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Lessons Log

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One of the principles in PRINCE2 is that the project team must learn from experience. Lessons have to be sought, recorded, and executed during the project. PRINCE2 uses the word “sought” to ensure that everyone in the project checks for previous lessons. Any useful experiences are then recorded into a Lessons Log. Therefore, you can say that the Lessons Log is a repository for lessons that apply to this project and also for future projects as the Lessons Report is given to the Project Board at the end of the project.

Some lessons may come from other projects and should be captured on the Lessons Log for input to the project’s strategies and plan and this is one of the first things that a Project Manager will do in a project. Lessons may also originate from within the project as one of the most important questions a Project Manager should ask the end of a stage is: What lessons have we learned?

Lessons can be about anything that could help the project. These include how best to communicate, how to deal with a supplier, how certain documents should be tailored for the kind of project, and which product specialists to get help from when doing the product breakdown structure. The Project Manager continues to add new lessons to the Lessons Log during the project, and useful lessons should be incorporated into the current plans and Work Packages.

The Lessons Report is a document that lists the lessons gained during the project. It helps to avoid possible mistakes and to repeat positive actions in future projects. Any important lessons that can be applied to future projects should be listed in the Lessons Report. This report is created by the project manager using information from the Lessons Log and given to the Project Board at the end of the project. In large projects, the Lessons Report can also be created at the end of a stage.

Timeline Lessons Log

PRINCE2 Management Products

Sample Lessons Log

Lessons Log Sample

Source data for the Lessons Log

Format of the Lessons Log

Quality Criteria for Lessons Log

Content of the Lessons Log

Some tips from Frank

discussion icon PRINCE2 wiki is open-source and published for free under a Creative Commons license.

discussion icon Written by Frank Turley (his LinkedIn profile)