CPP Lessons Learned & Knowledge Management 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When should lessons learned sessions ideally be conducted on a large project?
- Only at project closure
- At key phase gates and project closure (Correct answer)
- Quarterly regardless of project phase
- Only when major issues occur
Correct answer: At key phase gates and project closure
Lessons learned should be captured at phase gates and closure so insights are timely and not lost to memory fade.
Question 2: A project manager discovers that a lessons learned repository exists but team members never consult it. What is the MOST likely root cause?
- The repository is too large
- Knowledge is stored but not made searchable or actionable (Correct answer)
- Team members lack time
- The repository requires special access
Correct answer: Knowledge is stored but not made searchable or actionable
Repositories fail when content is not indexed, tagged, or presented in a way that makes retrieval easy and relevant.
Question 3: Which technique BEST supports tacit knowledge transfer between retiring experts and new project staff?
- Document archiving
- Shadowing and mentoring programs (Correct answer)
- Online knowledge bases
- Process flowcharts
Correct answer: Shadowing and mentoring programs
Tacit knowledge (know-how, intuition) transfers most effectively through direct human interaction like mentoring and job shadowing.
Question 4: A post-project review reveals the same communication breakdown occurred on three consecutive projects. What knowledge management action is MOST appropriate?
- Retrain the current team
- Update the risk register
- Codify the root cause and mitigation as an organizational process asset (Correct answer)
- Issue a project closeout report
Correct answer: Codify the root cause and mitigation as an organizational process asset
Recurring issues signal a systemic gap; the fix must be institutionalized as an organizational process asset to prevent recurrence.
Question 5: In knowledge management, what does 'knowledge pull' refer to?
- Management extracting reports from teams
- Team members proactively seeking knowledge when needed (Correct answer)
- Pushing best practices to all projects
- Extracting data from project archives
Correct answer: Team members proactively seeking knowledge when needed
Knowledge pull is a demand-driven model where individuals actively seek out relevant knowledge at the point of need.
Question 6: Which of the following is an example of an explicit organizational process asset related to lessons learned?
- A subject matter expert's undocumented expertise
- A documented project post-mortem stored in a shared repository (Correct answer)
- Informal advice shared at the water cooler
- A project manager's personal notebook
Correct answer: A documented project post-mortem stored in a shared repository
Explicit knowledge is formally documented and accessible; a stored post-mortem meets this definition as an organizational process asset.
Question 7: A CPP candidate is reviewing a project where lessons learned were documented but not acted upon in subsequent projects. Which process FAILED?
- Lessons learned capture
- Lessons learned dissemination and application (Correct answer)
- Project closure reporting
- Stakeholder communication planning
Correct answer: Lessons learned dissemination and application
Capturing lessons is only the first step; the process fails when there is no mechanism to distribute and apply them in future projects.
CPP Lessons Learned & Knowledge Management 2
When should lessons learned sessions ideally be conducted on a large project?