Why Small Businesses Must Embrace The Art Of Lessons Learned Analysis
It’s November! And that means… spending the whole month not believing it’s November.
That, and starting to review your business year.
It’s time to look at what happened in your business and what it means for next year.
This important exercise is a Lessons Learned analysis.
What is “Lessons Learned”
The lesson learned concept is simple: you compare your initial expectations with reality.
You do this to understand:
- What went well,
- And why.
- What went wrong.
- And why.
The goal isn’t to find fault.
The goal is to identify patterns, strengths, weaknesses that will guide solid decisions next year.
The right analysis
Some businesses skip this step altogether.
Others look at the year, but don’t pinpoint the exact problem or success.
Others still blame people or events instead of fixing processes.
Don’t run a superficial review of your efforts this year. Give it proper analysis and proper follow through.
Your lessons learned
On the attached worksheet, list your main projects, what you expected, and the reality.
Analyze both the wins and the misses honestly.
And then make concrete plans and changes to face the new year stronger and smarter.
Remember: the only real mistake is the one you make twice.
What next
Inspired to rethink how you do Lessons Learned? Contact me today for guidance on how to apply these strategies directly to your business. And forward this email to a business friend.