The Lessons Learned Handbook

6

Writing down the lessons

Once a lesson has been identified, it generally needs to be written down. Though there are processes for transferring lessons directly from one person to another (as we will see in Chapter 11), and sometimes action can be taken without writing anything, much of the time the lesson will be written down somewhere and stored. This allows it to be transmitted to others who need to learn from a lesson, or to others who need to take action based on the lesson. Writing the lesson down allows it to be stored in a database where others can find it, or entered into a shared wiki, from where it could be tracked from identification to action.

Recording the lesson is a step where value is often lost. A lesson that is not documented ...