Capturing lessons learnt

After months working with a client on a project, meeting all deliverables, on time and to budget, we know that, in itself, this is a measure of success. But with every project, no matter how successful, there are always lessons learnt. So, within a few days of project completion, we routinely undertake a ‘lessons learnt’ review. Typically, this will involve the core and support teams that have worked on the project.

Each delegate is asked to prepare their thoughts and materials to stimulate ideas and reflections ahead of the meeting. It is an opportunity to assess their personal contribution to the project, the project planning and process, communications, support, professional development gaps and more. A sample of these questions include:

• What worked well in this project and what didn’t?
• What were the key drivers of success? How can they be replicated in future?
• Did you feel supported in this project? If not, what could have helped?
• Were you equipped to succeed? If not, how could you be?
• In hindsight, did you spot any red flags that should have been raised or addressed earlier?
• Do you think the time was used effectively? How could this be improved?
• Did you have a clear understanding of the task? What could have accelerated this?
• Would you want to work on a similar project in the future? If not, why not?

We then hold the meeting and lead the discussion with member contributions to each question. The key learnings are documented and shared back with the team. Internally, we also share key learnings with our technical service line and back to the broader team at our weekly staff meeting. They are documented within the Project Management section of our intranet, to support future projects. Importantly, individuals can use these meetings to inform their professional and personal development.