Some of the client or end user don't ask for lesson learnt, so officially you don't have to document all lessons.
However, I believe it is so important even if the client doesn't ask for it, we PM should continue archiving for future reference and for our own experience as case study the only issue I see is the confidentiality of the information of the client should not fall in unsecured hands. We bear responsibility to protect the information of the clients
RAJESH K LProject Manager, PMP| Bharat Electronics, Bengaluru, IndiaBengaluru, Karnataka, India
Lessons learnt to be archived in appropriate format and to the level of detail required without undue delay. Data security and access permission policy of the organisation should be a guiding factor in deciding who has access to the said information
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1 reply by Riyadh Salih
Jul 20, 2018 3:51 AM
Riyadh Salih
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Rajesh,that's fine but sometime they don't care about or they don't need it or prefer not to have it.
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Anton OosthuizenSenior Business Analyst / Project Manager| Self EmployedPretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
Lessons Learned is rarely a project deliverable defined by the customer contract. It is normally part of PMO governance that allows an organization to innovate and improve. Even without this governance in place, it is always a good idea to keep track of these lessons.
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1 reply by Riyadh Salih
Jul 20, 2018 3:53 AM
Riyadh Salih
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Anton, thanks however not every organization have PMO many companies without even a PM but the execute projects so some don't need that.
Riyadh,
Though lessons learnt is not mandatorily done by all project teams, in many large projects & programs the PMO and Senior Program Managers usually make it a practice. It can be shared with our Customers as well & internally it is a very good asset to be referred for future assignments. Yes, of course with taking appropriate care in keeping confidential information secured.
For the multi-phased projects which I had executed, I personally had acquired lot of details from the lesson learnt documents and was able to enhance my implementation approach in the consecutive phases.
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1 reply by Riyadh Salih
Jul 20, 2018 3:54 AM
Riyadh Salih
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Girija, good feedback for multi phase project it makes sense.
Archiving the lesson learnt during the project should always be the best practice when project is closed. It acts as a reference guide for the project managers for identifying shortcomings and improvement areas in future. It will be an asset for PMO and will be part of organization's knowledge base. It's PM's responsibility to identify and prioritize the archive as confidential information and share only as per communication plan.
Even if the client doesn't care to have them, lessons learned should be shared within the delivery organization to improve future outcomes.
But as I always recommend, avoid the oxymoron of lessons learned and learn lessons for real by using a retrospective approach throughout the life of projects.
Kiron
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2 replies by Aleksei Nikitin and Riyadh Salih
Jul 19, 2018 7:02 AM
Aleksei Nikitin
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Kiron, could you please explain your sentance about the lessons learned (or -nt) and learning lessons (and maybe also agile retrospectives)?
I'm very interested, as at the moment we are in a process of establishing this tool.
Jul 20, 2018 3:59 AM
Riyadh Salih
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Kiron, thanks good point sometimes it does turn.
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Drew CraigSr. Agile & Product Coach| VanguardPhiladelphia, Pa, United States
LL is for capturing documentation and context on specific scenario's, and generally not for specific data, thus, would not think confidentiality is a factor. For instance, if implementing a new system in an organization, capturing experiences with the various interfaces, ancillary systems, technologies in order to streamline and bolster internal process and mechanisms for future similar efforts. If there is any possibility of such a scenario where confidentiality would play a role, then a section could be included in the SOW or MSA.
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1 reply by Riyadh Salih
Jul 20, 2018 2:01 PM
Riyadh Salih
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Andrew, thanks for your feedback you are right that some info is not confidential but some are confidential, I guess in general we should treat all client or employer info as confidential where some places you will be asked to sign NDA
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Aleksei NikitinLead expert| Higher School of EconomicsSaint-Petersburg, Russian Federation
Jul 19, 2018 6:39 AM
Replying to Kiron Bondale
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Riyadh -
Even if the client doesn't care to have them, lessons learned should be shared within the delivery organization to improve future outcomes.
But as I always recommend, avoid the oxymoron of lessons learned and learn lessons for real by using a retrospective approach throughout the life of projects.
Kiron
Kiron, could you please explain your sentance about the lessons learned (or -nt) and learning lessons (and maybe also agile retrospectives)?
I'm very interested, as at the moment we are in a process of establishing this tool.
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1 reply by Kiron Bondale
Jul 20, 2018 6:58 AM
Kiron Bondale
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Aleksei -
Most lessons learned practices fail because what's captured is garbage (or close to it) and is rarely if ever reviewed on future projects. A retrospective approach focused on frequent "safe" sessions to identify a few key ideas which will be implemented right away will yield better results.
If you are interested in learning more about lessons learned practices, you could watch the on-demand recording of the webinar I had done back in early May on the topic.
It should always be in the requirements documentation. Remember requirements are not only the stakeholders/customers requirements, but the project management requirements such as lessons learned.
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1 reply by Riyadh Salih
Jul 20, 2018 2:04 PM
Riyadh Salih
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Sante, Okay so you are suggesting even if the client does not require that we should still do it but where to archive it.
We have typically captured "lessons learned" in our project "diaries" and project close-out reports and meetings. Unfortunately, there was no organization requirement to "institutionalize" this practice. That has now changed, and we have a senior champion who is now responsible for implementing a PM framework, where these "lesson learned" will become "lessons implemented".
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1 reply by Riyadh Salih
Jul 20, 2018 2:05 PM
Riyadh Salih
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Steve, that's looks something of consideration, in this case I think it make sense to do it.
Lessons learnt to be archived in appropriate format and to the level of detail required without undue delay. Data security and access permission policy of the organisation should be a guiding factor in deciding who has access to the said information
Rajesh,that's fine but sometime they don't care about or they don't need it or prefer not to have it. Saving Changes...
