During the month of April, ProjectManagement.com will focus on Project Delivery Principles.
Project Delivery remains at the heart of what we do in Project Management and in our daily work. I'd like to ask a question: how long were you doing projects before you knew that standards and clear principles existed? Is it something that was always on your radar? Or did you need formal training?
Id like to also ask: what can we do to get the standards and principles out to newcomers in the profession? What would you have liked to have seen when you were new?
I'm looking forward to our discussion!
Best wishes
Emily. Saving Changes...
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Jason OrloskeProject & Portfolio Management Consultant, CEO| Bridge the Gap Consulting, LLCFargo, Nd, United States
Emily,
Thinking back 20+ years when I was handed my first project plan and told to GO, I didn't know there were standards. I didn't find out about those until a year after I started managing projects, when someone pointed to a manager and told me they were a PMP. I started researching PMI standards after that.
I see more universities offering project management as an area of focus, including undergraduate and graduate degrees. Though this is fantastic to see, I believe it should be touched on in schools before college. Including it in high school business courses would be great.
Jason
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1 reply by Emily Luijbregts
Apr 02, 2020 8:21 AM
Emily Luijbregts
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I completely agree about starting them on project management early. We've had interns doing it as part of their university studies but I agree: the earlier the better!
Saving Changes...
Alexandre CostaScrum Master| Integer Consulting - Pictet technologiesLoures, Portugal
Hi Emily,
A long time ago more than twenty years, as season pm never cross my mind the existence of standards, nevertheless the army were a great school in project management, every time we did a mission we need to define several plans, goals and success criteria, I still remember my first deliverable was an intangible delivery (peace).
Nowadays there are several standards that we can choose, PMBOK, IPMA competencies model, PRINCE2, KPM, PM², etc...
Today there are a lot of choices, certified training, schools, universities etc... Several opportunities to learn, but very few opportunities for newcomers, even today I would like to see the PMI more focused in helping the newcomers, the future of the professional career, open to their opinions and different backgrounds instead insist to much in well established PM's.
It's true that we have lot to learn with experience PM's but also with those that are new and bring a lot of times innovative ideas, this job still suffers from a patriarchal effect.
Alexandre Saving Changes...
LORI WILSONRETIRED - Technical Project Manager| RETIRED - LifePoint HealthClarkston, Wa, United States
Hello Emily: My story is very similar to Jason and Alexandre's experience. Projects were handed to me and I just looked at them as something that needed to get done and I began the work it took to completed the assignment. Some of the projects were even programs, but I didn't really know or understand that yet. I finally heard about PMP and moved to knowing and following PMI standards. Beyond what Jason and Alexandre have recommended, I think PMP apprenticeships would be a great thing to add so people without experience can gain what is needed as a stepping stone to greater projects and roles.
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1 reply by Emily Luijbregts
Apr 02, 2020 8:23 AM
Emily Luijbregts
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PMI /PMP apprenticeships sound like a great idea. I think that the PMIEF already offers something along these lines but I'd like to see it in every school.
I know my local chapter (the Netherlands) offers lessons/training on project management to schools/universities.
Emily,
Thinking back 20+ years when I was handed my first project plan and told to GO, I didn't know there were standards. I didn't find out about those until a year after I started managing projects, when someone pointed to a manager and told me they were a PMP. I started researching PMI standards after that.
I see more universities offering project management as an area of focus, including undergraduate and graduate degrees. Though this is fantastic to see, I believe it should be touched on in schools before college. Including it in high school business courses would be great.
Jason
I completely agree about starting them on project management early. We've had interns doing it as part of their university studies but I agree: the earlier the better! Saving Changes...
Hello Emily: My story is very similar to Jason and Alexandre's experience. Projects were handed to me and I just looked at them as something that needed to get done and I began the work it took to completed the assignment. Some of the projects were even programs, but I didn't really know or understand that yet. I finally heard about PMP and moved to knowing and following PMI standards. Beyond what Jason and Alexandre have recommended, I think PMP apprenticeships would be a great thing to add so people without experience can gain what is needed as a stepping stone to greater projects and roles.
PMI /PMP apprenticeships sound like a great idea. I think that the PMIEF already offers something along these lines but I'd like to see it in every school.
I know my local chapter (the Netherlands) offers lessons/training on project management to schools/universities.
Do your chapters maybe offer that too? Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
You are not delivering projects. You are delivering delivering product/service/result the project has created as part of a solution. There is a shift some project manager did not do and it is the first step to fail. Project has not value by itself. Saving Changes...
Kaitlyn LuboffSenior Project Manager| OpeekaPhiladelphia, Pa, United States
I'm relatively new to the game! I started working as a "Project Manager" on a couple grant-funded studies that were already in progress. At the time I was unfamiliar with any project management standards outside of the basics in research studies: defining your objective, measurements for analysis, the steps to complete and documenting all your tools.
A senior person at my company told me about PMI and the opportunity to learn and earn certification in project management one day--that opened my eyes to the world of Project Management outside of research.
Fortunately, my company is supportive of my professional development and I was able to spend time completing courses and managing various projects along the way. I hope other companies follow their lead and support young professionals' desire to learn and earn certifications. I think the timing of my education was "just right" for me because I wasn't married to a certain set of standards when I first started working, and I now have a lot of opportunity to grow and expand on that, and experiment with other sets of standards over time.
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1 reply by Emily Luijbregts
Apr 02, 2020 1:35 PM
Emily Luijbregts
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@Kailyn:
Thank you for answering! If I can ask some follow up questions as someone who has recently been through this: what would you have wanted /needed when you started in project management? Is there enough information and data available?
I'm relatively new to the game! I started working as a "Project Manager" on a couple grant-funded studies that were already in progress. At the time I was unfamiliar with any project management standards outside of the basics in research studies: defining your objective, measurements for analysis, the steps to complete and documenting all your tools.
A senior person at my company told me about PMI and the opportunity to learn and earn certification in project management one day--that opened my eyes to the world of Project Management outside of research.
Fortunately, my company is supportive of my professional development and I was able to spend time completing courses and managing various projects along the way. I hope other companies follow their lead and support young professionals' desire to learn and earn certifications. I think the timing of my education was "just right" for me because I wasn't married to a certain set of standards when I first started working, and I now have a lot of opportunity to grow and expand on that, and experiment with other sets of standards over time.
@Kailyn:
Thank you for answering! If I can ask some follow up questions as someone who has recently been through this: what would you have wanted /needed when you started in project management? Is there enough information and data available?
...
1 reply by Kaitlyn Luboff
Apr 03, 2020 10:51 AM
Kaitlyn Luboff
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Hi Emily, this may note be the answer you're looking for, but I would have liked to have an experienced project manager to bounce ideas off of sooner, someone who could help me learn the softer skills of PMing. In addition, I may have benefited from seeing some "case studies" of projects that used tailoring.
What I gained from attending a week of PMP exam prep was both real-world examples to recall and connection with someone (the instructor and other students) who got me excited about PMing.
I hope that helps!
Saving Changes...
Kaitlyn LuboffSenior Project Manager| OpeekaPhiladelphia, Pa, United States
Apr 02, 2020 1:35 PM
Replying to Emily Luijbregts
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@Kailyn:
Thank you for answering! If I can ask some follow up questions as someone who has recently been through this: what would you have wanted /needed when you started in project management? Is there enough information and data available?
Hi Emily, this may note be the answer you're looking for, but I would have liked to have an experienced project manager to bounce ideas off of sooner, someone who could help me learn the softer skills of PMing. In addition, I may have benefited from seeing some "case studies" of projects that used tailoring.
What I gained from attending a week of PMP exam prep was both real-world examples to recall and connection with someone (the instructor and other students) who got me excited about PMing.
