Two Decades of Design Research On Lessons-Learned Systems: A Systematic Review and Future Research Agenda

Lessons learned systems (LLS) are knowledge management systems (KMS) that collect, verify, store, disseminate, and enable the reuse of experiential knowledge created during the execution of organizational activities. Despite this promise, many scholars have noted that many LLS fail to properly manage their intellectual capital. While behavioral and organizational factors contribute to the success or failure of any IT system, their design is also a critical consideration. Here, a systematic literature review is helpful for understanding the current state of knowledge on LLS design research though to the best of our knowledge, none exists as past reviews have focused on behavioral or organizational factors around the use of KMS. Towards this knowledge gap and to guide future research, we performed a systematic literature review of LLS design research across two decades, finding that most designs employ web technologies, are largely designed for use by project- and technically oriented users in the construction context, and support explicit and declarative knowledge. Based on these findings, we recommend that future research be directed at improving the projectability of design knowledge, supporting the transfer of LL across communities, and improving support for tacit and procedural knowledge.