Reusing Lessons Learned

Dr. Moria Levy
Jan 1, 2003
4 min read

Person typing on a computer showing "Document Insights." Three people converse in the background, room with natural light.

Investigation and lessons learned form the basis for processing and creating knowledge in organizations. The purpose of the entire process is to prevent the recurrence of errors in the future and to reuse insights that led to successes. However, so few succeed in this process. The problem is divided into two main components:

It is challenging to execute the lessons learned extraction process. We fear that the investigation will turn into an interrogation; it is difficult for us to admit mistakes, and it is difficult for us to identify root causes and derive lessons from them, which are the real organizational insights. Organizations have been addressing this component in recent years, and a culture of investigation and lessons learned extraction is slowly beginning to grow. The road is still long, but it is certainly being paved, and we are beginning to walk on it.

However, another component, no less central, is still lacking: How do we ensure that after we reach an insight, after we extract the lesson, we indeed implement it well? How do we ensure that in a year, a well-organized lessons learned process will not be carried out, at the end of which the same lesson that was already learned in the past will be learned? And this is the entire purpose of lessons learned extraction...

In this review, we present a methodology that structures the process, emphasizing implementation and building infrastructure for reuse. The methodology primarily addresses projects and/or fixed processes, but can also be adapted to exceptional events. The main principles of the methodology are as follows:

Building the lessons learned extraction process is carried out in three stages:

Before - The Establishment Stage:

Preliminary definition of participating organizational work processes. For example, project management, immigrant absorption in ulpan, marketing campaign management, and more.
Working according to a fixed method, defining a supporting Office template for documenting the work processes defined in the previous section. Usually, part of the process would have been documented anyway, but inconsistently and incompletely. Working according to a template guides organized and correct work, assists in documentation (for lessons learned extraction and in general), and also helps access knowledge that has already been accumulated in the past. If we focus on the example of project management, the template could be an expansion of existing templates within the organization to guide management, characterization, and testing sections (such as MAPAT). It is necessary to coordinate with organization managers to ensure the execution of relevant ongoing discussions based on the template.
Definition of characteristics (cataloging) for the process. The characteristics, based on organizational taxonomy, will later assist in the lesson generalization process (since there is little advantage to a lesson that cannot be used in other cases, only in cases completely identical to the one from which it was learned). The characteristics will also assist in the process of reusing knowledge documented throughout the process (beyond the lessons learned extraction discussed here). In the example above, the relevant characteristics could be technology, project scope, customer sector, and more.
Building an insights repository where insights can be stored, cataloged, and retrieved based on their characteristics. The repository can be built using various technologies, ranging from simple tools like Excel to content management systems for its management and/or the development of dedicated knowledge systems.
Establishing an initial content core that includes insights accumulated in the past in the organization and preserved in various formats (usually buried in Word documents or various presentations).

During the Individual Process Execution (while doing):

Cataloging the participating process by assigning values to the various characteristics.
Data collection during the activity.
Recording deviations. Recording surprises.

The entire process will be carried out by filling out the template at various stages and presenting it during ongoing work discussions.

During the recording, you will be able to access the insights repository directly from within the template. This repository already contains accumulated knowledge, and access to it, while referring to partial groups of characteristics, will enable learning from past lessons relevant to the current process. For example, during testing planning, it will be possible to click on a link that opens the insights repository and allows the retrieval of all existing insights regarding integration testing in TDMA technology projects within the organization.

Bringing insights closer to the user who produces the new process and facilitating accessibility through filtering by characteristics are the main factors that cause the reuse of already accumulated knowledge.

At the End of Process Execution (after):

Planning/execution comparison.
Analysis of deviations and surprises; planning/execution analysis.
Generalization of facts into phenomena.
Extraction of fundamental lessons based on the phenomena.
Generalization of lessons according to the characteristics.
Preservation of lessons in the insights repository.

At the end of the lessons learned extraction stage, we will have a collection of statements in the following structure:

Under conditions A, B, and C, it is worthwhile, necessary, forbidden, or advisable to consider X, Y, and Z.
A, B, C are the characteristics defining the lesson;
and X, Y, Z - are the basis of the lesson itself.