1. Slide 1 Replacing a Lessons Learned Database with a Visible Learning Process Session #1203 Steven Wieneke Technical Fellow Global Technical Memory Global Engineering General Motors Corporation April 14, 2008

2. Slide 2 Steven Wieneke GM Copyright 2008 Assuming learned is… …at least a change in some physical key element and/or… …ultimately an observable, consistent and repeatable change in human behavior. Is the label learned really justified for most lessons learned?

3. Slide 3 Steven Wieneke GM Copyright 2008 Is the label learned really justified for most lessons learned? Answer: Without proof of physical or behavior change, the label learned is NOT justified. Accumulating lists of lessons is not, in and of itself, proof that anything was actually learned.

4. Slide 4 Steven Wieneke GM Copyright 2008 Separating the Phrase Lessons Learned… Lessons Learned LessonsLearned IndividualEnterpriseThings gone wrong and corrected Necessary but not sufficient Sufficiency comes with others adopting and adapting Corrections Traditional lessons Learned database

5. Slide 5 Steven Wieneke GM Copyright 2008 Proof of what has changed?... What physical key element changed? What consistent and repeatable change in human behavior has been observed? Lessons Learned LessonsLearned IndividualEnterpriseThings gone wrong and corrected Necessary but not sufficient Sufficiency comes with others adopting and adapting Corrections Traditional lessons Learned database

6. Slide 6 Steven Wieneke GM Copyright 2008 What was learned from the lesson?... The correction or the prevention? Lessons Learned LessonsLearned IndividualEnterpriseThings gone wrong and corrected Necessary but not sufficient Sufficiency comes with others adopting and adapting Corrections Traditional lessons Learned database Things gone right and valued are Learnings

7. Slide 7 Steven Wieneke GM Copyright 2008 Anecdote…correction versus prevention Mom…why do you always cut 3 inches off the roast and tuck it in like that? Don’t know… guess I always have…you’ll have to ask Grandma!

8. Slide 8 Steven Wieneke GM Copyright 2008 Anecdote…correction versus prevention Gracious sakes …we didn’t have a pot large enough! Correction: Cut the roast to fit Prevention: Buy a larger pot

9. Slide 9 Steven Wieneke GM Copyright 2008 Mizenboushi Mindset – prevention before outbreak Corrections Traditional lessons learned database – Corrections to things gone wrong Often without context or not actionable Bottomline: User often left not knowing what to do

10. Slide 10 Steven Wieneke GM Copyright 2008 Mizenboushi Mindset – prevention before outbreak Best Practices & Other Sources – Preventions (things that work) In Context Bottomline: User absolutely knows what to do Preventions Corrections Traditional lessons learned database – Corrections to things gone wrong Often without context or not actionable Bottomline: User often left not knowing what to do

11. Slide 11 Steven Wieneke GM Copyright 2008 Context for preventions… What works (actionable) Why it works (fundamentals) Where it works (application) When to use (timeframe) Who said (subject matter expert) Preventions

12. Slide 12 Steven Wieneke GM Copyright 2008 Potential confusion with both… Corrections Traditional lessons learned database – Corrections to things gone wrong Often without context nor actionable Best Practices & Other Sources – Preventions (things that work) In Context Confusion: Most often the Correction is NOT the best Prevention. Preventions Bottomline: User often left not knowing what to do Bottomline: User absolutely knows what to do

13. Slide 13 Steven Wieneke GM Copyright 2008 Myth or fact?: Often there is more to be learned from failures than successes. Balanced - profound understanding can result from either correcting an issue (lesson) or creating a new learning Unbalanced - the most expensive tuition is a lesson learned, especially at the inconvenience of a customer Lesson Learning profound understanding tuition $ $

14. Slide 14 Steven Wieneke GM Copyright 2008 Myth busted… The impact of the consequence of a lesson and the desire to avoid that consequence again may be confused with what was actually learned The lesson of avoiding the consequence perpetuates the myth

15. Slide 15 Steven Wieneke GM Copyright 2008 What have we learned to this point?... Many lessons learned are at best just lessons For a lesson to be learned, evidence of physical and behavioral change is required Individual learning is necessary, but not sufficient Sufficiency comes with someone other than the original learner, adopting & adapting the learning or prevention

16. Slide 16 Steven Wieneke GM Copyright 2008 continued… Lessons are things gone wrong and corrected Learnings are things gone right and valued for reuse (adoption and adaptation) Most often the correction is NOT the best prevention. Profound understanding, at the minimal expense, is most desired state

17. Slide 17 Steven Wieneke GM Copyright 2008 Proof that someone will make a change Proof the new learning or prevention is now standard work Proof that behavior has changed Challenges…

18. Slide 18 Steven Wieneke GM Copyright 2008 Solution: Replace a lessons learned database with a visible (transparent) learning process… Lessons database Sources of lessons Sources of learnings Visible Learning Process 1. Know-how 3. Good Discussions 2. References Intellectual Capital integrate

19. Slide 19 Steven Wieneke GM Copyright 2008 Output Knowledge Worker Subject Matter Responsible Person Input Note: The enterprise learns when someone, other than the initial learner, adopts and adapts the new learning or prevention Questions for an Enterprise, Department or Group 4. What are the sources Lessons (things gone wrong)? 3. Who is the respected authority on the topic? 2. What is known… Training? References? Key Forums? 1. Who is the internal customer of Training? References? Key Forums? 5. What are the sources of Learnings (things gone right)?

20. Slide 20 Steven Wieneke GM Copyright 2008 Output Knowledge Worker Subject Matter Responsible Person Lesson Inputs Learning Inputs Basic Learning Process… 1. Present 2. Update or Create 3. Adopt & Adapt 1. Know-how 3. Good Discussions 2. References Intellectual Capital

21. Slide 21 Steven Wieneke GM Copyright 2008 Output Knowledge Worker Subject Matter Responsible Person Lesson Inputs Learning Inputs GM Global Engineering example… 1. Know-how 3. Good Discussions 2. References Intellectual Capital 12 Sources 9 Sources 64 Communities & Leaders 250 SMRPs* 250 Best Practice Teams * Subject Matter Responsible Person 24 Reference Categories 4250 Best Practices… Viewed 235,000 times in 2007 1600 unique daily users (avg.)

22. Slide 22 Steven Wieneke GM Copyright 2008 What needs to be known… What needs to be known What is known & Who knows What is already written What needs to be learned What is known & not needed What needs to be written What is already written & not needed

23. Slide 23 Steven Wieneke GM Copyright 2008 Implementation 1.Create Taxonomy* by Area or Community of Practice (CoP) 2.Identify Subject Matter Responsible Person for each CoP 3.Make Communities of Practice visible 4.Identify the key knowledge worker in each CoP 5.Make what the CoP must know visible * Based on the Community’s deliverable - product, service or process

24. Slide 24 Steven Wieneke GM Copyright 2008 Implementation continued… 6. Make what is known visible for each CoP… a. Technical Excellence - Education, Training, Mentoring b. Intellectual Properties (Best Practices and other written technical sources) c. Technical Exchanges (Peer Assists, Action Reviews, Peer Reviews, Design Reviews)

25. Slide 25 Steven Wieneke GM Copyright 2008 Implementation continued… 7.Identify sources of lessons and learnings for enterprise (long-term emphasis should be on learning, innovation, invention) 8.Make the enterprise learning process visible 9.Leverage metaknowledge (knowledge about knowledge) practitioners

26. Slide 26 Steven Wieneke GM Copyright 2008 Knowledge Worker Subject Matter Responsible Person Lesson Inputs Learning Inputs Final Summary… 12 Knowledge Worker Knowledge Worker Things gone wrong & corrected Things gone right & valued Note: Corrections must be transformed into preventions & key lessons documented as Case Studies (in context) 1. Know-how 3. Good Discussions 2. References Intellectual Capital 1 2 3 Present Update or Create Adopt & Adapt 3

27. Slide 27 Steven Wieneke GM Copyright 2008 Reference…GM Case Study… Adopting and Adapting Product Best Practices across General Motors Engineering Six Years Later, Steven Wieneke, Technical Fellow, Global Engineering, General Motors Corporation, is available in Knowledge Management for Services, Operations and Manufacturing, Tom Young, Chandos Publishing, Oxford, England, 2008, pp. 142 - 165.