Applying lessons learned throughout the project lifecycle

The lessons learned activity is widely known and used in projectized environments. It is framed as a closing milestone that results in knowledge sharing, documentation, and archiving. To what extent is this acquired knowledge applied during the project lifecycle? The purpose of this paper is to explore project and team-based literature and understand how often lessons learned are captured and when they are typically acted upon. As a result, this paper will offer suggestions that can be used to accelerate effective change while meeting project expectations. This paper contributes to project, teams, and workplace learning research and practice by showing how leveraging technical and social capital can maximize lessons learned outcomes.