PMFORUM Breaking News
Breaking News in the Project Management World
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
APM Launches Education Network Forum
Reported by Bob Owen in Manchester
The Association for Project Management (APM) recently launched its Education Network Forum with a conference at Aston University's Business School, with the aim to bridge the growing skills gap in the rapidly expanding profession.
The Network already represents nearly half of the project management academic community and aims to promote a range of initiatives for researchers and students. The Forum is calling for greater integration between researchers, teachers and practitioners in project management with the intention to fundamentally change the way project management is understood and taught.
"The accelerating pace of change; larger,longer and more business critical projects, greater requirements for governance and more discerning customers are driving the need for improvements in project performance" said APM Chief Executive, Andrew Bragg (pictured right).
The growth of the accidental project manager, who has emerged to fill the void left by this gap is making project success harder to achieve, warned Professor Darren Dalcher of the National Centre of Project Management at Middlesex University and a specialist in the nature of project failure. In Japan, project management focuses on people issues as much as processes, and they have a much better record of project success.
Professor Dalcher (pictured left) believes that closing the gap between theory and practice is likely to have a key bearing on improving performance. Current academic research reveals that appreciating social complexity, reflective practice and focussing on long term benefits highlight the contribution that Universities can make in creating a new paradigm in project management practice.
Dr Naomi Brookes, Director for Project Management Practice at Aston University sees the University taking a lead in bridging what she describes as “the knowing/doing gap”. This is achieved by looking at where and how project management knowledge is created, not only between academia and industry, but within and between different sectors. Dr Brookes has initiated a network of trust in order to drive project improvement within a community that includes leading project management organisations in the region such as Land Rover, West Bromwich Building Society, DLA Piper and Mouchel.
The outreach to the academic community is coming from the practitioner community too; as Jennifer Shaw, Chief of Staff with Transport for London (TfL) outlined. Their PYRAMID programme is a response to the project management challenges in delivering a massive investment programme across all of the capital’s transport networks. All members of their 1,200 strong project management community are professionally qualified graduates but Jennifer highlighted how much emphasis was placed on attracting people with the right behaviours.
"You can train people to use project management tools, but establishing the correct behaviours in a person is much harder.” stated Jennifer. The TfL PYRAMID online assessment tool, aligned with the APM Body of Knowledge 5th edition, allows the organisation to follow a ‘grow your own’ policy in developing project management professionals. With an intake of over 120 graduates a year, the organisation focuses on identifying and developing key behaviours through dedicated long term development plans. As well as gaining practical experience in all parts of the business, graduates are encouraged to join professional bodies such as APM and take professional qualifications. The focus is on developing value-adding graduates who are able to fulfil their career ambitions with TfL.
Don Hazeldine of BAe Sytems agrees that a competitive project management recruitment market is forcing corporate organisations to think creatively about developing the project professionals of the future. BAe Systems is operating in an increasingly high risk, high tech, high cost business where projects are both large scale and have long timescales. Creating a greater throughflow of project professionals into BAe Systems is of ever increasing importance. BAe Systems’ work with Blackpool and the Fylde College helps develop students through a course which leads, not only to an Honours Degree, but has the additional bonus of providing five years of paid practical experience whilst allowing the candidates to graduate without any student debt. Key issues covered in the course include understanding the business, communication, logical and analytical thinking and influencing skills - all key in delivering projects in their sector. The scheme also has significant benefits for the organisation, including early engagement with high calibre candidates and an enhanced local profile for BAE as a prestige employer.
A new paradigm in project management is how Professor Dalcher describes the opportunity of bridging the theory practice gap. It seems that parties on all sides are willing for it to happen and are looking to APM to lead the way in the UK.
The Association for Project Management (APM) recently launched its Education Network Forum with a conference at Aston University's Business School, with the aim to bridge the growing skills gap in the rapidly expanding profession.
The Network already represents nearly half of the project management academic community and aims to promote a range of initiatives for researchers and students. The Forum is calling for greater integration between researchers, teachers and practitioners in project management with the intention to fundamentally change the way project management is understood and taught.
The growth of the accidental project manager, who has emerged to fill the void left by this gap is making project success harder to achieve, warned Professor Darren Dalcher of the National Centre of Project Management at Middlesex University and a specialist in the nature of project failure. In Japan, project management focuses on people issues as much as processes, and they have a much better record of project success.
Dr Naomi Brookes, Director for Project Management Practice at Aston University sees the University taking a lead in bridging what she describes as “the knowing/doing gap”. This is achieved by looking at where and how project management knowledge is created, not only between academia and industry, but within and between different sectors. Dr Brookes has initiated a network of trust in order to drive project improvement within a community that includes leading project management organisations in the region such as Land Rover, West Bromwich Building Society, DLA Piper and Mouchel.
The outreach to the academic community is coming from the practitioner community too; as Jennifer Shaw, Chief of Staff with Transport for London (TfL) outlined. Their PYRAMID programme is a response to the project management challenges in delivering a massive investment programme across all of the capital’s transport networks. All members of their 1,200 strong project management community are professionally qualified graduates but Jennifer highlighted how much emphasis was placed on attracting people with the right behaviours.
"You can train people to use project management tools, but establishing the correct behaviours in a person is much harder.” stated Jennifer. The TfL PYRAMID online assessment tool, aligned with the APM Body of Knowledge 5th edition, allows the organisation to follow a ‘grow your own’ policy in developing project management professionals. With an intake of over 120 graduates a year, the organisation focuses on identifying and developing key behaviours through dedicated long term development plans. As well as gaining practical experience in all parts of the business, graduates are encouraged to join professional bodies such as APM and take professional qualifications. The focus is on developing value-adding graduates who are able to fulfil their career ambitions with TfL.
Don Hazeldine of BAe Sytems agrees that a competitive project management recruitment market is forcing corporate organisations to think creatively about developing the project professionals of the future. BAe Systems is operating in an increasingly high risk, high tech, high cost business where projects are both large scale and have long timescales. Creating a greater throughflow of project professionals into BAe Systems is of ever increasing importance. BAe Systems’ work with Blackpool and the Fylde College helps develop students through a course which leads, not only to an Honours Degree, but has the additional bonus of providing five years of paid practical experience whilst allowing the candidates to graduate without any student debt. Key issues covered in the course include understanding the business, communication, logical and analytical thinking and influencing skills - all key in delivering projects in their sector. The scheme also has significant benefits for the organisation, including early engagement with high calibre candidates and an enhanced local profile for BAE as a prestige employer.
A new paradigm in project management is how Professor Dalcher describes the opportunity of bridging the theory practice gap. It seems that parties on all sides are willing for it to happen and are looking to APM to lead the way in the UK.
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