Establishing A Lessons Learned Program

For many years, the U.S. Army recognized the need to share information or lessons gained from training and actual combat operations. During World War II and the Korean War, the Army published "combat bulletins" in an attempt to share combat experiences with other Soldiers. During the Vietnam War, Army units published quarterly operational reports that made an effort to share lessons from combat operations. By doing this, units learned from the mistakes others made and were given an opportunity to avoid the same problems. Although these procedures were successful, the Army did not have a formal or permanent program in place to collect, analyze, and share lessons in both peacetime and wartime. As a result, the Army established the Center for Army Lessons Learned (CALL) in 1985. The Army had officially recognized the need to share lessons gained from training experiences and actual combat operations. Since the inception of CALL, the Army, as a learning organization, greatly evolved over time. CALL also evolved. Now, military communities, civilian governmental agencies, and the corporate world recognize the importance of sharing knowledge and learning from past experiences. In many ways, the U.S Army led this effort by allowing commanders to make honest mistakes in training, talk about those mistakes openly, and share what was done to correct those mistakes with other units about to undergo the same training experience. This is an essential precondition for having an effective lessons learned (LL) program: the ability to self-analyze and self-criticize in an atmosphere where there is no blame. The results were instrumental in changing the Army and creating a learning environment that won the Cold War, ensured victory in Desert Storm, and continues to support our Soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan today.

This handbook provides leaders and members of an organization with a "how-to" guide for establishing a lessons learned (LL) capability. It promises to detail what the LL process is and how to apply all the available tools to establish your own LL program. Different organizations in the LL community vary terms that are not necessarily consistent. This handbook attempts to simplify and explain these terms to satisfy the development of a generic LL capability. In developing the LL handbook, the Center for Army Lessons Learned (CALL) drew from the experience and techniques used by the Army, Marines, Air Force, NATO, and other US government agencies. It examined the processes in place to collect, analyze, disseminate, and archive observations, insights, lessons, and best practices and distilled them down to a simplified list of functions any organization could choose from to establish an effective program that fits its level of resourcing. The goal of this handbook is to provide a one-source document that anyone can use to understand how a basic program is achieved to improve organizational effectiveness.

This handbook provides leaders and members of an organization with a "how-to" guide for establishing a lessons learned (LL) capability. It promises to detail what the LL process is and how to apply all the available tools to establish your own LL program. Different organizations in the LL community vary terms that are not necessarily consistent. This handbook attempts to simplify and explain these terms to satisfy the development of a generic LL capability. In developing this LL handbook, the Center for Army Lessons Learned (CALL) drew from the experience and techniques used by the Army, Marines, Air Force, NATO, and other U.S. government agencies. It examined the processes in place to collect, analyze, disseminate, and archive observations, insights, lessons, and best practices and distilled them down to a simplified list of functions any organization could choose from to establish an effective program that fits its level of resourcing. The goal of this handbook is to provide a one-source document that anyone can use to understand how a basic program is achieved to improve organizational effectiveness. All organizations must learn to adapt and change. An enabler to do this is understanding the value of a lesson learned. The military has been a leader in understanding the vital importance of an LL capability. LL processes have been used in commercial, government, and military organizations since the late 1980s to capture, store, and share experiential working knowledge. Although this is a CALL product, it is not a primer on how CALL does business. We believe this handbook will have applicability for military, government, and civilian organizations that want to develop an LL capability. Although it does use some military examples, we will try to demystify military terminology and keep the explanations as basic and simple as possible. There are three chapters in this handbook, followed by a series of appendices. Chapter 1 briefly discusses what an LL program is and why you should have one. Chapter 2 outlines the functions of an LL program. Chapter 3 discusses the organizational considerations involved when establishing a program. In the appendices, you will find examples of how other LL centers operate their programs and supplemental information on after action reviews/reports, collection plans, and interviews. Introduction * Chapter 1 - Why a Lessons Learned Program? * Chapter 2 - Functions of a Lessons Learned Capability * Chapter 3 - Organizational Considerations * Appendix A - Sample Detailed Collection Plan Format * Appendix B - Oral Interview Techniques * Appendix C - Military After Action Reviews/Reports * Appendix D - Government Agencies and Lessons Learned Centers

This handbook provides leaders and members of an organization with a "how-to" guide for establishing a lessons learned (LL) capability. It promises to detail what the LL process is and how to apply all the available tools to establish your own LL program. Different organizations in the LL community vary terms that are not necessarily consistent. This handbook attempts to simplify and explain these terms to satisfy the development of a generic LL capability. In developing this LL handbook, the Center for Army Lessons Learned (CALL) drew from the experience and techniques used by the Army, Marines, Air Force, NATO, and other U.S. government agencies. It examined the processes in place to collect, analyze, disseminate, and archive observations, insights, lessons, and best practices and distilled them down to a simplified list of functions any organization could choose from to establish an effective program that fits its level of resourcing. The goal of this handbook is to provide a one-source document that anyone can use to understand how a basic program is achieved to improve organizational effectiveness.

Discover the military’s keys to excellent leadership and team building training The Program: Lessons From Elite Military Units for Creating and Sustaining High Performing Leaders and Teams offers a hands-on guide to the winning techniques and tactics of The Program, the acclaimed team building and leadership development company. Drawing on the actual experiences of The Program’s instructors from their personal combat stories to working with world-class athletic teams and successful corporations, the book clearly shows how The Program’s training operations can help to achieve life goals and ambitions. The Program offers a road map that contains illustrative examples, ideas, and approaches for improving teammates and leaders at all levels within an organization of any size or type. Bring your organization to the next level of success Discover how to hold your leaders and teammates to the highest standards Understand how accountability increases effectiveness Learn to communicate effectively This important book explores the military’s leadership and team building concepts that can be implemented to ensure an organization creates and sustains performance that adheres to the highest standards of excellence.

An indispensable resource for all defense industry professionals—governmental and commercial! Introducing the only book on the market offering valuable best practices and lessons learned for U.S. military program management The U.S. Department of Defense and the related defense industry together form the largest and most powerful government and business entity in the world, developing some of the most expensive and complex major systems ever created. U. S. Military Program Management presents a detailed discussion, from a multi-functional view, of the ins and outs of U.S. military program management and offers recommendations for improving practices in the future. More than 15 leading experts present case studies, best practices, and lessons learned from the Army, Navy, and Air Force, from both the government and industry/contractor perspectives. This book addresses the key competencies of effective U.S. military program management in six comprehensive sections: • Requirements management • Program leadership and teamwork • Risk and financial management • Supply chain management and logistics • Contract management and procurement • Special topics

SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY PRICING: Enjoy first-week pricing of $18.95 on paperback books! Regular retail pricing of $23.95 becomes effective on July 22nd. It all began with the initial chance meeting of this book's author, Katie Anderson, and the book's subject, Isao Yoshino. She was an American leadership coach and consultant in her mid-career, with a newfound love of Japanese culture. He was an accomplished Japanese people-centered leader at the end of his corporate career, with a lifelong love for American culture and 40 years of inside experience with the Toyota Way. During the next five years, Anderson and Yoshino spent countless hours learning from each other, reflecting on the past, and envisioning the future. The resulting book - written by Anderson and focused on the profound lessons offered by her mentor Yoshino -- is a beautiful, one-of-a-kind tapestry. Much like the weaving of fabric -- where the beginning work is but a glimpse of the final pattern -- this book was created from many layers of intertwined conversations and reflections. If you've ever been mentored -- in business or in life -- by someone whose words, experiences, and perspectives changed you for the better, you know that an entire book of such selfless generosity and deep wisdom could change the world. For today's business professionals -- dedicated to continuous learning and people-centered leadership -- this is that book. Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn is a leadership book that defies generational or cultural divides, offering a refreshing, proven perspective for all those who dare to lead. The Best Leaders Never Lose the Humility for Learning Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn is much more than a collection of Isao Yoshino's personal stories and insights. It's a memorable, entertaining, and poignant way to highlight important leadership lessons, to record pivotal moments in Toyota's history, and to create something to help veteran and aspiring leaders reflect and learn about themselves. Yoshino's experiences help us understand how Toyota intentionally developed the culture of excellence for which it is renowned today, and how one person "learned to lead" so that he could lead with an intention to learn ... every day and in every way. "The only secret to Toyota is its attitude toward learning." -- Isao Yoshino Let the Past Inform the Future: The Role of Reflection in Leadership By looking back at the past, we can learn and therefore shape our future. Through each story in this unique and inspiring book, Anderson shares Yoshino's experiences with leadership and learning, and his efforts at self-improvement while empowering others. Through those stories, you'll hear his reflections on what he learned then ... and what he is re-learning now with a different perspective as he looks back at the totality of his career. A must-read for those who: -- Want to become more people-centered leaders -- Currently practice lean or continuous improvement methods -- Serve in leadership, coaching, or operational management roles -- Want to learn more about Toyota's history and culture -- Are inspired by heartwarming stories of personal discovery and leadership With a foreword by John Shook, Chairman of the Lean Global Network.

Lessons learned are more in vogue today than at any time in our history. You can't tune into a news broadcast without hearing a reference to the concept - and for good reason. People are finally accepting the idea that they may be able to benefit from the experiences of others. Corporations, government departments, and even the military are actively using lessons learned information to help them to achieve their varied goals. The Department of Energy is one of the government departments that has a Lessons Learned Program and requires its contractors to develop a program of their own. Unfortunately, adequate guidance is not available to enable contractors to design a fully mature program (i.e., a program that will immediately meet their every need) and to ensure that it is implemented such that it will be deemed acceptable during subsequent assessments. The purpose of this paper is to present the reader with information that might help him or her better plan and develop a new or upgraded Lessons Learned Program. The information is based on the actual development and implementation of a "second generation" lessons learned program and is presented as a chronicle of the steps taken to build the rudimentary system and the subsequent events and problems that led to the programs present-day configuration.

The Army's lessons learning system is looked at from the user's perspective. Initially a historical based on Dennis J. Vetock's book, A History of U.S. Army Lessons Learning, is conducted. The salient points drawn from Vetock's work are presented. First, in each war beginning with WWI a lessons system was established, but always well into the war. Second, the lessons system in each war showed the basic doctrine to be sound, but the application of the doctrine was poor. Third, there has been a consistent role for professional journals to play. Fourth, each lessons system juxtaposed command battle reports with those of independent observers. The last of Vetock's points discussed is the formation of the Center for Army Lessons Learned (CALL). The recently published Army Regulation, AR 11-33, Army Lessons Learned Program, is also reviewed. Conclusions are drawn from the study. The system could be improved by soliciting increased use and giving instructions relative to that use. Not all potential contributors to the system are being sought out. Observer controllers from the Combat Training Centers (CTC), CTC exercising unit chains of command and key unit members upon their change of jobs are examples. (SDW).