Dear Lesego…
What kind of advice can you expect from us to meet your own unique needs in respect of Project Management training? This letter was written to a prospective client by one of our directors on 11 December 2017. We’ve changed nothing except for the client’s name. (Oh, and the picture, yes, that’s a model. 🙂 )
Dear Lesego
Thank you for your enquiry about Project Management training for your director.
As I explained during our call, the outcomes you described can’t be achieved within a week of syllabus-based training. Project Management is not effectively learned by “first going to class, then going off to apply what you learned”. It requires learning whilst doing the actual work of creating a Business Case, schedule and so on.
We have a part-time programme called the Practical Certificate in Project Management (PCP), in which we teach all this over time, while participants work on real projects. However, the programme runs over more than a year, and we understand that your director
- would like to get a quick start for maximum immediate results,
- prefers face-to-face training, and
- wants to limit her initial training to one full week.
Given the above, I recommend that she does the following:
STEP 1
Participate only in Module 1 of the PCP, namely the Intensive Workshop in Project Management. The next Workshop in Johannesburg will be held on the weekend of 20-21 January. The fee is R3,450 including VAT (or R2,950 if we receive payment by 22 December).
This will give her the quickest possible contextual background and a very practical, relevant introduction to all the steps of formal international standards-based Project Management (regardless of which methodologies are may be employed by suppliers or clients).
STEP 2
Get one-to-one Consultative Tutoring on her actual projects for two days directly after the Workshop (i.e. Monday and Tuesday).
I am going to assume that project scheduling and reporting of deviations (e.g. budget overruns or late tasks) are important to her customers, team and seniors, so I would recommend those two days will be spent on learning how to customise Microsoft Project to serve those planning and reporting needs, and on how to translate requirements such as a Bill of Quantities into a WBS, with interdependent tasks and resource allocations.
We would work on her actual projects. Some of the groundwork for this can be done in advance of the Consultative Tutoring.
Even if she has prior experience in working with Microsoft Project, I would still recommend that she gets the latest version right away and that she works through the whole Microsoft Step by Step book prior to this Tutoring. (If necessary, we can provide guidance on the available versions, where to buy, and so on.)
The fee for Consultative Tutoring are R7,000 per day plus VAT, if done directly after the Workshop.
To understand why we recommend Consultative Tutoring in Microsoft Project, click here.
The total fee for the Workshop (discounted) and two days of Consultative Tutoring comes to R18,910 (incl. VAT).
We do not recommend a fifth day at this stage. Project Management is a complex discipline, and the training we provide is intensive. Trying to absorb more information during such a short period can lead to obfuscation of some of the important basic steps. We can certainly talk about remote support or additional training during the weeks or months that follow.
PREPARATION
If she decides to go ahead with us, we would need to schedule a call with her so that we can do the preparatory groundwork of understanding her projects and reporting requirements well, and so that we can provide her with preparatory tasks in respect of her projects. In this way, we can maximise our contact time.
Please feel free to call me again if you have further questions. We look forward to the prospect of providing Project Management training that works at work!
Best regards
TANIA MELNYCZUK
Director: Programme Design
Tel +27 21 949 2077
Need advice to meet your own Project Management training requirement?