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Project Management

Lessons learned reviews: how to run one that people actually use

A practical guide to lessons learned reviews: when to hold them, how to run them without blame, and how to make sure the lessons are found and used, drawing on APM and IPA material.

Most teams agree that learning from past projects is a good idea. Fewer manage to do it in a way that changes what happens next. This guide sets out practical steps for running a lessons learned review that produces something people will actually use, drawing on published material from the Association for Project Management (APM) and the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA).

Why lessons learned often go unused

An APM article by Elisabeth Goodman and John Riddell says lessons learned are often not captured well, that stakeholders may not know what exists or how to reach it, and that cultural and behavioural barriers can stop people learning from mistakes, failures and successes. In other words, the problem is rarely the template. It is usually what happens before and after the meeting.

A separate APM article by Karlene Agard makes a similar point: sessions held only at close can end in "high fives or blame and recrimination" instead of becoming a tool for building project success.

Step 1: Do not wait until the end

Agard suggests holding sessions earlier, for example at key stage gates and when a project moves from development to delivery. She notes that earlier sessions can surface risks to add to the risk management action plan, whereas late reviews face practical problems: teams move on to other work and informed stakeholders become hard to reach.

Goodman and Riddell describe After Action Reviews as frequent, short, informal reviews held after significant events so that corrective action can happen quickly. A sensible suggestion is to combine the two: short reviews along the way, and a fuller one at the end.

Step 2: Set ground rules and a simple structure

The same APM article gives the ground rules for an After Action Review as everyone being involved and no blame. It also gives a typical structure, which works well for any review:

For an end-of-project review, the authors describe a workshop in which planned and actual milestones were mapped and team members annotated them with what went well and what could improve. They say involving the whole team, including sponsors, makes this most effective.

Step 3: Produce lessons and actions

Agard describes the output of a proper session as two things: lessons, meaning advice for similar situations, and discrete actions, meaning changes to the normal way of doing things. She says someone in the room should leave with an action that changes something in the business, whether large or small. A useful rule of thumb is that every lesson should either have an owner and an action, or a clear reason why not.

Step 4: Make lessons easy to find

Agard recommends a retention system better than filing lessons where nobody finds them, and suggests tagging files with metadata keywords so they are searchable. She says this need not be complex, since many systems that store files and metadata can serve the purpose. Comments on the Goodman and Riddell article from readers make related suggestions, such as organising lessons around strategic objectives. These are reader opinions, not guidance, but they are worth considering.

Step 5: Share by conversation, not just by document

Goodman and Riddell state that conversation is the most effective way to share lessons learned, and mention communities of practice, new teams learning from previous teams, and holding project managers accountable for a proactive approach. They also describe Peer Assists, where a new team meets members of previous teams, presents draft plans and concerns, and uses the insights to revise its plans and inform risk analysis.

Step 6: Build learning into the start of the next project

Agard suggests reviewing lessons from similar past projects at the start of a new one so that lessons are applied and not just recorded. The IPA and Ministry of Defence report Project Initiation: Lessons Learned Report (June 2021) takes the same line, recommending that learning from experience be a core part of initiation, using feedback sessions and lessons from projects with similar challenges. It also recommends capturing feedback from departing team members and reflecting regularly on whether best practice is being missed. The report draws on interviews about five Defence projects, so treat its findings as one useful evidence base and not a universal rule.

A quick checklist

Sources