Running the Codification Gauntlet: Why Intent Alone Cannot Afford the Codification of Project Learnings

Abstract

This article presents a first synthesis of the ability to codify challenges that constrain project learning codification and, in turn, limit the sharing of learnings between projects at scale. An improved understanding of these challenges supports the externalized sharing of project learnings, between communities of practice, that can scale beyond the temporal, geographical, and organizational barriers that constrain personalized sharing. Through an integrative cross-domain literature review, a learning codification gauntlet of seven key ability to codify challenges is reconceptualized, and significant new research gaps are identified for further investigation, including: the operation of identified challenges in practice, challenge interrelationships, and challenge-cumulative effects on project-to-project learning outcomes.