What are Lessons Learned?
Lessons learned holds a vital role in project management; it is merely getting the knowledge and understanding from the project phases and previous projects experiences based on positive and negative outcomes. The goal behind this methodology is to carry forward the good and leave the bad behind.
How to Capture the Lessons Learned?
This is relatively easy and can be carried out at any phase of a project. To capture the Lessons Learned, it's best to meet with your team and create a safe space for your team to discuss issues openly and frankly without leaving any teammate feeling blamed. You can then list your Wins and Issues to move forward and analyze why specific actions happened, how they impacted the overall project and team atmosphere, and how they can be applied again or improved for future tasks.
Steps involved in capturing the lessons learned for every Project:
Step 1: Identify the positive actions taken while delivering the project. For example, identify complex modules or tasks you have achieved success without any issues or roadblocks.
Step 2: Identify the setbacks during delivery For example: Recognize the instances in which the team took longer than estimated to find solutions to a specific problem or roadblock.
Step 3: Document all Wins and Issues that happened throughout. They need to be documented and shared with the team to be referenced in the future.
Step 4: Analyze what went wrong and list down the best solution for each of them. The team can then identify the root cause, and at the same time, find solutions, ensuring that it would not be repeated next time around. Step 5: Retrieve the lessons learned from the previous Projects. Whenever a new project starts, it's crucial to consider the Wins and Issues that were learned from the past. This will give the team a list of to-do's and not-to-do's with the new Project.
Template to documenting the lessons learned:
Create a safe space: Ensure your team understands this study's goal and identify the Project's components that will be discussed.
Type of Issue: Explain the Wins and Issues.
Description: Describe the scenario/describe what happened while completing the module.
Impact: Analyze the root cause of the Win/Issue.
What Should Change: Write down the conclusions for resolving the issue.
As you can see, the value of Lessons Learned relies on giving your team the comfort and space to analyze what happened during the Project, enjoy wins, and learn from the mistakes. Venturit is equipped with all the tools and a world-class team ready to take your Project to the next level. Make sure to contact us and send us an email at hello@venturit.com to get a free consultation today.
