Project Management Lessons Learned ― A Continuous Process Improvement Framework

Lessons Learned is an important phase in project management. This is when organizations can pave the way for future project success by documenting performance shortfalls so they are not repeated and recording best practices so they are repeated. This book covers the important role a project management office (PMO) plays in promoting lessons learned. Project managers learn how to improve processes by applying lessons learned. The book emphasizes "actionability," or producing a process improvement that can be acted upon by anyone in the PMO or project team.

Mel Bost is a Practice Leader in BOT International's PMO Practice who specializes in PMO best practices, project lessons learned, and program management. He is experienced in all aspects of project and program management, including strategic planning, design thinking, knowledge management, risk management, and business process analysis. Mr. Bost has successfully developed the processes, standards, procedures, and organizational structures for the PMOs of several major corporations. Prior to becoming a consultant, Mr. Bost worked for a number of large national and international companies, including Exterran Corporation, ConocoPhillips, Phillips Petroleum, Tosco Corporation, UNOCAL, Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO), and Ford Motor Company.Mr. Bost began his career in industry with Ford Motor Company where he directed product programs for the North American and European markets. He was also instrumental in a group which introduced finite element analysis in Ford Product Engineering using NASA programs. With ARCO, he directed Fuels Research and Development Projects. With UNOCAL and Tosco, he led Project and PMO programs. He was part of a global merger-transition team that developed business analysis and best practices for a new PMO prior to the merger of Conoco and Phillips Petroleum. He also led a global team to create a blueprint for implementing a PMO for Duke Energy Field Services and LUKOIL. Mr. Bost has worked with the PMO Executive Council in Washington, DC to define best practices for PMOs, and with the Advisory Board of The University of Arkansas, Walton School of Business, Information Technology Research Institute. He is the author of the highly regarded blog, "MEL BOST PMO EXPERT," which addresses the structure, activities, and behavior of a Program Management Office (PMO) environment, and has also recorded numerous podcasts with Wayne Thompson of "Project Management War Stories"In 2011, Mel Bost was invited by the Panama Canal Authority to conduct two training courses in Panama with their Construction Division project managers, engineers and other project personnel on the topic "Project Closeout and Lessons Learned." The Panama Canal Authority was engaged in a $ 5 billion program to expand the Canal which is scheduled for final completion in 2015.In 2012, in a cooperative effort between BOT International and CMCS (Collaboration Management and Control Solutions) headquartered in Dubai, Mr. Bost conducted a week long training course in Dubai on Project Lessons Learned for several companies from Morocco, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). CMCS is one of the largest providers of project management training to the Middle East and Far East. CMCS CEO Bassam Samman was highly supportive of the course and appeared as a guest lecturer on the "Risk Management" segment. In 2012, in a joint effort by BOT International and ProjectManagemennt.com, Mel Bost conducted one day Project Lessons Learned training sessions in several U.S. cities. ProjectManagement.com is one of the largest on-line networks of project managers in the world. Mr. Bost completed his BS Physics/MS Engineering degrees at Georgia Tech, and his MS Engineering Science and MBA degrees at The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.