KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

Knowledge Management



Lessons Learned

Lessons Learned can be defined as knowledge or understanding gained through reflection on experience or process or set of them. This experience or process can be positive or negative (E.g., strengths and weaknesses in the design or implementation of a project). Lessons to be Learned relevant and useful, they must be applicable because they have real impact or potential operations or processes Because they are based on facts and true significant and they identify processes or decisions that reduce or eliminate failures or reinforce a positive result. These lessons can be drawn from lending operations, partnerships technical or product knowledge and capacity building aimed at borrowing member countries, or voluntary, corporate areas of organizational management, operational policies and procedures and train- citation of staff, among others (Ignizio 2001, pp 67).

Lessons Learned can: Identify success factors (effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability), (Identify gaps (shortcomings) in policies, strategies, programs, projects, processes, methods and techniques). Identify and solve problems through new courses of action. Improve future decision making and serve a model for other interventions.

What do you mean by lessons learned from other international organizations?

For the Asian Development Bank (ADB) lessons learned are "concise descriptions of knowledge derived from experience can be communicated through methods and techniques such as "Storytelling" or brief reports was done well, what should have been done differently, and how should the process be improved be more effective in the future.

According to the OECD / DAC, Lessons Learned is "generalizations based on the experiences of project evaluation, programs or policies in specific circumstances that apply to broader situations. Often lessons highlight strengths or weaknesses in preparation, design and implementation that affect performance, outcome and impact of projects, programs or policies.

How to identify Lessons Learned?

There are many methodologies that can be used to identify Lessons Learned allowing a systematic and collective reflection this thought process aims propose practical recommendations to improve the experience or future and identify new contributions made that experience, and that advance knowledge about existing treatment. The choice between different methodologies depend on the purposes that are wanted achieve the target audience, the complexity analytical and time and resources (Giarratano 2005, pp. 98). The key common feature of all these methods lies in the nature collective process of reflection. En general Overall the process of collecting data and insights to propose lessons learned should INVO- profit to the various stakeholders. It is important that lessons identified are validated through a peer review or opinions of experts in the field, before a wider dissemination (Jackson 2008, pp. 34).

How to document lessons Learned?

To document lessons learned is important to define in advance: What is knowledge or lesson learned we want to document Who wants to convey and how purpose What evidence supporting the new knowledge treatment or lesson learned How this new knowledge or lesson contributes to knowledge related to the matter and to what valid point as complements and / or disputes Under what specific context the new lesson learned is knowledge ...