As manager of a Project Support Office, one of my remits is to gather project lessons learned and subsequently provide them to project managers at the start up of their new projects. Does anyone out there have a neat way of categorizing and presented project lessons learned? Most of the stuff I get back is subjective - gripes mostly - and of no particular use to anyone. So any insight to the whole process of lessons learned would be most helpful. Saving Changes...
David-
Here's a process I use which should result in more objective lessons learned document for the PMO.
1. In preparing for the review session, review the charter and scope and create a consolidated summary. This was the target the team was shooting for.
2. Prepare a list of tools used/developed during the course of the project. Tools include standard reporting (to team and stakeholders), standing meetings (for team and stakeholders), specific forms or technical tools used by the team as a team.
3. Prepare a list of milestones and if your scope statement contained a list of measures of success, prepare a list of these MOS.
4. For each of these sets of materials the lessons learned session and final report should ask: what went right? what could have been improved? And how?
Rita Saving Changes...
Mark Price PerryBusiness Driven PMO Evangelist| BOT InternationalOrlando, Fl, United States
Hi David, we classify lessons learned by processes, tools, and skills. But, one approach that we use is to have the project manager prepare a post-closing "Documented Continuous Improvement Opportunities" report. In essence, the PM first notes lessons learned, and then makes a project manager recommendation to act upon the lessons learned feedback. The end result is twofold. First, lessons learned get acted upon, not filed and forgotten. And second, there is no PM "griping" as it is their duty and opportunity to participate in effecting a fix or improvement along with the management of the PO. Hope this helps. -- Mark Perry, VP of Customer Care, BOT International Saving Changes...
