I'd like to start with a brief introduction: I am a social impact investment analyst with a degree in Economics and experience in stakeholder relationship management, strategic communications and financial analysis. I am particularly interested in impact investing and ESG integration in business operations. I was recently shortlisted for a role as a Corporate Affairs Officer for social performance. The role required significant project management expertise, and since I do not have any formal PM training, I was passed for the role after the final round of interviews. I have now been contacted about a similar role at a different branch for the same company, and seeing as the assessment will probably be the same, I was hoping for advice on how to tackle a task which required me to prepare a 10 minute PowerPoint presentation to recruiters based on the following scenario:
"You have just arrived in Paris for the first time ever to participate in a work-related event at which you will be making a presentation. The venue is 3 hours/ 15 kilometers away from your arrival destination. Upon arrival, you realize that your phone and wallet have been stolen. Demonstrate how you would ensure you get to your destination and make your presentation on time"
No other details were provided, and we were allowed internet access and 30 mins to prepare the presentation. I am assuming this is a risk management and/or contingency planning task, but in all honesty I am not sure how I would tackle it effectively and what sort of presentation they would be looking for. I haven't had the opportunity to take any project management certification courses since I am already studying for my CFA Level I examination and have little time to enroll in another course. Any tips, tricks and resources would be much appreciated! Saving Changes...
Alan BergsmaDirector of Project Risk Management| ALB ConsultingParadise Point, Qld, Australia
Hi Tigele,
They aren't giving you much to go on!
It sounds more like Issue Management as the event has already occurred (i.e. your wallet and phone have been stolen).
If you are looking to apply a Project Management tool, perhaps you could apply the Plan-Do-Check-Act model
1. Plan - Plan to walk. Plan your route.
2. Do - Spend the 3 hours walking.
3. Check - Periodically check your progress against your planned progress. Periodically check to ensure that you have not strayed from your planned route.
4. Act - If you are behind your planned schedule, you could increase pace to get back on track. If you are off course, you could re-plan your route to find the fastest course from your new location.
