If lessons are being learned from many projects, for example from retrospects and after action reviews, then these lessons need to be collected within an IT system that stores them , classifies them, and routes them to the person who needs to act on them. This is a Lessons Management System, which goes beyond the traditional idea of the passive "lessons learned database". We recommend the Lessons Management Hub as a state-of-the-art Lessons Management System.
Unfortunately many organisations rely on passive lessons learned databases, where lessons are stored in the hope that someone will read them. All too often such repositories become "lesson graveyards", resulting in Lessons lost, not Lessons Learned.
Lessons Management Systems can be set up for a single project, to store, manage, route and track the lessons from within the project, or for the entire organisation, to store, manage, route and track lessons from many projects. An effective lessons management system needs the following features;
A Lessons Management System, or its own, will not ensure lessons are learned. It needs to be set within a Framework of Roles, Processes and Governance, to be effective.