The "One Year After" knowledge capture event.

Imagine a project that designs and builds something – a factory, for example, or a toll bridge, or a block of student accommodation. Typically such a project may capture lessons throughout the project lifetime, using After Action Reviews to capture project-specific lessons for immediate re-use, and may then capture end-of-project lessons using a Retrospect, looking back over the life of the project to identify knowledge which can be passed on to future projects. This end-of-project review tends to look at the efficiency of the practices used during the project, and how these may be improved going forward. 

The review asks “Was the project done right, and how can future projects be done better”.  However what the review often does not cover is “Was the right project done?”

At the end of the project the factory is not yet operational, the bridge has only just opened to traffic, and you have just cut the ribbon on the student accommodation block. You do not yet know how well the outcome of the project will perform in practice. 

You hold this review after a year or more of operation. 

• You look at factory throughput, and whether the lines are designed well, how they are being used, how effective the start-up process was, whether there are any bottlenecks in dispatch and access, and even whether the factory is in the correct location. 
• You look at traffic over the bridge – is it at expected levels? Is it overused or underused? Is it bringing in the expected level of tolls? Does the bridge relieve congestion or cause congestion somewhere else? Does the road over the bridge have enough lanes?  Does it ice up in winter?
• You look at usage of the student accommodation. Is it being used as expected? Are the kitchens big ebnough? Are there enough bike racks? Where is the wear and tear on the corridors? Where are accidents happening? What do the neighbours think?

In this review you are looking not at whether the project was done right, but whether it was the right project (or at least the right design). The One Year operational learning review will generate really useful lessons to help you improve your design, and your choice of projects, in future. 

Contact Knoco for help in designing your lesson learned program.