PMP lesson · Closing & Integration · Closing the project · lesson 2 of 4 · about 6 minutes
Lessons learned: capture, apply and share
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Goal: After this lesson you can run lessons learned throughout the project, apply them immediately, and turn them into organisational assets.
1The situation
Waiting until the end
Midway through the eight-cell project, the team discovered that teaching robot programs in a dedicated pre-commissioning cell cut on-site debugging by about 40% on the first two cells.
The company procedure says: “Collect lessons learned at project closure.” If the team waits, cells 3 to 8 will not benefit.
Lessons learned are worth most while they can still change something.
2Throughout, not only at the end
Capture lessons continuously (retrospectives, phase reviews, after major issues), record them in a lessons learned register, apply them in the current project, and share them with the organisation at closure.
Capture
Often
Retros, reviews, after incidents.
Apply
Now
Change the plan for the remaining work.
Share
Later
Into the organisation's process assets.
Exam shortcut: a valuable lesson mid-project → record it and apply it now, within your authority; don't wait for closure.
3The lessons learned cycle
1 · Capture
→
Retrospectives, phase reviews, issue resolutions: what worked, what didn't, why
Organisational knowledge base (OPAs) for future projects
Capture → record → apply now → share.
4How it looks on the exam
Exam-style question 1. Midway through a project, the team finds that a new pre-commissioning practice reduced on-site debugging by almost 40 percent on the first two workcells. Six more workcells remain. The organisation's procedure is to collect lessons learned at closure. What should the project manager do?
A. Record it for the closure workshop
B. Share it informally
C. Record it in the lessons learned register now and incorporate it into the plan for the remaining workcells
D. Submit it to the PMO before changing anything
Show the answer and the decode
Answer: C.
In simple English
A valuable lesson mid-project.
What is the question really asking?
What to do with it.
Key words / trigger
“Six more workcells remain”
PMP logic
Lessons are captured and applied throughout.
Why the wrong answer looks attractive
Following the procedure literally wastes a proven improvement.
5Remember this
Your memory card
Capture lessons throughout, not only at the end
Record specific, actionable lessons, including successes
Apply now within your authority; share at closure as OPAs