We specialise in training which provides not only crucial knowledge, but also development.
Our well-established courses are supplemented with new material to meet clients’ requirements. Our development programmes support both Project and Program Managers throughout their careers, as well as the whole Project Team, including:
- Sponsors responsible for the investment in a project;
- Senior managers providing resource;
- Core team members (Planners; Cost Controllers; Cost Estimators; Procurement Mangers; Contract Administrator; Risk Engineers; HSE Managers; and Quality Managers etc.);
- Technical managers dedicated to projects;
- Technical specialists; and
- Support functions.
Our approach
Our development moves from instruction and awareness at Level 1 to the sharing of experience and coaching at Level 5 (illustrated in the diagram above).
As a matter of principle, we include a blend of formal lecture inputs, discussions, exercises, case studies and syndicate work in our course design.
Our objective is to minimise the time spent in passive absorption and maximise active participation.
Our training techniques encourage participants to be inquisitive, to take on a personal responsibility for learning and improve their managerial effectiveness.
For example, in the Basic Project Management course, we:
- Open the course with group work asking participants to identify the reasons why projects succeed (or fail);
- Include short group or individual exercises within lecture sessions. These exercises are entertaining and engaging with the objective of delivering key messages and feedback which are:
- Concise and clear, with examples;
- Useful;
- With a balance of positive and negative feedback;
- The objective is for participants to get 1 or 2 key messages or pieces of very clear feedback
- Carry out a short project to illustrate the difficulties inherent in the definition process; and
- Involve groups in simulating project definition and planning (time, cost, risk) on a ‘realistic but not real’ project.
This training approach is aligned with research by US National Training Laboratory showing Retention Rates (messages remembered) by people as:
- 5% - listening to a speech
- 10% - reading
- 20% - following an audio-visual presentation
- 30% - following a demonstration
- 50% - through discussion
- 75% - after practice by doing
- 90% - after explaining their own experience to others (teaching)
All our training includes examples and experience obtained from real projects. This will include the presentation of actual projects to demonstrate the best use of project management and lessons learned.