Lessons (really) Learned? How to Retain Project Knowledge and Avoid Recurring Nightmares

“PMI” is a registered trade and service mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.

©2010 Permission is granted to PMI for PMI® Marketplace use only

Lessons (really) Learned?

How to Retain Project Knowledge

and Avoid Recurring Nightmares

MUSTAFA DÜLGERLER National Bank of Abu Dhabi

MARCO NEGRI Anas S.p.A.

1



Marco Negri Mustafa Dülgerler

2

Who I am

Where I come from

IT Manager, PMP, CBAP, COBIT, ITIL 16+ years IT experience

Anas SpA: Italy’s National Roads Authority 30.500 km of roads and highways 6.500 employees

Who I am

Where I come from

Project Manager, Trainer, Enterprise Architect 13+ years of experience

National Bank of Abu Dhabi Presence in 16 countries 5,000 employees



Agenda

Knowledge Management

Lessons Learned

Case Study: KM in

practice Conclusion

1 2 3 4

3



Session objectives

• Present Knowledge Management as a means

of improving business performance

• Suggest useful tips about Lessons Learned

• Present a Case Study in the construction

industry

4



Information is NOT Knowledge Albert Einstein

5



The definition of “Knowledge” still remains

elusive.

T h e o r i e s ,

M o d e l s

© Image copyright of Dreamworks Pictures

6



Knowledge Fairs

Workshop, Training and

Seminars

Forums and Meetings

Peer Assist, Review

Storytelling

Mentoring Coaching

Communities of Practice

Defining KM becomes more difficult

Data

Data

Data

Information

Capture Process

Knowledge

7



KM requires continuous effort

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

8



Many models attempt to explain KM from

different perspectives



CEN explains one of the most effective KM

Models

CEN (2004)

10


©2010 Permission is granted to PMI for PMI® Marketplace use only 11



What are Lessons Learned?

12




• “The knowledge gained during a project…

• …which shows how project events were

addressed or should be addressed in the

future…

• …with the purpose of improving future

performance.”

(PMBOK 5th edition)

13




Three Ingredients:

1. An experience to learn from

2. A pattern of doing things in similar situations

3. A goal to improve something

14




• The traditional form of a lesson learned:

– In this situation…

– you should do this…

– in order to improve/avoid that

15



The Lessons Learned Traditional Process

16




• Three main steps:

1. Collection: analyze experience and identify

lessons

2. Documentation: document and archive

identified lesson

3. Communication: communicate lessons to the

people that should use them

17

Collection Documentation Communication




• Shortcomings:

− Most companies have institutionalized the

process of collecting, documenting and

communicating lessons learned…

− …but lessons often

get lost in some sort

of “lessons learned

database” - as in a

“black hole” - that

nobody ever looks at

18




• Why the traditional

process fails?

1. Failure to focus on

what matters most

2. Failure to assimilate

lessons into company

culture & processes

19



The proposed process

Collection Prioritization Documentation Communication Assimilation

20



The proposed process

• Adding two steps:

1. Collection: analyze experience and identify lessons

2. Prioritization: filter only the relevant lessons for further processing

3. Documentation: document and archive identified lesson

4. Communication: communicate lessons to the people that should use them

5. Assimilation: where happens the true “digestion” of the lessons by the organization

21



Lessons Learned Tips

22




• For each of the 5 steps of the proposed process some typical traps and implementation tips will be presented…

• …from the real-life experience of the speaker

23



© Image copyright of Dreamworks Animation


• Each step will be presented with three points:

–The Common practice

–The Trap

–The Remedy

• Using a cinematographic metaphor from…

24





The Common Practice The Remedy The Trap

The Common practice is the

traditional way to do things

The Trap is what often actually

happen The Remedy is the suggested

approach to prevent the issue

Tradition hard reality Prevention

25



Collection Prioritization Documentation Communication Assimilation

The proposed process (recap)

26



The Common practice


Step #1 - Collection

• Lessons are usually gathered directly

from project stakeholders, through:

• Post Project Review

• Project Appraisal

• Project Assessment

• Project Audit

• Project Evaluation

• etc…

27



The Trap



• People is normally reluctant to admit

failures...

• …so lessons learned workshops are

ineffective to address the real causes of

failures

28



The Remedy



• “Delplhi method”:

1. Participants answer questionnaires (e.g. “what went bad/good?”)

2. After each round a facilitator provides an anonymous summary

3. Participants are encouraged to revise their earlier answers in light of the replies of others

29



The Common practice


Step #2 - Prioritization

• All the lessons identified by “Post

Project Review” participants are

documented for future retrieval

• Every participant is given the chance to

add his findings…

• …independently of his role or

contribution to the project

30



The Trap



• Not every partecipant has the same level

of awareness of project issues and

underlying causes…

• …and everyone has the tendency to

consider his viewpoint the most

important

• The result is a big mess of disarticulated

lessons, that fails to concentrate on the

few main issues that jeopardize projects

31



The Remedy



• Restrict the prioritization process only to

the key project team members

• Use a scoring system to identify the

most effective lessons

• “Dot-voting”:

− Participants are given a fixed number

of prioritization “units” (usually “dot

stickers”)…

− …which they distribute among the

lessons being prioritized

32



The Common practice


Step #3 - Documentation

• Describe the lessons in a textual

format…

• …linking each lesson to the problem it

should prevent

33



The Trap



• Often lessons are documented in a “not-

actionable” format…

• …with no practical instruction on how to

implement the lesson

• Generic terms are used, like:

• be careful when…

• we will strive more to…

• etc.

34



The Remedy



• Try to identify the practical changes in

the way of doing things

• For example:

− further detail the lesson “be careful

when” into “check this and that

when…”

− …or transform “we will strive more

to…” into “you will need at

minimum two people to…”

35



The Common practice


Step #4 - Communication

• Communicate lessons learned by

publishing them in:

• Blogs

• Wikis

• Corporate intranets

• Project sites

• Knowledge Management Systems

• etc.

36



The Trap



• When the next project begins, no one

looks into the huge lessons learned

database…

• …because it is very time consuming to

find the right lesson learned for the

specific work you have to do at the

moment

37



The Remedy



• Link every lesson to a specific type of

“deliverable”…

• …and classify lessons for time plans,

lessons for budget, lessons for risk

response plans, etc.

• Before start working on a specific

deliverable, it’ll be very easy to retrieve

all the lessons related to that deliverable

38



The Common practice


Step #5 - Assimilation

• Before starting a new project it should

be a good practice to consult the lessons

learned database…

• …to find any applicable knowledge

39



The Trap



• When the next project begins, it is hard

to search for any applicable lesson to

the particular situation you have to

face…

• …so often this step is skipped…

• …making useless all the previous efforts

to gather the lessons

40



The Remedy



• Create a Checklist for each type of

deliverable (e.g. Time Plan Checklist,

Budget Checklist, Risk Response Plan

Checklist, etc.)

• Incorporate the lessons learned in these

checklists, in a readily actionable way

• Do the same with Templates,

Procedures, KPIs, etc.

41



The Remedy



• The only way to assimilate lessons is to

incorporate them into process assets

42



The Remedy



• If a lesson is not in the right checklist,

you haven’t learnt it!

43




44

Case Study: KM in construction industry



We interviewed 4 construction and project

management companies.

4 companies

interviews 10+ surveys 30+

Documents reviewed

50+

More than 10,000+ employees

C- Level Executives

Program Managers

Professionals at various levels

Managing simultaneous projects

High Value (Prestigious) Projects

Databases

Reports

Plans

45



Understanding of Their Understanding of KM

If Yes ➢ To which extent KM practices being used and how are

the benefits realized. ➢ What are key success factors of effective KM model? ➢ What resources could facilitate successful

implementation of KM model? ➢ How was it implemented? Is there ongoing adaptation? ➢ Is it successful / how is that measured? ➢ Is there KM model used in your global offices and not

implemented on local level? ➢ What were the major difficulties in KM implementation

in your company? ➢ Who is responsible for managing KM within the

company? ➢ What examples of KM and KM models can you share

with us and how has this been a success to date? ➢ Is KM in the company tacit, explicit or a mixture of

both? …

If No ➢ Why is KM/KM model not used? ➢ Was it implemented previously? ➢ What are the barriers / challenges to implementing a

KM model? Macro-economic level and company level? ➢ Is there a plan to establish a KM model in the future? ➢ Expand questions to explain existing models and

understand if something worth adopting. …

Is there a KM strategy or model in place in your company?

What is Knowledge Management? How important is it for your organizations?

46



After a long analysis phase, our findings are …

2. Opportunities exist for increasing network sharing of knowledge

6. Right information in the right place. It needs to be easily accessible.

3. Culture, leadership and people drives KM. Systems and processes facilitate it.

4. An effective KM system must figure out what knowledge is critical and how to transfer it.

8. No one is an expert in all fields.

7. Different departments / business functions view and use knowledge in different ways.

1. KM in the UAE construction industry is in its infancy

5. Business efficiency and commercial impact are key measures of any KM initiative

9. KM useful in training programs.

47



Framework for Managing Knowledge

Throughout Business

48



Recommendations to adopt KM practices

Clearly define the

knowledge that generates

value

Clearly define and publish

KM strategy and

objectives

Keep it simple Retain key staff wherever

possible - protect the core

of your business

Benefit from various IT

solutions to store, archive,

track the knowledge

Promote KM internally across

business functions and

externally to wider network

49



Selected References

1. Alrawi, K. (2008), Knowledge management and organisations perceptions in the United Arab

Emirates: case study, International Journal of Commerce and Management, Volume 18, No.4,

2008, pp. 382 – 394.

2. Carrilo,P.M et al. (2000). Knowledge Management Strategy for Construction: Key IT and

Contextual Issue, Proceedings of CIT 2000, Reykjavik, Iceland, 28-30 June, Gudnason, G. (ed.),

155-165

3. CEN (2004) CEN CWA 14924 European Guide to good Practice in Knowledge Management - Part

1 to 5, Brussels.

4. Siddique, M., (2012), Knowledge management initiatives in the United Arab Emirates: a baseline

study, Journal of Knowledge Management, Vol. 16, Issue 5, pp. 702-723

5. Wiig, K. M. (1993). Knowledge management foundations: Thinking about thinking : how people

and organizations create, represent, and use knowledge. Arlington, Tex: Schema Press.

6. Wong, K., (2005), Critical Success Factors for implementing knowledge management in small and

medium enterprises, Industrial Management and Data Systems, 105 (3), pp 261 -279

7. Yin, R. K. (2009). Case study research: Design and methods (4th ed). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage

Publications

50



That’s all folks!



Questions?

52



Our 20th Anniversary

Volunteers: a cast to conquer!



Please rate our session! Visit the “AoF Sessions” section of

the mobile app and tap on my session to rate.

marco.negri.330 marconegri @piv8tweet mnegri

Name | Marco Negri

Web | www.stradeanas.it

Email | [email protected]

Thank you!

Lessons (really) Learned? How to Retain Project Knowledge and Avoid Recurring Nightmares

Lessons (really) Learned?

Mustafa.dulgerler

Name | Mustafa Dülgerler

Web | www.mustafadulgerler.com

Email | [email protected]

54