Project Lessons Learnt

Project work is taken up for creating something new and unique. Project work promotes immense innovation, experimentation and exploration looking for better ways of doing things. While each project is unique, it is extremely important to use all the experiences and lessons learnt from past projects to bring in efficiency in the on-going project.

It is said “making mistake is human, hiding a mistake is a crime and repeating the same mistake is a sin”. Capturing all new lessons learnt effectively and ensuring that the new lessons learned are used across the organization in all the current and future projects, so that the teams do not repeat the same mistakes and can exploit all the good experiences.

Lessons learned become new knowledge for the organization. Organizations are putting maximum emphasis on knowledge management. Lessons learned capturing is a continuous process. It should be promoted as a culture wherein team members feel the responsibility for contributing and documenting new lessons learned.

Organizations follow the following five step approach for lessons learned management.

1. Identify

The first step is to identify and collect the new lessons learnt. Lessons learned are collected by involving all relevant project stakeholders. Stakeholders contribute their learning in lessons learned sessions. Focus is given on understanding what went right, what went wrong and what to improve. Recommendations that will be useful for future projects are identified. 

2. Document

All such new lessons learned must be documented formally. And these must be shared across the organization with all relevant stakeholders.

3. Analyse 

All such new lessons learned are analysed by experts to find out suitable application areas of such new knowledge. The new lessons learned must be documented as recommendation for specific application so that team members can pick up such knowledge with ease.

4. Store

It is equally important to store all such knowledge using tools so that they are easily available to the whole organization. A repository of all such knowledge must be created and maintained. 

5. Retrieve

The lessons and knowledge must be used effectively in current projects. 

Conclusion

Lessons learned management is a continuous and most important process in an organization. Organizations must capture all lessons learned and must applied in new projects. That is the only way an organization will remain competent and efficient. Take KnowledgeHut's PMP prep course to boost your skills.