Which questions do course participants ask most often about project management?
That depends on the level. At level D, students mainly ask how to conduct a stakeholder analysis or a risk analysis. At a higher level, it is about control: how do I ensure I have control over my project?
Grip is a broad concept, because it goes beyond planning and risk analysis. People also want to know how to ensure their team enjoys working on it. I get that question really often.
How do you get a grip on a project?
By getting the process in order first, and only then diving into the content. Sometimes, as a project manager, you know quite a lot about the content. Then the temptation is strong to jump in yourself. But you are there to focus on the project, and therefore on the process itself.
You ensure that the right processes run, both within your team and towards the outside world. As soon as trainees ask me this question, I refer back to the learning objectives. Then I say: 'We will come back to that later, because certain competencies are associated with them that are covered in the training.'
As a beginning project manager, are you allowed to say that you still have to learn?
Absolutely, and it is best to do that right from the very beginning. Don't be afraid to try things and be vulnerable with your team. Do you have little experience? Then just say so. I sometimes hear: ' I've done a training, so I'm all set .' But it only starts after the training!
It is better to say: “Look, I just did a training, I did run a project, but I am really here to learn.” Then people know where they stand. The same applies if things go wrong. Then dare to say: I made a mistake here.
I do that myself as well. If I make a wrong decision, especially one that goes against the team, and it doesn't turn out well, then you can call me out on it. Then it is my decision. People need to feel that that is safe.
What is the role of your ego as a project manager?
You can leave your ego at home, because the project isn't about you. You are the project manager, so you need to be there when needed. People look to you: will he or she make the decision? At the same time, you enable the team to perform. You facilitate the project team so that they deliver a great result. That is why there is no place for pet peeves.
Which questions do students not ask, even though they should?
People ask relatively few questions about practice; that only comes up when they progress to the next level of IPMA. With IPMA-D, I see many students who want to take a course for a certificate. And there is nothing wrong with that, right? But occasionally, they focus too much on passing the exam.
I regularly hear: 'Is this on the exam? Is that on the exam?' Sometimes to the point of annoyance. Then I say: just forget about that for a moment. You are going to prepare after the training anyway, so you may focus on that. First, it is about learning to understand the subject, rather than preparing yourself as well as possible for a test.
Can you learn project management with a few tricks?
No, project management is not a trick. It is a hands-on profession; you make a start on doing in the training. After that, the real work begins! Moreover, 80% of your work consists of communication. You can read how that works in practice in the Q&A about what you don't learn from books.
👉 Do you want to get a grip on your project? Lagant Academy trains project managers for IPMA certification, with trainers who practice the profession themselves. View the IPMA training courses.
About Mimoun el Ouarti
Ing. Mimoun el Ouarti MBA is a Project & Agile Leadership and IPMA certification specialist at Lagant Academy. He began his career at KPN and has experience on Dutch and international IPMA boards. Also read his interview in Trainer in beeld.
