Which Phase of the Lessons Learned Process Consists of a Formal Review and Analysis

Introduction

Business owners desire their projects completed in the shortest time, for the lowest uppercase outlay, and the output must be of the highest quality. Unfortunately, this is non possible. At all-time, a business possessor tin can pick two of these parameters to focus on, and it will ever be at the cost of the third parameter.

Project outcomes can vary between successful and dismal failure, depending on the individuals involved, unforeseen project risks, and whether formalised project management and project governance procedures were used. Whatever organisation should strive for continual improvement in the manner they execute projects. A good way to do this is to ensure that mistakes of the past are not repeated. This implies that we should learn from unsuccessful projects to identify what caused it to go wrong. However, we should also learn from successful projects to internalise all-time practices. This ways that the project manager should capture and disseminate lessons learned from both successful and less successful projects.

According to MacKay (2020), a lesson learned is noesis gained from the experience of performing a project. Lessons learned thus include tips, guides, rules, procedures, and workflows learned from own feel, or preferably the experiences of others. By analysing this knowledge gained, you tin can convert what is learned into deportment needed to better the electric current systems and processes and ensure the success of future projects. Dolfing (2019) describes lessons learned as experiences distilled from a project that should be actively considered in future projects. Ofttimes, lessons learned highlight strengths or weaknesses in construction, procedures, preparation, blueprint, and implementation that affect project functioning, outcome, and affect.

In this commodity, we discuss some of the challenges involved in the capturing and use of lessons learned, describe the lessons learned process in some detail, give examples of what a lesson learned is, and propose a process for making lessons learned work for your projects.

Challenges

Capturing and transferring lessons learned on projects has been a challenge for decades. Many organisations manage to capture lessons very well, just rarely succeed in transferring these lessons to other projects. Reich (2007) establish from a survey of 961 experienced projection managers that although 62% had formal procedures for learning lessons from projects, but 12% adhered closely to them.

Typical challenges experienced with the lessons learned procedure include:

• No transfer of knowledge: Lessons learned are captured very well, merely not transferred to new projects.
• No learning from successes: Lessons learned from failures are captured diligently, but successes (best practices) are ignored.
• Black hole noesis repositories: Lessons are captured into systems from which they bear witness hard, or impossible, to excerpt.
• Poor documentation of lessons learned: Lessons are poorly documented, generally because of improper preparation and/or a poorly designed lessons learned registers.
• Mail-mortem lessons simply: Lessons are not captured throughout the project life-cycle but only after project completion.
• Improper analysis of lessons learned: The symptoms are captured instead of the root causes. No recommendations are made to remedy the real problem.
• Poor selection of keywords: Lessons learned are typically searched for based om keywords. Rather take besides many than too few.
• Lack of direction support: If management does not support the learning from past mistakes and successes, and does not create opportunity to discuss lessons learned, the process is doomed from the beginning.
• Lack of resource: Lack of dedicated resources to capture, analyse, validate, and manage the transfer of the lessons learned and best practices identified.
• Lack of motivation to ready the problems: There is a reluctance to make big fixes if information technology is not what y'all are being rewarded for, a reluctance to larn from other parts of the organisation, and difficulties in deciding which deportment are valid.

1 cannot forcefulness project managers or project teams to implement lessons learned from previous projects on their new projects. If they see the do good of implementing the action steps from previous lessons learned, and of using best practices, teams are more inclined to go the extra mile to find learnings that tin add value to their projects.

The lessons learned process has earned a reputation for being a waste product of time and money in many organisations. A typical complaint is that one is never able to extract any lessons once more later on it has disappeared into the lessons learned repository, or the so-called blackness pigsty. In other instances, lessons are poorly documented, and information technology becomes difficult to become a good understanding of how and where to utilize these lessons. A typical mistake project managers make, is to capture lessons without capturing the context within which it happened.

Most projection managers take good intentions to capture lessons learned throughout the project life-bicycle, but ofttimes do not get effectually to doing then. Lessons learned are ofttimes left bated until projection close out, at which time teams are rapidly dispersed. On pocket-sized projects with a short duration, mayhap just a few weeks, this might work well. On megaprojects stretching over many years, that is not the example. They are just not able to recollect the lessons learned during the front-end loading stage of the projection, or even worse, it is handled as a tick box exercise to become it over and done with as quickly and as painlessly as possible.

The symptoms of what went incorrect are often misconstrued equally the cause of an issue. Peachy care should be taken to ensure the root causes of issues are identified and actioned. Addressing root causes of lessons learnt, provides an opportunity to proactively accost issues and prevent future failures.

The lessons learned procedure takes many human-hours and potential benefits thereof must significantly exceed the cost, otherwise it is a futile exercise. The process described in this article attempts to address all the above-mentioned challenges and gaps.

The lessons learned process

Opening remarks

The lessons learned process comprises five steps, as illustrated in Figure 1, and includes identification, documentation, analysis, storage, and retrieval of the lessons learned (PMI, 2017).

Figure 1: The lessons learned process (Adjusted from PMI, 2017)

Formal lessons learned workshops are traditionally held during project close-out, near the completion of the project. Ideally, lessons learned should exist identified and documented at any betoken during the projection's life-bike. The objective of a lessons learned process is to effectively share and utilize cognition derived from feel to promote the recurrence of desirable outcomes and prevent the recurrence of undesirable outcomes.

Each of these five steps is described in more particular in the sections that follow.

Identify possible lessons

Lessons learned tin can exist identified using an integrated approach where you incorporate lessons learned early, regularly, and consistently throughout your project. Project team members are encouraged to note downwards any lessons learned as soon as they occur. Fourth dimension is then set aside every three to six months to discuss these lessons and share them with the rest of the squad.

The culling is to place lessons after project completion. According to MacKay (2020), this is more circuitous and resource-heavy every bit it typically includes external reviewers and multi-pronged data collection, including interviews, documents, and coming together minutes. Collecting lessons later project completion increases the run a risk of not identifying some of import lessons. It too means that changes cannot be implemented during the project based on lessons identified earlier.

Ideally, lessons learned should be captured as shut as possible to the learning opportunity, due east.g., after an issue has been resolved, change in scope has occurred, or a risk has been mitigated. Grant (2009) posits that lessons learned should exist captured early and oftentimes in a project.

Certificate lessons in a register

Lessons learned should exist captured in a standardised manner in a pro forma register to ensure that the relevant data is documented clearly. For both what went well and what went wrong, brand sure lessons are expressed every bit advice for future projects rather than passive or past-tense statements. The objective is to make actionable changes to processes and project workflows (Mackay, 2020).

Irrespective of whether lessons were captured during the project, or afterwards project completion, the final task is to collect and document all lessons learned in a detailed report. The report should include suggestions for improvements during future projects.

The lessons learned annals is an essential tool for documenting lessons learned. The project manager is responsible for creating it and ensuring that recommendations are implemented. An example of a lessons learned annals is shown in Table one.

Table i: Sample lessons learned annals (Grant, 2009)

Analyse lessons

The third step in the lessons learned process involves analysing, organising, and determining how you lot are going to disseminate lessons learned with the residual of your team and system.

For failed projects or project stages, conduct a root cause assay for each lesson learned to better empathise what to improve. One time the crusade has been identified, conspicuously describe what process or organisational changes are required to preclude a recurrence thereof.

For projection successes, a root cause assay might not be required. Rather see this as a best-practise learned and see if the lesson can be used every bit an opportunity for further improvement. Learning from project successes is as of import every bit learning from project failures.

Store lessons in a repository

Store lessons learned in an hands accessible location, like in a shared drive, making it readily available to the project team likewise every bit other teams in the system. Care should be taken in the design of the lessons learned repository so that it does not become a 'black hole' from which nothing tin always be retrieved.

Lessons learned classification is crucial in the repository to be able to retrieve and apply tips, guides, procedures, workflows, and best practices in afterward projects. A wide classification can include the following categories:

• Scope/Requirements direction
• Schedule management
• Budgets management
• Quality direction
• Issues & risk management
• Resources & vendor management
• Communications management
• Stakeholder management
• Reports Management

The use of keywords and a expert search engine is essential to be able to retrieve relevant data for future projects.

Recollect applicable lessons for new projects

The most critical aspect of a lessons learned repository is the ability to retrieve the valuable historical information stored in the repository to continually improve the organization'southward ability to implement projects. The value of successful retrieval of relevant lessons learned data is two-fold: firstly, the value to the project manager and his/her ability to successfully complete the new project, and secondly, the value realised past the incorporation of best practices and process improvements into the corporate civilisation.

For the repository to exist helpful to the project manager, he/she must exist able to search using keywords to help narrow down the search in the repository. A search of the lessons learned repository should exist done by the project managing director prior to the new project'south kick off meeting and tin can be the first laissez passer in identifying potential projection risks and mitigation strategies.

According to Paranagamage et al (2012), accessibility and publicity of lessons learned need to exist resolved if visitor objectives in investing in lessons learned are to be realised.

Examples and types of lessons learned

Opening remarks

Nosotros have seen that the objective of a lessons learned process to learn and to continually improve. This learning applies not merely to the project manager and the projection team, but too to the possessor organization. However, this learning consequence only materialises when activeness is taken in response to the lessons learned (Neumeyer, 2020). The learning entities and possible actions are illustrated in Figure 2.

In the post-obit sections nosotros describe some lessons learned for the project manager, the projection squad, and the owner organisation. We also describe the actions taken to realise the benefit of the learning. The construction and some examples are from the work of Neumeyer (2020).

Figure two: Who benefits from lessons learned?

Lessons learned for the projection manager

Examples of learnings and appropriate responses/actions for the project manager are as follows:

• Client demands cause scope changes and cost overruns: Project manager to concord the minimum technical solution with the client before the terminal investment decision is made. Implement a formal process and approvals protocol to manage project scope changes.
• Projection manager gets blamed for perceived slips in schedule and cost: Top management too sometimes add together extra scope to the project without considering the extra work required and the cost of changes. Have the authorising body sign off on the project charter and manage scope changes through a formal modify management procedure.
• Project squad not up to the task: Sometimes the arraign for a projection'southward failure clearly lies with a few individuals. In other cases, the blame may lie in the fact that your project squad merely lacked some cardinal characteristics (Jackson, 2021). Equally an example, you may have had too many thought generators and not enough practical implementers. Evaluate your team and compile a new team, if necessary.
• Lack of project direction support during stakeholder negotiations: If the team feels that the project manager should be more supportive in situations involving stakeholders, he/she needs to be more available and take over leadership in such situations.
• Project manager demonstrates excellent motivational skills: This is positive feedback from the team to the project manager and is something that he/she should go along to practise. Zero to change here. Consider if a particular motivation stride tin can be written up as a best do.

Lessons learned for the project team

Examples of learnings and advisable responses/deportment for the project team are as follows:

• Squad members lose sight of overall business organisation and project objectives: Team members reported that they sometimes lost sight of the overall business organization and project objectives. This can exist overcome by creating a project website and sharing the latest version of the project charter, the business example, and other relevant data.
• Insufficient stakeholder interaction caused uncertainty and doubt: Stakeholders can all benefit from a monthly one-page summary of the project status. This condition study tin likewise be shared on the project website.
• Lack of team spirit amongst members: This is a criticism that is often raised in newly formed teams. 1 manner to approach this problem is past organising a team upshot where team members get to know each other. Team spirit can be improved by letting team members sit together in a designated project area and working side by side.
• Limited opportunity for skills development: Technology personnel on the project squad indicated a desire to get more than directly involved in projection management activities. Create an opportunity for more inferior members of the team to rotate to other positions to acquire new skills.

Lessons learned for the owner organisation

Examples of learnings and appropriate responses/actions for the owner organisation are as follows:

• No executive sponsor for the project results in delayed conclusion making: An executive sponsor is an essential element of large and complex projects and is the link between the project and the authorising body. The owner arrangement must appoint an executive sponsor for every project, based on guidelines to be developed by the project managing director.
• Executive sponsor for the projection also occupied with 'other' work: Executive sponsorship for big and circuitous projects is not a part-fourth dimension action. Sponsors should exist defended total-time executive level members of the team, with the appropriate training in what the task comprises.
• Lack of organisational alignment leads to conflicting priorities: Different departments each has its own set of objectives and priorities, with little alignment at leadership level. This results in a difficult state of affairs at project team level due to the conflicting priorities. This lack of alignment is something to be taken up on direction or even CEO level.
• Company culture of management-by-fearfulness non conducive to project success: Project bug caused by a poor visitor culture, e.m., one that relies on blaming and imposing fear on employees must always be solved at the root. Corporate management must initiate a culture change to create an environment where people are willing to take over responsibility without fear.

Making lessons learned piece of work for you

If direction of the organisation does not support the learning from by mistakes and successes, the procedure is doomed from the start. Similarly, if the project manager does not create opportunity to hash out lessons learned, there is limited chance for success. Permit u.s.a. assume that your organization wants to exist a learning organization and continually improve its execution of projects.

The project manager's initial task at the start of a new projection is the preparation and circulation of a robust project execution, or management, program. Within the project execution program the projection managing director should plant the process for capturing knowledge and lessons learned including:

• Capturing lessons learned: The procedure must be in identify for documenting results and every team fellow member should exist familiar with how it operates.
• End of stage reviews: Opportunity and budget must be provided for end of stage lessons learned reviews.
• Close out review: Opportunity and budget must be provided for lessons learned shut out reviews.
• Admission to information: Every team member must have a working knowledge of how to access relevant information from the repository.

A uncomplicated and practical arroyo for the project manager is to innovate a monthly item on the project progress coming together calendar for 'lessons learned', inviting individuals to offer upwardly comments, observations, and best practices from the previous month. These are so shared with other members of the squad and recorded in the minutes. Think that the lessons captured in this manner still must be transferred to the lessons learned register.

The just way to make lessons learned piece of work is making information technology an integral role of the project deliverables and activities. Therefore, include lessons learned interventions in your project schedule and budget. Carry out the final workshop shut to project completion before squad members move on to other projects. Consider using an independent facilitator and ensure that the fundamental team members nourish.

We recommend the arroyo shown in Figure 3, where nosotros superimpose the lessons learned activities on a project stage-gate model.

Figure iii: Timing of lessons learned interventions

The phase-gate model in Figure 3 depicts the Initiation phase where the business concern will ready the initial thought, the Front-end Loading (FEL) phase consisting of iii stages (Prefeasibility, Feasibility and Planning) where the project team will develop the business organization idea further to the point where there is a solid execution plan and an investment conclusion can be made at the end of the Planning stage, followed by the Implementation stage consisting of the Commitment and Commissioning stages.

The lessons learned repository is typically questioned during the project initiation stage using keywords to ensure that learning applicative to the new project is accessed (encounter the blue hexagon marked 1 in Figure three). The orange line from hexagon 1 indicates that the information gathered should cover the complete Forepart-end Loading phase of the project.

Formal end-of-stage reviews are scheduled for the end of the Prefeasibility, Feasibility and Planning stages (blue hexagons two, 3, and 4). The objective is to discuss lessons from the previous stage and to determine what is relevant for future stages. Remember to certificate, analyse, and store the lessons learned in the repository. At the end of the Front end-end Loading phase of the project, the repository should again be questioned to identify learnings from previous projects applicative to the Implementation phase of the project.

A formal end of stage review should again exist held at the stop of the Delivery phase (blue hexagon 5). The lessons learned close out review is and so held after project completion (bluish hexagon six) to capture all learnings from the project for inclusion in the lessons learned repository.

The major value in following this approach is that the teams engaged in lessons learned reviews at the end of each project stage, are typically smaller and more focused. They are engaged equally the projection progresses which means lessons and successes are nonetheless fresh in their memories. The lessons learned close out review will require more project stakeholders to capture all relevant learning. This is an expensive exercise and potentially time consuming process, particularly if lessons learned take not been captured throughout the project.

It is an unfortunate reality that personnel changes take identify during the life-bicycle of a long projects and programmes. Knowledge gained by a parting team member should be captured and used to assist in the handover procedure, likewise every bit calculation to the repository of projection learnings. This is of particular importance when there is a change in project manager, who should be given an opportunity to record their ain lessons learned and ensure that this valuable tacit knowledge and experience is non lost.

Closing Remarks

Capturing lessons learned and transforming this to activeness steps should be an on-going effort throughout the life-cycle of the project (Rowe & Sikes, 2006). This mindset should be strongly encouraged by the projection manager from twenty-four hours one. Whether we are using lessons learned to prepare for electric current projects or for identifying project management procedural improvements, we learn from project failures equally well as project successes. By not learning from failures, nosotros are doomed to repeat similar situations and we will non accomplish improved project outcomes. By not capturing project successes, we miss opportunities to implement best practices to successfully complete existing and future work.

The ultimate objective of capturing and using project lessons is to reach continual improvement in the fashion in which projects are executed. Projects may exist brusk- to medium-term initiatives, but overall, the need to manage and deliver successful projects is ongoing. Continual improvement is an operational imperative intended to leverage feel and ensure that futurity projects tin be executed at the highest quality, in less time, at lower price and with fewer mistakes. It is about avoiding the types of mistakes that can be avoided, identifying all-time practices, and not constantly repeating the aforementioned types of errors.

Co-ordinate to Athuraliya (2021), learnings from previous projects can also prove extremely useful to identify project risks. During the risk assessment of a new project, refer to the past lessons learned reports of relevant projects to identify potential risks easily.

References

Athuraliya, A. (2021) How to use lessons learned effectively to avoid project failure. Available from Lessons Learned in Project Management | Consummate Guide with Templates (creately.com). Accessed on 26 June 2021.

Dolfing, H. (2019) Why your organization doesn't learn from its lessons learned. Available from Why Your System Doesn't Learn From Its Lessons Learned – Henrico Dolfing . Accessed on 29 June 2021.

Grant, L.A. (2009) Lessons learned—practise it early on, practise it often. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2009—North America, Orlando, FL. Newtown Square, PA: Project Direction Plant.

Jackson, G. (2021) viii Lessons to learn from a failed project. Available from http://world wide web.learnthat.com/viii-lessons-to-acquire-from-a-failed-project/ . Accessed on 28 June 2021.

MacKay, J. (2020) What to exercise when a projection fails: how to document and share lessons learned. Available from https://program.io/web log/lessons-learned-from-failed-projects. Accessed on 28 June 2021.

Neumeyer, A. (2020) Lessons learned in projects: everything you demand to know. Bachelor from https://www.tacticalprojectmanager.com/lessons-learned/. Accessed on 30 June 2021.

Paranagamage, P., Carrillo, P., Ruikar, K. & Fuller, P. (2012) Lessons learned practices in the UK construction sector: current practice and proposed improvements. The Applied science Project Organization Journal (December) 2, 216–230.

PMI. (2017) A guide to the project management trunk of knowledge, half-dozen^th edition (PMBOK Guide). Project Management Institute, Newtown Square, PA.

Reich, B.H. (2007) Managing knowledge and learning in IT projects – a conceptual framework and guidelines for do,Project Management Journal , 38:2, 5-17.

Rowe, Southward.F. & Sikes, S. (2006). Lessons learned: taking information technology to the adjacent level. Newspaper presented at PMI Global Congress 2006—Northward America, Seattle, WA. Newtown Square, PA: Projection Management Institute.

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