Capture Project Lessons That Lead to Action

Capture learning while the context is available

APM describes lessons learned as a way of collecting and sharing knowledge from project experience. A useful lesson needs enough context for another team to decide whether it applies. Capture observations during delivery rather than relying entirely on memory at closure.

This RDE template supports a short evidence-based conversation. It is not a scoring tool for individuals. Use it to identify a repeatable good practice or a change worth testing.

Describe what happened without blame

Record the situation, intended outcome and observed result. Separate evidence from interpretation. Include the constraints that shaped the decision so a later reader does not assume the same approach will work everywhere.

In a fictional project, a handover failed because the receiving team did not have access to the agreed document location. Record the sequence and access condition. Avoid labelling a person careless without evidence or ignoring the system that made the problem likely.

Investigate why the result occurred

Ask what contributed to the result and what remains uncertain. A single event may suggest a question rather than establish a general cause. Seek the relevant perspectives and distinguish an agreed explanation from an untested assumption.

The team might discover that the access check happened after the scheduled handover. A possible improvement is to include an access check before that milestone. Record the evidence supporting this proposal and the circumstances where it could help.

Make the improvement specific

Describe what should change, who can authorise it and who will carry out the action. Give the action a review date and a way to check whether it helped. A statement such as communicate better needs a concrete behaviour before it can be tested.

For the fictional handover, the action could be for the workstream lead to confirm receiving-team access before the next handover. The team then checks whether the planned transfer happened without an access delay. This is an example rather than a universal control.

Share and review the lesson

Store the lesson where the intended audience can find it and use your organisation’s rules for confidential information. Review it before a similar activity so it informs the next decision. A completed report alone does not show that the learning has been applied.

Download the template, record one fictional experience and define a small next action. After the next attempt, add what changed and whether the proposed improvement should be retained, revised or stopped.

Source and practice note

APM guidance stresses making lessons available so others can read and apply them. This resource is an original RDE practice aid. The examples are fictional. Adapt it to your organisation and obtain the appropriate decision authority.

APM lessons learned guidance

Cover image: AI-generated illustrative scene created specifically for this resource.

Download and complete the exercise

Read or print the PDF

Download the editable Word document

Printable PDF and editable Word document. Version 2.0, 7 October 2026. Personal and internal organisational adaptation permitted with Jefferson Otonbara Imgbi author credit retained.