It’s a perennial challenge: Where do you focus your skills development efforts in a world of limited resources but ever-changing needs?
As learning and development (L&D) professionals, we strive to align our learning initiatives with business strategy. But this process has been complicated in recent years because the very nature of work is changing.
In a word, work is becoming more “projectified,” or project-oriented. A McKinsey survey, for example, reports that organizations are becoming less hierarchical and are moving “toward a more flexible system in which individuals move among teams and projects.” And 79% of respondents in an Accenture study say that work in the future will be less about roles and more about specific projects. This new dynamic can be considered a “project economy”
As an information technology (IT) and business consulting services firm, my organization, CGI, has long considered project management a core competency. Projects, after all, are the primary way we deliver value to clients. So, we have long provided high-quality project management training to our consultants.
This move toward project-driven work is now extending across industries and geographies as organizations adapt their way of working to meet ever-changing and dynamic environments. This growing project-based environment creates new pressures for talent acquisition and retention, who need to meet the demand for professionals with project skills. Project Management Institute (PMI) estimates the global economy will need 25 million new project professionals by 2030. And project-oriented economic activity worldwide is predicted to reach $20 trillion by 2027.
Even if your people don’t have “project management” in their titles, chances are they are being called upon to lead projects both formally and informally. Equipping them with the appropriate project management skills can help them deliver successful project outcomes and help your organization achieve its strategic goals.
Beyond driving business success, project management training is also an opportunity to improve an employee’s overall job satisfaction. That’s owing to the very nature of the project work. Projects typically have specific and well-defined goals. They have a clear start and finish. And they are measurable, so project leaders know exactly what’s expected of them.
This kind of role clarity can be highly motivating. Indeed, according to research by Effectory, employees with role clarity are 53% more efficient than employees whose roles are ambiguous. They are also 27% more effective at work.
So, how do you begin incorporating project management training into your L&D plans? Here are three recommendations:
1. Engage a Knowledgeable and Proven Training Partner
Many companies and individuals offer project management training. When searching for a potential partner, however, do your due diligence and select an organization with a strong reputation and a proven track record of success.
Offering flexible training through in-person classes delivered by an in-house expert and an instructor-led online option combines two approaches to provide the best learning experience for your employees. The in-person and online training tracks allow your people to take charge of their career development progress and develop knowledge and skills based on their career stage and project experience. This aims to improve each employee’s journey and create a supportive career-building environment.
2. Provide Project Management Certification Opportunities
Professional certifications offer many benefits to your organization and your employees. By growing knowledge and skills, certifications help employees become more efficient and productive. Certifications are also highly prized by employees. They enhance both your employees’ professional standing and their long-term earning potential.
Creating an all-inclusive project management track where employees can progress through a learning journey is an important step in L&D. The goal is to develop the individual’s knowledge and skills, tailored to their career stage and project experience and provide them with a holistic project management L&D journey. Consequently, this can help employees become capable and confident project managers who evolve into advanced professionals.
3. Support Association Membership To Foster Informal Learning and Community-building
Any L&D journey includes both formal and informal learning opportunities. Encouraging employees to be part of a professional practice community helps create informal learning opportunities while providing a ready-made support network.
This form of membership also helps enrich the profession by allowing employees to share their front-line experiences and knowledge while fostering an environment of growth and support. These professional memberships are built-in professional networks, allowing employees to engage with new people who share a common passion.
By taking an L&D approach to project excellence, organizations can build a supportive career-building environment open to all employees.
Whether or not your company employs many project professionals, offering high-quality project management training can be a win-win for your organization and employees. It can help drive business success, improve the employee experience, and enhance your teams’ value and professional standing. Even more important, it will help position your organization for the future — as the nature of work continues to evolve in the emerging project economy.
