| |
| |
|
Management Information |
|
|
|
Knowledge Management - Lessons Learned and How To Identify Them
Many organisations use the term "lessons learned" to describe the way in which they avoid repeating mistakes, or ensure that they build on past successes, yet a lesson can only be applied if it has been successfully identified, and captured first. Even in "learning organisations" who profess to be good at knowledge management and knowledge sharing, the process for identifying lessons learned can lacks rigour or depth. All too often, lessons end up as "motherhood and apple pie" statements, and end up in reports on shelves gathering dust (or its electronic equivalent). The guidelines below are drawn from the book "Learning to Fly - Practical knowledge management from leading and learning organisations" (Chris Collison and Geoff Parcell), and set out ten key steps to facilitating a "lessons learned" review. 1 Call the meeting. Hold a face-to-face meeting as soon as you can after the project ends, within weeks rather than months. 2 Invite the right people. The project leader needs to attend, as do key members of the project team. If a similar project is already underway, then there is great value in the new project team attending - a "customer" for the knowledge 3 Appoint a facilitator. Identify a facilitator who was not closely involved in the project. The facilitator should be someone who can ask questions from an independent, but non-threatening standpoint. This isn't an audit, it's an investment! 4 Revisit the objectives and deliverables of the project. Ask "what did we set out to do?" and "what did we achieve?" 5 Go through the project step by step. Revisit the project plan and identify any deviation from plan. Where were the delays, and what went ahead of schedule? What changed and why? 6 Ask ?what went well?? Ask "what were the successful steps towards achieving your objective?" and "what went really well in the project?" Ask a "why?" question several times. This is vital, and will get you to the root of the reason. Don't take the initial response at face value. Often people don't even realise what the underlying reason behind a success or failure is. Your role may involve guiding them on a voyage of discovery (without regressing them to their childhood!). 7 Find out why these aspects went well, and express the learning as advice or guidelines for the future. This is a key point. Try to avoid expressing lessons learned in a passive, past tense, such as: "Project Foxtrot completed ahead of schedule because the project team remained in-tact throughout the design and execution stages". The lesson will be far more accessible to others if it is expressed as: "On time-critical projects, ensure that the project team remains consistent throughout the design and execution stages of the project. This will eliminate any learning-curve issues due to the take-on of new staff". As the facilitator, acknowledge feelings and press for the facts. Ask "what repeatable, successful processes did we use?? and ?how could we ensure future projects go just as well, or even better?" 8 Ask "what could have gone better?" Ask "what were the aspects that stopped you delivering even more?" Identify the stumbling blocks and pitfalls, so they can be avoided in future by asking "what would your advice be to future project teams, based on your experiences here?" 9 Ensure that participants leave with their feelings acknowledged. Ask for "Marks out of ten" and "What would make it a ten for you?" to access residual issues. 10 Record the meeting. Use quotes to express the depth of feeling. Express the recommendations as clearly, measurably and unambiguously as possible, using the guideline format explained in point 7. Take a photograph of the project team, and ensure that you record contact information (e-mail and telephone) to make follow-up conversations easy for anyone reading he lessons learned. Ensure that you circulate the write-up around the participants for comment, and permission to use specific quotes before sharing more widely. Conclusion Identifying and recording lessons learned is fairly straightforward process, given the simple set of steps above and a measure of facilitation skills. Of course, identifying the lessons is only part of a knowledge management cycle; lessons learned, and the guidelines that they spawn, have no intrinsic value. The benefits come from ensuring that the lessons are actually applied - which is another story! Chris Collison is a renowned expert in knowledge management and an experienced practitioner in the leadership and implementation of organisational change from a people perspective. As a best-selling author, he has presented to audiences at business schools and at conferences around the world, and is a regular contributor to specialist knowledge management publications. Chris has worked with leaders at the highest levels of many public and private-sector organizations, sharing the practical experiences he gained whilst working in BP's knowledge management team, and his deep understanding of the human dynamics of major change programmes.
MORE RESOURCES:
Management - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Diversity in the Workplace As you look around your office, is everyone just like you? Probably not. The demographics of the American workforce have changed dramatically over the last 50 years. Oasis in a Cash Flow Desert - Four Resources That Increase Small Business Capital Streams For small business owners, an enthusiastic vision for smooth, steady growth can become nothing more than a mirage once company cash flow problems begin to heat up. Most will struggle with the timing of payment from clients or customers at some point, all while attempting to pay their own bills in a timely fashion. Déjà Vu MCI to Qwest International Inc: Can this Corporate Marriage Survive? Current Situation:As of this writing, the MCI Board of Governors has given Verizon Communications Inc. one week to sweeten their $7. Get Meeting off To a Great Start When asked what part of their job they find a major time waster, many will answer loud and clear.. Success in Business Means Managing Negative Emotions You may have the MBA but if an internal critic constantly berates you, or you have feelings of self-doubt, low self-confidence, fears of rejection or other negative emotions your chances of success may be quite limited.More and more executives are beginning to realize that the next frontier in maximizing their chances for success is to start focusing on building personal internal skills that go beyond the business training that they have already received. CEOs Role in Family Business I first met Roland (not his real name) in 1972. He was a high school student working a summer job in his father's business. Creativity and Innovation Management - Money Doesnt Do It Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be defined as consisting of a number of ideas, a number of diverse ideas and a number of novel ideas. Boost Your Leadership Skills Simply By Answering The Question, What Does Our Organization Really... The difference between leaders is ears. Good leaders not only ask good questions, but they actually listen to the answers. Doing More With Less This is a bottom-line environment.Decreasing the downtime of revenue producing employees is a major concern. Creativity and Innovation Management - Hierarchies Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be defined as consisting of a number of ideas, a number of diverse ideas and a number of novel ideas. Success at Work : People Skills : Dealing with New Ideas Re-organizing, re-engineering, re-training, down-sizing, outsourcing, changing-changing-changing. Organizations today think they need to be constantly changing or they will perish. 30 Ways to be a Butt-Head Boss 1. Trust no one. Knowledge Management - Learning Whilst Doing - Facilitating an After Action Review Introducing a learning culture into organisations can be difficult at times, particularly if the effort required it great and the benefits aren't quickly identifiable.After Action Reviews (known as AARs) are one of the simplest knowledge management techniques, and have been used to great effect in organisations ranging from the US Army, to BP, and even in the development sector in NGOs like TearFund. Bullying and the Not for Profit Organisation Where there is people there is politics! Bullying is now a major workplace issue that has invaded our not for profit organisations. Take the following example. The Retailers Calendar The Julian calendar we use to pass the time every day, every week, every month and every year is the one most commonly used by businesses. Its general availability and familiarity make it a natural selection. How To Prevent Your New Manager From Becoming A Statistic According to a study by the Manchester Group, 4 out of 10 new managers fail in the first 18 months! The top 5 reasons cited:Not building partnerships or teams with colleagues and peersUnclear expectationsNot enough political savvyTakes too long to learn the jobInability to balance work and personal livesEvery day new managers are hired or promoted because of "what they know". When they fail to thrive it's because of "who they are" or "how they go about getting things done". Problem-Solving Success Tip: Test Your Assumptions About Everything Test your assumptions about everything.Assumptions have a way of creeping into all parts of a problem-solving project. Knowledge Mapping This module focuses on the basics of Knowledge Mapping, its importance, principles, and methodologies.Key QuestionsWhat is K-map?What does the K-map show, and what do we map?Why is K-mapping so important?What are some of the key principles, methodologies, and questions for K-mapping?How do we create K-map?BackgroundEach of the past centuries has been dominated by single technology. Managing After Downsizing So, you survived the downsizing. Your company did something that will probably show minimal, if any, return -- and will make your job as a manager a living hell. What is Knowledge Management Anyway? When you think of all the things companies have, you do not always consider the knowledge they have. For instance, a company is only as good as its employees, its resources, and its knowledge.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |