Category Archives: Friday Snippet

Collaborative working, Community projects, Friday Snippet, News

Community projects

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With the Olympics domineering the TV, social media and the papers at the moment it is good to see the positive effect it is having upon individuals – I note gym attendance is up and local sports providers are reporting a record number of new members. What a fantastic thing to see! I reported on a community project last week which Village Games had organised a huge gathering with sporting taster sessions and am pleased to see further initiatives taking place. Community projects are often overlooked as they are deemed not significantly “flashy” enough for the project management world however I beg to differ as these projects often have significant outcomes and benefits are clearly recognised within the community – however the national press does not cover them as the stories are not deemed big enough. This is a shame as there is a lot to be learnt from such initiatives and presenting them to a wider audience may inspire others to take the lead and tackle a growing rise in individuals with nothing else to do. Also think about the demise of the high street – communities ripped apart by large chain stores taking residence in small towns making it impossible for independent traders to compete. Well the community doesn’t just lie in the retail area; I for one would love to see more community events which bring together locals working in a collaborative way to inspire and entertain others. Sport is a great way to get involved – I know form the work the Village Games do that everyone can get involved from very young to those in their senior years and of course those with disabilities. By creating a buzz in your area you can start to form new friendships and really feel a part of your community – which will have a knock on effect for those taking pride and assisting others to achieve their goals. Often we are not aware of issues in our community until it is too late and our facilities have closed down, taking an active inclusive approach to joining in and understanding our neighbours / local business people etc more we can help put a stop to the drop in social behaviour and issues which affect us all at some point. Actively engaging community support officers and making them aware of issues can really make a difference.

Do you know of any community projects which deserve some recognition? Let us know, we can help raise their profile and put you in touch with others who work in the field who may be able to assist you with funding and ideas to get you started.

Careers Advice, Friday Snippet, News, Project Management

Dream job

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We’ve all daydreamed about our ideal job; personally I would love to be working with Kylie and living the highlife – one can but dream! But my more realistic dream is to help others, ever since I can remember I have had an inner need to help others achieve their goals. I have worked in a number of environments from large global blue chips to very small businesses and throughout my career one thing I wanted to do was help others.

When faced with an opportunity to be able to apply my skills and knowledge to doing so I grabbed it with both hands. Setting up this business was the best thing I have ever done career wise, it has taught me a lot about structuring, marketing and also opened my eyes wider to the needs of others. When I was a recruiter I was often asked to write candidates’ CVs and I was not in a position to be able to offer the service as it was required – these requests were from PPM professionals at varying levels, desperate to secure a new role. I note that now I am approached by mainly senior level project management professionals who aren’t necessarily looking to move on from their roles but are in a position where they need to shape up their CVs for future endeavours and plainly because they understand that in a volatile market they too could face major change within their organisations at any given time.

On the whole the CVs I receive are not a bad read, however they are not ideal in an employer’s market. Therefore the collaborative approach I employ to creating the best placed CV is a must.

 

Coming back to the dream job – having decided that being the next stunt man for Mission Impossible is perhaps a little dangerous now you have a family to consider; what is it you enjoy most? For some it is problem solving – perfect for contractor project managers parachuting into failing projects, others it is a need to work for the third sector to give something back, but volunteering is a huge drain on home life and you need to pay the mortgage so you could not give up your day job. But have you considered applying your PM skills to charities? There are an increasing amount of PM roles within this sector purely through a need to ensure benefits are realised. Some like their gadgets – have you considered getting into a technology development field, you don’t necessarily have to have a techie background.

 

Just a little food for thought on a Friday – imagine how different your life could be if you thought about what it is that makes you tick and applied that to your career. The beauty of project management is that can be embedded in any industry.

Friday Snippet, News, Project Management, project teams

Let the games begin

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Marking the start of the Olympics – I felt it only right to mention some of the fantastic projects I have had the luxury of being involved in over the years running up to this fantastic event. When I say involved, I mean placing delivery managers in the projects teams for a number of initiatives such as broadcasting the events and infrastructure for the Olympic village. The build up over the years has seen a huge volume of multi-disciplined project management professionals take the helm of complex programmes of work and with great interest I have followed the build up. Project teams have been against the clock and proven that, yet again our ability to deliver is a strength and not something to be taken lightly. Hopefully gaining a great wealth of knowledge along the way and placing them in a fantastic position moving forward to their next assignment.

Despite the negative press for all the areas we have or are expected to fall short of in this huge historic event, we also have a great deal to be proud of and I am particularly looking forward to attending an event – in fact since the tickets arrived I’ve been checking and double checking the dates. UK media does tend to focus on all the negatives when we should be celebrating our successes – the Olympic village looks brilliant and for once, our athletes having a fighting chance of great success through the good old British weather.

Good luck team GB!!

Careers Advice, CV Tips, Friday Snippet, Networking, PMO, Project Management, Q&A

What else can I be doing? – Questions asked, Friday snippet

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Following on from my previous blog posts addressing questions asked during consultations this week we have a good question from a project support professional wanting to progress:
 I have what I feel is a strong CV and have built up a good level of experience in the project management field – I have also taken my PRINCE2 and various other in-house PM courses to bolster my chances of progressing in my career. Is there anything else I can be doing?
Emma, Project Support Administrator; South East.


Hi Emma, many thanks for your question – I can see from your question and current position you wish to climb the career ladder and are doing all the right things so far. I agree there is more you could be doing to help the progression such as gaining further experience and networking.
In your current role supporting a number of projects’ administration you could volunteer yourself up to assist a project manager directly either by coordinating activities or by taking on smaller projects (or aspects of them), in doing this you will build up trust with the delivery team and should get noticed for the right reasons. A great deal of projects seem to be lacking resources in the current climate so any offer to ease the burden should be gratefully received. Try talking to the programme or PSO manager and explain your interest in progress and being more heavily involved in the “doing” aspect. Of course you need to understand that such a move will increase your workload as you will still have your daily duties to perform. The more exposure you can gain in the delivery environment, the more extensive your skill set will be and whether you wish to progress in the support or delivery aspect of project management you will gain great experience. A good support person would ideally have exposure to delivery too; likewise a good delivery person will need the stern foundations of the support aspect to be effective in the team environment.
Networking is a great way to gain some good exposure to others in the field – often the larger project management networking events are coupled with presentations and seminars which are a great way to learn more about the reality of various aspects of project management. There are a number of organisations which run events (some are free) which I believe are a great starting point for networking. Go along and see what they have to offer and start getting to know professionals in the field – you can gain a great deal of knowledge and insider information from these people and moving forward, you may impress one enough to stick in their mind when a new position appears in their team.
I shall continue with the Q&A – if you have any questions you would like answering, get in touch: www.thecvrighter.co.uk