Feedback and lessons learned are essential for any
program coordinator who wants to improve their
performance, adapt to changing needs, and deliver
value to their participants and partners. However,
collecting, analyzing, and applying feedback and
lessons learned can be challenging, especially in
complex and dynamic contexts. In this article, you
will learn some practical tips and strategies to
help you learn from feedback and lessons learned
in your program coordination role.
1. Define your learning objectives
• Before you start gathering feedback and lessons
learned, you need to have a clear idea of what you want
to learn and why. What are your program goals and
indicators? What are the assumptions and risks behind
your program design and implementation? What are the
gaps and opportunities for improvement? By defining
your learning objectives, you can focus your feedback
and lessons learned on the most relevant and useful
information for your program.
2. Choose your feedback and lessons learned
methods
• There are many methods and tools to collect feedback
and lessons learned from your program participants and
partners, such as surveys, interviews, focus groups,
observations, case studies, stories of change, and more.
You should choose the methods that best suit your
program context, budget, timeline, and learning
objectives. You should also consider the diversity and
preferences of your feedback sources, and ensure that
they are informed, engaged, and respected throughout
the process.
3. Analyze your feedback and lessons learned data
• Once you have collected your feedback and lessons
learned data, you need to analyze it to identify the key
findings, patterns, insights, and recommendations. You
can use different techniques to analyze your data, such
as coding, categorizing, comparing, contrasting, and
visualizing. You should also triangulate your data from
different sources and methods, and check for validity,
reliability, and bias. You should document and share
your analysis results with your program team and
stakeholders and invite their feedback and input.
4. Apply your feedback and lessons learned to your
program
• The final and most important step is to apply your
feedback and lessons learned to your program. You
should use your analysis results to inform your program
decisions, actions, and adjustments. You should also
communicate how you have used the feedback and
lessons learned to your program participants and
partners, and acknowledge their contributions and
suggestions. You should monitor and evaluate the
effects of your feedback and lessons learned
application, and continue the learning cycle throughout
