How can you ensure lessons learned are captured and shared in construction projects?

Steps for planning ahead to capture lessons learned really depends on your company’s role. For trade contractors, lessons learned is less project based and more task based. You need a way to capture and distribute information and lessons learned at all times because your crews encounter different conditions every time they go to a project. For general contractors, your plan for capturing lessons learned may be more project based (i.e. lessons learned in health care construction, k-12 schools, etc). You will rarely end up being able to “assign responsibilities” to this effort. Rather encourage all team members to capture information when they encounter something new.

When public infrastructure projects don't achieve their benefits, experience significant cost and schedule over-runs, or operation failures a public inquiry may be called to identify the issues, root causes and make recommendations. The inquiry reports can be used to extract lessons learned during the planning stage of a similar project to identify risks and add these to an action plan.

The importance of a systematic approach for capturing and sharing lessons learned (LL)cannot be overstated, as it not only enhances project performance but also serves as a foundation for improvement and knowledge sharing. Establish a structured process for documenting project experiences,including successes and challenges.Promote a culture of continuous improvement, encouraging the sharing of insights openly.Leverage technology and data-driven tools to facilitate the dissemination of LL,ensuring insights become an integral part of future projects. While this may sound simple,it often proves to be a complex and multifaceted challenge in practice, requiring meticulous planning,consistent execution, and a dedicated commitment to excellence.

Considering the larger context, I believe that assigning specific individuals or teams responsible for capturing and sharing lessons learned should be closely integrated with proactive planning. This individual or group should be knowledgeable about the project and have the authority to implement it. By planning ahead, the project team can cultivate a shared understanding of the process's expectations and benefits among all involved parties. It also allows for the allocation of the necessary resources and time, ensuring that the lessons-learned process is executed effectively and contributes to continuous improvement in future projects.

Planning ahead is essential for a robust lessons learned process in any project. Before commencing, establish clear objectives, scope, methods, tools, roles, and responsibilities for capturing and sharing lessons throughout the project's life cycle. Identify key stakeholders, including clients, contractors, consultants, and suppliers, who should participate or have an interest in this process. Effective planning ensures that everyone understands the importance and advantages of lessons learned. It also guarantees you have the necessary resources and time to execute the process effectively. In essence, strategic pre-planning is the foundation for a successful lessons learned approach, fostering continuous improvement.

In the beginning of the project, we have defined the control sheet called REX (Return of Experience) sheet and we fill it on weekly meeting, after completing an important milestone, we fill our lesson learned in term of way of working, installation concepts, problems which we faced with solution, anticipation,...etc Also, we don't forget of the step for closing and hand over the project to share lesson learned/REX to be kept in the projects register to ensure that for other future projects can be used if we will have similar scope.

Collecting data throughout the project lifecycle is crucial for uncovering valuable lessons learned. Sources for this data range from project documents and reports to surveys, interviews, audits, and observations. This should encompass both quantitative and qualitative data to encompass facts and participant opinions. Employ diverse methods and tools like questionnaires, checklists, databases, and software for data collection. Importantly, adopt a systematic and continuous approach, rather than waiting until the project's conclusion, to capture evolving insights and adaptations. By consistently gathering data from various avenues, you ensure a comprehensive understanding of the project's dynamics, contributing to informed lessons learned

In my experience, I have found that mining project documents, reports, and records have often revealed hidden gems of knowledge. Data collection by way of surveys and interviews with the project teams not only offers a more human-touch approach but also helps in capturing nuanced opinions and experiences. Additionally, being physically present at the project site to collect data allows for firsthand insights that might not be apparent through documentation alone. Finally, I strongly believe that data collection should not be a one-time event instead, it should be an ongoing systematic practice that captures the evolving landscape of a project.

Since the beginning of the project, all the captured Lessons Learned must be registered in a proper register log, to avoid being forgotten. In this record, we keep not only the challenges but also the victories. We keep a record of every detail, every step taken, every adaptation, every adjustment - so that they are not just words in the wind. Why is this so important? Because repeating mistakes is a cost we are trying to eliminate. We want to build better projects, faster and more efficiently

I agree with the commenter. It is my experience as well that keeping a log of the highlights and the challenges makes a good resource for future projects. In addition, logging solutions implemented and suggestions made will provide added value if a similar situation arise or to avoid a similar situation.

Failure to analyze lessons learned continues to plague the construction industry. Perhaps the adoption of new technology can help us with this. We continually make the same mistakes from one project to the next because we are constantly moving forward and fail to stop to learn from the lessons of the past. Identify tasks that you should be analyzing, and schedule time to do so. Some tasks, like confined space entry, mandate this. You must sit down at least once a year to analyze what went well and what went wrong throughout the year. Consider a similar schedule to evaluate your activities on a scheduled basis, rather than after each project ends.

Once you've gathered the data, the next step is to analyze and document the lessons learned in a human-readable way. This involves sifting through the information to identify the project's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Additionally, categorize these lessons based on their relevance, importance, and how they apply to various project aspects, like scope, quality, cost, time, risk, safety, or communication. Once organized, document these lessons in a clear, concise, and consistent format, such as a report, presentation, spreadsheet, or dashboard. Don't forget to include recommendations and action plans that can benefit future projects.

To supplement and provide clarity to this statement, the analysis methodology here would be referring to the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis tool. I think this is relevant as it offers a comprehensive assessment that allows us to gain a holistic understanding of the project's performance, identifying areas of excellence and those that require improvement. Nevertheless, generally, I feel that the aspects of analyzing and documenting the lessons learned here can be further refined by including more specific guidance on analysis techniques, categorization criteria, and formats for documentation.

It's important, to document lessons in a clear and consistent format such as a report, presentation, spreadsheet, or dashboard including recommendations and action plans for future projects. However, here's an interesting point: Documenting lessons learned is not a definitive process. As the oil and gas industry evolves, lessons learned must be constantly reviewed and updated so that they can be applied in the new project context. So, starting today, how about inserting a periodic analysis of lessons learned into your project calendar? This small step can make a big difference in the effective completion of your next projects.

The analysis of lessons learned should be conducted through brainstorming sessions with the team, rather than individually. When sharing knowledge and aiming to preserve valuable information for future projects, it is essential to eliminate any redundant or low-priority items. Maintaining and sharing valuable information with subsequent projects is not only advisable as a document but also as a presentation, which can be more beneficial.

Setting up a portal, or a company intranet, is a great way to share lessons and information. Using something like Microsoft SharePoint to do this is fairly easy, looks great, and gives you the ability to use different formats such as a blog or newsfeed, video, and podcasts. It’s also secure and easy for everyone to access if you are already using Office 365. There are also some new solutions available from companies like On3 (www.on3.ai) that allow team members to quickly capture activities in the field using video and then add those as internal company lessons that can be searched and viewed by other team members.

Fb@work is a great platform to instantly share with the internal audience. For external stakeholders like clients or consultants, blogpost platforms are a great tool but one should be aware of the information security policy as such platforms are mostly public domain. Apart from the time and resource required to publish, people need some kind of motivation to put their effort. It could be visibility of the author to the broader audience as 'Top Contributor', could be linked to KRA under 'value addition', and other incentives like gift coupons etc. Though we have AI tools to write effective content, companies should demonstrate commitment to build this culture and contributors need 'motivators' to go above and beyond.

It's crucial to effectively communicate and disseminate the lessons learned to the pertinent stakeholders. This entails presenting and engaging in discussions regarding these insights with the project team, clients, management, and other parties poised to gain from them. Employ suitable channels and formats for this purpose, including meetings, workshops, webinars, newsletters, blogs. Encourage active participation by inviting feedback and questions from the audience, promptly addressing any concerns or issues that surface. Through this process of communication and sharing, you not only facilitate knowledge transfer but also nurture a culture of continuous learning and enhancement within your organization and the broader industry.

Communicating learnings is essential, whilst voicing them in meetings with colleagues is worthwhile, it is worth documenting these lessons as part of a case study so it is available to read when individuals are ready for a deeper dive into the intricacies of the project.

Ensuring that lessons learned are captured and shared effectively in construction projects is crucial for improving project outcomes and avoiding the repetition of mistakes. Here are steps you can take to achieve this: 1. Establish a structured process and roles. 2. Document issues, successes, and solutions. 3. Hold regular review meetings. 4. Cultivate a learning culture. 5. Conduct a comprehensive post-project review. 6. Prioritize and categorize lessons learned. 7. Use a standardized format for documentation. 8. Ensure easy accessibility to the lessons learned repository. 9. Provide training and promote communication. 10. Include actionable recommendations. 11. Establish a feedback loop for implementation.

Sharing lessons learned can be challenging in construction with crews spread across a geographic region. Many contractors don't have a direct way to transmit information to field crews. They use word of mouth or pass out paper with lessons learned. MindForge has a platform that allows contractors to easily add field crews to a communication network, even when the crews don't have a company email. Then, through the network, leaders can share lessons learned with just a few clicks and track who's viewed them. MindForge also allows contractors to share lessons learned in a video format, which is easy for crews to consume and helps them absorb the information.