How do you manage project closure and lessons learned?

Open your Lessons Learned log on day one of the project and make it accessible to all stakeholders to continuously update, anonymously as an option. It's so easy to forget insights that occur along the way during complex and fast moving projects.

Lessons Learned (LLs) should be an integral part of on-going delivery - here are 3 steps using what's already in place to make this easier... 1. Add them to your RAID - RAIDL - to capture and benefit from them immediately rather than waiting till the project has finished. 2. Use the PMO to consolidate RAIDLs, to share the insights, and where appropriate to enhance methods, processes, comms, training material etc. 3. Include the LLs, and associated trends that might signal a deeper underlying problem, in management information. If you're using PPM tooling, this knowledge sharing can have an impact almost "real time".

I concur with @Nic Crotch. If you wait till the end of the project to organize a lessons learned (LL) session, it is way too late. In my research vis-à-vis my hands-on experience, I can affirm that the most useful LL sessions are those conducted by the project team for the project well before the end of the project. This doesn't mean that those conducted at the end of the project aren't useful, but to derive full value for the team and the sponsoring organization, open the LL log on Day ONE of the project and periodically review, approve and document, then share it across different projects; and apply it during the remainder of the particular project by the same team, as relevant. End of project LL review then becomes "icing on the cake".

Assessing each project milestone, not just the end, offers a lot of benefits. As projects progress, recalling all events and issues becomes harder. Documenting events and learning lessons after major milestones is easier and more beneficial. Lessons should be learned close to the events. Learning during the project gives time to address and correct deficiencies, whit might by much harder to do in the end. This will contribute to product quality and you will earn customer's trust much faster. So, evaluating performance and learning lessons during the project is advantageous.

During project closure, ensure all deliverables meet quality standards and client satisfaction. Document lessons learned, including successes and challenges. Conduct a comprehensive review with the team to identify what worked well and areas for improvement. Document insights, best practices, and recommendations for future projects. Share findings with stakeholders to enhance organizational learning and continuous improvement.

Upon reaching the final project milestone, teams should pause to celebrate and contemplate the project's results. This typically occurs after the concluding customer review. Holding a meeting to acknowledge the efforts and tie up any remaining loose ends is an excellent way to conclude the project, fostering a sense of accomplishment and competence.

Capturing lessons on the project experience is best done as soon as the project is complete, whilst it is fresh in everyone's mind. The 'Project Closure' meetings should, therefore, be held ASAP. However, in terms of benefits and how well the project's solution met the business case I always allow several months for the solution to 'bed in' so that its impact can be measured accurately. I usually call this 'Post-implementation Review' or 'Post-project review'.

Agree with doing the lessons learned asap. I normally give my project team some time to reflect on the project to write their own notes way before the meeting.

It's useful to think about lessons learned in terms of the measures of success - what are the leading and lagging indicators you [should or could have] put in place as the project evolved? Are they being hit and what's the trend?

It can be useful for someone outside the project to facilitate this meeting. They are not as emotionally tied to the project and allows the whole project team to participate. Projects that don’t go very well are where you can learn the most but an open and honest environment is essential.

This should also be the responsibility of the project team also. Example the development team to ensure they have downloaded and documented everything clearly.

Archiving before learnings are implemented with the actual outcome and shared with the wider organization is dangerous. It can demotivate the project team who were involved and emotionally invested, especially if the following year they get assigned to execute in the same setup and are not included in the definition phase, or their concerns/learnings are disregarded. I've seen this over and over: management (plus consultants) define timeline top-down, are vague on scope ("just work together") without adequate resources, run contributors into burnouts, not giving voice to share learnings into subsequent project planning, which ends up failing (again). This happens when cross-functional work has no E2E owner or collaborative culture.

If you have a PMO then curating lessons learnt so that subsequent project teams can benefit from them is a really useful service. Having the relevant information within easy reach is great. Often, however, the best way to apply lessons learned is to put a Project Manager in touch with someone who's prior experience will be useful and let them chat!

Project closure and lessons learned should not be viewed as a one-time activity, but rather a continuous process that can provide ongoing benefits to the organization. Hence, it's important to incorporate the lessons from previous projects into the planning and execution of future projects. In addition, closure and lessons learned should not be limited to the project team and stakeholders, but should involve other relevant departments and functions within the organization. This can include cross-functional teams, SME'S, and vendors. By involving a diverse group of individuals, you can gain a broader perspective, generate more valuable insights and recommendations. Hence, be an integral part an organization's culture and values.

The 'lessons learned' framework is entrenched in XIX-century Scientific Method and no wonder that is not followed through by our managers. 'Lessons learned' framework assumes that there is a limited variability between the product/deliverables, the team members, stakeholders, external factors, etc. Whereas, if anyone has led at least two projects, they can realize real fast that projects are very situational and need persistent focus on change management to reach the project's objective. The 'lessons learned' also do not capture what they intend to = a knowledge transfer. Knowledge is not written in one dry document; it is build up over a period of time and used according to the changing situation. Build your lessons learned every day!

Effectively close energy projects by conducting comprehensive lessons learned sessions. In a hydroelectric venture, post-project reviews identified optimization opportunities for future projects. Transparent communication and documentation during wind farm closure facilitated knowledge transfer and regulatory compliance. Implement feedback loops to enhance future project outcomes. Emphasizing continuous improvement through detailed project closure processes ensures valuable insights are captured and applied in the evolving landscape of the energy sector.

Consider this: the lessons log will contain detailed information on challenges met and how they were mastered, as well as on good practices related to project delivery. This information could be sensitive as it reflects your organisation's strengths and weaknesses. The lessons report included in the end project report focuses on the most important lessons captured and learned. Those can be truly revealing to your competitors. Accoringly, it may make sense to treat this information as "sensitive" or "commercial in confidence" and distribute the complete lessons report only to a limited audience on the "need-to-know" basis. Sanitized versions can be then produced for broader circulation. Same critera could also apply to the end project report