Why Build a Lessons-Learned Database If You Don't Review It Regularly?????

Working in industrial settings, many of us have encountered some form of a lessons-learned database. These can range from simple spreadsheets recording key events to sophisticated centralized databases with user-friendly web interfaces. Including a summary of lessons learned is often a mandatory part of project closure checklists. The reason is simple: nobody wants to repeat the same mistakes.

However, how many of us actually revisit those lessons-learned items regularly? How many managers require new hires to review the lessons-learned database as part of their onboarding process?

Some might argue that integrating corrective actions into our SOP checklists is sufficient. As long as we follow the SOP, we shouldn't make the same mistakes again. While I partially agree, I often wonder: when going through each step in an SOP, do you ever ask yourself why that action item is there, what the consequences are if it’s skipped, and what the historical context behind it is?

Here's a thought: what if we added a citation referencing the relevant lesson in the database each time we insert a checklist item into our SOP?

I firmly believe that understanding the "WHY" behind a task is crucial for enhancing productivity. Every lesson is an isolated dot, and every action item is another. Knowledge is formed when we connect these dots. People come and go within an organization, but knowledge should be preserved and passed down through these connections.

We talked about the organization, but what about your personal database of lessons learned? Most of us don't have a document that collects all our lifetime lessons. The closest thing I can think of is our journal or diary. It might not be a bad idea to take some time every once in a while to read through the journals you've written.