Capturing and Leveraging Historical Information

  Knowledge Management   Lessons Learned   Knowledge Shelf  

Thebenefit of collecting and leveraging historical information is that we can achieve continuous improvement in our project management practices. The 22 references to Historical Information in A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)—Fourth edition (Project Management Institute [PMI, 2008]) are evidence of its importance. The problem is that typically in the real world this information is rarely formally collected and even less frequently leveraged. The criteria for selecting a best possible solution are discussed. One good simple solution that the author has used is presented in this article.

Why Capture and Leverage Historical Information?

Historical Information is defined on page 466 of the PMBOK® Guide (PMI, 2008) as “Documents and data on prior projects including project files, records, correspondence, closed contracts, and closed projects.” When we look at the 22 places in the PMBOK® Guide where the phrase is used, we see that historical information is intended to support continuous improvement. For example, the Communication Planning, Risk Analysis, Budgeting, and Estimating phases all suggest consulting historical Information as the input to these project processes.

Has your organization ever made the same project management related mistake twice? Have you ever said to yourself, “If only I&…

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