Where every other project is unique in nature , how lessons learned from past project will help you to gauge the current or new projects ?

Obviously every other project is unique in their nature otherwise we are repeating or duplicating the same. But some kind of  same situations may arise wherein you might use you past learning experience. Procedure we follow may be same there we can apply in a better way.  At the same time you can further enhance your way of doing things based on your past experience(past learned lessons) though they are not kind of same. 

Yes every project has its unique properties However in an organization there will be projects which are related to one another, output of one can be input to other etc...lessons learnt is the only document which will be helpfull here to reduce your analysis tasks which interim will reduce cost n time and shoudl be helpfull for the Project managers or other working audience to refer whn required Projects are different in nature however the approach and methodologies can be similar and lessons learnt will teach us what all consequences one can come across while using similar approach Also at times when we deal with different projects for same cleint lessons learnt will help us understand nature of the client stakeholders, client behaviour, any madatory organizational requirements of the client etc... Lessons learnt can be a called as golden book which talks about life of a project in easy words for any new personel to refer. Thank you for the question I loved replying to this :-) Cheers

Each project will be different from the other in its basic characteristics, timeline, risks, schedule and other aspects, but the lessons learned from a project can go a long way in helping you to understand the measures , corrective or preventive that you need to take when approaching subsequent set of project/s. For example, if you are working with the same customer in different projects, or different set of customers in similar projects, you would know beforehand if the customer is demanding, if the resources are responsive and so on, by dint of working with them or some similar people in previous projects. Also, if you have a product which can be reused by dint of development in a previous project, there is no need to reinvent the wheel. There are multiple benefits of lessons learned, which is situation specific. 

Although each project is unique from the other, but often the technologies and techniques used are common .

the addition acquired by the engineer of each project will be in the flexibility and experience obtained to deal with these technologies.

 

Thanks for invitation .

one can plan based on the past efficiency (outputs/inputs). 

once you pan you can determine the efficacy of the current planning (rate of execution)

According to PMBOK lessons learned is an important organizational process asset.

 

Lessons learned is a theory, or conclusion, based on evidence at a given time and describes what went wrong (as well as what went right) throughout the lifecycle of a project. Although it’s completed during the project closeout process, it should occur during the entire project lifecycle to ensure all information is captured and documented.

 

Consequences of not having a project review of lessons learned are the increased likelihood of repeating actions that might have caused:

 

• Project failures
• Budget overruns
• Scope creep
• Reduced quality from expectations
• Missed scheduled deadline

 

Lessons learned provide their greatest value when they are (a) documented, (b) communicated, ( c) archived, and (d) fluid and adaptable to allow evolved conclusions. Documentation of lessons learned should include naming the issue, a brief description of the problem or success, the impact on the project (e.g. time, cost, scope, quality, schedule), and the process improvement recommendations (lessons learned).

 

Next, it’s important to communicate these lessons to the project stakeholders. The stakeholders should be a part of the project review so it’s a logical step to communicate lessons learned to them. You should also archive and communicate this project’s lessons learned to all project managers either through the Project Management Office (PMO) or, in the absence of a PMO, previously approved means of Project Management collaboration and communication.

 

Finally, lessons learned needs to be open to the idea that alternative conclusions exist. Remember, our lessons learned are based on the best information available at the time of the conclusion. However, with time and experience, our knowledge and interpretation of the data might change.

I agree with the expert answers by saying that document the current lessons learned in your current project will lead to a better gauge and used as basis for a future proceeding projects.

This is a very good question.

All projects are different from each other yet have similarities.

Remember one type of estimation is 'analogous' which compares similar project's financial estimation.

Secondly lesson learned is not for project, it's for people.

It gives you an idea what did we do wrong that needs to be improved such as;

How should  communicate be better, what should not be repeated

How should be documentation, How can documentation be saved for next project.

Etc.

REMEMBER PROJECT RESULTS ARE DIFFERENT, BUT NOT PROJECT MANAGEMENT.

LESSON LEARNED IS FOR PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND NOT FOR PRODUCT.

learning from old failures can prevent you from repeating the bad history, also, can give you amazing insights to deliver your success even more beautifully

Lessons learned will always help you in followings :

a) Planning a new project.

b) Evaluating and accessing the risk factors

c) Team building and people management.

d) Budget and time frame for similar activities within the project.

e) Economic, political and social condition of the state and country where project is under execution.

Every project is unique and should be handled carefully ensuring that mistakes are not repeated. This can be avoided by reviewing previous handles projects and look for best practices