PROJECT

LEARNING
CONSTRUCTION PROJECT MANAGEMENT
INTRODUCTION
▪ When projects disband, project
knowledge, if not captured, or if captured
and not used, leads to a loss of
knowledge that impacts performance
and business objectives
INTRODUCTION
Given that the project management
methodology improves performance, not
capturing and using project knowledge that
affects the implementation of future projects is a
counter productive practice that negatively
affects organizational performance
INTRODUCTION
Sharing project knowledge in a way that
makes projects repeatable and optimized in
other projects is the driving factor for cross-
project learning.
WHAT IS PROJECT LEARNING???

Project learning is a process or

practice of “capturing the learning from
projects so that it is available for use by
other projects”
WHAT IS PROJECT LEARNING???

It is the essence of learning and

harvesting knowledge from one
project for application in another
project.
PROJECT LEARNING PROCESS
Lessons learned are the “learning gained
from the process of performing the
project and they may be identified at any
point.
PROJECT LEARNING PROCESS
They are also considered a project record, to
be included in the lessons learned
knowledge base, a store of historical
information and lessons learned about
both the outcomes of previous project
selection decisions and previous project
performance.
STUDIES IN PROJECT LEARNING

Studies use the terms cross-project

learning and lessons learned to
describe the process of creating and
sharing project knowledge.
STUDIES IN PROJECT LEARNING
lessons learned are a practice of
capturing information for re-use in
subsequent tasks or future projects
STUDIES IN PROJECT LEARNING
we have yet to discern how to
systematically extract and disseminate
management lessons as we move from
project to project. A later study by
Williams (2007) also notes the need for
“a more systematic collection and
distribution of lessons from projects
STUDIES IN PROJECT LEARNING
Cross-project learning, by its
definition, implies actions of
creating, sharing, and using prior
project knowledge.
STUDIES IN PROJECT LEARNING
Studies show that although lessons
learned have been created, they are
barely perceived and reviewed in
subsequent tasks or projects.
STUDIES IN PROJECT LEARNING
If reviewed at all, lessons
learned tend to be hard to apply
STUDIES IN PROJECT LEARNING
Cross-project learning with a
focus on using project
knowledge is what defines
project knowledge sharing and
use.
STUDIES IN PROJECT LEARNING
engaging in this practice (lessons
learned) involves performing two
essential activities: capturing
important lessons learned and
making effective use of them
PROJECT BASED LEARNING
FACTORS AFFECTING PROJECT
LEARNING
▪ knowledge required to deliver projects
is fragmented and it is held by
different professionals who are
based in separate organizations
FACTORS AFFECTING PROJECT
LEARNING
▪asserts that the reasons for
knowledge re-use failures revolve
around INFORMAL
KNOWLEDGE capturing
processes
FACTORS AFFECTING PROJECT
LEARNING

▪the lack of integration with

the organization’s processes or the
lack of support by the structure of
the organization
FACTORS AFFECTING PROJECT
LEARNING

▪few systematic studies that go

beyond identifying lessons learned
FACTORS AFFECTING PROJECT
LEARNING

▪project performance and

project manager effectiveness
FACTORS AFFECTING PROJECT
LEARNING

▪project performance and

project manager effectiveness
CONCLUSION
▪ Given the differing project organizational
structures and practices, the project failure
rate, and the need for further research in cross-
project learning, the current study is an effort
to understand the challenges associated with
project knowledge sharing by investigating how
project managers can improve their perceived
effectiveness and performance by more
efficiently sharing and using project knowledge.