We are currently spending a lot of time revisiting LL. Is this really necessary? Can't we just go blindly on, feeeling what we have from the past and executing quicker....?
Kevin HartfordProject Manager| Olgoonik Specialty ContractorsArlington, Va, United States
I think that lessons learned are important only if they are used. There may be a reason to go blindly, but you don't want to make the same mistake over and over that just waste time and money. Lessons Learned are also great in developing changes to processes and procedures. I think that is the key. Saving Changes...
Wai Mun KooPMO Director| Intergraph PP&MSingapore, Singapore
I have to agree with Kevin that LL is not only important for us to realize what have gone wrong but also what we have done right in the project so that we can document them and develop changes to the processes and practices. In a way, LL is similar to the year-end reflection and resolution we have - it will be useless if we just plan but not following and working for it. Saving Changes...
Mark DyslinHR Project Leader| Xerox Business Services LLCDallas, Tx, United States
The trick, obviously, is getting those lessons learned in the public domain so they can be referenced. All too often we store those archives locally (e.g., my hard drive). Having a shared knowledge base with a segment specifically geared for LL would go a long way in at least getting the information out there.
To carry this a bit further, invoke some sort of zoological naming conventions so these little gems can be referenced later. As a PM I would want to start every project kick-off with a review of all applicable LL
Yes, it would appear as if I am traipsing through butter cream fields with gum drop daisies and chocolate trees, but one can dream, can't one? Saving Changes...
Wai Mun KooPMO Director| Intergraph PP&MSingapore, Singapore
Agree with Mark that LL have to be well documented and shared instead of trapped in someone else hard drive. Perhaps, some organizations like PMI or gantthead can help to keep track a database of lessons learned and potential risks. This will be beneficial to a lot of PMs out there. Saving Changes...
Mark Price PerryBusiness Driven PMO Evangelist| BOT InternationalOrlando, Fl, United States
Robert - great post and replies. But your second sentence is what caught my eye! "Is this really necessary?" This is a very valid question and deserves an answer by those in the organization that are asking you to, as you say, "spend a lot of time" revisiting LL. The time that is spend should be assessed and only continued if it is worth it. An organization would be wise to be open to the possibility that if it is spending MORE time than it is worth, then they should let up a bit. Likewise, an organization (and individual) would be wise to be open to the possibility that if it is spending LESS time than it is worth, then they should make more time for it. Saving Changes...
Mel BostHead Project Closeout and Lessons Learned Advisory Services Practice| BOT InternationalCave Creek, Az, United States
An important point to remember about lessons learned is that you personally or your immediate organization may not be the ultimate true benefactors of the "value" from a LL exercise. You have to consider the "value" added to the world at large by new knowledge being introduced that could positvely impact those you might not even think of in your LL exercise. Or in your own organization, there might be someone you are not targeting with LL who learns something about the culture of the organization and its business context that makes a lasting impression on them. I wrote about this recently in my blog MELBOSTPMOEXPERT with the post "Looking Backward, Looking Forwared." Suggest you read it. Saving Changes...
Dheeraj SukhijaIT Project Manager| NCR Corporation India Pvt LtdDelhi, Delhi, India
In my opinion, a good advantage of "Lessons Learned" exercise is to document the project activities which were performed differently than the original plan. By doing this exercise, we not only enrich the knowledge base but also get people buy in on the new approaches (which will be used in future projects). Answering Robert's concern on "spending a lot of time" on this exercise, I think that needs to be decided by project manager. If you think this activity is taking some extra time, a good way could be to come up with some feedback/survey and collect data (in time) which can be interpreted later and lessons learned can be documented (to be referred to by the intended audience). Saving Changes...
Sam MotesManager II Business Sys, Operational Excellence| BA Systems Inc.Ellenton, Fl, United States
Tracking lessons learned is always on the list of things to do and I agree highly valuable. My question though is why isn’t checking the lessons learned db or something similar part of a project initiation? Granted you learn some by the act of writing down your own lessons learned, but if you don’t check to see if someone else has gone through the pain and built this round thing with spokes on it before that you are about to spend 2 years and 1.5 Million on you will be caught reinventing the wheel. Corporations and the PM community in general need better ways of learning from the hard earned mistakes of others. Saving Changes...
Ravi AnandProject Manager| Fujitsu ConsultingPune, India
Its Simple, we do not have enough time to repeat the mistake again and again , Its the difference between Experience people and Fresher........If we do not document LL than in every project we are working like a Fresher..... Saving Changes...
Kevin HartfordProject Manager| Olgoonik Specialty ContractorsArlington, Va, United States
Sam brings up an interesting point. Checking the Lessons Learned DB should be part of the initiating process group. I think that PMI lumps this in with the Organizational Process Assets, but I think that it could be significant enough to break out.
I also think that the Lessons Learned should feed into the Process Improvement Plan so that the organization can continue to improve the processes that they are using for the project execution and the processes that they use to develop the project in the first place. Saving Changes...
