Great questions! I've always found that traditional lessons learned processes are very ineffective, tending to be a log of lessons during the project (rarely completed well), a meeting after the implementation (poorly attended or quite awkward) and then no follow up.
I'd like to try embedding this during the project so that lessons are learned and acted on while the project is still in progress. As ever, the challenge would be that this is a positive experience.
Will be interested in any success stories people have around this. Saving Changes...
It's too easy to do the project retrospective/lessons learned portion of closing the project and just file it away. If the organization is really committed, they'll take action.
An approach I've found particularly effective (and which I now use at every retrospective) is to gather the lessons learned and, as part of the retrospective, identify an action, an owner, and a timescale for taking action and to share that with appropriate stakeholders or change leaders in the organization. Saving Changes...
I think the issue log is my favorite resource of lessons learning. You can use meeting minutes, emails ... any tool to collect the lessons learning.
You may categorize or group them by owner, knowledge area, or by process group to come back to them easily. Saving Changes...
Al TaylorI.T. Contractor| IndependentWaterloo, Ontario, Canada
Agree with Tim 100% well said! Saving Changes...
Russell GeakeProject Management Consultant| Deciduous Partners LtdLostwithiel, Cornwall, United Kingdom
Lessons learned and adapting to improve project performance are key to any organisation wanting to implement projects successfully.
While a lessons learned log is the obvious place to start, so often, they are used as to tick a box in the standard process. Unless the lessons are stored centrally (possibly but not exclusively within a PMO) and are easily accessible for new projects they are virtually pointless. With contractors and transient teams and the unique nature of projects, making them count really isn't easy. You would find very few organisations that sit down a new PM and give them a Lessons Learned log to read before they crack on with the latest project, many don't even go through their standard processes, like purchasing, reporting and documentation.
Over the years, I have kept a fairly good list of lessons learned and I'm sure I've put many of them into practice on follow-on projects, but whether the organisations have reaped the same benefits - I honestly don't know.
Ultimately this is one of the key benefits of the PMO - to support the effective delivery of projects, ideally they should own the LLL and facilitate its integration into future projects, supporting both permanent and contract staff.
@RGeake
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1 reply by Rodrigo Dantas Santiago
Feb 24, 2017 10:43 AM
Rodrigo Dantas Santiago
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Hi Russell, this is exactly what I'm looking for. I'm implementing a LL in my company and I'm trying to find out the better way (specially) to bring up data when it's necessary but what I'm finding is same samples in power point, email, MoM, etc but I realized that it's not efficient when we are getting information to start a new project. First we need to get only LL related to the Charter that you need to start. I want to avoid a lot of LL that is not linked to my project. So, my objective is create a process where PM's can add their LL and share with all company. When it's necessary I can have a way to bring all information for the project that I will start and not all data in our LL database.
Saving Changes...
Kristin JonesSocial Media Specialist III| PMINewtown Square, Pa, United States
Great responses! Thank you! Saving Changes...
Bernard GorePortfolio, Programme & Project Professional| NZ PoliceWellington, New Zealand
Lessons learned is probably one of the least effective areas of project management - even when lessons are collected and are of value, they are simply not then stored in a way that makes them easy to use.
There is a whole discipline of "knowledge management" that covers this, but that few PMs and especially PMOs really have taken on board. Saving Changes...
Aejaz ShaikhPM I| Alyx Technologies India Pvt LtdPune, Maharshatra, India
I say rather than doing this at the fad end of the Project, it shoud be done milstone wise or phase wise. By doing so, all the key learnings from success or failure can be documented clearly with a brief detail of steps taken for success and steps can be taken to avoid failure. Saving Changes...
Lessons learnt are better applied in later phases of same project against next project view fast changing technology and non applicability of the lessons learnt . Saving Changes...
Great insights. I think that lessons learnt should provide visible benefits to the project management team and PMO, whether it is for the current project or future projects. Just doing lessons to archive is not a very good idea. I am learning. Saving Changes...
