subject: The Role Of Project Managment Training [print this page] For many years Project Managers learned their trade by experience, typically an Engineer would be promoted to the role of Project Manager and if they succeeded in delivering their first project they would be rewarded with larger more challenging projects (almost until they failed). Organizations, however, found this 'learning by experience' approach very expensive, because mistakes made early in a project (such as poor definition of scope or failure to understand risks) can have dramatic consequences during implementation. Since the 1990's project management has become more recognized as a profession, with widely recognized bodies of knowledge (APM, PMI & Prince 2 methodology) and associated training and certification. An understanding of these frameworks provides organizations and individuals with a structured process for the planning and execution of projects and organizations. Project Management Training has made it their business to provide class room training to teach these methods and support individuals often linked to certification. However organizations and individuals still find the ability to delivery projects successfully challenging.
The aim of this paper is to look beyond training and to the implementation of a learning culture within a world class project delivery organization.
Definitions
Training is defined by the CIPD as 'an instructor-led and content based intervention leading to a change in behavior'; it often involves time away from the work place in a classroom or equivalent. In many organizations this is the primary form of development for employees.
Learning is defined as 'a self directed, work based process leading to an increased adaptive capacity', it involves equipping individuals with the ability to 'learn to learn' and possess the capabilities that employers need to build and sustain a competitive advantage. In a learning culture, individuals actively seek to acquire the knowledge and skills required to deliver the organizations objectives. Most individuals learn best from experience and this learning can be triggered by a wide variety of learning interventions which are integrated within the normal workplace. Along with knowledge management, 'learning' most definitely holds its place in supporting the longer term development of Project Delivery competence.
