I would further add that documenting lessons learned is not good enough. There are tons of excellent documents that one should read, but do most professionals have the time? If an organization is serious about improving and avoiding past mistakes, then in addition to capturing the lessons learned, organization should make sure that there is a point person (typically PMO) that actively brief the next project manager. I believe only through active engagement can professionals learn and hopefully avoid past mistakes.
Te Wu’s comments on the below article:
Jason Womack for Entrepreneur writes: Hindsight is 20/20, yet few people take advantage of this wisdom as a regular part of their business cycle. Fewer people still apply any kind of a review process to their personal goals and dreams. How often do you take the time to do a thorough debrief of a work project or a life event? There are cycles to work and life, and if you pause to reflect on the progress you’ve made and how far you have to go, you’ll put yourself in a position to be both strategic and tactical in your approach to getting things done.
Think about the last project you finished. The immediate value of your newly gained insights might disappear if you don’t stop and document what you learned, the experience you gained and even what you’d do differently right away. Research shows details are forgotten after about four to six days. Unfortunately, many people don’t do a debrief session with their team or their family, because they’ve started planning the next event.
The purpose of a debrief process is to find better ways of doing things by identifying mistakes that were made and / or resources that were wasted. By clarifying the lessons learned, you could save time and money the next time you work on a project even remotely like the one you just finished.
Two important outcomes of the debriefing process are (1) to learn and hold onto what works, and (2) to share and teach best practices for future success. There are four main topics to address during the debrief session. Answer these as personally as possible, and sit down with a colleague or family member afterward.
SNIP, the article continues @ Entrepreneur, click here to continue reading…
