NATO

Lessons Learned

CAPABILITY

CAPABILITY

NATO defines its Lessons Learned Capability as follows: "A Lessons Learned Capability provides a commander with the structure, process and tools necessary to capture, analyse and take remedial action on any issue and to communicate and share results to achieve improvement." The purpose of the NATO Lessons Learned Capability is to learn efficiently from experience and to provide validated justifications for amending the existing way of doing things in order to improve performance for (subsequent) operations. As such the NATO Lessons Learned Capability comprises several important elements: leadership, mindset, structure, process, tools, training and information sharing.

• Leadership: Strong leadership is needed to engage the whole organization throughout the NATO Lessons Learned Process by providing guidance for focus areas on which lessons need to be captured, requesting such lessons to be captured during day-to-day work, during operations, or at exercises, approving Lesson Collection Plans, approving Lessons Identified, deciding on recommended Remedial Actions and tasking the relevant Action Body to make an action plan in order to turn an approved Lesson Identified into a Lesson Learned. 
• Mindset: The right Lessons Learned mind-set is needed to ensure that everyone in the organization is geared towards uploading Observations, Lessons, and Best Practices into the NATO Lessons Learned Portal (NLLP) in order to capture and share knowledge. 
• Structure: The NATO Lessons Learned structure consists of specialist personnel such as Lessons Learned Staff Officers, Lessons Learned Points of Contact or any person that originates an Observation as well as specific working- and decision-making Lessons Learned groups in NATO.
• Process: The NATO Lessons Learned Process (as described below) is executed in order to deliver improvements and provides a structured framework with a clear division of roles and responsibilities during the process.
• ​​​​​​​Tools: The NLLP is the single tool in NATO for the collection, management, tracking, monitoring, and sharing of lessons. The NLLP was established and is managed by the JALLC. 
• ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Training: Training is teaching or developing in oneself or others the skills and knowledge that relate to a specific useful competency. Training has the goal of improving one’s capability, capacity, productivity, and performance. 
• ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Information Sharing​​​​​​​: Provides the opportunity to learn from others and to improve on one’s own performance. Sharing should be based on the need to share principle where possible rather than the need to know. However, many factors have to be taken into account such as the target audience, timing, security, and the quality of the information. Lessons Learned sharing can be done by actively forwarding lessons (push) or by actively collecting lessons (pull).

PROCESS

PROCESS

The NATO Lessons Learned Process does not replace, but supports the normal staffing (administration) of lessons through the chain of command, specific to each organization. It consists of two phases, with different steps and deliverables, as presented in the figure and explanation below.

CAPABILITY ASSESSMENT

CAPABILITY ASSESSMENT 

Background

In 2019, the JALLC was tasked to engage with thirteen NATO Command Structure HQs, with the purpose of providing training, conducting an assessment of the HQs’ implementation of NATO Lessons Learned Capability in the HQs, and subsequently providing recommendations to sustain, maintain, and improve the relevant HQs implementation efforts.  The assessment visits are to be repeated in a two-year cycle.

How does it work? 

The JALLC Advisory and Training Team (JATT) conducts the NATO Lessons Learned Capability assessments through interviews with the Lessons Learned Staff Officers at the NATO Command Structure HQs. 

The NATO Lessons Learned Capability assessments are designed to assess the NATO Command Structure HQ’s implementation of each of the elements of the NATO Lessons Learned Capability, its ability to institutionalize Lessons, and its annual Lessons Learned reporting.  Survey questions are first given to the Lessons Learned Staff Officers to self-assess and then reviewed with a member of the JATT. 

SUPPORT TO THE LESSONS LEARNED COMMUNITY

SUPPORT TO THE LESSONS LEARNED COMMUNITY

Organizing Lessons Learned Events, such as conferences, seminars, and workshops, including the NATO Lessons Learned Conference, which brings together the members of the NATO Lessons Learned community to share experiences and engage on a wide range of Lessons Learned related topics and promote the use of the NLLP.

NATO Lessons Learned Conference

Since 2003, the JALLC has hosted the annual NATO Lessons Learned Conference, which has become an important event in NATO's Lessons Learned calendar, bringing together participants from NATO and National entities, developing a stronger NATO Lessons Learned community.

                              Pictures from NLLC 2019

This event provides participants with the opportunity for the exchange of information within the NATO Lessons Learned community and stimulates discussions on best and suitable practices for improving the current NATO Lessons Learned Capability, enabling the continuous transformation of the Alliance.

The NATO Lessons Learned Conference is also an opportunity to engage with Partners and representatives from industry and academia to share insights on innovation and relevant new technologies. Conference recommendations are processed by the JALLC and fed into the NATO Lessons Learned Process via the NLLP where they are monitored and actioned, contributing to the Alliance’s Transformation.

USEFUL TERMINOLOGY

USEFUL TERMINOLOGY

• Action Body (AB). The Action Body is the organization or staff tasked by the Tasking Authority with the implementation of an assigned recommendation/ Remedial Action from a Lesson Identified. The Action Body develops, as required, an action plan to guide the Remedial Action activities. The Action Body reports to the Tasking Authority. 
• Approval. Constitutes final and formal agreement on matters, which are within the authority’s remit without reference to other authority. Such agreement will normally result in approval for follow-on action or activity. 
• Best Practice. A Best Practice is a technique. Process, or methodology that contributes to the improved performance of an organization and has been identified as the best way of operating in a particular area as compared to other good practice(s). Ideally, a Best Practice should be adaptive, replicable, and immediately usable. 
• Endorsement. Represents formal agreement, but where the matter requires subsequent consideration and approval by another authority and/or at a higher level. 
• Lesson Collection Plan. The lesson collection plan should be a comprehensive and detailed plan for who, when, where, and how lessons are collected for priority or focus areas. However, where the circumstances call for it, a lesson collection plan can be a simple list of priorities or focus areas A lesson collection plan can be made ahead of an activity as an integrated part of the general planning in order to enable the active and focused collection of lessons. 
• Lesson Learned Point of Contact (LL POC). A Staff Officer appointed by an HQ Division / Branch / Section head whose secondary/collateral function is to perform Lessons Learned tasks be the Subject Matter Expert in his/her functional area. 
• Lesson Identified (LI). An observation which has been analysed in order to identify the root cause, and in respect of which a recommended Remedial Action and a Tasking Authority has been identified. The LI is to be uploaded in the NLLP. 
• Lessons Learned Staff Officer (LLSO). The LLSO is responsible for conducting staff work (administrative work) in support of the organization’s Lessons Learned process, Lessons Learned information sharing, and participation in the Lessons Learned community. He/she is central to the organization’s efforts to engage everybody in seeing the value of learning lessons. 
• Lessons Learned (LL). An LL in respect of which remedial action has been approved and implemented. 
• NATO Lessons Learned Portal (NLLP). The NLLP is the single tool in NATO for the collection, management, tracking, monitoring, and sharing of lessons. The NLLP was established and is managed by the JALLC. Watch the video on the NLLP here. 
• NATO Lessons Learned Process. The NATO Lessons Learned Process is NATO’s formal process for identifying potential lessons and ensuring that, through analysis of the cause and potential remedial action they are learned in such a way that allows the Alliance to transform to better meet the needs of the Allies. It consists of two distinct phases and includes relevant deliverables. 
• Observation. A short description of an issue which may be improved or a potential Best Practice. 
• ODCR (Observation, Discussion, Conclusion, Recommendation format). Is the format employed by NATO and the JALLC to ensure that observations are captured and analysed correctly providing clear conclusions and recommendations. 
• Originating Authority (OA). The Originating Authority is the entity that is responsible for endorsing the Lessons Identified or Lessons Identified List (LIL) and that the individual LIs are uploaded in the NLLP. This includes documentation of the observation, analysis, and conclusion, recommended remedial actions and identifying the Tasking Authority. The Originating Authority is to forward the Lesson Identified to the Tasking Authority through the chain of command. 
• Remedial Action. The corrective action needed to transform and Lesson Identified into a Lesson Learned. 
• Tasking Authority (TA). The Tasking Authority is the entity that is responsible for phase 2 in the NATO Lessons Learned Process (see above). This includes deciding on recommendations and Remedial Actions (noting or approving), committing resources and appointing/tasking one or more Action Bodies accordingly. The Tasking Authority informs the Originating Authority of its decision (feedback). The Tasking Authority is responsible for the coordination, implementation and tracking of the Lesson Identified to a Lesson Learned. The Tasking Authority also ensures that the approved Lesson Identified is uploaded into the NLLP and its status updated to Lesson Learned once the lesson is indeed implemented.