Lessons Learned

Retrospectives, insights, and post-mortems capturing wisdom gained from experience.

Format

Use the template: YYYY-MM-DD-template.md

When to Write

Write lessons: - After completing major features or projects - After resolving complex problems - After incidents or post-mortems - During regular retrospectives

What to Capture

• What happened - The situation or problem
• What we learned - Key insight or pattern
• What we'll do differently - Changed behavior or process

Be Honest

Lessons are most valuable when honest about: - What went wrong and why - Assumptions that proved incorrect - Processes that didn't work - Skills or knowledge gaps discovered

This isn't about blame—it's about learning.

Review Periodically

Lessons become patterns: - Review lessons quarterly - Look for repeated themes - Consider promoting patterns to ADRs - Update team practices based on lessons