The knowledge transfer concept is part of the Digirail project’s quality and management system. The aim of the concept is to make the collection and documentation of lessons learnt systematic, so that good practices and areas for improvement are always transferred from one project phase to the next.
The aim of knowledge transfer is to identify aspects related to the procurement, technical solutions, organisation, management and project management in the current project phase that could improve the success of the next project phase from both a financial and implementation perspective.
The three most important considerations for planning the implementation phase are that the lessons learnt must be taken into account in the planning and preparation of procurements, the collection of knowledge must be included in procurements and project work plans, and the necessary resources must be allocated for analysing the lessons learnt.
“In large, long-term projects involving many people from different organisations, good practices do not automatically get transferred from one project phase to another. That is why we have created a process that ensures that both good practices and those requiring improvement are documented and transferred to the right parties,” says Saara Haapala, Project Manager for the Implementation Phase Implementation Plan Project (ToTo).
“The concept of knowledge transfer has developed significantly over the past autumn and is beginning to become routine. The goal of the concept is clear: to create a functional model that is an established part of other normal day-to day project work. The collection of lessons learnt is a continuous process that runs throughout the entire project. That is why it is also culturally significant for the entire railway sector,” continues Quality Manager Katri Häkki.
Collecting knowledge is a shared task
Each expert working on the project has an important role in gathering lessons learnt by identifying events that worked particularly well or ones that could be improved in the next phase of the project.
Project managers are responsible for ensuring that knowledge transfer is not optional but an integral part of the project. They create a culture where continuous learning and development are part of leadership. In this context, project manager refers to the project managers for the Tampere-Pori/Rauma track section (the first commercial track section, EKA) and ToTo, as well as the project managers for section-specific projects.
Practical model for collecting lessons learnt
Methods for collecting lessons learnt have been developed in connection with the EKA project with a view to creating a systematic operating model. The lessons learnt should be visible in all parts of the project and be effectively transferred to the next phases.
There are three ways to conduct the collection of knowledge:
- Continuous gathering of feedback through the feedback form.
- Through interviews and workshops, which can be integrated into existing meetings or organised separately.
- Targeted and focused methods to ensure that participants review and approve the summary.
During the analysis phase, we need to identify the impact and significance of the lessons learnt for the next implementation project and the need for risk assessment. At this stage of the project, most of the lessons learnt are already being put to use in the Implementation Plan Implementation Phase.
A knowledge repository to support continuous development
The lessons learnt are stored in an archive of data, the knowledge repository, a project management tool used in project and procurement planning. The repository is constantly being updated, and the aim is to compile the lessons learnt from all project entities in the implementation phase of the Digirail project.
The collection of the repository data began in 2024 and the data will be supplemented as new material becomes available.