Written by Rishea Middlebrooks, CAPM, ACHE Student Associate
Don’t Make the Same Mistake Twice: Take Lessons Learned into your next project!
Presentation Overview
Almost every methodology has a process that includes “capturing lessons learned” but do we really close the loop and actually “apply lessons learned?” This presentation took a serious look at the lessons learned process in all methodologies across the continuum and described how to apply the knowledge to better improve overall product delivery in the PMO.
Takeaways
- Objective of lessons learned on a project
- The goal is to avoid people making the same mistake twice
- Lessons learned should be positively reinforced!
- The purpose is to re-do good things and avoid bad things and to make the PMO better, ultimately making project managers better
- Challenges to effective lessons learned
- It’s often an afterthought – done at the end of a project
- Not appealing – little attention from upper management
- Seen as a project manager task instead of a team task
- Guidelines for lessons learned
- Recruit a ‘lessons learned facilitator’ to carry information to the next project – this person is not closely connected to the project
- Prepare and hold a meeting to review lessons learned before the start of a new project
- Concentrate on obtaining information in four general areas:
- What went well?
- What didn’t go well or had unintentional consequences?
- If you had to do it again, would you do it differently?
- What recommendations would you make to others doing similar projects?
Next Event
Join us at the next PMI Atlanta Healthcare Forum on Wednesday, April 20, 2022.
Register at www.pmiatlanta.org/events/event-calendar
Event Pictures
