For some organizations, Lessons Learned (LL) is an informal process of discussing and recording project experiences during the closure phase. For others, LL is a formal process that occurs at the end of each phase of a project. Regardless of when they are performed, if you are a project team member, chances are you will soon be required to present an evaluation of your project using Lessons Learned.
Presenting new information that updates the award-winning first edition, The Basics of Project Evaluation and Lessons Learned, Second Edition supplies practical guidance on conducting project Lessons Learned. The first edition won the Project Management Institute's (PMI®) David I. Cleland Project Management Literature Award. Following in the footsteps of its popular predecessor, this second edition provides an easy-to-follow, systematic approach to conducting Lessons Learned on a project.
- Updated to align with the PMBOK® Guide, Fifth Edition
- Includes three new chapters—PRINCE2®, Agile Retrospectives, and Knowledge Transfer— in response to information requests from readers of the first edition from around the world
- Enhanced with valuable new resources in the Project Evaluation Resource Kit (PERK) found on the downloadable resources, including a fully functional MS Access Lessons Learned Database
The research in this book is based on four years of doctoral dissertation research and is supported by renowned experts in the field of evaluation. The concepts covered are applicable to all types of organizations that implement projects and need to conduct Lessons Learned.
Providing tools and techniques for active engagement, the text is founded on the principles of conducting project evaluations as recommended by the Project Management Institute (PMI), the world’s leading not-for-profit membership association for the project management profession, and PRINCE2® (Project in Controlled Environments version 2), a major governing body of project management.
Simplifying and formalizing the methodology of conducting LL in projects, the contents of this book will help organizations, large and small, more effectively implement processes and systems to support effective LL. The text is supported by a Project Evaluation Resource Kit (PERK), which is found in the downloadable resources.
An Overview of Project Management
What Is a Project?
Why Project Management?
Project Management Process Groups
Project Management Knowledge Areas
Boundaries of Project Management
Who Is a Project Manager?
Programs versus Portfolios
What Is Lessons Learned?
Who Is a Lessons Learned Project Team Member?
What Project Knowledge Is Required?
What Competencies Are Essential?
Team Development Process
Organizational Structures
Organizational Cultures
Who Are Project Stakeholders?
Working with Project Stakeholders
Use the STYLE Framework to Discover Stakeholder Style
Use the TYPE Grid to Classify Stakeholders
Resolving Stakeholder Neutral Opinions
Project Management Office
Lessons That Apply to This Chapter
Suggested Reading
Foundations of Evaluation
Origins of Evaluation
Lessons Learned in Project Management
Classifications of Evaluation
Is Project Evaluation Complex?
What Is Component Evaluation?
What Is Outcome Evaluation?
Lessons Learned Is Project Learning
How Can Lessons Learned Be Used?
Is Intraproject Learning Feasible?
What Investment Is Required to Conduct Lessons Learned?
What Is Appreciative Inquiry?
Descriptive versus Evaluative Knowledge
Tacit, Explicit, and Embedded Knowledge
Determining Competence and Defining Competencies
What Is the DIKUD Continuum?
Lessons That Apply to This Chapter
References
Suggested Reading
The Lessons Learned Process
The Need to Evaluate Projects
Lessons and the Adult Learning Theory
Individual, Group, and Organizational Learning
Journaling to Capture Learning
Determining Needs and Wants
Lessons Learned Process
Foundation
Identification
Collection
Reposition
Distribution
Presentation
Verification
Adoption
Integration
Administration
Lessons That Apply to This Chapter
References
Suggested Reading
Lessons Learned Support Systems and Repositories
What Is a Lessons Learned Support System?
Why Use a Lessons Learned Support System?
What Is a Lessons Learned Repository?
Computer-Based Repositories versus Paper-Based Systems
Digital versus Electronic
Features of a Computer-Based Repository
Functions of an Electronic Repository
Benefits of an Electronic Repository
Records Management
Knowledge Management
Lessons That Apply to This Chapter
Suggested Reading
Best Practices and Benchmarking
Communities of Interest
Communities of Development
Communities of Practice
What Are Best Practices?
What Is Benchmarking?
Comparative versus Competitive Analysis
Choosing a Measurement Approach
Good Business Practices and Bulletins
Lessons That Apply to This Chapter
References
Suggested Reading
Case Studies
Introduction
Case Studies
Bellcore
CALVIN
Center for Army Lessons Learned
Eli Lilly
Hurricane Katrina
Kentucky Transportation System
MeetingsNet
NASA
Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems
University of Massachusetts
Lessons That Apply to This Chapter
References
Suggested Reading
Lessons Learned Scenarios in Real Life
Scenario Analysis
Scenarios
Customer Relationship Management
Project
Questions
Facilities Management
Project
Questions
Professional Association Management
Project
Questions
Developing Role Plays Based on Scenarios
Advanced Role Playing
Lessons That Apply to This Chapter
Suggested Reading
Capacity Building through Evaluation
What Is Capacity Building?
High-Quality Lessons Learned
Approaches to Conducting Evaluations
Popularized Evaluation Models
Research Methods
Measurement Practices
Lessons That Apply to This Chapter
Suggested Reading
Project Evaluation Management
Project Evaluation Management
Project Evaluation Plan
Evaluation Reporting
Good Documentation Practices versus Documentation Quality Standards
Visualization and Presentation
Project Management Network Diagrams
PERT
Gantt Charts
PEM as a New Knowledge Area?
Collaborative Evaluation
Microevaluation versus Macroevaluation
Key Evaluation Checklist
Lessons That Apply to This Chapter
Reference
Suggested Reading
Agile Retrospectives
What Are Agile Retrospectives?
A Brief History of Agile Project Management
Important Agile Project Management Retrospective Concepts to Understand
Newly Identified Resources for Agile Project Management and Retrospectives
Lessons That Apply to This Chapter
References
PRINCE2: Lessons Log and Lessons Report
What Is PRINCE2?
Using the Lessons Log in PRINCE2
Using the Lessons Report in PRINCE2
Lessons That Apply to This Chapter
References
Knowledge Transfer
What Is Knowledge Transfer?
How Is Knowledge Management Related to Knowledge Transfer?
Who Is Responsible for Knowledge Transfer?
Where Should Knowledge Be Transferred?
When Should Knowledge Transfer Occur?
Why Is Protecting Knowledge Transfer Important?
Which Barriers to Knowledge Transfer Should Be Addressed?
Plus/Minus/Delta (+/–/Δ)
What are Pluses?
What are Minuses?
What are Deltas?
Lessons That Apply to This Chapter
Reference
Suggested Reading
Appendix
Abbreviations
Terms and Definitions
Evaluation
Knowledge Management
Lessons Learned
Project Management
Records Management
Research Methods
Measurement Practices
Supply Chain Management
Visualization and Presentation
Concluding Thoughts
Index
Biography
Willis H. Thomas, Raymond W. Lam, David J. Nutt, Michael E. Thase
