Lessons Learned Checklist
Lessons Learned Checklist
Lessons Learned Checklist
Lessons Learned and Best Practices Report. It offers guidance and a variety of questions that
may be asked to determine which elements of the less optimal project experiences should be
avoided in the future, and what contributors to project success should be repeated in future
projects. The following checklist can be used any time there is a need for lessons learned and
best practices to be identified for a project. This exercise can be initiated at any time, but is most
commonly executed during the Closure phase of PMAP. Other times when it may be useful to
execute this exercise is for large projects, at the completion of each PMAP phase. This will
ensure that participants interviewed still have a fresh memory of what worked well and where
improvement is needed, and the results should be more accurate and useful. Please refer to the
PMAP Guidebook for further guidance on this activity.
This checklist is intended to assist the project manager in gathering the data needed to produce
the Lessons Learned and Best Practices Report.
Project Issue This practice includes the following How well were project issues
Management PMAP activities: communicated throughout
1) Manage Project Issues. your involvement in the
The purpose of this practice is to project?
document, track and quickly How effectively were issues
resolved all project issues, especially tracked on the project?
the ones that threaten to impact the How effectively were issues
project baseline. resolved before escalation
was necessary?
If issue escalation was
required, how effectively
were issues resolved?
How effectively were issues
able to be resolved without
impacting the Project
Schedule or Budget?
Project Information This practice includes the following How useful and complete
Management activities: was the project repository?
1) Set up and Manage Project How effectively was version
Repository control managed?
2) Perform Administrative Closeout Has time tracking against the
project been stopped?
The purpose of this practice is to
collect, store and manage data
generated by and about the project,
and to capture historical data in the
repository for future use or analysis.
Project Governance This practice includes the following How effective were the
and Acceptance activities: Phase Gate reviews?
Management 1) Develop Phase Gate Were the required Phase
Recommendations (for each phase), Gate participants available to
2) Develop, Manage, and Complete participate?
Deliverable Approval Plan. Was the project schedule
The purpose of this practice is to jeopardized by Phase Gate
apply project governance to phased bottlenecks or delays?
approval of the project and to the Was the phase gate review
deliverable approval process. process appropriately
focused on the needs of
each phase?
Practice Guidance Questions
Effectiveness
Which phase gate reviews
were more/less effective?
How effective was the
acceptance management
process?
Was the approval process for
each deliverable clearly
defined?
How well prepared were you
to receive project
deliverables?
How well defined was the
acceptance criteria for
project deliverables?
Was sufficient time allocated
to review project
deliverables?
How complete / effective
were the materials you were
provided in order to make a
decision to proceed from
one project life cycle phase
to the next? If materials
were lacking, please
elaborate.
Product Effectiveness Product Effectiveness is not a When initially implemented,
project management practice, but a how well did the product of
place to capture lessons learned and the project meet the stated
best practices associated with the needs of the client
development of the projects organization?
ultimate deliverable: its product, After turnover to Operations,
whether a new computer system or how well does the product of
a new infrastructure installation. the project meet the stated
needs of the client
organization?
How well does the product
of the project deliver the
benefits outlined in Project
Proposal?
What is your overall
assessment of the outcome
Practice Guidance Questions
Effectiveness
of this project?