Is it enough to gain certification in project management methodology or are we missing a significant piece in the capability uplift equation?
Prior to the global financial crisis (GFC), the information technology and business project management industry had few barriers to entry.
Riding the crest of a 20-year boom in IT and related industries, many project managers entered the industry with little or no formal training in project management. Work was easy to find and with demand outstripping supply, project managers were easily able to move from job to job with no need to embark on acquiring formal qualifications.
The arrival of the GFC changed that dynamic almost overnight, creating a glut of mostly contract project managers now out of work for the first time in nearly two decades.
Businesses suddenly had the ability to be far more discerning and for the first time were requesting formal project management qualifications as ‘must haves’ for roles, something that was unheard of prior to 2008.
The question remains: are current project managers better equipped to deliver projects due to the increase in classroom learning? To answer this question, we should look at what is being taught, by whom and how.
Skill Development: the 70:20:10 Model
In our August article, Collaborative Learning: Unlocking Your Potential, we explore the issues of ongoing capability uplift as a challenge for organisations and individuals and it is no different for project managers.
Capability uplift can come in many forms and the challenge is often where to apply the effort to get the best return. The commonly used formula proposes that individuals obtain 70 percent of their knowledge from job-related experiences, 20 percent from interactions with others, and 10 percent from formal educational events.
We’ve explored the value of on-the-job experience and shared knowledge gained from collaboration, but what about the final 10%? Can project management skills really be learned in the classroom?
The Project Management Training Explosion
Since the GFC, the project management training industry has grown exponentially, whether it be undergraduate degrees in project management on targeted training courses in certain methodologies (Prince II, Agile etc.).
Unlike other professions (accounting, Law, Engineering and so on), there is no single peak project management education body to oversee all education and drive a standard quality curriculum. Instead, there are many separate bodies whom all provide different versions of what they see as project management, often with an emphasis on a process or methodology rather than what is important to be a successful project manager.
Training can, therefore, be focused on a body of knowledge on “the how” (Process) and less around the capabilities required to deliver on the how.
An interesting observation is that methodologies will continue to evolve e.g. Agile, but the capabilities required to deliver are more stable. It is the delivery capabilities that can be neglected during training which is methodology or process-based.
As an example, two Project Managers may not be suitable for the same project despite both being qualified and understanding the processes e.g. paint by numbers PMs versus “Walk in the fog”. The PM’s competencies around leadership, persuasion, teamwork et cetera are very different in these projects and process-based training will not fill the gaps.
Do We Need a Rethink on How Project Management is Taught?
The next critical element is who is providing the training? The current situation is that there are many service providers delivering many different training courses aligned to multiple, unrelated bodies.
These training courses are again largely process-focused, not competency-based and the objective of the training is often to gain a qualification in a particular methodology rather than lift a project manager’s overall competency. So the focus of the training or course becomes the ability to pass an exam based on this methodology, not necessarily how to successfully deliver projects.
This approach is less about really understanding what makes a good project manager versus a student’s ability to repeat and follow terminology in an exam situation.
On-going capability uplift is vitally important in all professions and project management is no difference. Formal training has its place in this process if done well with the right course content. However, given the extremely unregulated project management education sector and the diverse training options that tend to focus on process or methodology over competency the jury remains out on whether the classroom can provide the capability uplift project managers seek.
If you’re seeking capability uplift for yourself as an individual or your team, it is worthwhile reflecting on the 70:20:10 Model for Learning and Development and choosing the approach accordingly.
It may be the training course you have in mind will not deliver the uplift you desire and instead a focus on creating opportunities for greater on the job experience and/or increasing the opportunity for collaboration will deliver a greater skill uplift.
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