ePM Training Services

In order to excel in our jobs as Project Managers, we need to use project management training to gain competency and improve our skills in three different areas:

1. People
2. Processes
3. Tools

Let’s examine each area in more detail:

1. People

This generally refers to our ability to relate with, manage, and lead the people involved in our projects. The skills required can be considered to fall into three different areas of competency:

• IQ (your basic level of intelligence and ability to solve problems)
• MQ (your ability to manage and communicate with other people)
• EQ (your level of emotional awareness, self-knowledge, and ability to relate to others).

2. Processes

There are many processes available to Project Managers. For example, there are processes for creating a Project Charter, for producing the Project Work Breakdown Structure, Network Diagram, defining a budget etc etc. Here at ePM Training Services we follow the processes defined in the Project Management Institute (PMI) “Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge” (PMBOK), as this contains a very thorough description of all the processes involved in running a project. These processes cover all project phases: Initiation, Planning, Executing, Monitoring & Controlling, and Closing.

3. Tools

Again, there are very many tools for us to use that will help to get the project work done more efficiently, for example telephones, email and video conferencing communications tools.  There are software packages for designing work breakdown structures and scheduling projects, and even the humble word processor and spreadsheet can all help us in our jobs.

Training

I wonder how many project managers have actually been formally trained in the best-practices of all three areas? Our suggestion is that you seek out the project management training that will help you to improve in all three areas above. This is the biggest thing you can do to empower yourself, especially when jobs are difficult to find. If you are already an expert in management and software tools, then you should consider a soft-skills course in how to negotiate, how to influence, or become more self-aware.

After all, if you don’t know your own motivations, strengths and weaknesses, then how can you manage others effectively?