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WorkshopAny teamRetrospectives

Lessons learned session

60 minutes 7 blocksFree Free template

What to repeat, what to change and what surprised us, written as lessons the next team can use, with owners assigned before anyone leaves.

Use this template See inside

Free to use and to run live. No card needed.

Share
Repeat
Went well: what should the next project copy?
Change
Didn't go well: what would we do differently?
Surprises
What didn't we see coming?
Lessons for others
An instruction: 'Book X before Y'

In short

A lessons learned session looks back at a project to capture what to repeat, what to change and what surprised the team, so the next project benefits. This template gives you a four-column live board filled from phones, dot voting and a 60-minute agenda that turns the top themes into lessons with owners.
Time
60 minutes
People
3 to 20
Board
4 columns, 3 dots each
Plan
Free

Updated October 4, 2026

What's inside

The agenda

By the end of this meeting, the top lessons are written as instructions, each has an owner, and we know who needs to hear them.

60 min · 7 blocks, drawn to scale Fits exactly
  1. Gut feel: the project from 1 to 5, 4 minutes 4
  2. Quick timeline: goals, key dates, results, 6 minutes 6
  3. Silent writing: repeat, change, surprises, 15 minutesBrainstorm 15
  4. Group the notes and dot-vote, 6 minutes 6
  5. Talk through the top themes, 15 minutesDiscuss 15
  6. Who needs each lesson, and who tells them, 10 minutesDecide 10
  7. Read back the lessons and owners, 4 minutes 4
015304560 min
  1. +0′Gut feel: the project from 1 to 5Gut feel: how did the project go? 1 to 5, and one word why4 minCheck-in
  2. +4′Quick timeline: goals, key dates, resultsTip: Remind everyone what we set out to do and what actually happened, in facts. Memories of a long project are short and skewed to the last few weeks.6 minInfo
  3. +10′Silent writing: repeat, change, surprisesTip: Everyone writes from their phone. Names don't show on the board, which helps people raise what went wrong between teams or with clients.15 minBrainstorm
  4. +25′Group the notes and dot-voteTip: Group similar notes, then three dots each on what matters most for the next project.6 minDiscuss
  5. +31′Talk through the top themesTip: For each: what happened, why, and what we'd do next time. Write the lesson as an instruction: 'Confirm site access two weeks before mobilizing', not 'access was a problem'.15 minDiscuss
  6. +46′Who needs each lesson, and who tells themTip: A lessons log nobody reads changes nothing. Decide where each lesson goes (the next kickoff, the project template, a supplier) and who takes it there.10 minDecide
  7. +56′Read back the lessons and owners4 minWrap-up

How to run it

  1. 1Hold it within two weeks of the project ending, and at major milestones on long projects.
  2. 2Open with a factual timeline so the discussion isn't only about the last month.
  3. 3Run silent writing from phones, group the notes and dot-vote, then turn each top theme into a lesson written as an instruction.
  4. 4Before people leave, decide where each lesson will live and who will take it there. The summary goes out with the owners listed.

Questions people ask

What is a lessons learned meeting?
A meeting at the end of a project, or a phase, where the team records what worked, what didn't and what it would do differently, so future projects can use it.
What questions should you ask in a lessons learned session?
What should we repeat? What would we change? What surprised us? And for each answer: why did it happen, and who needs to know?
What should a lessons learned template include?
The project's goals and results, what went well, what didn't, each lesson written as an instruction, and an owner who makes sure the lesson reaches the next team.

Run it with your group

Free
  • Ideas land on the board from every phone, then dot-vote
  • A timer for every block on the shared screen
  • Results, decisions and actions in the summary
Use this template

Free to use and to run live. No card needed.

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Open it, make it yours, run it live.

Change anything in the editor. When you're ready, press Present: everyone joins with a scan and answers on their phone.

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