Creating Meaningful Learning Moments

Project setbacks are inevitable. The savvy project manager turns these challenges into learning opportunities. It takes finesse to add value in these situations, so here are approaches to turn setbacks into constructive learning moments.

• Focus on psychological safety. The phrase “focus on the problem, not the person” is only the beginning. To create constructive learning moments, focus on how the problem is described, what triggered actions, what actions were taken, and what outcomes resulted. It’s important to use neutral, non-judgmental, fact-based language. This helps create an environment of psychological safety where people can discuss setbacks openly and truthfully.
• Root causes are critical. Consider whether the team discusses symptoms or potential root causes. The “5 Whys” approach works well here. Asking “why” at least five times drives deeper discussions which helps identify the root causes of problems. Areas to focus on include processes and procedures (and what inspired their creation), unexpected actions by automated systems, unexpected or unusual reactions from stakeholders, and lack of education on project management techniques.
• Use learning-related language. I like the phrase “fail forward.” It conveys that failing can be positive. Making discoveries and pushing the envelope of how things are done are two examples of setbacks being positive: you learn something you can use in the future. For example, you can try speeding up quality assurance processes by using knowledgeable stakeholders who haven’t been part of your project development process instead of performing user acceptance testing. In some cases, this might work well. In others, you might find shortcomings to that approach. The lesson you learn is which projects benefit from the new QA approach and which ones don’t.
• Update lessons learned frequently. You need to update lessons learned as the project progresses (like other PM deliverables. As you implement improvements, update your documentation of root causes and ways to recover from setbacks. Include whether improvements worked as expected or further adjustments were required. Note: If you apply lessons learned from earlier projects, you might need to update those as well to ensure you get the most out of your learning moments.
• Don’t gloss over repeated errors. Attention to psychological safety and root causes doesn’t mean you disregard repeated setbacks caused by team members who ignored lessons learned. In 1 on 1 conversations, work to understand why the team member ignored a lesson learned and address any shortcomings that arise from the conversation.

Think about a recent setback you experienced on a project. Take a few minutes to write up a description of the problem using neutral, non-judgmental, fact-based language. Recall whether your team described symptoms or root causes. Did they focus on the failure, or did they identify things they learned? If this setback wasn’t handled with a positive mindset, ask your most learning-focused team member to use this setback to practice these approaches.

For more about lessons learned, check out my Project Management Foundations course.

Coming Up

I am busy updating two of my courses. Later in the year, you’ll be seeing new and improved versions of Learning Microsoft Project and Project Management Foundations: Choosing the Right Online Tool. The latter course will review more tools than the original using a different format.

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