I have received a number of comments from readers of my blog MEL BOST PMO EXPERT that make the observation that applying the Framework I have stressed in my book, Lessons Learned: Taking Project Management to a New Level, must mean that you have a large business process that needs improvement.
However, consider the fact that lessons learned are all around us in everyday life. How we choose to capitalize on their usefulness is our own choice. A quote that I often hear is “If we do not learn from history, we are destined to repeat it.” How true this statement is!!!!
Every process, large and small, can benefit from a logical, rational approach to identifying the lessons from the situation and then finding the appropriate place to improve the process with the lessons. In your own life, look for instances where what was expected differs from what actually happened.
Ask yourself the question “What caused this deviation?” If others are involved in the situation, you might have to talk with them to get their “perspectives.” Once you identify a change that can create the expected result or which is projected to create the expected result, you can implement the change and then monitor the outcome.
So find some small thing in one of your everyday processes that needs changing and change it. You will be surprised at how fast this leads to searching for larger processes you can change.
I have always felt that the people who are directly involved in a process are the best equipped to know how to find lasting improvements. But you can also resort to BENCHMARKING and BEST PRACTICES to find improvement candidates. Just remember, it doesn’t have to be a BIG PROCESS to find some very significant improvements.
Lessons learned are all around us. They can be our best friend in making our lives happier and healthier. It just takes responding to the situation in a proactive way. You can accept this challenge.
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