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Learning Complex Projects
Organisations that have as their customer offering, complex projects and programmes, face some serious challenges:
- Increasing delivery success and margin - across all projects and programmes
- Utilising all available opportunities to expand the scope and value of each project and programme
- Leveraging additional sales opportunities - through account and stakeholder management undertaken during the development, delivery and support phases of the initial project/programme
- Creating a successful PM culture - by imbedding lessons learnt back into their organisation
To do this, it is now well recognised, that PMs need to not only manage “time, cost, content” but also employ high level relationship and E.I. skills like negotiating, influencing and inspiring: PMs need to lead, not “just manage”.
Why “PM leadership”?
People delivering complex projects and programmes face some very specific challenges:
- Delivering without hierarchical position - imagine the sensitivity required to successfully resolve with customers the implications of them being the cause of delays
- Creating and managing multiple, often conflicting, stakeholder relationships and objectives
- Working with the impact of organisational cultures – customers, multiple suppliers and own
- Leading teams in times of stress - almost a given in all complex projects and programmes
- Dealing with the complexity and uncertainly of just about every managerial dimension: by the very nature of projects PMs have no “business as usual” to fall back on
- “Working with” resistance to change – every complex project and programme by its very nature will bring change and “most people resist most change, most of the time”
- Performance Management – often sidestepped by PMs, this can create much organisational drag in PM communities
Few organisations are directly tackling the implications of this for accelerating the performance of their top PMs. Those that do are likely to reap many rewards e.g. increased bid/win ratios, increased customer satisfaction, single tender or even non competitive opportunities etc.
Why Structured Coaching?
Structured Coaching combines personally focused development with key PM content. It contains:
- Coaching to accelerate participants leadership skills, capability and performance
- Content designed to challenge participants to focus on the key aspects of PM leadership success and to cope with “letting go” their historical PM competencies
- Focus on outcomes to ensure less “talking about” change
Structured coaching satisfies the demand for developing PM Leadership by leveraging the more traditional skills of the “what” of PM management tools, methodologies etc by adding in the “how” of PM leadership. It is particularly suited to the PM community because it recognises their preference for clear structure and plans.
The Where and the When
The programme:
- Commences with input from 360’s, line manager, HR and feedback reports
- Is a six month commitment, each session takes place once a month and lasts for 2.5 hours, at an agreed location
- Performance changes can be monitored with some cut down 360 input process
While the pre-formatted content focuses on the known essential elements of PM leadership success: delivery through coaching, enables the individuals own leadership style to emerge.
Overview of a Typical Programme
Organisational “fit for purpose” can be designed in by first establishing the organisations requirements and shaping the content to focus on these objectives. Content, number of sessions, feedback can all be changed to fit context.
When delivered to groups it offers the organisation the further benefit of mutual support and PM community development, this fits with a CoP approach very suited to PMs.
The First Session in More Detail
Session 1
Feedback – Challenge and Support – Goals
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Content |
Output |
Owning and leading your own personal development
- Understanding and owning current leadership capability
- Clarity about difference between managing and leading
- Developing realistic yet challenging goals aligned with: feedback, project and organisational objectives
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- Review of 360 and other feedback
- Experiencing “Ruthless compassion”
- Competency model utilised for self and other learning – including giving tough feedback
- Giving and receiving feedback – model
- Assessing own workload
- Assessing current and future leadership priorities
- Work life balance
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- Personal goals established and ready to be communicated
- E.I. awareness based on feedback - tasks associated with greatest challenges agreed
- Important
or urgent assessments
- Plan for gathering data on
- Stakeholders
- “Right people for team”
- “Right goals”
- “Right feedback”
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Recommended Reading:
Book: First 90 Days – models and research by Michael Watkins
Article: Re-thinking Project Management – Final Report – Mark Winter and Charles Smith |
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Our Parallel Learning System accompanies you every step of your journey, to you and your organisations goal.
Our approach is:
Integrated
The Parallel Learning System combines a wide range of media, including e-learning, study guides, pod-casts, and workshops. Each element uses the same structure so that they can be used in Parallel or as individual elements.
Flexible
We provide you with the flexibility to learn in the way that most suits your learning style in the most time and cost effective way. You can study on the train, plane, tube, on the web or face to face it's your choice.
and Delivers Business Benefit
Our focus is on developing a practical and pragmatic approach to the delivery of projects. Our training is delivered by experienced project managers using practical realistic templates which you can use to accelerate the start up of your next project.
We're with you all the way.
It includes :
Study Guide: A course in a book
Our detailed study guide provides the foundation of the learning system. It’s a course in a book, covering all the main knowledge areas together with practical hints and tips you can apply in the real world.
e-Learning
Using the latest flash technology our e-learning builds on the study guide to explain the concepts. Using lots of interactive quizzes and project simulations our e-learning brings the subject to life.
Podcast
Study on the move with our pod-casts. Using the same structure as the study guide and e-learning our pod-casts mean you can review the material on the tube, train, plane or in the car.
Workshops
Our workshops, delivered by experienced project managers, use the latest active learning techniques to learn by doing. We will develop your practical project management skills and behaviours whilst also preparing you for project management qualifications. |
Parallel Development Process |
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 Using the Parallel Development Process, we work closely with corporate clients to deliver training to meet the specific needs of your organisation and to deliver measurable business benefits.
To achieve these goals we follow four simple phases which can be scaled to your needs.
Discovery Phase
During this phase we use a wide range of diagnostic techniques to rapidly understand your culture and development opportunities.
Design Phase
During this phase we work in a highly collaborative and cooperative way to ensure the planned training is relevant and engaging.
Delivery Phase
Using the Parallel Learning System we use a combination of distance learning, e-learning, podcasts and workshops to deliver active learning to suit the different learning styles of your team. All this with the minimum of disruption to project delivery.
Evaluation Phase
We can help you evaluate the programme benefits for the individual and the organisation, using multiple assessments techniques.
Discovery Phase
This phase is optional but highly valuable for many organisations. To fully understand the need of your organisation we can use some of the following techniques:
- Rapid training needs workshop
- One-to-one interviews with key staff
- On-line benchmarking of knowledge
- Bespoke on-line assessment
As always we will tailor these to meet your needs.
Our aim during this phase is to rapidly capture the learning objectives for the training course(s). The deliverables from this phase are updated course objectives and an outline design for your approval.
Design Phase
During the design phase we will work very closely with you and your team. This will ensure that the training style and contents meets your objectives and culture.
Before the pilot course, we conduct a "dry run" with key stakeholders, to ensure that the content, messages and delivery style meet your business objectives.
We use feedback from the dry run to modify the content, ready for the pilot course.
Design Phase First 'Live' Course Delivery
Our Parallel Development Process requires us to work closely with you to get the course objectives, material and look and feel right.
The first ‘live’ delivery of the course is critical to the process and the success of the training programme because not only do you the client have an opportunity for any last minute amendments and ‘tweaks’ but it give that final assurance before roll out to other groups.
Delivery
Using the Parallel Learning System, we use a wide range of media: distance learning, e-learning, podcasts and workshops to appeal to the preferred learning styles in your project management community. It also minimises disruption to the work place.
During programme delivery we stay in touch with you and your delegates to make sure the course is delivering benefits. We accomplish this by using action learning groups, personal action planning and post course forums. This supports delegates in the application of their new skills and behaviours in the work place.
Evaluation Phase
In addition to normal course feedback forms, we provide a wide range of tools for post course evaluation including:
- web based surveys to measure application of the new skills and behaviours in the workplace
- evaluation of benefits from completed action plans
- feedback from action learning groups
- evaluating performance indicators
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“hard working, empathetic to customer needs and a great line manager. Particularly good at bringing together partnerships to achieve high quality solutions to tricky customer sales requirements."
Had a key role in the planning and delivery of a successful Business Change Program, introducing and embedding a project management culture throughout the £140m business resulting in improved project performance, increased margins and process capability.
Keith Rumsey, Project Manager, Westinghouse Rail Systems
"Has supplied training services for me within two different companies in two industries; Nuclear and Rail. Exceptional in the extent to which they seeks to understand client needs and requirements and deliver solutions to fulfil this. He and his company are easy to work with and willing to go the extra mile to deliver great results."
Martin Cunningham
"a very approachable, supportive and creative business partner. I know I can trust his extensive knowledge and his ability to impart it and coach others.”
Tanya Durlen, Programme Manager, Transport for London
Delivered a highly effective programme to enhance Project Management effectiveness across CTI Molecular Imaging / Siemens Molecular Imaging.
Later, they worked with me to create an innovative 'Project Accelerator' concept to support the Pan-European Post-Merger Integration of elements of DPC and Bayer Diagnostics within Siemens Diagnostics.
Mark Evans
Extensive knowledge of Project Management and is an extremely good communicator.
Roger Joby
"be very focussed and hard working and more importantly, delivers what they promise."
Carl Dalton, Managing Director, Galorath International
"One of the best Account Managers I have ever come across. His diligence, attention to detail and his relational skills are first class. I always enjoy working with Paul."
Patrick Mayfield, Chairman and Founding Director of Pearce Mayfield, Pearce Mayfield
"enthusiastic, practical and professional - really useful training, expertly delivered"
Simon White, UK Client Services Manager, Pertmaster |
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Open Public Courses
Podcasts
@thegreenpm Lot of project start without an projet charter, the question is should they? on Wed, 10 Mar, 2010
Our Approach
The Association for Project Management (APM) has a wide range of project management qualifications for project managers from an introductory to professional level. These include the APM introductory Certificate (APM IC), Foundation level APM Professional (APMP), Practitioner Qualification (APM PQ).
