PMI Virtual Library

2010 Bonnie Bischoff

Building a Lessons-Learned Culture
By Bonnie Bischoff, PMP
L
essons learned are one of the most valuable, yet
misunderstood and under-utilized aspects in project
management. Often, project managers focus on
the ve process groups of the project life cycle (initiation,
planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and
closing); then, when the project reaches the closing, up pops
the checklist item indicating that a lessons learned review
should be done as part of good project management. Lets
face it: lessons learned can easily become an afterthought,
which is sometimes referred to as a check-the-box exercise.
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge
(PMBOK

Guide)Fourth edition, mentions lessons learned

more frequently; for example, lessons learned can be found in
the following Knowledge Areas: Project Quality Management,
Project Communications Management, and Project
Procurement Management.
Tis article discusses the three important ways in
which lessons learned can become an integral part of your
company. First, the timing of lessons learned will be explored
so they can be recorded throughout the project. Second,
some suggestions are provided about the characterization of
lessons learned; that is, capturing key information in a way
that makes sense while maintaining morale and condence
in the teams abilities. Finally, several recommendations will
be made to avoid lessons learned becoming that check-
the-box exercise. You will be persuaded to encourage the
participation in frequent reection and the documentation of
self assessment in support of continuous improvement.
Tis article will not propose lessons learned knowledge
data repositories or Sharepoint sites; although these are
important aspects of lessons learned, they are out of scope
for this paper.
The Timing of Lessons Learned
In one of the rst project management courses I ever attended
several years ago, I remember learning the expression, go
slow to go fast. I have always carried that phrase with me
and, honestly, for me its not a quality that comes naturally.
My natural inclination is to approach tasks with the Nike
philosophy of Just Do It. Unfortunately, this is not the
best approach for project management! As we often learn in
our project management experiences and through our PMP
training, going fast without the necessary steps can result in
your project grinding to a screeching halt.
Te initiating phase of a project is a great time to review
the lessons learned from previous projects or existing projects,
and which have progressed beyond the initial stages. An
area worth looking into is a review of the project plan from
a previous project (especially one similar in nature to the
project you are now managing.) In a similar project, were
there opportunities to better dene the scope upfront? Were
deliverables identied in the work breakdown structure (WBS)
adequate? Is there anything that could have been done to
improve the schedule development of the project? What is the
procurement strategy? What worked well or didnt work well
in terms of keeping work in-house or contracting work out?


Just as project integration spans all project phases (initiate, plan,
execute, monitor and control, and close), so should lessons learned.
A well-managed project is a well-documented project!

PMI Virtual Library | www.PMI.org | 2010 Bonnie Bischoff

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Some of the mistakes made in an early stage of a project
can plague the project for its entire life cycle; so, it makes
sense to review another project in your company, especially
if you can nd one similar to the one you are currently
managing. In my company, we are re-powering several plants
to improve the environmental impacts, output, and eciency,
and we encourage reviews of similar projects as a part of the
project planning process. Just as project integration spans all
project phases (initiate, plan, execute, monitor and control,
and close), so should lessons learned. A well-managed project
is a well-documented project!
The Characterization of Lessons Learned
I believe people shy away from lessons learned (other
than from lack of time), because they are concerned that
documenting lessons learned will alienate co-workers, result in
punishment, be career limiting, or by memorializing lessons
learned, it will appear as if the project has not been managed
eectively. I believe there are at least two opportunities for an
organization to avoid these pitfalls.
First, I suggest top-down promotion of continuous
improvement messaging. Managers must constantly remind
fellow managers and employees that making a mistake is
okay; in fact, mistakes are going to happen! Reassure your
employees that there is a way of dealing with mistakes when
they do happen. And, yes, you guessed right: its the lessons
learned practice. Ask the following questions: What could
we have done dierently to ensure a better outcome? What
should we do next time? What can we share with others so we
learn from our mistakes?
Second, be sure to look for opportunities to conduct
lessons learned when things go right. If we nd a way to
save money with a new process, document it as a lessons
learned. In my company, we held a lessons learned exercise
on an environmental siting process, which was completed
six months ahead of schedule and within the allotted
budget. Employees in our company were recognized for
their accomplishments. Tere was a lessons learned waiting
to happen in our company, but with all the other meetings,
projects, milestones, and deliverables in the project,
this lessons learned could have been missed, thereby
eliminating the opportunity for others to learn valuable
insights into what went right.
Consider that your organizations objective should be to
build a culture that recognizes when things go right as well as
when things dont happen as planned. Regardless of this, you
should plan to conduct lessons learned in either situation,
with the one important goal of capturing what can be gained
from the exercise.
Te old adage Its not what you say but how you
say it comes to mind when thinking about how to
document lessons learned. Tink about it this way:
Imagine if you could become comfortable with how
to approach a conicta tough situation at work or
at homewouldnt you be more likely to deal with it?
If those who document the lessons learned can become
more comfortable with how to document them, then
your team, project, and company will achieve greater
levels of the recording of lessons learned. Please review
the following examples:
Its All in How You Say it!
Typical Examples
1. The change notice costs were poorly defined so the
scope was unclear, which resulted in budget overruns
and delays.
2. No one was thinking, so the construction
department failed to make a spare concrete cylinder,
which cost extra time and money.
3. When Joe went on vacation, the whole project came
to a halt. This was not appreciated by the project
team and caused people to sit around with nothing
to do.
Better Examples
1. Scope confusion can be reduced greatly by having
the discipline engineer write the change notice
estimate and defining the scope.
2. Always make a spare concrete cylinder on each
concrete load. This will help keep the construction on
schedule and avoid additional costs.
3. Plan ahead and cross-train members of the team
so that one gets a feel for the big picture of the
project and can fill in for someone else when he or
she is out of the office.
Note that the Better Examples are more forward looking and less critical of individuals; yet, the lessons learned are clearly stated and contain
actionable advice for the future.
PMI Virtual Library | www.PMI.org | 2010 Bonnie Bischoff
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Integrating Lessons Learned as a Natural Part of
the Project
As weve discussed, there are many compelling reasons for
capturing lessons learned. Tere are many opportunities to
document activities and events throughout the project life
cycle, but how do we avoid missing opportunities during the
project? How can lessons learned become a natural part of the
project rather than another task, another chore that must be
completed at the post-project assessment, which is part of the
project close phase? Te answer is simple: lessons learned must
be integrated into the corporate culture. Te organization needs
to adopt phrases such as continuous learning organization,
and the philosophy needs to be widely communicated. In any
organization, success stories can be shared; cycle time reductions,
schedule improvements, cost savings, and quality improvements
can be documented and discussed when they occur, as a result of
performing lessons learned at various points during the project.
In my company, some of our best project managers conduct a
lessons learned discussion as part of other scheduled meetings
on a regular basis, which, I think, is one of the most eective
formats. Tese project managers bring to the meeting milestones
that have been achieved and seize the opportunity to ask the
team: What lessons can we learn? Some specic areas that can
be reviewed include vendor management, communications,
equipment delivery, training, testing, and technical support.
Tese areas may vary by company or project, so it might be
helpful to develop a list of areas to explore for your company
and project. Yet, other project managers routinely schedule and
conduct lessons learned meetings once any project milestone
has been achieved.
Another great exercise for capturing lessons learned is when
trying something new; for example, perhaps your rm typically
contracts work out, but your company has determined that
there are benets to bringing this project in-house. Tis is a
good opportunity to document lessons learned.
Regardless of whether you use milestone achievement,
unique project conditions, regularly established meetings, or
other methods, the point made here is to build this the practice
of lessons learned into your culture. In my company, safety is
an important part of the cultureno matter where we go or
what we do, its always safety rst. If we can think this way
about lessons learned, then we will have achieved our objective!
Conclusion
In this article, Ive covered some important concepts that can
make lessons learned a successful part of your projects and
organization. Everyone knows Albert Einsteins denition of
insanity: doing things the same way again and again and
expecting dierent results. Making the time to document
lessons learned when they occur, providing guidance
regarding characterization or wording, and making lessons
learned part of your culture, are elementsif planned
and executed properlythat will have positive impacts on
productivity and morale.
About the Author
Bonnie Bischo is a Project Assurance Program lead.
Tis department works with major construction projects,
managing documentation primarily around prudence and
cost recovery and they also provide training and other
support to project teams, interfacing with the regulatory
and legal departments. Prior to her position in Project
Assurance, Bonnie was the Manager of Employee
Development for Progress Energy. Tis department
provides training, quality monitoring, reward and
recognition programs, and communications support for
their three customer-service centers. At Progress Energy,
Bonnie also managed a department that included billing,
credit, and revenue protection and other positions,
including the positions of human resource analyst, wholesale
power operations director, manager of governmental
support, and manager of customer operations. Bonnie also
worked at Florida Federal Savings and Loan, where she
began as a programming analyst and then worked as an
e-Learning specialist. Bonnie obtained a BSBA in nance
from the University of Florida and an MBA in business
administration from the Florida Institute of Technology.
Bonnie also graduated from the Leadership St. Petersburg
Program, the Leadership Development Institute of Eckerd
College, and the University of North Carolina Leadership
program. Bonnie has two children, Aaron and Rachael,
with whom she is entirely smitten and enjoys music
(playing the guitar and singing), backpacking, kayaking,
scuba diving, reading, and cycling. Bonnie earned her
PMP in November 2009.