LESSONS LEARNED WORKING GROUP

KICKOFF MEETING NOTES 

09/30/2008  

 

MEETING ATTENDEES: Micci Bogard, Greg Bronson, RJ Davies, Stephanie Herrick (co-Facilitator), Sue Hilbert, Butch Labrecque (co-Facilitator), Ned LaCelle, Benoit McNicoll, Greg Menzenski, Irina Naydich, Christine O'Brien, Ron Parks, Nathan Reimer, Andy Slusar, Lisa Stensland, Casper Vanwyk 

ADMINISTRIVIA:

• IS Activity Code - 1853: Lessons Learned Working Group
• Confluence Site - https://confluence.cornell.edu/display/LLWG/Home
• LLWG Session 2 - Th, 10/23, 9-10:30, Maplewood
  

AGENDA:

• Review Agenda
• Purpose of the Meeting
• Introductions
• Expectations
• Identify Common problems conducting Lessons Learned sessions & benefitting from them
• Form Working Groups to Propose Solutions
• Closing
  

PURPOSE OF MEETING:

1. orient and form the working group(s) to
2. create and improve Lessons Learned (LLs) practices and tools by
3. working together to identify common problems, potential solutions & define next steps.
   

INTRODUCTIONS & EXPECTATIONS:

• Get the "Cornell view" on LLs
• Learn from others, apply to other projects
• "we talk about it", but how do we make sure that others benefit from it?
• Learn common/"best" way to do LLs
• Discover if LLs can be "generalized"
• Put best practices in place & perhaps develop a common repository
• We don't currently have a way to capture LLs (repeatable process)
• How can we work LLs into best practices
• Find out if there is a way for the PM to find "balance" conducting & participating in LLs as well as to apply LLs to future projects
• Learn and hear others' experiences
• Observe & learn how to conduct LL sessions
• Can we combine LLs with something else to make it more valuable/practical?
• Support problem ID & LL action items/next steps in order to benefit future PMs/projects
• How to capture LLs, collaborate w/ the info & be more proactive with (acting on) LLs         

IDENTIFY TOP PROBLEMS CONDUCTION LESSONS LEARNED & BENEFITTING FROM THEM:

FORM WORKING GROUPS

"Facilitation" Team (problem ID 1) - Ron, Micci, Lisa, GregB, Irina

"Best Practices" Team (problem ID 2) - RJ, Nathan, GregM, Andy

"Sharing Outcomes" Team (problem ID 4) - Sue, Ned, Benoit, Christine, Casper

CLOSING/NEXT STEPS

• Working groups assignment is to better define the problem, propose solutions, and devise potential strategies
• Working groups will "report back" at Session 2 (Th, 10/23, 9-10:30, Maplewood)
• Steph & Butch will post kickoff meeting notes to Confluence, plan Session 2, check-in with work groups
• Post-meeting survey 

SHARED EXPERIENCES & REFLECTIONS

Stephanie walked through her experiences using LLWG deliverables to assist her in leading LL sessions and collaborating with Chris Obrien to come up with some LL best practices as documented in "Conduct an LL Session" (https://forge.cornell.edu/sf/go/artf20053?nav=1&_pagenum=1&returnUrlKey=1249677012171).  She then reviewed the original table of "problems" identified in Session 1 to see if each problem had been, at some level, covered by virtue of repeatedly employing the work done by the LLWG and showed that, at least in part, each one had indeed been addressed. 

Others shared their experiences and Chris O'Brien encouraged the group to join the new facilitation-team-l@cornell.edu, an email list that she is now administering, that helps people network with other facilitators on campus.