How can project leaders use learning to evaluate project performance?

No matter how similar projects are in their theoretical outcomes, each project actually turns out to be a different project as we proceed along its lifecycle. Each project throws at us its own set of challenges. Reflecting upon our strategy, ways, methodology, and actions infact teaches us so much that each project becomes a teacher in its own sense. We learn from what we did, how we did it, what worked and what did not, what should've been done and what shouldn't have been - having a thorough understanding of this kind of data helps us in learning invaluably and therefore acts as beacons in charting out future strategies.

As a core part of all the projects I run with, there is a retrospective, lessons-learnt component. This is where the whole team has an opportunity to look at the metrics we used to evaluate the project's performance and give their input as to why we may have not hit targets and how to mediate the risks associated with these. It is an invaluable tool to ensure stakeholder buy-in and continuous improvement and growth.

A learning-oriented evaluation plan creates a culture of curiosity, adaptability, and continuous learning within a project or organizational context thereby giving path for holistic understanding. It is a valuable approach for projects where the emphasis is on improvement, innovation, and the long-term development of both projects and the individuals involved, rather than measuring only the project success or failure.

?? Learning through Evaluation: Use evaluation data and feedback to gain insights and knowledge for informed project decisions and actions. ?? Multi-Level Learning: Facilitate learning at individual, team, organizational, and stakeholder levels, catering to various purposes like accountability, improvement, innovation, and advocacy. ? Critical Questions for Leaders: Ask key questions about achievements, lessons learned, potential improvements, and future implications to enhance project performance evaluation.

Very relevant point. Learning in projects must be a continuous action and is based on the principle that you always want to measure where you planned to go and where you actually arrived. This gap is an indication of the accuracy of the planning and, of course, the smaller this difference, the better the result in relation to what was planned. In the planning implementation operation there will always be deviations and errors that must be identified so that they can be avoided in the future. This important action generates what we call a Database of lessons learned, which can affect different stakeholders in quantity and type. This control action generates improvements in the system.

Monitoring and Evaluation are key components off all my projects and run in parallel with all other phases to ensure that we measure and collect data throughout the project and enables us to have an objective and constructive view at the the end of the project. This means we will have access to that data to make data-driven decisions with regards to where and how we can improve. I find that this continuous method is the far more objective way to collect data, rather than a retrospective view at the end.

Monitoramento e Avalia??o s?o componentes-chave de todos os meus projetos e funcionam em paralelo com todas as outras fases para garantir que medimos e coletamos dados ao longo do projeto e nos permite ter uma vis?o objetiva e construtiva no final do projeto. Isto significa que teremos acesso a esses dados para tomar decis?es baseadas em dados sobre onde e como podemos melhorar. Considero que este método contínuo é a forma muito mais objectiva de recolher dados, em vez de uma vis?o retrospectiva no final.

Ensure that KPIs are clearly defined at the onset of the project and that all stakeholders are aware of their relevant roles. This enables clear evaluation throughout and identification of areas on which to improve. Learning can then be applied to ensure continuous growth and better leadership. It is imperative that all stakeholders are involved in this process.

Effective project leaders learn as well from how to handling their failure. Here's what I find useful in those situations: ?? Growth and Feedback: Embrace a growth mindset and actively seek and listen to constructive criticism. Use reflective practices to learn from experiences. ??♂? Emotional Resilience and Intelligence: Enhance emotional resilience and intelligence. Focus on managing stress, understanding emotions, and learning from failures. ?? Continuous Learning and Networking: Invest in continuous learning and professional development. Network with other leaders to share experiences and strategies for handling challenges.