Dissemination and communication of lessons learned for a project-based business with the application of information technology: a case study with Siemens

Abstract With the recent development on a knowledge-based economy and project-based work, organizations gather and store their lessons and knowledge gained from projects to avoid ‘reinventing the wheel’ in future projects. To disseminate knowledge and experience at the group and organization levels, they further seek to develop a procedure to support project-based learning. This study conducts an in-depth case study in Siemens to investigate the perception of the individuals on barriers and enablers of implementing lessons learned. It also provides practical recommendations on how to enhance the dissemination of knowledge throughout the organization. The results of this study show that the retrieval of the information is a major barrier to lessons learned. To encourage more informal learning, organizations need to adopt various information communication systems and appropriate organizational culture and structure.