Abstract:
Learning lessons from projects is becoming increasingly critical to organizations and has peaked academics' and practitioners' interests. Although for many reasons in pra...Show MoreMetadata
Abstract:
Learning lessons from projects is becoming increasingly critical to organizations and has peaked academics' and practitioners' interests. Although for many reasons in practice, the process of learning today to avoid making the same mistake tomorrow does not necessarily take place throughout the project's lifecycle. This paper is based on research aimed at examining the measurable impact of systematic Lessons Learned, on Project Reviews. Multiple semi-structured interviews were conducted in-depth with project managers working in various industries and with different levels of experience. The focus was on gathering practical savoir-faire and knowledge within projects and understanding their nature, timeframe, barriers and implications for developing a systematic approach for future projects. Generally, the nature of lessons occurring in projects converges from one to another but generate different situational impacts. Despite Lessons Learned being fundamental in avoiding reinventing the wheel, preventing knowledge loss and capitalizing knowledge, literature does not suggest a clear integrated model to help project leaders with theses. Given the nature of systematic Lessons Learned, as explored in this paper, results have shown contradicting practices compared to past studies, regarding realistic timeframes to initiate project learning reviews. Although the knowledge fragmentation paradigm persists in existing, the results validate practical learning paradoxes and attempt to fill the gaps in literature for a greater understanding of how to systematically learn from projects. Ultimately, this paper develops a model to support systematic learning from projects. The research also led to several recommendations to be adopted in order to improve Lessons Learned processes in projects.
Published in: 2017 12th International Scientific and Technical Conference on Computer Sciences and Information Technologies (CSIT)
Date of Conference: 05-08 September 2017
Date Added to IEEE Xplore: 09 November 2017
ISBN Information: