Lessons Learned in Project Management: Ongoing Process Improvement

One of the pillars of effective project management is the lessons learned approach, which is based on the gathering and transmission of ideas and perspectives for enhancements. Throughout the course of a project, “lessons learned” is a term used to refer to a detailed account of what was learned and experienced. All parties involved in the project, including contractors, consultants, property owners and designers, want to perform better in the future.

Project management lessons learned might be documented or exchanged amongst people within an organization. In either case, this is an official document that becomes part of a company’s standard operating procedure.

Definition of Lessons Learned: According to the sixth edition of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) describes project management lessons learned as: The knowledge gathered throughout a project that demonstrates how project events were dealt with or should be dealt with in the future in order to improve future performance.

The purpose of the PMBOK is to help companies unify lessons learned management system among different divisions. Furthermore, it facilitates collaboration across enterprises using a common framework. This implies that a project manager can transfer his or her skills from one enterprise to another.

An effective PMBOK is a group of procedures, benchmarks, jargon, and rules that are widely accepted as industry standards in the project management profession.

The following depicts the project’s progress via the PMBOK framework.

• Introducing – The initiative was given to a project manager and got executive approval.
• Planning – Stakeholders from various business functions were identified, and the team convened to define the project’s goals and establish a basic schedule. The budget for new software has been established. Call abandonment rates, wait times, and call diversion baselines were developed.
• Putting into practice – Vendors were assessed and a decision was reached. The crew was trained, and the chosen solution was put into action. Stakeholders received pertinent information.
• Controlling and monitoring – The main performance indicators specified during the planning phase were measured on a daily basis. The Process was fine-tuned as needed.
• Concluding – The project was successfully finished once the stated goals were met and all associated tasks were accomplished.

There are five steps in the lessons learned process

Recognize the components of a learning opportunity. This should include both suggestions for improvement and appreciation for your team’s success. It involves following: Were there any unintended consequences? How did it succeed in what ways? What didn’t work? and is there anything that could be enhanced?

Make a list of the lessons you’ve learnt and write them down or document them.

Lessons learned must be systematically examined and restructured so as to be used in the future. This is often referred to as lesson learned analysis. By identifying the root cause or circumstance, you can improve your chances of replicating success and avoiding similar failures.

Project lessons should be stored in a repository for future reference. An input form should include categories (e.g., software development, marketing), lessons learned, actions taken, and root causes.

For each new project, the manager restores all the lessons learned documents and uses them to build mitigation strategies for any potential risks.

You may leverage on your accomplishments and learn from your mistakes by analyzing lessons learnt. The following are some key advantages of project management lessons learned:

• Learn from Your Mistakes: Make the most of your achievements while mitigating the risk of the past.
• Identify inefficient areas: Streamline future ventures by removing irrelevant processes. Remove anything that isn’t assisting the team in achieving its objectives.
• Keep a record of your actions: Allow future teams to benefit from your experience and expertise. Share what you’ve learned with others who will come after you.
• Illustrate Expansion: Use structured reports from previous projects to illustrate productivity and effectiveness. Compare these subsequent reports to track your progress.
• Make Teams More Cohesive: Increase team spirit by achieving more successes. Communicate more effectively. From the start, include your team in the process. Encourage them to stay connected by paying attention to what they have to say.
• Set up Best Practices: Figure out what works best for your team, then put such changes in place and implement them.

• Include Both Positive and Negative Experiences – Lessons should be drawn from both positive and negative experiences.
• Act promptly – Gather feedback immediately to avoid individuals forgetting about the complexities involved during the project.
• Document – In a central location, keep track of the lessons learned during the project.
• Make Lessons Learned Accessible to Other Projects – Make lessons learned accessible to other projects.
• Lessons Learnt Should Be Archived – Lessons learned should be archived as historical project data and integrated into the organization’s lessons learned.
• Disseminate Lessons – Inform the project management community about what you’ve learnt.
• Reuse Lessons – Apply what you’ve learnt from previous projects to assist you manage your current tasks better.
• Stakeholders Should Be Involved – All project participants and stakeholders should be included in the lessons learned process.
• Solicit Feedback – Conduct a post-project survey to gather feedback from the project team, consumers, and stakeholders who were familiar with the project’s management.
• Identify Lessons Learned – Hold lessons learned workshops to help future initiatives succeed.
• All project data should be archived in a central repository – Include any relevant project documentation, best practices, and lessons gained.
• Share what you’ve learnt with other project groups – The primary goal of documenting lessons learned is to provide information to other project teams that will help them increase their quality and productivity while also expanding on the insights obtained from each finished project.

LLMS is a continual and significant process in any firm. All lessons learned must be documented and applied to new projects by the company. That is the only way for a company to remain competent and efficient.

In terms of management strategies and lessons learned, Ignatiuz’s incredibly simple LLMS features can provide just what you need. By using LLMS, companies can succeed and report on their assignments, permitting them to be more effective and industrious.

To learn more about the LLMS software and services, give Ignatiuz a call or schedule a demo.