Lessons Learned Report: COM4077 - Teesside University Project

This report is a comprehensive Lessons Learned analysis of a project, likely related to a university assignment on project management, possibly using the PRINCE2 methodology. The report details various aspects of the project, including project initiation, team communication strategies, and the applied project methodology. It provides viewpoints from different team members, such as the Project Manager, Team Managers, and Senior Supplier, each offering insights into what went well, what could be improved, and specific recommendations for future projects. The report covers successes like effective communication, adherence to schedules, and the use of tools like PERT methodology. It also identifies failures such as communication delays, inability to identify all project constraints upfront, and lack of confidence among team members to voice concerns. The document includes a Project Product Description, outlining the project's goal of expanding Kerr Clearing Corporation's clearing services. The report concludes with recommendations for improved communication, better identification of constraints, and enhanced team collaboration. The report is a valuable resource for students studying project management and related fields.

Lessons Learned 1
LESSONS LEARNED
By (Student’s Name)
Professor’s Name
College
Course
Date

Lessons Learned 2
LESSONS LEARNED
1 Project Initiation Document History
1.1 Document Location
This document is only valid on the day it was printed.
The source of the document will be found on the project's PC in location
1.2 Revision History
Date of this revision:
Date of Next revision:
Revision
date
Previous
revision
date
Summary of Changes Changes marked
First issue
1.3 Approvals
This document requires the following approvals.
Signed approval forms are filed in the Management section of the project files.
Name Signature Title Date of
Issue
Version
1.4 Distribution
This document has been distributed to:
Name Title Date of
Issue
Version

Lessons Learned 3
2. Lessons Learned: Project Manager
3. 2.1 Consultation:
Coordinating with senior management through face-to-face discussion and email
efficiently worked in the entire project. For conveyance of the information effectively, we used
blog tool on Blackboard and frequently updated it with appropriate information including the
daily blog by Project Manager (PM). This project demanded collaborating with all stakeholders
within the campus, and communication was primarily by senior management because they had
appropriate mandate to make rational decisions. Nonetheless, they delegated certain
responsibilities occasionally to the PM which offered useful experience and broadened the
awareness of our group in respect to the organization business engagement operations. However,
it was challenging to engage senior users in this project but were identified 3 representatives as
appropriate to give student’s viewpoint and guarantee the needs of the learners were met. We
invited people to meetings via email, disappointingly though, because of workload of students, it
was hard for meetings to take place (Fleming and Koppelman 2016).
We recommend that if the project was to be reviewed, it would be appropriate to secure a
meeting with senior uses immediately or hold a short meeting during standard lectures. We
achieved engagement with students mainly through raising awareness presentation in the
assigned lecture time. We recommend that a rapport needs to be built with participating students
to provide them with the desired assistance and encourage them to take part in the events and
show them the disparities in data.
2.2. Group Communication
We employed various technique to converse in the entire project including group blog
within the Blackboard, e-mail and face-to-face meeting hence accommodating differing

Lessons Learned 4
commitments of members. We used meeting agenda to guarantee structure and efficiency and
enhanced equal chances for members’ contribution. We had strong commitment to group
meetings. We recommend that we needed to be more flexible regarding methods of meeting to
provide maximum opportunity for contribution and urge that all members to respond to e-mail
communication in timely manner and attend meetings (Bradley 2016).
2.3 Project Methodology:
We tried to incorporate principles and themes ushered by PRINCE2, but they failed
occasionally. We identified quality assurance (QA) as a potential weakness area due to lack of
formal protocols created for team to adhere to. We had to circulate documents though e—mails
to seek for approvals which consumed time besides not being sufficiently robust. We recommend
the creation of quality protocols and procedures and avoidance of retrospective creation of
quality records. Group members were never confident to raise their concerns and we
recommend that each member should feel free to voice their concerns.
4. Lesson Learned: Team Manager 1 Viewpoint
3.1 What went well?
From the viewpoint of the Team Manager (TM), the project was successful. The team
worked together to effectively manage the work and delivered almost all the product as
scheduled and planned in the Product Initiation Document. Communication amongst the
teammates stood successful as team meetings went through using both face-to-face
communication and e-mail follow ups (Walker 2015). The TM stayed in contact with teammates
which ensured seamless information stream between one another. The process updating the
progress, acceptance criteria, and approvals process stood clear and ended successfully with
preferred date of acceptance. The use of the product flow diagram went on well as it helped

Lessons Learned 5
teammates to appreciate the need for creating a product flow diagram. It helped the team to
successfully follow the flow stepwise and hence ensuring that we were always within the scope
without unnecessary redundancy or conflict of the activities (North and Kumta 2018). This was a
useful step in our project management since it helped us save on both time and cost, which
would have otherwise ensued from conflicting and overlapping activities. We also effectively
established an active risk register using the desired initial logs and its operation went on very
well. We adhered well to all the elements in a risk register including description, ID, root cause,
consequences, impact, likelihood, severity, actions, responsibility and progress. By following the
risk register, we significantly managed minimize the risk and their associated impacts, severity,
and consequences which effectively helped us deliver product as scheduled (Marchewka 2016)
3.2 What went wrong?
Despite effective communication within the team was recorded, it missed occasionally
when schedules for delivery of product was becoming due and faster communication was
inevitable to update everyone on progress made and wind the decisions. The teammates lacked
confidence voicing their concerns due to lack other ways or means of communication like phone
app. This is because other teammates feared voicing their feelings and opinions on a face-to-face
communication framework (Schwalbe 2015).
3.3 What could be improved in future?
We recommend that we could improve earlier communication in the future by adding
phone communication app which can help converse in real time with every teammates and
convey the update on the progress (Kerzner 2017). Using this app would enhance
communication and would improve the confidence amongst teammates to raise their concerns in

Lessons Learned 6
real time. This would lead to effective communication and idea sharing which would improve
our ability to work towards timely delivery of the product as assigned.
5. Team Manager 2 Viewpoint
4.1 What went well?
From the perceptive of the team manager 2, the entire process was successful.
Communication between the team members went on well. The meetings through face-to-face
communication proved valuable to shared decision making and information sharing as well as
giving the progress updates. We effectively used PERT methodology to perform duration
estimation for every product. This helped us remain within the schedule and hence eliminating in
unnecessary delays in the project timeframe. Project cost estimation went well using this
methodology and this helped us complete the project in time by minimizing cost. The use of
PERT successfully helped us in the calculation of expected time using the PERT formula. We
successfully used the expected time estimates to anticipate when my project will be complete and
made the necessary adjustments. We successfully evaluated the possible events that might cause
changes in our project time duration and then made necessary adjustments before they could lead
to risks to the project management team (Kerzner 2017). This remains effective for my team
since we were managed to proactively respond to any impending threats to our project.
4.2 What went wrong?
Even though the team was significantly aware of the importance of determining the
constraints in a project management task, we were not able to identify all the possible constraints
beforehand. Thus, our failed to identify all the potential constraints before starting the project
brought challenges with our budget and schedule. We were forced to adjust to include certain

Lessons Learned 7
constraints in the process which did not prove effective as we had not incorporated them in the
earlier budget.
4.3 What can be improved in future?
From the perceptive of manager 2, it is important to identify all the potential constraints
before starting a project and budget for them for effective project management. We, therefore,
recommend that in future, we should always start by identifying and evaluating all the possible
constraints. This data would allow us to easily create a desired plan of action, thus ensuring that
the effect of constraints on the project is minimized or entirely eradicated (Fleming and
Koppelman 2016).
6. Lesson Learned Report: Senior Supplier
What went well?
The team had effective communication through e-mails and face-to-face communication
strategies. This effective communication helped us receive the supplies we needed to complete
the project. We managed to receive the supplies for the product in time to ensure that Kerr
Clearing Corporation could expand the clearing services through building the administrative
office, installing IT facilities, undertaking a risk assessment, and advertising, recruiting and
installing communication channels. Team management was successful as the team members
supported each other and also received the much need support and advice from the executive and
project manager where necessary. This improved the ability to understand tasks allocated to
every member of the team
What went wrong?

Lessons Learned 8
There was intense pressure caused by delay in certain information and supplies which
culminated to teammates working with information they could collect independently thus leading
to incomplete information.
What can be improved in future?
The executive need to familiarize all teammates with responsibilities with detailed task
description to allow seamless sharing of information (Meredith, Mantel Jr and Shafer 2017).
7. Lesson learned report: Project Assurance
6.1 Executive Summary:
We held a prosperous project for our client, Kerr Clearing Corporation and helped the
organization expanded its clearing services by building the administrative office, installing IT
facilities, undertaking a risk assessment, and advertising, recruiting and installing
communication channels within five months.
6.2. Team Success
The project was successful as it was properly managed by the shared efforts of all team
members. The product was delivered as per description and schedule and within the budget. The
deliverables produced or documents included: risk register, Gantt chart, project costing with
PERT technique, duration estimation, product flow diagram, product breakdown structure,
project proposal, product quality description; and lesson learned report. Communication was
successful based on both email and face-to-face communication and the progress update were
given regularly (Kerzner 2019). The executive and quality assurance monitored the quality while
product approval process stood clear and with success.
The products created by the team for the project include expanded Kerr Clearing
Corporation’s clearing services through building of the administrative office, installation of IT

Lessons Learned 9
facilities, undertaking a risk assessment, and advertising, recruiting and installation of
communication channels.
6.3 Team Failures
This project ended with significant success besides little failures. We failed a little bit in
information processing time for timely communication. We also failed to identify all the
constraints before starting the project which was a major cause of delays in projects (Harrison
and Lock 2017).
6.4 Recommendation
We recommend sharing all responsibilities among teammates and having members
understanding their roles. We also recommend constant contact with client and urge members to
voice their concerns in time to improve confidence (Verzuh 2015).

Lessons Learned 10
Project Product Description
The product under this study is the expansion of Kerr clearing service. This clearing
service involves the procedure by which financial trade settle, which implies, the correct as well
as the timely transfer of funds to sellers as well as securities transfer to the buyers. Thus, Kerr is
a specialized organization which serves as the intermediary and hence assumes the role of
implicit sellers and buyers in a given transaction, to reconcile orders between these transacting
parties. Thus, Kerr must match all buy and sell orders in a market by providing smoother and
efficient markets for the participants to make their transfers to clearing corporation instead of
each party with whom they undertake a transaction (Binder 2016). Thus, Kerr is a clearing
corporation which is associated with the exchange for handling the confirmation, settlement, as
well as delivery of operations by ensuring that all transactions are made promptly and efficiently.
Thus, the product, in this case, is for us to ensure that Kerr Clearing Corporation fully expands
the clearing services through building the administrative office, installing IT facilities,
undertaking a risk assessment, and advertising, recruiting and installing communication
channels. Thus, this product will entail equipping the corporation with the desired change
management skills, recruitment skills, marketing skills, network analysis skills and risk
assessment skills.
References

Lessons Learned 11
Binder, J., 2016. Global project management: communication, collaboration and management
across borders. Routledge, 12(2), pp.11-56.
Bradley, G., 2016. Benefit Realisation Management: A practical guide to achieving benefits
through change. Routledge, 9(3), pp.14-45.
Fleming, Q.W. and Koppelman, J.M., 2016, December. Earned value project management.
Project Management Institute, 12(1), pp. 12-45.
Harrison, F. and Lock, D., 2017. Advanced project management: a structured approach.
Routledge, 14(1), pp. 34-56.
Kerzner, H., 2017. Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and
controlling. John Wiley & Sons, 15(3), pp. 12-56.
Kerzner, H., 2019. Using the project management maturity model: strategic planning for project
management. Wiley, 12(3), pp.12-67.
Marchewka, J.T., 2016. Information technology project management: Providing measurable
organizational value. John Wiley & Sons, 16(5), pp. 13-54.
Meredith, J.R., Mantel Jr, S.J. and Shafer, S.M., 2017. Project management: a managerial
approach. John Wiley & Sons, 11(1), pp. 1-45.

Lessons Learned 12
North, K. and Kumta, G., 2018. Knowledge management: Value creation through organizational
learning. Springer, 12(5), pp.10-47.
Schwalbe, K., 2015. Information technology project management. Cengage Learning, 13(2), 14-
65.
Verzuh, E., 2015. The fast forward MBA in project management. John Wiley & Sons, 11(4),
pp.23-64.
Walker, A., 2015. Project management in construction. John Wiley & Sons, 16(1), pp. 7-19.