Using Lessons Learned to Drive Process Improvement Plans

1. Using Lessons Learned to Drive Process Improvement Plans Central Alabama – PMI Meeting February 18, 2003

2. Context: The Company AMS is a $1 billion global business and IT consulting and services firm specializing in integrated IT solutions, outsourcing, and transformation. We help our customers dramatically improve organizational performance by using our deep industry, product, and process expertise to deliver measurable results. Our customers include hundreds of Fortune 500 companies and government agencies at all levels. Founded in 1970, AMS is headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia with 6,500 employees in 47 offices worldwide.

3. Context: Project Environment Industry Group: Communications, Media & Entertainment Project Types: Systems Integration, New Development, Production Support Systems: MVS, UNIX, Windows platforms Project Size: 30- to 150-person projects Organization was assessed at CMM Level 3on Nov. 1, 2002

4. Like many organizations… … we had “opportunities for improvement”! The “Improvement Opportunity”

5. The Solution: Lessons Learned “The process of gathering and prioritizing feedback from which information is garnered and acted upon for continuous improvement and use on future projects.”

6. Why Do It? • Repeating mistakes costs money • Transform complaining into constructive feedback • Identify unanticipated events that occurredso that we’re prepared for them in the future • Identify things we did well so that we can do them again • Improve morale and create a culture that issupportive of process improvement

7. Before Attempting Lessons Learned… You MUST Have… • A process that ensures honest feedback — no retribution • Management commitment to utilize the results and take corrective actions • Objective, impartial facilitator to organize the exercise and conduct data gathering and prioritization sessions

8. Sponsor: attends kick-off, communicates commitment, attends read-out. Sponsor must be willing to act on results. Facilitator: conducts kick-off, facilitates feedback sessions & data prioritization, coordinates summarization of results, conducts action planning session. Facilitator should be skilled and impartial. Lessons Learned Process Key Roles & Responsibilities (1 of 2)

9. Project Team Members: provides feedback regarding things that went well, didn’t go well, and that surprised us for the identified project scope. Must “trust the process” and provide honest feedback. Metrics Specialist: assists facilitator with data summarization by putting together charts highlighting findings; analyzes lessons learned data trends over time. Summarize the data for input into action planning. Lessons Learned Process Key Roles & Responsibilities (2 of 2)

10. Planning&Kickoff Planning The Lessons Learned Process Planning&Kickoff GatherData PrioritizeData Action Planning Plan the Lessons Learned Exercise • Decide on scope of review and target participant groups • Plan Participant Feedback Sessions • Plan Kick-off Session and get Sponsor involvement • Get commitment to Read-out and Action Planning Sessions  See Handout: Lessons Learned Plan Template

11. Planning&Kickoff Kickoff The Lessons Learned Process Planning&Kickoff GatherData PrioritizeData Action Planning Conduct Kick-off Meeting • Sponsor communicates commitment • Facilitator reviews scope, data collection method, and Participant Feedback Session ground rules • Review Lessons Learned schedule

12. GatherData Data Gathering The Lessons Learned Process Planning&Kickoff GatherData PrioritizeData Action Planning During Participant Feedback Sessions… • Facilitator navigates groups through evaluation categories identifying duplicates, clarifying meanings, and validating feedback • Exploratory Questions: What went well? What could have gone better? What surprised us? • Focus on the FACTS and ROOT CAUSES, not symptoms  See Handout: Lessons Learned Data Collection Template

13. PrioritizeData Data Prioritization The goal of prioritization is to produce a meaningful measure of the relative importance of one data point against another weighted equally amongst all participants. • Facilitator reviews data prioritization method and oversees the “voting” • Suggestion: Give 50 “points” to all participants that they can allocate to “improvement opportunity” items across all feedback categories The Lessons Learned Process Planning&Kickoff GatherData PrioritizeData Action Planning

14. Prepare for Action Planning The Lessons Learned Process Planning&Kickoff GatherData PrioritizeData Action Planning • Metrics Specialist compiles prioritized data and produces meaningful charts and graphs that reveal “importance breakpoints” • Facilitator summarizes results using prioritized data charts • (optional) Facilitator may invite all participants to a Read-out Session, summarizing results and reviewing next steps

15. Action Planning Action Planning The Lessons Learned Process Planning&Kickoff GatherData PrioritizeData Action Planning • Facilitator conducts session with management team • Highlight successes to ensure that we repeat them! • Review each prioritized improvement opportunity – • Root cause • Consequences of not addressing each item • Corrective actions that need to be taken; assign tasks, due dates, and assignees • Establish ownership of Action Plan  See Handout: Lessons Learned Action Plan Template

16. Tweaking the Process Lessons Learned from doing Lessons Learned! Data Collection • Use a real-time data collection tool; don’t wait to collect all data in the Participant Feedback Sessions Feedback Sessions • Use a scribe to record feedback • Voting after each session ensures 100% participation, but restricts what is voted on and possibly skews results Action Planning • Integrate Action Plan with project task plans • Ensure that project has visibility into progress that is being made on Action Plan • Use Lessons Learned data when planning similar projects in the future

17. Benefits Realized • Track record of taking corrective actions has improved morale and the effectiveness of our processes. • Helped establish culture that focuses on continuous improvement. • Saving time and money by not repeating mistakes and by ensuring that we repeat successes!

18. Questions Contact Information Julie Stein Jon Sborov Quality & Metrics Lead SQA Specialist Principal Principal julie.stein@ams.com jon.sborov@ams.com (205)403-8423 (205)403-8731 www.ams.com