SPARC published five retrospective studies of projects in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Chad. This brief summarises lessons from these case studies, revisiting projects three to five years after closure. Few published studies assess resilience-building interventions several years after completion. Since resilience can be observed only over time, almost nothing is known about what really helps people cope with shocks. Retrospective learning is even more important in conflicts and recurrent crises, where life is less predictable, and where informal rules and informal power relations are more important. Without such learning, investments in resilience continue to be based on untested assumptions. SPARC published five retrospective studies of projects in Ethiopia, Kenya and Chad, implemented by governments, United Nations (UN) organisations, international Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and local NGOs. They covered water development in the drylands, climate-smart agriculture, public works programming and market-based pastoral development. Common lessons, apparent across these diverse studies, combine to explain why so many investments fall short of their expectations and show how better to support resilience in places threatened by crises. This policy brief summarises the lessons from the five retrospective case studies, revisiting projects some three to five years after closure. All were selected because the implementing agencies indicated they were successful.