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Lessons learned

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This article is about the concept in project management. For other uses, see Lessons learned (disambiguation).

Lessons learned or lessons learnt are experiences distilled from past activities that should be actively taken into account in future actions and behaviors.

There are several definitions of the concept. The one used by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, European Space Agency and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency sounds as follows: “A lesson learned is knowledge or understanding gained by experience. The experience may be positive, as in a successful test or mission, or negative, as in a mishap or failure...A lesson must be significant in that it has a real or assumed impact on operations; valid in that is factually and technically correct; and applicable in that it identifies a specific design, process, or decision that reduces or eliminates the potential for failures and mishaps, or reinforces a positive result.” [1]

The Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development defines lessons learned as “Generalizations based on evaluation experiences with projects, programs, or policies that abstract from the specific circumstances to broader situations. Frequently, lessons highlight strengths or weaknesses in preparation, design, and implementation that affect performance, outcome, and impact.” [2]

In the practice of the United Nations the concept has been made explicit in the name of their Working Group on Lessons Learned of the Peacebuilding Commission.

In the military field, conducting a Lessons learned analysis requires a leader-led after-actions debriefing. These debriefings require the leader to extend the lessons-learned orientation of the standard after-action review. He uses the event reconstruction approach or has the individuals present their own roles and perceptions of the event, whichever best fits the situation and time available.[3]

Usage

Lessons are learned by all – both individuals and organizations. We all learn intuitively from our own actions: a baby learns how to stand after falling again and again; an adult may learn how to order a movie ticket in advance if he misses a show due to tickets’ unavailability. Organizations also learn; in many organizations, lessons learning is a managed process. In some sectors, especially where safety is a major concern, like space agencies, military forces, factories. etc., lessons learning is routine. Failing and learning from lessons is an essential part of innovational processes; it is therefore common to find these learnings in the high-tech industry. In many places over the world one can join “fuckup nights” and learn stories of failures shared by other people, speaking about their mistakes and what they have learned from them.

Challenges

Efficient and effective learning is not always easy to achieve. Common challenges include:

  • Time: Not taking the time to learn. May occur, as organizations are always busy and in a rush, and the lessons learning is naturally the end of the process.

Organizations are encouraged to embed the process learning as part of processes, and to engage management in requesting the learning & results.

  • Cognitive Dissonance: People tend to see other peoples’ “fault”, while minimizing parts they were in charge of. This is the essence of “cognitive dissonance”- wanting to feel good with my decisions and myself.

Organizations are encouraged to overcome this challenge by focusing on what happened, rather than who was in charge of this happening, role modeling and nurturing a positive attitude towards the learning and learners.

  • Usage: In too many organizations and too many occasions the lessons learned are applied only partly.

Organizations can improve utilization of what has been learned, by defining ways to draw the knowledge near the employees, so they can use it in the time and context they may need it. Organizations are also called to make the knowledge easily accessible, for whom seek it.

Methods

Reference: Cronin, G., & Andrews, S. (2009). After action reviews: a new model for learning. Emergency Nurse (through 2013), 17(3), 32. There are many methodologies for learning lessons- all based on analyzing the past; understanding causing factors and their corresponding root causes; and suggesting recommendations for the future. The most common methodology After Action Review (AAR), was introduced by the US Marines. It includes 4 questions: What did we expect? Expectations could be defined in terms of targets to be met, missions to be completed, budget, time or other resources to be properly invested and used What actually happened? Gaps between wish and reality are highlighted. It can help to seek for surprises as to what was expected. Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? The why question is asked again and again (5 times); question repetition enables deep learning and understanding of the root causes of the gaps found. What is recommended? Based on the understanding of the root causes, recommendations for future are articulated: What should be avoided; how to best act; etc.

AAR is effective for both simple and complex learning processes. The learning can be based on success, enabling the organization to replicate the success and turn it to a systematic approach; learning can be based on failures, helping the organization to prevent similar problems or failures in the future. The learning can include both positive and negative recommendations. After generating new lessons, it is vital to spread the new knowledge to all relevant parties, and to take steps that will help the employees know, remember and actually use the new knowledge.

See also

Further reading

  • NASA Lessons Learned
  • Levy, M. (2017). A Holistic Approach to Lessons Learned: How Organizations Can Benefit from Their Own Knowledge. CRC Press.
  • Milton, N. (2010). The Lessons Learned Handbook: Practical approaches to learning from experience. Elsevier.

References

  1. ^ [Secchi, P. (Ed.) (1999). Proceedings of Alerts and Lessons Learned: An Effective way to prevent failures and problems (Technical Report WPP-167). Noordwijk, The Netherlands: ESTEC]
  2. ^ [OECD – DAC (2002) Glossary of Key Terms in Evaluation and Results Based Management. Evaluation and Aid Effectiveness No 6. http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/29/21/2754804.pdf]
  3. ^ Department of the Army (2009). Field Manual No. 6-22.5. Combat and Operational Stress Control Manual for Leaders and Soldiers. Department of the Army Headquarters, Washington, DC, 18 March 2009. p. 50
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