If you are planning for a year, sow rice;
if you are planning for a decade, plant trees;
if you are planning for a lifetime, educate people.
(Chinese proverb)
Introduction
On of the first steps in a career for a project manager is to get fundamental knowledge about project management. But with only theoretical knowledge, a project manager will not be comfortable to manage his first project. Continuous further training is essential for developing necessary project management competencies. Only with the experiences from real project work will one be able to tailor the tools and templates in project management for special needs. Expert knowledge in specific areas of project management can be necessary especially in large projects.
This paper discusses aspects of project management training organised by companies. First it introduces what are the special requirements and characteristics of project management training. After that different learning methods and a training concept combining different offerings is shown. The last chapter lists experiences with these training methods and challenges initiated.
Project Management Training
Project management competence is based on different abilities and experiences. It can be described along three dimensions (Crawford, 1997, PMCD, 2002):
- Project Management Knowledge Competence What a project manager knows about project management: It means the knowledge and understanding which a project manager brings to a project.
- Project Management Performance Competence What a project manager is able to do or to accomplish while applying his project management knowledge: It means the ability to perform project management activities according to the level of performance expected. It is based upon knowledge competencies. It ensures the project manager to apply his skill and knowledge for executing project management tasks ant to demonstrate this ability.
- Project Management Personal Competence How individuals behave when performing the project or activity; their attitudes and core personality traits: These are the core personality characteristics underlying a person's capability to do a project or project activity.
These kinds of competencies have to be developed in parallel. Therefore practical work with acquiring experiences is needed, as well as organised learning and training.
One main element in project management training is an exchange of experiences and transfer of knowledge. It helps the senior expert as well as the junior. Discussing actual topics and questions and publishing lessons learnt broaden the experiences on both sides.
An additional aspect in project management training is preparing for a formal certification like the Project Management Institute's (PMI®) Project Management Professional (PMP®). In a business area where such certificates are required, companies should support new candidates. Surely this improves employee commitment. But additional, it improves and certificates the project management competence of the company at all.
Trainings Methods for Project Management
If the requirements of project management training are so multilateral, an appropriate training must combine different methods focusing on the development of different competencies.
Exhibit 1 – Set of Training Offerings
The training concept, which is described, was developed for the midsized company T-Systems Multimedia Solutions GmbH, subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom AG. Exhibit 1 gives an overview of the different elements offered. Following they are explained:
- Junior Project Leader Team is the basic qualification for all new project leaders. Nine 2-day seminars are scheduled during a half-year period. These face-to-face meetings focus on PM-basics, PM methods and tools, team working and economics. Learning concepts are seminars, discussion, role-plays or case studies.
- E-Learning is understood as computer-based learning. Electronic courses are based on the corporate learning platform MoveHR. It consists of e-content, tests, and glossaries. E-Forums are used for discussions. Additional information (links, news etc.) can be published.
- PMI Learning Workshop focuses on the PMI-certification. Learning groups of 10 experienced project leaders work out the content of A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) by PMI and prepare the certification.
- Project Leader Meeting is a regularly meeting once in two months for active project leaders. It is used for exchange of experiences, knowledge transfer and information concerning actual topics.
- Coaching is an organized process in which experienced senior professionals consult and support junior project manager. It includes overall experience exchange but also consulting in concrete project questions and tasks.
As described above, project management training has different objectives. This is the main reason why such different learning offerings for the different focus groups are developed. Whereas workshops and team meetings help for knowledge transfer and experience sharing, electronic courses are ideal for knowledge acquisition and certification preparation. Exhibit 2 gives an overview of which method helps to gain which objectives.
Exhibit 2 – Objectives Training Offerings
Training methods offered are computer-based (E-Training) and classical non-computer based. The best advantage of E-Training is easy access and flexibility; it is available any time, everywhere. The concept of blended learning – combining classical learning with E-Learning-methods – ensures the advantages of E-Training without reduction in motivation and personalization.
Trends and Challenges
The information age with its paradigm of life-long learning implements new requirements for training. These are valid for project management training with its typical diverse variations in particular. An ongoing check-up and review is necessary to improve and validate the training methods offered. The experiences after more than 5 years of experience in organised project management training are described below.
- Self-organized training becomes more important and should be supported
Basic events, with the objective of implementing and improving project management knowledge competence, should be initiated and implemented centrally. But as other training components concerning actual topics and experience exchange become more important self-organised meetings and forums are required. Activities focusing on knowledge transfer need to be organised by project managers and their community instead by central departments. This influences the role of HR: A central unit has to provide the infrastructure and regulatory environment to support such activities and install a “knowledge transfer culture”. Instead of organising training events, there is a demand for processes to organise individual group activities, for central coordination and controlling. - Online offerings need a responsible person
E-Learning offerings are useful for individual training and can also support group learning. But installing a learning group in form of a virtual community needs special effort. Most critical is a leader who promotes the topic and pushes the community. This leadership role is influenced less by organisational hierarchy, but by a strong project management personal competence. - Coaching works better if a central framework is provided
Effective coaching needs general regulations, which the coach can use. Such a framework includes defined processes, guidelines, checklists, and best practises. The objective should be to make professional experts to good coaches, so that many colleagues can participate on their experiences. Installing coaching can also be obtained via target agreements and a combination with financial incentives. - Marketing and promotion becomes an important task in HR work
Central and local organised trainings have to be known to potential prospective participants. Even if everybody is interested in improving his competencies the training offerings have to be promoted. The learner has to understand his influence in actively shaping his training. The role of active exchange between different project managers must be supported and made attractive. Learning works only with motivation. Positive promotion will influence this. - Developing and offering classical trainings are complex and costly
In a blended learning concept more attention should be turned on the framework for the classical training. When a group of people meet for one day instead of one week and do the other communication virtual via electronic media, this meeting day has to be executed with perfect organisation and in an appropriate ambience. - Interactive elements improve training offerings
As stated above, learning only works with motivation. Interactive elements can influences motivation positive. Examples are test features in online courses, role-playing in classroom training, or case studies for active benchmarking.
Conclusion
Becoming a good project manager is a constant loop of learning on and off the job. New junior project managers or advanced certificated project management professional – each need an ongoing training for improving and updating knowledge, skills and competencies. Companies supporting its employees offer dedicated learning events and media. Because project management know-how has different aspects and includes various dimensions a set of varied training methods is necessary. The experiences show that a combination of online and offline training, individual and group learning, with focus on communication and collaboration is an approach to fulfil these requirements.