By John Gronski
Continuous Improvement
When conducting a project, do not wait until its completion to conduct a lessons-learned session. Conduct these sessions with the project team at intermediate points throughout the lifecycle of a project. That way the things you identify that must be improved could be incorporated into the current project you are working on rather than waiting to apply these learnings to a future initiative.
With that said, do not neglect to identify things that are working well that you want to sustain. Lessons learned sessions are not only about identifying what to improve. It is also important to identify what is working and then build those good practices into policies into checklists, policies, and standard operating procedures.
Do Not Just Learn, But Apply
Once you learn a lesson, whether identifying a good practice you want to sustain or something you want to improve, it is all about applying the lesson. Remember, a lesson applied is much better than a lesson learned.
About John Gronski
Major General John L. Gronski (U.S. Army Retired) is the founder and CEO of Leader Grove LLC, a leadership consulting firm. John is the author of two books, “Iron-Sharpened Leadership” and “The Ride of Our Lives” and he is an international and Fortune 500 speaker.
A decorated combat Veteran, infantryman, and Ranger School graduate, John is a transformational leader and has significant experience in business as a management consultant, where he led teams implementing large, complex projects. He now serves as an executive coach, leadership consultant, and trainer.
Learn more about John Gronski at https://johngronski.com/