Barriers to and Enablers for Lessons Learned Practices in International Infrastructure Development Projects—A Case Study

Abstract

The implementation of international infrastructure development projects is confronted with many challenges. Lessons learned has emerged as the vital key to success of these projects. Management of lessons learned is a chain with organizational stakeholders as links, of which government agency is arguably the weakest. While many organizational stakeholders (e.g., international development banks, independent consultants) are sophisticated in lessons learned practices, little is researched on and understood of how governments agencies manage lessons learned and how to help them do so more effectively. This paper reports on a study, which is part of a larger research effort, into the barriers and enablers to effective lessons learned practices in international development projects. The study uses a government agency in Vietnam as a case. It has four steps. First, documents related to project management policies are analyzed and literature reviewed. Second, twenty-five officers from the government agency are interviewed using a semi-structured guide. Third, output from document analysis and the interviews is used to categorize barriers and enablers to effective lessons learned management. Four, a survey is used to solicit input to the importance of the barriers and enablers. The major finding is barriers and enablers that are critical to effective management of lessons learned in this kind of projects. These barriers and enablers are ranked and grouped into three categories: (1) individual, (2) organizational, and (3) inter-organizational. Outcome of the research provides a basis for a better understanding of barriers and enablers to managing lessons learned in international development projects. The research results will be used to develop a conceptual framework for lessons learned practices and strategies to improve them in the next research phase.