Learning from Lessons Learned: Project Management Research Program

Problem statement: When we fail to learn from our own mistakes or tho se of others, we tend to repeat the mistakes. This study discusse s lessons learned as important ways of gathering and sharing both formal and informal proj ect knowledge. Approach: The study presents findings of three studies from a research program o n lessons learned. The first study is a content analysis of two sets of conference proceedings. The second study is a case study from the energy sector on lessons learned. The final study is a con tent analysis of the Project Management Body of Knowledge ® Guide. Results: The conference proceedings study indicated that th e topic of lessons learned was under represented within the conference proceedings. This was in keeping with the literature review that the topic of lessons learned is emerging. The energy sector study shed light on the lessons learned process, best practices and challenges. The content analysis of the Project Management Body of Knowledge Guide ® showed that the guide defines lessons learned narr owly, primarily as a set of administrative, documented ou tputs pertaining mainly to the closeout phase. This was also evident in the guide's commodificatio n of lessons learned (and related terms). Conclusion/Recommendations: This study contributes to the fields of project man agement, knowledge management and workplace learning. Academics and practitioners use various terms to refer to lessons learned. Negative events often com pel companies to add lessons learned practices to their project management processes. In order to conduct effective lessons learned, there has to be management support, the right stakeholders shoul d be involved and knowledge should be shared in both codified and uncodified ways. Lesson s learned are processes that involve formal and informal learning. Effective lessons learned ca n be embedded into a company's practices, especially through informal learning and sharing pr actices, such as through Communities of Practice and by applying principles from workplace learning, such as situated learning theory.