Following a review of their project management arrangements, International Nuclear Services (INS) identified a need to invest in the development of their project managers, specifically the challenges faced when managing projects in a functional organisation, where none of their project team report directly to them.
Solution
Working in partnership with stakeholders at INS, Underscore Training developed a two day programme aimed at developing the skills needed to manage a team and project effectively without direct reports. The programme covered a range of topics including understanding roles and responsibilities of everyone on the team, managing time and resources effectively, leadership skills and managing conflict.
Challenges
The audience included all project managers at INS, so the individuals attending had a diverse range of knowledge and experience. Underscore Training designed the sessions to accommodate the varying needs of attendees, with flexibility built in to allow topics and issues raised on the day to be fully explored and understood.
Our Managing Projects Without Direct Reports programme is available as an off-the-shelf training course, or we can tailor it to your needs like we did for INS.
Feedback and Outcomes
Alex Hunter-Brodie, Project Manager and leading the review of PM practices at INS shared her views on working with Underscore Training:
‘We found Underscore Training to be very co-operative and adaptive in their approach. The trainers were very professional; they arrived on time, were well prepared, and the delivery was very good. We were very pleased all round’.
‘There were several ideas we got from training for consideration in our business. For example getting project objectives to be included in the team members’ performance reviews’.
Delegate comments were also very positive:
‘I would recommend the course to others, insightful focus on behavioural matters in the context of Project Management. Well structured, informal but pace kept up, trainer knowledge and engagement was excellent, some valuable techniques to take back to the workplace. The Case Study was very good – a clever way of drawing out the people skills required in project management’.
‘I think this course would benefit all manager/middle manager personnel in the organisation to enable a greater appreciation and awareness of individual needs and why in certain circumstances people behave as they do. The structure of the course was excellent. The trainer clearly has great presence and ability to allow individuals to interact in a positive way to bring out the most appropriate comments for further discussion and debate‘.