127- Manage Project Knowledge

Gaining New Knowledge

• The primary benefit of working on a project is discovering new and improved work methods.
• New knowledge is gained through practical application and experimentation.
  • Example: Instead of painting a wall up and down as instructed, you might find that diagonal or left-to-right strokes are more efficient.

Manage Project Knowledge Process

• This process is specifically about Manage Project Knowledge.
• It emphasizes that lessons learned should be gathered throughout the project lifecycle, not just at the end.
• PMI advocates for continuous capture of lessons learned.

Lesson Learned Register

• The main output of this process is the lesson learned register.
• Lessons learned should be documented daily in this register.

Key Objectives

• Utilize existing knowledge.
• Create new knowledge through project execution.
• Contribute to the overall learning and improvement of the organization.

Knowledge Sharing

• Knowledge gained from the project should be shared to support organizational operations, future projects, and subsequent phases.
• The lesson learned register is shared with future and ongoing projects to prevent knowledge loss.

Preventing Knowledge Loss

• Importance of sharing knowledge to avoid individual knowledge silos.
• Capture knowledge to utilize it in future projects for both personal and organizational benefit.

Types of Knowledge

• Explicit Knowledge: Formally learned, documented, and shared information. It includes:
  • Data
  • Documents
  • Records
  • Knowledge gained from books
• Tacit Knowledge: Knowledge derived from experience and critical thinking, residing within an individual's mind.
  • Compiled with years of experience

Tools and Techniques

Knowledge Management

• Focuses on sharing knowledge among project stakeholders.
• Aims to create an environment where stakeholders can freely exchange information.
• Methods include:
  • Workshops
  • Meetings
  • Networking

Information Management

• Involves capturing and learning new information, and then:
  • Storing it
  • Collecting it
  • Distributing the information
  • Destroying it when it is no longer useful

Lesson Learned Register (Emphasis)

• The lesson learned register is the primary output.
• It should be continuously updated throughout the project.
• Use tools like Excel sheets to document new lessons, methods, and approaches as they are learned.
• This register is maintained, archived, and shared with other projects.

Addressing Knowledge Loss in Organizations

• Organizations often invest significant resources in projects, but the knowledge gained is lost when the project concludes.
• Project managers may retain knowledge without sharing it, which is detrimental to the organization.
• Knowledge is a powerful asset that should be leveraged across projects.