review/rating changes
   • Complaint patterns

Success indicators: Support ticket volume manageable, response times maintained, customer satisfaction preserved.

Improvement opportunities: FAQ improvements needed, self-service options, automated response capabilities.

Documentation requirements: Support impact analysis, common issue resolutions, customer communication improvements.

Lessons learned documentation

What worked well

[Project Manager] [Critical] [2-3 hours]

Data to collect: Successful strategies, effective optimizations, team coordination wins, tool effectiveness.

Suggested analysis procedure:

1. Technical successes:
   • List optimizations that delivered measurable improvements
   • Document cache strategies that worked effectively
   • Note monitoring tools that provided early warnings
   • Identify database optimizations with clear benefits
2. Operational successes:
   • Team coordination methods that worked
   • Communication protocols that were effective
   • Decision-making processes that prevented issues
   • Emergency procedures successfully executed
3. Business successes:
   • Marketing campaigns that drove quality traffic
   • Promotions that increased conversion
   • Customer service strategies that worked
   • Product strategies that maximized revenue

Success indicators: Clear list of repeatable successes, quantified benefits documented, team consensus on wins.

Documentation requirements: Success catalog with metrics, best practices documentation, team recognition notes.

Areas for improvement

[Project Manager] [Critical] [2-3 hours]

Data to collect: Performance bottlenecks, process failures, tool limitations, team coordination issues.

Suggested analysis procedure:

1. Technical improvement needs:
   • Infrastructure limitations encountered
   • Database bottlenecks identified
   • Cache strategy gaps discovered
   • Monitoring blind spots revealed
2. Process improvements required:
   • Communication breakdowns experienced
   • Decision delays that impacted response
   • Documentation gaps that caused confusion
   • Training needs identified
3. Tool and system enhancements:
   • Monitoring capabilities needed
   • Automation opportunities identified
   • Integration improvements required
   • Backup system needs

Improvement opportunities matrix:

Documentation requirements: Prioritized improvement list, resource requirements, implementation timeline.

Third-party service evaluation

[Technical Lead] [Important] [1-2 hours]

Data to collect: Service uptime during event, performance metrics, support responsiveness, cost-effectiveness.

Suggested analysis procedure:

1. CDN performance (if using Cloudflare/other):
   • Cache hit ratios at CDN level
   • Geographic performance variations
   • Bandwidth costs vs. benefits
   • Configuration optimization opportunities
2. Email service provider assessment:
   • Delivery rates and speed
   • Handling of volume spikes
   • Cost per email during event
   • Support response times
3. Payment gateway evaluation:
   • Transaction success rates
   • Processing speeds
   • Fee structures during high volume
   • Technical support quality

Success indicators: All services maintained SLAs, no critical service failures, costs within budget.

Improvement opportunities: Service provider alternatives, configuration optimizations, contract renegotiations needed.

Documentation requirements: Service performance reports, cost-benefit analysis, vendor recommendations.

Future event planning

Infrastructure recommendations

[Technical Lead] [Future Planning] [2-3 hours]

Suggested planning framework:

1. Capacity planning updates:
   • Peak traffic handled: ____ concurrent users
   • Recommended capacity: ____ concurrent users (150% of peak)
   • PHP worker recommendations based on analysis
   • Database size projections for next event
2. Technology stack evaluation:
   • Plugin audit recommendations
   • Theme optimization needs
   • Database structure improvements
   • Caching strategy enhancements
3. Investment priorities:
   • High priority: [List with ROI estimates]
   • Medium priority: [List with timelines]
   • Low priority: [Nice-to-have improvements]

Documentation requirements: Technical roadmap, budget requirements, implementation timeline.

Process and team improvements

[Project Manager] [Future Planning] [2-3 hours]

Suggested planning framework:

1. Team structure optimization:
   • Role clarifications needed
   • Additional resources required
   • Training programs recommended
   • Succession planning needs
2. Process enhancements:
   • Earlier preparation timeline (Phase 1 at 14+ days)
   • Enhanced testing procedures
   • Improved communication protocols
   • Better documentation standards
3. Tool and monitoring upgrades:
   • Real-time monitoring enhancements
   • Automated response capabilities
   • Reporting automation needs
   • Integration improvements

Documentation requirements: Team development plan, process improvement roadmap, tool acquisition list.

Event performance report template

Executive summary

# [Event Name] Performance Report

Date: [Event Date]

Report Date: [Current Date]

## Overview
- **Peak Traffic:** [X] concurrent visitors ([Y]% of projection)
- **Total Revenue:** $[X] ([Y]% of target)
- **Conversion Rate:** [X]% (vs. [Y]% normal)
- **Uptime:** [X]%
- **Major Issues:** [None/Brief description]

## Key Successes
1. [Success with metric]
2. [Success with metric]
3. [Success with metric]

## Improvement Areas
1. [Issue with impact]
2. [Issue with impact]
3. [Issue with impact]

## Recommendations
1. [Priority 1 recommendation]
2. [Priority 2 recommendation]
3. [Priority 3 recommendation]

Detailed technical analysis

## Technical Performance

### Traffic Patterns
- Peak: [X] users at [time]
- Average: [X] users/hour
- Total sessions: [X]
- Geographic distribution: [breakdown]

### System Performance
- Cache hit ratio: [X]% avg, [Y]% at peak
- Response times:
  - Cached pages: [X]ms average
  - Cart/Checkout: [X]ms average
- PHP worker utilization: [pattern description]
- Database performance: [X] queries/sec peak

### Error Analysis
- 4xx errors: [X] ([causes])
- 5xx errors: [X] ([causes])
- Timeout events: [X] ([when/why])

Business impact analysis

## Business Performance

### Revenue Metrics
- Total revenue: $[X]
- Orders: [X] total
- AOV: $[X] (vs. $[Y] normal)
- Revenue/hour peak: $[X]

### Conversion Analysis
- Overall: [X]% (target: [Y]%)
- Mobile: [X]%
- Desktop: [X]%
- Cart abandonment: [X]%

### Payment Performance
- Success rate: [X]%
- Failed transactions: [X] ($[Y] lost)
- Gateway performance: [breakdown]

### Customer Experience
- Support tickets: [X] (vs. [Y] normal)
- Response time: [X] minutes average
- Common issues: [list with percentages]
- Satisfaction score: [X]/10

Recommendations and action items

## Recommendations

### Immediate Actions (Next 7 days)
- [ ] [Specific action with owner]
- [ ] [Specific action with owner]

### Short-term Improvements (Next 30 days)
- [ ] [Improvement with expected impact]
- [ ] [Improvement with expected impact]

### Long-term Planning (Next event)
- [ ] [Strategic change with timeline]
- [ ] [Infrastructure improvement with budget]

## Lessons Learned

### What Worked
- [Success to repeat]
- [Success to repeat]

### What Didn't Work
- [Failure with remediation]
- [Failure with remediation]

## Next Event Preparation
- Target capacity: [X] concurrent users
- Key dates: [timeline]
- Budget needed: $[X]
- Team requirements: [roles needed]

Next steps

With post-event analysis complete:

1. Within 48 hours:
   
   • Distribute performance report to stakeholders
   • Schedule lessons learned meeting
   • Begin implementing quick fixes
2. Within 1 week:
   
   • Complete all documentation
   • Update runbooks with lessons learned
   • Start planning infrastructure improvements
3. Within 1 month:
   
   • Implement priority improvements
   • Update team training materials
   • Begin preparation for next event
4. Ongoing:
   
   • Monitor normal operations with event learnings
   • Refine processes based on analysis
   • Build on successes for future growth

Remember: The insights gathered during this phase directly impact the success of your future events. Thorough analysis now saves time and prevents issues later.