The detailed report can be included as an attachment or made available in the event leadership needs more information. Step three of the lessons learned process is to analyze and organize the lessons learned for application of results. At level 1 analysis is more informal as the team decides what can be done with the lessons learned. Information is shared with other teams during organizational meetings.
Project management process improvements or training needs are often identified as a result of lessons learned recommendations. Step four of the lessons learned process is to store in a repository. At level 1, organizations do not have a dedicated lessons learned repository in place. Lessons learned documents are stored along with other project documents, normally on a shared drive or in some form of project library.
There is no easy means of retrieving the lessons. Organizations often set up a lessons learned folder on the shared drive to make the lessons learned reports available to other project teams. Step five of the lessons learned process is to retrieve for use on current projects. This is step is rarely used at level 1.
Although lessons learned reports are stored on a shared drive, without key word search capability, it is difficult to retrieve the appropriate lesson. At level 2 organizations have a defined process and basic tools for identifying and documenting lessons learned.
Although organizations are consistently capturing lessons learned they are not fully utilizing them. What organizations need at level 2 are effective tools and the beginning of analysis of stored lessons learned. Why collect lessons learned if the valuable information is not shared within an organization to either avoid reoccurrence of lessons learned or more importantly repeat best practices lessons learned. As mentioned earlier, the identification of lessons learned from each project is the primary responsibility of each project manager.
During this level, organizations need to dedicate a resource or resource s to begin the analysis of documented lessons learned. The purpose of the analysis is to identify actions that can be taken within the organization to strengthen weak areas of knowledge and implementation during each project.
It may mean added or improved procedures and processes. It is also important that gathering the original lessons learned data should be collected utilizing consistent processes and forms. Consistency of input information allows for speedier identification of reoccurring issues and proactive resolutions. An example of an effective lessons learned tool would be a consistent lessons learned input form.
The lessons learned input form is a key tool. This document allows for more consistent data collection as well as provides a means for easier retrieval. The lessons learned template should include previously agreed to fields such as: category, lesson learned, action taken, how did you arrive at the action taken, root cause and key words.
Key words should always be identified. Key words are ultimately one of the determinants of success in utilizing lessons learned Prichard, , p. The lessons learned input form can also be shared with the project team during the lessons learned session. As a team member identifies a lesson, that needs to be included in the repository, the necessary information can be captured while the team member is available. At level 1, organizations should be able to produce lessons learned detailed and summary reports from information gathered during the team sessions and share these reports with immediate project stakeholders.
At level 2 more reporting options should be available. During Level 2 we noted that organizations should have identified process and templates in place to address lessons learned.
Analysis of lesson learned data was discussed. So the executive-level lessons learned report should be no more than 3 pages to ensure that the data is read and decisions should be easy to determine. The 3 page report should consist of: Page 1 — text overview of analyzed data including recommended next steps…improvement or recognitions. Page 2 and 3 should be clear graphical presentations that provide a clear picture for the executive to make a decision.
The most successful graphical presentations display either pie charts or bar charts with easily understood x-axis and y-axis titles. The graph legend should also be concise and easily understood. Equally important, remember who your ultimate audience will be when preparing your metrics reports.
The key you want to achieve is Effective Metrics Reports which can only be achieved if the capture of project lessons learned data is consistent and maintained in a centralized repository. We have shared with you different levels of lessons learned utilization and solutions we hope you can utilize to either initiate of improve your lessons learned processes, repositories and metrics.
We have also provided you with justification for the importance of a lessons learned repository and the long term value that can be gained if the stored lessons learned are reviewed and analyzed on a regular basis.
Make sure that capturing project lessons learned is part of your procedures and an expected deliverable from your project management and product methodologies. Ensure that project teams work together to document project best practices and areas of improvement for the next project.
The final important step to ensure a successful lessons learned program is a commitment from senior level management. That commitment is visible through regular repository metrics review, action taken to implement best practices, and support to improve negative or re-occurring project trends. In order to keep the value of lessons learned in front of executives, it is critical to keep executive level reporting brief and concise.
Recommendations for enhancements to organization processes and procedures and recognitions for best practices should be available on the Summary Page and in the first paragraph of any executive report. Peters, Lee A. Use emotions to get started. For example, the moderator can ask the participants to portray their emotions regarding the project as a whole.
These can be visualized centrally where everyone is able to see them. For instance, the question could be as follows: What do I feel when I think of the project as a whole? Tip: Use smiley cards to capture emotions. Alternatively, you could use a scale of numbers from 1 to As smiley cards, you can just use Post-its or moderation cards, on which the participants can draw their emotion with colored pens.
Next, you present the topics which you or the team have selected during the talks in the preparation phase. You depict the individual topics to make them visible for all and provide a short explanation. It is important that the plenum agree with the current choice of topics.
Depending on the situation, you can now make changes. Tip: I tend to keep this point very open to debate. This allows the team to shape the workshop together and to put together the topics as a group. Analyzing the topics is the centerpiece of the workshop.
This involves looking at the individual topics and working out recommendations for action. The central questions in the workshop: how did this happen, what was the consequence and what went well?
This part is a classic teamwork piece. It is possible to handle it in small individual groups or in the big group with the aid of the moderator. As every project, every project progression, every project team is unique, the corresponding recommendations for action will also be individual.
Recommendations for action which are useful for one company may be practiced in a different way at another company. At yet another company, they may not be possible to implement at all due to the organizational structure. But that is the beauty of Lessons Learned in project management : aspects and possibilities that are not in the textbooks may arise from workshop and team work. Feel free to be creative in this respect! The only important thing is that you achieve an actionable result. The focus of this part is on the results of the presentation of topics.
Now, there is a constructive discussion of the topics in the plenum. What follows is their clear formulation and documentation. Work through the individual topics one after another. Thus, you end up with a recommendation for action for each point — ready to use for future projects. Once you have finalized the recommendations for action, it is necessary to settle the next steps. This could involve scheduling a follow-up meeting to discuss further points which have come up during the workshop.
Another interesting read: our article discussing what makes a PMO important. Tip: Pay particular attention to this part of the workshop! After all, it is where you decide how the information acquired in the workshop will be passed on to other departments and heads — hence it is essential for the PMO.
The feedback round is the conclusion of the Lessons Learned workshop. You are almost there! The session ends with the windup, i. Lessons Learned in project management is a good method for the conscious and sustainable generation of knowledge from experience. In principle, the idea is to actively engage with the particular Lessons Learned topics or even create pivotal moments aha effects.
This will fix the knowledge better in the minds and support the learning effect. In this article, I have presented you with the most important aspects of implementing an exemplary Lessons Learned method.
It has 4 phases:. What is more, you have learned that Lessons Learned in project management always has to be individually adapted to the project at hand.
Hence, there is no sure formula. Thus, it is important to see all examples used in the article as suggestions rather than as guidelines. The benefit for you? Use this Lessons Learned guide to identify and implement potential for optimization in your projects!
About the author: In her 20 years of professional experience, Sonja Bannick has worked in various positions. So far, she has gained experience as a founder, head of operations, senior business consultant and as a managing director in various industries. Her core expertise includes holistic management consulting strategy — people — organization — technology , managing teams and departments and developing them further.
Project management has always played a central role for her. Since , she has been keeping her own blog on-operations in her spare time, in which she takes up topics from her business environment and describes her views. Any questions? We are happy to answer them and look forward to your comment in the comment field below. Its truly remarkable post, I have got much clear idea concerning from this paragraph.
Really helpful! You summarised why do we need to use this approach and how to do it. Exceptional article! It was really very helpful.
Do you have any example of how to convert the lesson learned to actionable items? The website retromat. This template also includes space for respondents to write in what went well, frustrating moments, and issues to discuss in the post-project lessons learned meeting.
This comprehensive project lessons learned checklist template provides everything you need for successful post-project analysis. Use the task-specific check boxes to schedule a post-project meeting within one week after the project ends, assign a meeting moderator and separate note taker, send out a survey to collect feedback from project team members, create a meeting agenda, then share it with the attendees.
An additional during-the-meeting section provides a checklist for recapping the initial project objectives, comparing expected results with actual outcome, using project team feedback to lead a discussion, and identifying and assigning actionable items to improve future projects. Microsoft PowerPoint Google Sheets. Designed specifically for introducing a post-project analysis, this project lessons learned presentation template provides an all-inclusive project retrospective plan to assess success and provide guidance for future projects.
The presentation template is completely customizable. Use it to evaluate project performance, add goals, set the timeline, compare the budget, and note what went well, key takeaways, action items, and recommendations for future projects.
Take the guesswork out of creating a lessons learned presentation from scratch, and leverage the advantages that this template provides. In the project summary section, enter project overview details and criteria for evaluating success. Companies crucially need to have a lessons learned plan to guide teams and stakeholders through the entire project evaluation process.
The report should include project overview details and project-close acceptance, including official project manager and sponsor sign-off. Use this pre-filled project lessons learned report example as a guide. The sections for post-project tasks, future considerations, planning-phase lessons learned, execution, human factors, and overall notes help you capture critical project-specific lessons learned.
A lessons learned template provides an easy-to-follow design to guide you through the post-project stages of evaluating strengths and weaknesses. When applying lessons learned in this way, you can help ensure that future projects have a greater degree of success.
Use a project management lessons learned template to evaluate how well your team met original goals and criteria for project success, as well as determine whether you completed the project according to the original expectations.
Evaluate your project with a lessons learned template to capture the following details:. Regardless of your line of business, a project management lessons learned template can help guide you through the steps of a post-project assessment. You can use those lessons to improve the planning, execution, and all-around success rate of your future projects.
Read our guide to project management lessons learned for more tips and details. From simple task management and project planning to complex resource and portfolio management, Smartsheet helps you improve collaboration and increase work velocity -- empowering you to get more done. The Smartsheet platform makes it easy to plan, capture, manage, and report on work from anywhere, helping your team be more effective and get more done.
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