I’m currently writing a chapter on project management recruitment for a book which will be published in 2013 on the people side of project management. One of the areas of research for the chapter I’m looking into is feedback throughout the recruitment process but mainly focused on feedback following an interview. Arras People has been in business for 10 years this year and during that ten years one of the most frustrating parts of what we do is getting feedback for candidates that have been for an interview. These are people who have given up their time (often booking a day’s holiday), given head space, shown enthusiasm and generally been decent people. So why is it so difficult for organisations to carry on thinking about these people and give feedback once the interviews are over?

During my research I have come across many candidate views about this. 89% of candidates want to receive feedback yet the figures in the UK for organisations doing this is just 12%. Candidates believe (and remember they are often in the dark about the real reason) that organisations don’t provide feedback because;

1. They’re too scared
2. They’re too lazy
3. They’re disorganised
4. There was never a really job there
5. The budget has been pulled
6. They were prejudice

So that’s 88% of job seekers who have attended an interview who have walked away afterwards thinking one of the six above *shakes head*

The ‘war on talent’ has still not gone away with many organisations still concerned that they can’t attract the right talent to their organisation – this applies to project management too. The issue with project management in the UK is that it is actually quite a small community. So when a project manager attends an interview with company X and receives no feedback afterwards how many people will he tell about this months and years later?

Feedback from interviews doesn’t have to be difficult – or scary – or even leaving yourself open to litigation. All it needs is a well structured interview which allows the interviewer to assess against an agreed set of criteria. The feedback then focuses on the behaviours and skill demonstrated against the criteria. It doesn’t have to be personal it just needs to be honest and delivered professionally.

When an organisation is struggling to attract good talent to their organisation – when the advertising and expensive recruitment portals are not cutting the mustard – they must be really cheesed off to see a previously interviewed disgruntled candidate sounding off to their network on social media. Recruitment is changing and everyone should be upping their game.

Image: By Criterion

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Back in September 2011 we looked at the apprenticeship programme that had been put together by BAe Systems which showed how they were managing their project management talent pipeline for the future by creating programmes for school leavers to become their next generation project professionals. A vast amount of effort and investment had been used to provide a programme that lasts for five years – a combination of on-the-job training and academic study – in other words a modern apprenticeship. One of the main drivers for BAe was that they knew they would have problems resourcing projects in the future if they didn’t focus on growing their own talent. Take a look at the interview with the lead Project Manager for the scheme.

Now with the unemployment levels affecting the younger generation there is news from the Association for Project Management that could mean other organisations could take BAe’s lead with some assistance from a new Higher Apprenticeship in Project Management. The APM along with apprenticeship issuing authority CfA have recently won funding to develop the Higher Apprenticeship which should lead to 775 individuals having the opportunity to gain project management training and skills by 2016. The Apprenticeships are aimed at 16 year olds+ who are not in education and are paid a reduced wage whilst completing the apprenticeships (length varies depending on the apprenticeship undertaken)

To put the Higher Apprenticeship into context, the Apprenticeship website shows the three levels of apprenticeship available for roles within the IT sector:

Job Roles

Intermediate Level Apprenticeship

• Support Technician
• Website Administrator
• Helpdesk Professional
• Field Operations (Line installer & repairer)

Advanced Level Apprenticeship

• Software/ Web Developer
• Desktop Support Engineer
• Network Planner
• Database Administrator
• Network Engineer
• Software Tester

Higher Apprenticeship

• IT Project Manager
• Analyst Developer
• IT Service Manager
• IT Security Analyst
• Network/Telecoms Manager

The Higher Apprenticeship has entry requirements of A Levels, previous works experience or progression from the intermediate or advanced apprenticeships.

APM will develop a new qualification at minimum level 4 in the QCF which will be a fundamental element to the apprenticeship framework being developed by APM and CfA, and which will be delivered over a number of years in conjunction with employers including BT, Thales, Babcock International Group and Cheltenham Borough Council.

Looking at the current framework for Level 4 IT apprenticeships,  apprentices must receive 1010 hours of training (700 on-the-job training and 310 off-the-job). Training includes specific modules picked by employers whilst on the job and external instructor led courses for off-the-job.

Modern apprenticeships take us one more step closer to project management becoming a career of choice and more importantly gets young blood into the profession when and where we need it the most. We look forward to seeing which employers take the initiative and see the potential of apprenticeships.

Image: By jimd2007 A bizarre photo choice I know but Mort from Discworld is my favourite Apprentice, read it if you haven’t already, he’s an apprentice to Death himself

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Whoop! Arras People is a decade old this year and time seems to have flown by. The UK project management industry has changed quite a bit over that decade but there’s always room for further improvements and developments and we hope we can be part of that over the next ten years too.

So 2012, we’re ten years old and what a great year to be celebrating ten years in the business in the UK. We’ve got some positives to look forward to in project management this year as the countdown to the Olympics starts and all the hard work pays off for that mammoth project. It’ll be interesting to see what other project management activities are kicked off as we get closer to the events in the summer.

In March, Crossrail,  Europe’s biggest construction project kicks off with tunnelling – 21km from Heathrow to Abbey Wood via Central London. It promises to be a complex programme of work with several delivery partners involved and its an opportunity to show the rest of the world that the UK’s project management capability can deal with projects of this calibre.

A decade feels very young compared to someone else celebrating in 2012. The Queen celebrates 60 years of reign in the early summer and all eyes will be on the celebrations. The Queen’s own project managers (Buckingham Palace are managing a programme of events) will be responsible for co-ordinating over 1300 resources in the Diamond Jubilee Pageant and how about managing 30,000 on a flotilla in the Thames Pageant

A project we’ve seen taking shape in the London skyline completes in May 2012. The Shard will be the tallest building in the EU and 45th-tallest building in the world, standing at 310 m (1,017 ft) tall. The amazing thing about this particular project was the tiny site space they had to work with in this part of London.

Let’s hope the positive project management activity focused  in the capital this year goes without a hitch and also that it starts to spread to other regions within the UK too.

Welcome to 2012 – the year of brit projects!

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The Camel wants to wish all its readers a great Christmas holiday and best wishes for 2012

Now hit it Five Camel Band…..

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“How are social networking and community sites helping project managers in their careers?“ - Radha, London

Lindsay Scott of Arras People says: Much of the feedback from our own community of project management professionals in respect to social networking sites is the ability to keep in touch with people that they have met along the way in their careers or other peer events like project management conferences, seminars and face-to-face networking events.

Times are moving on and social networking sites are not just about keeping in touch with people you know: It’s also a vehicle for getting to know new people, learn new things and to find a new position.

When a job seeker is in the market for a new job, nothing beats the strength of their own personal network in helping them find the next position – and more importantly, it tends to be a less stressful way of finding a new job.

Social networking and project management

Joining up for the first time and taking a look around for old friends and colleagues may be the only thing they need to do. For others, more work might be required…

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the beginning of December’s Project Management Tipoffs article by Lindsay Scott reviewing the impact social media can have on applying for project and programme management jobs. To learn more, read the article in full, and be sure to subscribe to the Tipoffs newsletter so that you’ll get a free copy on your desk on the third Thursday of each month.

Please take note How to Manage a Camel readers: In the January issue of Tipoffs, we will look back at predictions we made for 2011, forecast what lies ahead in 2012, and talk about an idyllic world for the project management practition. Have you got something to say about how you’d like to see project management improved in 2012? Go to our LinkedIn discussion on the matter, email Dan Strayer or write me on Twitter.

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In this final part of the research from the Advanced Institute of Management Research on the importance of meetings we look at meeting termination. This is the part of the meeting when all participants return to their day to day work and (hopefully) there are outcomes that need to start taking effect.

The research looked into what effective mechanisms were required to ensure that any proposed changes made in the meeting actually took effect in the organisation afterwards. In thinking about project meetings, the project manager and team (or client) need to ensure that changes are pushed through or issues in project delivery are resolved. So what could project meetings benefit from?

Minutes of meetings were a definite requirement and actually helped facilitate two main characteristics of termination. Depending on the degree to which issues were actually resolved in meetings the minutes would help to (a) build bridges to other meetings and (b) re-coupling

Building Bridges

Often initial meetings are not enough to resolve issues. The meeting minutes created actually help to form the agenda of the next meeting. There are two mechanisms – working groups and rescheduling which help to take further steps to resolution.

Working groups are about choosing key staff to take the issue on and work through it. Working groups happen all the time in project land. The steering group meetings, the technical team meetings ( and sub groups) are all about giving the issue to the right people, to work it through and then present back to the wider group in a new meeting.

The research showed that working groups prevent initial meetings being overwhelmed with proposed changes ( and potentially giving approval to something which is ill conceived). Working groups put the ‘meat on the bones’ to proposed changes and solutions, and over subsequent meetings there is time for reflection and reconsideration. All this leads to a more sophisticated solution which has increased chance of acceptance by the wider project team.

Rescheduling is much like working groups in that we are proposing another time to meet. It is deemed to be more passive in that it is just about the same participants taking time out to reflect or find out more information offline before reconvening.

Re-coupling

Re-coupling is the term given when issues or changes are resolved as much as possible in the meeting and we’re now ready to start making these changes a reality. The research focuses on strategic change within organisations but it is clear how this can also relate to the project environment. So we’re ready to implement changes in the project but first a wider validation is needed. Perhaps it’s a client led project or a change project in the organisation. We know changes can’t be just done to people, in order to be successful the change needs to be communicated and accepted.

Voting was deemed to be highly ineffective in gaining backing for change and was also rarely used as a mechanism. Stage-managing however was shown to increase acceptance. Stage-managing refers to the way in which a change is actually presented to the wider organisation or project. If you adopt a neutral tone and show evidence that a ‘consultative’ working group process has been used in decision-making, the research showed that changes were accepted with little discussion or dissent.

Meetings are a common daily occurrence in project management, something we often do without really thinking about it. Its an opportunity for the project manager to ensure the project remains on track and a time to catch up on progress or gain a ‘temperature check’ of the current status. It’s an opportunity to flex those behavioural skills – leading, motivating, influencing and negotiating amongst others. This research has given me an insight into the science of meetings, some areas to be more conscious about, leaving less to chance perhaps?

If you’re interested in the full research take a look at Advanced Institute of Management Research – The Importance of Meetings

Image By Mel B.

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Following on from last week’s post on recent research conducted about meetings from the Advanced Institute of Management Research in this week’s post I’m going to look at conduct in meetings. The research has shown that there is an optimal point in which meetings can bring about real strategic change – overall there are three elements that have come together – initiation, conduct and termination. We looked at initiation last week and found that “temporarily suspending” organisational structures (i.e., taking people out of their normal work environment) allowed people to make more proposals for potential changes. The meetings which provide the ‘maximum suspension’ were found to be closed meetings and open meetings with a certain type of discussion, free discussion.

There are three types of discussion identified in the research:

• Free discussion
• Restricted free discussion
• Restricted discussion

The characteristics of free discussion include; allowing participants to speak spontaneously (without enforced turn-taking), not needing acknowledgement from the Chair and unstructured comments and responses allowed to just happen. Free discussion is encouraged because it gives the participants and the collective whole of the meeting confidence to discuss change. In other words taking away a rigid discussion format and removing an authoritative Chair who wants to keep tight control allows the group to get on and discuss change.

In comparison, restricted free discussion still allows the participants to speak freely and without turn-taking but the Chair will interject and rein in discussion if he/she feels they’re going off topic or time was becoming an issue. The Chair exerts their authority just enough to remind everyone they’re there and that the flow of discussion is being controlled somewhat. The research showed that senior managers could ‘exercise their privileged position within the conduct of these meetings’ and because they were able to shape the discussion they could ensure that any changes proposed that they were not happy with would not be approved.

Finally, restricted discussion is very much about the Chair exerting full control. Meeting participants are restricted in their conversations by strict turn-taking – being invited to speak by the Chair. This of course has its advantages in that everyone gets to speak however the issue is that ideas generation are restricted because participants cannot comment or respond to points made by others. Spontaneous discussion is absent as is the opportunity for participants to develop their points having heard from other delegates. For such a democratic system, restricted discussion research has shown that no change will be evident from the meeting.

For our project meetings to be successful – especially where change needs to be proposed or explored further – we now have two options to consider. The closed meeting and open meeting with free discussion are going to give us a better chance of success. How do you conduct your project meetings? Are you an authoritative Chair? I can certainly think of a fair few restricted free discussion meetings I’ve been in over the years and countless restricted discussion meetings that tend to take place over teleconferences.

In next week’s post we’ll look at meeting termination. Termination looks at the resolution of meetings and what characteristics ensure that there is a greater likelihood of change actually happening.

If you’re interested in the full research take a look at Advanced Institute of Management Research – The Importance of Meetings

Image By jasminejennyjen

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Last week I got out of the office to see what the human resources field were up to at their annual conference and exhibition. I came across the Advanced Institute of Management Research and had a browse through some of their latest research. One report took my eye – The Importance of Meetings – and I thought yes, this is pretty important for project professionals the world over I wonder what the latest research is?

You can head over to the AIM Research website yourself to read the full report and also here is my synopsis for project management.

The report focused on the importance of meetings in bringing about change. It looks at the likelihood of proposals for change being made based on the type of meeting and how it is conducted. So in our world – project management – we think about those meetings with clients, stakeholders, sponsors and team members where the project manager is ultimately trying to bring about change at various levels. Whilst the report focuses more on strategic change I think the results have a wider impact in the project management field.

The report shared the three key components of meetings;

• Initiation
• Conduct
• Termination

Initiation

The initiation of a meeting straightaway means the removal of someone from their everyday work activities and organisational structures become ‘temporarily suspended’. Meetings bring together different hierarchies of employees, people from different departments, even from different companies (in the case of client projects) and will obviously include  interacting with unfamiliar people throughout different stages of the project. Initiation also includes the new structures – or rules – for example setting the agenda and chairing the meeting. Finally there are decisions made about the meeting being ‘opened’ or ‘closed’.

And here are the really interesting insights into the initiation of a meeting. Although the organisational structures are supposed to be suspended are they really when you choose to host the meeting in a specific place, for example if you’re having a client meeting chances are you’re going to do it within your own organisation or at the client’s office – either way, one group already has some advantages if its hosted in a place they’re familiar with. Chances are the meeting will not be totally made up of unfamiliar faces – how many projects have you managed where the client meeting was actually just you versus the entire client project team. Also take the format – open or closed meetings. With a closed meeting its just a select few participants, often senior members – say the steering committee whilst the open meetings will be ones which include participants like the whole project team. We know meetings are used to bring about change – so I wonder just how much change is proposed in a closed meeting – where the project manager and team may not be invited and what the longer term impact of that is.

Looking closer at closed meetings it was noted that these meetings tend to have less formality, shorter agendas, with agendas being sent with little preparation time. The meetings tended to be less structured with attendees themselves driving the agenda discussing the issues they wanted to discuss. These meetings were viewed as an opportunity to be open and frank, places ‘to get blood on the carpet’. The interesting outcome to a closed meeting however was they are not decision making meetings. What tends to happen is the discussions would inevitably lead to an ‘open’ meeting in order to get the decisions made where other wider participants would be invited. So maybe decision making is not all happening behind the steering committee meeting doors but wouldn’t you like to be a fly on the wall during the frank discussions?

For a project manager conducting an open meeting with a project team its worth highlighting what the research said about these types of meetings. Generally an agenda will be produced and sent out to the team with enough time beforehand. The agenda gives the Chair (the project manager) control over the structure and content of the meeting. If we’re using a meeting to bring about change on our projects or want to make key decisions about the way forward chances are we want lots of constructive and useful discussion between all the attendees. To bring this about, the research showed that the Chair waits until about the third agenda item before instigating the time where discussion is needed to bring about important decisions. In other words they’re controlling and structuring from the outset, making sure that the meeting remains stabilised in what could be potentially a destabilising situation for the team.

In the next blog post I’ll be looking at the conduct in meetings and also meeting termination

Image By Office Now

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We related to our readers three weeks ago a nifty Twitter-inspired chat session introduced for the project management community by Robert Kelly and Rob Prinzo. It’s called #PMchat, a forum meant to inspire project managers by way of a 15 minute Pre-Game Show (described as a “power session that add tremendous value to your day”) and an hour-long weekly discussion hosted by Kelly and Prinzo between 5-6pm GMT. As the web page at Blog Talk Radio reveals, “the topics will focus on Project Management & Leaderships techniques, best practices, and so on. In addition to both Rob’s being named to the Top 10 Up & Coming Project Managers on Twitter, their partnership offers nearly 30 years of diverse experience to the #PMChat participants. To further add value to this platform, they will invite thought leaders from a range of project management and leadership arenas.”

One of the people adding value to the project management chat is our own Lindsay Scott. It started with a blog post on project management careers ; then the radio show followed (listen to the radio show above) where further Q&As took place; and following that at 5pm there was a discussion on #pmchat with the wider PM community

Other options for improving your project management career from Arras People include checking out both our Project Management Careers Clinic and also the Project Management Careers Advice pages for more advice related to project management careers.

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Project Management Tipoffs, the project management & recruitment issues newsletter from Arras People, will be in inboxes next Thursday morning. Subscribe today for free to get an initial look at project management issues and recruitment matters as they pertain to the current marketplace.

November: All About Money

You might have noticed in television ads that Pink Floyd have a new “best of” album out. These aging rockers keep finding yet another way of releasing their greatest hits in yet another fashion that gives new meaning to the phrase “grab that cash with both hands and make a stash.”

Money: it’s indeed a gas.

But that oft-played song also provides an exceedingly relevant phrase for this month’s edition of Project Management Tipoffs. For instance, taking snippets of that song, consider:

• How much cash has been budgeted to satisfy project managers’ bank accounts these days?
• Is it enough cash for project practitioners to grab with both hands and make a stash?
• And if you’ve been asking for a rise, are you that surprised to find out right now they’re giving none away?

Alright, enough alliteration: the newsletter itself aims to provide a sample of just how trusted the research and data at Arras People have been over the years. Everyone at Arras endeavours to understand more about the PPM marketplace, and we’ve displayed it through findings in our PPM Insider releases, our regular Industry Notes, and the granddaddy of them all – the PPM Benchmark Reports. The November issue of Tipoffs will preview some of the findings from PPM Benchmark Report 2011, and display some of the data and expertise this research has produced over the years.

Tipoffs aficianados will note that we did an issue similar to this in November 2010, so check that out to get an idea of where we stood a year ago. As for now, here’s how it all lays out in the November edition of Project Management Tipoffs:

• Salaries and Day Rates Review for PPM Practitioners – John Thorpe studies how well PPM practitioners are being paid at the moment, tracking salaries and day rates.
• Accreditations: Are they worth taking? – What is that PRINCE2 accreditation worth in the marketplace? John finds out for you, also tracking other popular PPM certifications and their market worth.
• Book of the Month: “Bid Writing for Project Managers” – Guest reviewer Andy Budkiewicz gives his take on the latest Gower title
• Question of the Month - Arras People’s own Steve Trippier assists one candidate who wants a pay rise and they can prove they are worthy of one.

Tipoffs this month is sponsored by QA Project Management training there will be news about two initatives for project management practitioners looking for cost effective training

Subscribe today. And also check out the Tipoffs podcast (also available on iTunes).

Image from flickr courtesy oddsock; re-used with permission.

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The Arras People Podcast has gone through some name changes and dealt with the usual nebulous, development stage stuff (complications with the recording equipment, the need for an audio engineering expert). But it has never been diminished, and listeners are gravitating because of the helpful nature of our expertise & content and the easy nature of downloading as bigger quality becomes available in smaller, less combersome packages. To those who can remember the days of motivational tapes and CDs, the portable devices led by the likes of the unfortunately late and undeniably great Steve Jobs have given our candidates and clients an easily accessible, always portable outlet to get that edge on their counterparts.

So long as you can find them, of course. That’s why I felt compelled to write today: our podcasts tend to have a variety of outlets in which they can be utilised, and we intend to use the blog today and hereafter as a station for Camel readers to find our audio excellence. That’s not me gloating: said one person who registered with us recently, “I joined up with you off the back of the podcasts you have been publishing – they are great!”

Note that "Podcast" text at the top of the image: underlined, in gray. That link is at the top right of every Arras People website page.

Here’s some ways to find the Arras People Podcast:

• The Top Right Hand Corner of Our Website: Wherever you go on the Arras People website, the link to the podcast can be found in the top right hand corner of that page. See the image above for the underlined link in grey. It’s on every page. Can’t miss it.
• On iTunes: iTunes users can find us through a search through Arras People, or by typing in “project management recruitment” or just “project management tipoffs”. For the latter, there is no one else.
• Subscribing to the RSS feed: Libsyn hosts all Arras People Podcasts, and a subscription to our RSS Feed allows for immediate internet-centric access to our list of podcasts.
• The Libsyn Hosting Page: Bookmark the host page, where all new podcasts go first! And as you can see with the links at the top, you can easily find your way back to Arras People’s website and How to Manage a Camel.

In general, the Arras People Podcast has consisted of articles from our monthly newsletter, Project Management Tipoffs. And as you go back and listen to our early work, that’s what it was known as – the Tipoffs podcast. For those making the regular commute or unable to regularly commit to reading Tipoffs (or, as mentioned before, those with a slightly greener conscience that don’t want to print paper unnecessarily), the podcast was offered as a different medium to reach that audience. It’s our intention to expand that, though: careers advice & PPM trends will make for great Arras People Podcast tidbits now and in the future, as our Special Edition on “Differentiating Yourself in the PPM Marketplace” episode of June 2011 (read by Arras People Co-Managing Director Lindsay Scott) proves.

Suffice it to say that we’ve given you the tools to find out more about this exciting mode of advice, interaction and CPD. Trust this: when you dive in once, you’ll endeavour to make the most out of what it can bring you.

MOST RECENTLY: The October Tipoffs edition covered the emergence of agile within the greater project management community. Questions abound about the rise of this burgeoning methodology giant, and my silky smooth voice intends to help. Check out our podcast, which reads from a wealth of timely, informed articles from agile guru Keith Richards, our own John Thorpe, and even yours truly. Which the rest of you will recognise as October’s online version of Tipoffs, no doubt (here’s the link to that).

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Time for a little spooky fun. Events management is often seen as a poor relation to project management; maybe it’s because an events project is seen as low risk, low budget or low complexity that doesn’t need a fully qualified and experienced project manager. Whatever the reason, I can’t help thinking that certain events project managers must have a certain amount of fun in their jobs, plus they tend to see a quicker return on their efforts which must be great for job satisfaction.

To celebrate the 31st October I wanted to share my dream events project management role. One day I want this job. They may be mad, but they’re certainly having some fun!

New York Halloween Parade

It takes place every year in Manhattan and its actually already happen this year on the 22nd October (maybe they don’t want to scare the dogs when the real freaks come out on the 31st!). Check out the accompanying links for more information on the Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade and this year’s collection included Princess Beatrice, a pin cushion and a New York City Bus.

Images by paparutzi| istolethetv

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My good friend Andreas Splett and I had a discussion over email a few months back about PMOs. Andreas is a Head of Project Management for a firm based in Germany and he’s been working on the PMO remit for a while.  He has put together a presentation about the case for a PMO as a value add proposition over and above that of merely providing project support.

There are a number of interesting areas that gave me food for thought:

Trends in Project Management

On slide 3 (see below) it takes a look at the staffing requirements of a PMO, stating that the remit of a PMO will rest entirely on the capabilities and experience of the staff within it. In order to provide value added services (for e.g., enhancements to project methodologies, portfolio level reporting, resource management across the organisation etc) the staff must have three main areas of knowledge and skills. These are:

• Project management skills and knowledge
• Trends in project management
• Skilled in internal processes and guidelines

Trends in project management is an interesting one and certainly one I support. The question is, do PMO staff ensure this is part of their development? I would expect to see a comprehensive ‘Continuing Professional Development’ (CPD) plan which included development not just in project management but also programme management, portfolio management and of course PMO. PMO is an area of project management which is developing quickly. It’s still a relatively new area to project management therefore I would expect PMO staff to be familiar with the few thought leaders who exist in this area.

Implementation Plan

Slide 9 pays attention to the set up of a PMO (or refreshing an existing one to include new services) and comes with a warning sign. Be careful not to overburden the PMO – after all there is a business-as-usual job to do that comes first. Maintain the same level of service whilst incorporating new services must be the objective. As soon as normal service is impacted – your customers – the project managers, senior management etc will be less inclined to believe that any new services will be any good.

The interesting thing that Andreas mentions here is an optimum staffing number for a PMO;

Of course it really does depend on the level of projects and programmes an organisation may have  as to whether this figure is viable.

The Big Ask

Slides 10 and 11 cover the timeline involved in setting up or refreshing a PMO. In it it shows that there is an expectation there will be a temporary loss of productivity of the PMO. Furthermore the temporary loss should be accepted by senior management as a necessity in order to get the PMO fully functioning and adding value. This is of course a model usually seen by any continuous improvement programme. In order to advance there has to be a period where new ways of working are embedded and become the norm. The issue is that over time PMOs have rightly or wrongly got a bad name for increasing costs for an organisation without showing the benefits or return on investment. Do you think PMOs will be allowed to have a period of loss of productivity?

Take a look through Andreas’ presentation and let us know what you think (you can also download a PDF version which has additional notes)

>> Find out more about Arras People’s PMO Recruitment Services

Image By bixentro

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Is a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in project or programme management a differentiator in the project marketplace? Does having a degree make you a better project manager? Do employing project managers with degrees mean projects are delivered more successfully than those without? And what place do further education institutions have in the future of the project management profession?

We sought the input of a cross-section of people affiliated with project management, including professors in the subject, those practitioners that have both obtained a project management degree and those who have not. We also solicited the views from the employer angle, too.

So what does the project management community think about higher education in project management?

Both educator and employer Robert Starinsky lectures on project management at both DePaul University and Robert Morris University’s Bensenville, IL campus. Doubling as an owner of a management consultancy in Greater Chicago, Starinsky is inclined to think that a foundation of familiarity with project management at the educational level will pay dividends to a workforce he feels is destined to work on a project at some point in their lives.

“In my mind not everyone will obtain PMP certification, yet almost everyone will at one time or another work on or even leads, a project within the context of their professional careers,” he wrote. “Therefore, employing sound project management practices should be second nature to everyone in our increasingly project driven/project oriented world. For example, Six Sigma and similar quality improvement initiatives are being led by engineers in manufacturing and nursing managers in health care.

“As I see it, no matter the profession, project management is a worthy skill to require of all aspiring job market entrants – and that’s how I teach it to the business and healthcare students who step into my classroom…”

Do you want to learn more about the battle between training & higher education for full-fledged project management know-how and education? Check out the remainder of this article from the September edition of Tipoffs. Our archive of issues from 2011 can be found here, and you can subscribe for free to the newsletter here.

For October’s edition of Tipoffs, Arras People are tackling the question pondered by many project managers today: “What, exactly, is Agile?” We’ll tell you what this philosophy (when applied to project governance) means to your profession, and sort through the confusion of what we’re being told about it and being sold about it and break down areas in which it is starting infiltrate project management and whether or not it truly represents a new way of doing things. You can help us with this issue in three ways:

• Take our survey
• Participate in our discussions (on our LinkedIn group and at APM)
• Get in touch directly if you are an Agile person who’s done PM, or a PM who has managed projects before with Agile.

Wherever you can help us out, thanks for your assistance.

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Taking to the social media spheres at our disposal, including an online poll we’ve conducted and shared below, the thoughts of the wider project management community about higher education and project management seem torn and inconclusive. Amongst the responses of those who’ve either done it or are currently doing it, partakers are glad they have done so.

As for those respondents that haven’t, you’ll see a group that equally voluminous and prideful. And not surprisingly, those not amongst the Higher Education crowd skew heavily in the direction of a “you can’t beat first-hand experience” mentality.

To narrow things down, we asked an initial Yes or No question in our survey, Higher Education & PPM: “Have you taken courses of study in project management at a university?”

58 percent responded “No” leaving 42 percent responding “Yes”. In comparison with the data from the Project Management Benchmark Report for this year 69% of project practitioners had at least a Bachelors degree in any subject. It was 63% in the previous year’s Report. The project management profession has a highly educated community; however, there is a majority who feel that they don’t need to study the subject in which their career is based.

So what about the 42% who have or are studying project management at a higher level?

…

If you want to learn more about the feeling of that 42% contingent, go to our Tipoffs article about what the project management communty thinks of project management degrees. It’s all part of the September issue on PM & Higher education opportunities – you’ll learn more about their feelings, and you can also check out our findings on a variety of Higher Education & Project Management issues we’ve studied.

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Two things this morning:

1. Project Management Tipoffs will be in your inbox next week, provided you’ve subscribed to it for free. (And woe to the project manager who hasn’t This month, we’re tackling project management university courses, including the roles of higher education in producing the next generation of project managers and the many different methods we used to come by our information about universities and PPM. Put it this way: the variance of opinion on PPM collegiate courses is wide, engaging and very well-considered. We’ve gone to professors, employers and candidates who have and haven’t taken courses, collating feeling and views on what PPM curriculums are doing for their careers. With a book review from Lindsay Scott, an interview with a leading MSc PM professor, and our analysis of our SurveyMonkey poll on Uni PPM courses, it’s an issue you won’t want to miss.

2. We’ve got a new careers-related book for you to review – PROVIDED YOU SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER FIRST. We have ways of checking, just so you know, so subscribe today, then leave a comment below indicating your interest in the book. First come=first served, as usual.

Our book is Your Brain at Work: Strategies For Overcomig Distraction, Regaining Focus, and Working Smarter All Day Long, by David Rock. The book currently carries at 4.7 out of 5 star rating on Amazon, earning Rock high praise for his exploration of the working minds of a fictional couple trying to sort through the maze of tasks and obligations and present some feedback on succeeding amidst the blizzard of activities.

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John Thorpe and Lindsay Scott from Arras People will be presenting at two APM branch meetings in September and October 2011.

An opportunity to find out more about the current project management marketplace for jobs and careers in the UK. This presentation will suit project professionals with any level of experience.

Over the last three years, the project management marketplace has seen winners and losers. Demand for project managers has increased significantly in some sectors whilst others have suffered through cutbacks and redundancies. John Thorpe kicks off the presentation with an overview of the current conditions in the project management marketplace.

John will be presenting answers to these crucial questions;

• How are the salary and rates currently holding up?
• Which sectors are experiencing a demand for project management talent?
• What are organisations looking for in their project professionals?

The project management recruitment market has seen changes over the last three years. It has become increasingly competitive, with many project professionals experiencing frustration in finding the right opportunity and successfully interviewing for roles.

Lindsay Scott shares her experiences and insights into how project managers can differentiate themselves and standout in a crowded marketplace. Lindsay will provide practical guidance on how to find the right career opportunity; how to present yourself (against what organisations are looking for); and the project management CV.

John Thorpe and Lindsay Scott are Directors of Arras People, a project management recruitment specialist. From 2002, Arras People have worked with organisations across all industry sectors and business functions placing project professionals in contract and permanent roles. Arras People are also known for their annual project management benchmark report and quarterly project management salary guides.

Dates:

Monday 12th September in Central Birmingham
6pm for 6.30pm start
Free for APM members / £10 for non-members
>> Book via the website

Thursday 13th October in Nottingham
6pm for 6.30pm start
Free for APM members / £10 for non-members
>> Book via the website

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It’s a common cause of project failure directly attributable to us human beings if it is not carried out effectively. It’s considered to be one of the arts of project management – not a science. It features prominently in job specifications and advertisements when organisations are looking for project managers. It basically covers the relationship and communication aspects of projects. There are literally hundreds, if not thousands of references to it across the web and in project management books. Getting to grips with complex stakeholder management and being a politically savvy project manager is in demand, but what does it all mean?

In this article we look at what organisations are actually looking for when they ask for “stakeholder management skills” and then discuss what it is that you should be displaying to prospective employers to demonstrate your competence – in your CV, the interview and also on the job.

With stakeholder management being all about identifying and then understanding the motivations and behaviours of anyone who can affect what you’re trying to achieve on a project; then developing relevant strategies to influence outcomes – it’s no surprise that stakeholder management is one of the top “soft” skills a project manager can have.

For a reference point I started with a quick search of a handful of current job specifications where stakeholder management is referred to and not unexpectedly it shows up in many different shapes and sizes as can be seen in the list below (the number in brackets is where it ranked in the overall importance of the project manager’s roles and responsibilities)…

If you want to learn more about stakeholder management, check out the original article from the July 2011 edition of Project Management Tipoffs, the project management & recruitment newsletter from Arras People. Subscribe to Tipoffs to receive the August edition free – it’ll arrive to your inbox next Thursday!

Be sure to check out the Project Management Tipoffs Podcast for July as well, either at the Arras People Pod Centre, or on iTunes! Subscribe to it here.

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This week’s Q&A is taken from my PMI PM Network careers column which was published last week.

I’ve recently signed up to LinkedIn to reconnect to people I’ve previously worked with and also to connect to other project management professionals I’ve met through Chapter meetings. What else can I use LinkedIn for that could help me in my career development?

LinkedIn has become widely recognised as the professional social networking tool (Facebook, being seen as personal) and for a project manager there is much to be gained from frequently using it. There are three main areas, which when used proactively, can help anyone in their career development. The first, which you have already started to use, is the networking side. The opportunity to keep in touch with those you have already had a working relationship with – your peers, previous managers, previous suppliers and vendors – these are the people who at some point in your future career may be providing you with new opportunities for work.

The LinkedIn status updates allow you to see your connection’s career moves and activities which give you an insight into how others are managing their own careers. Connections with other project managers, met through meetings, conferences and seminars, also gives you a window into project management careers in other sectors and industries other than your own. It is worth noting here that 80% of new career opportunities are not gained through applying for jobs through websites or corporate websites but rather the personal recommendations and referrals from others that you know. With that in mind the key to making these connections work for you in your career now and in the future is to make sure you are visible and proactive without being a social pariah.

This brings me onto the second area, the group facility. There are over 3,000 project management related groups on LinkedIn including professional associations like PMI through to specialist project management groups in certain business sectors or regions. The groups are an opportunity to not only connect to others in your chosen field and thus widen your network, but to also share knowledge. Each member of LinkedIn can choose to be a member of up to 50 groups at any one time, which could lead to information overload! However you can opt in or out of email alerts, leaving your involvement in some groups to be somewhat passive. The sheer amount of good quality information, and links to other resources like free webinars and conferences is excellent for pursuing PDUs as well as seeking specific advice from the enormous goodwill of knowledgeable and informed people within your chosen groups.

Finally the third, LinkedIn has become the recruitment tool of choice for a number of businesses looking to recruit good quality project management professionals. The attraction of being able to potentially reach professionals who are not actively job seeking is a major plus; this means that you too could be receiving approaches of new career opportunities. The approaches made are not intrusive; no-one will be cold calling you or interrupting your day to day work, however you can always opt out of these approaches as and when it suits you.

The LinkedIn set up also means you will see organisation’s that are recruiting too; these targeted advertisements show up on your page and you only see opportunities that match your LinkedIn profile.

A final word on the recruitment side of LinkedIn worthy of note is how to use your profile when you are currently between roles. If you are “actively looking for work” today, update your LinkedIn profile both in the Status bar and in the Add a Current Position. These fields are the main ones used by organisations to search for you.

You can send us a question for the Q&A Project Management Careers series through the contact form. Just state if you would like to remain anonoymous.

You can also check out the Project Management Training Directory or go to Arras People’s Group page on LinkedIn and see what benefits await you.

Image courtesy mariosundar @ flickr, re-used with permission

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This week’s Q&A is taken from my PMI PM Network careers column which was published this week.

I’ve been PMP certified for a number of years however I want to ensure my career development plans for the future include additional business skills which will be useful in a senior role – what should I be focusing on?

Your current experience, skills and certification in project management have provided a solid foundation in your career so far and enabled you to deliver projects; to take it to the next level you need to be considering your impact within the wider “business” environment in which you are operating.

It can broaden your career outlook when a more business-wide focus is taken.

Increasing business management skills, commercial awareness, financial management, strategy and business change are just some of the business areas that have a direct correlation to the work of a project manager. Widening the focus to include organisational management, HRM, marketing, operations and of course leadership are all steps to achieving a more rounded education and in turn developing your ability to move up the career ladder. Having a greater knowledge and understanding about the broader impact of programmes and projects in the business environment in which you operate will increase your ability to deliver in the future.

Whilst this may sound like a route through a MBA program, your development does not have to take this formal (expensive!) route. The key to building these additional skillsets is choosing the right blend of learning to suit you and the business that you work within. Engage your manager and explain your objectives; identify key areas where you are looking to increase your knowledge; find people in the business who may be willing to mentor you in their area of expertise, you never know, they may also learn something from you! It is important to have a plan, and also to discover the right learning styles and methods to not only achieve the depth but also achieve it in a timescale that suits you.

Finally, this show of your commitment to self development will hopefully create wider opportunities for you as you come into contact with key members of the business team.  Your visibility will certainly be raised and this may give you the opportunity ahead of others to put into practice your enhanced knowledge as a business focussed project manager.

You can send us a question for the Q&A Project Management Careers series through the contact form. Just state if you would like to remain anonoymous.

You can also check out the Project Management Training Directory

Image courtesy M Glasgow @ flickr, re-used with permission

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