This article has been published to help practitioner candidates to record or write their case studies, one of the activities to achieve the Practitioner Certification. But, it is also helpful for any DPro+ member who would like to share their articles or videos with our community.
Recording a video
You must be the author of any video submitted to the practitioner examination or shared with our community. You must also take part of the video, as main character, interviewer, or a member of the video characters with significant participation.
Technical Specifications:
Videos should be between 2 and 4 minutes.
Record it in your language or language of preference.
Check your video camera settings to make sure you are shooting one of three formats: 1080p at 30fps, 1080p at 60fps, or 1080p at 24fps. 720p and 4k is fine too.
If you are unsure, don’t worry, your camera’s default setting should generally be ok.
Upload your video to Youtube, Vimeo, or any cloud drive (Dropbox, One Drive, Google Drive).
Content:
Tell a story… record the video as a simple narrative to share your experience with other project managers.
Start the video introducing yourself (name, country, your position).
Keep focus on the message you want to share – avoid adding information and details not related to the topic you are presenting.
Content / Script:
Describe the context (economic, cultural, environmental): Where and with whom did the project take place?
Describe the issue, need for improvement: What happened?
Describe your intervention: What did you / your team do? What was the outcome / result?
Recording your video:
You can use your laptop, phone, or camera to record your video.
If you are using your phone, make sure that you hold the phone in the horizontal position.
Location:
Find a location that is well-lit with natural sunlight or plenty of indoor lighting.
Choose a quiet location with little background noise (street sounds, music, air conditioner, other people).
Speak more slowly than you would in person
Smile, especially at the beginning and the end
If you are using your phone, make sure that you hold the phone in the horizontal position, like the image below.
This is the right position to recording a video using a phone.
Writing an article
You must be the author of any article submitted to the practitioner examination or shared with our community.
Technical Specifications:
The article must have between 500 and 1,000 words.
Write your case study using Microsoft Word or Google Docs – which allow you to count the words before copying them into the Activity Log.
Write the article in your language or language of preference.
Content:
Tell a story… this is not an academic article, but an experience to be shared with other project managers.
Write an introduction.
Introduce yourself (name, country, position) and let readers know how you participated or got into contact with the case study.
Avoid self-promotion or promoting others in the article. The article’s focus is the case study, not the people involved.
Describe the context (economic, cultural, environmental): Where and with whom did the project take place?
Describe the issue, need for improvement: What happened?
Describe your intervention: What did you / your team do? What was the outcome / result?
PM4NGOs is delighted to announce the launch of the Project Management for Development Professionals Guide – Project DPro (PMD Pro 2nd Edition). The Project DPro Guide reflects years of learning, feedback from hundreds of development professionals, and a two-year development process. It also aligns with Program DPro Guide.
Over the past 10 years, PMD Pro has reached 30 thousand professionals, working at 1,250 organizations, in 167 countries. Looking back at the beginning, it has been incredibly rewarding to hear stories of the difference that improved project management practice has made to people’s lives: PMD Pro has made their lives easier – providing simple and adaptable tools and techniques that help them do more with less and in many cases, do it better.
We would like to thank all project managers and professionals who contributed to the Project DPro development, a special thanks to Amanda Fleetwood, who led the guide development, John Cropper and Peter Marlow, who led the certification exam update, and all members of the PM4NGOs Board and team. We are also indebted to many organizations whose documents and materials were referenced and adapted for use in the Project DPro Guide. Finally, we would like to thank our partner APMG International for their valuable support to the foundation and practitioner certification exams improvement and update.
As of today, the Project DPro Guide is available in Arabic, English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish. PM4NGOs will continuously work with partners to make the best practices guide and certification exams available in other languages.
A Quick Guide to the Project DPro is also available: useful for professionals who already are certified or managers who would like to access an overview before reading the full guide.
Changes in the guide
With a slight increase in the guide’s content size, from approximately 130 to 180 pages, it was possible to add new concepts and increase the level of detail of the previous version’s tools and topics – while maintaining the most important characteristics: simple, comprehensive, affordable, accessible, and contextualized to the development sector. Some of the main changes are:
A new 5-phase model: Identification and Definition, Setup, Planning, Implementation, and Closure.
Monitoring and Evaluation incorporates Learning and Accountability – MEAL, with a clear cross-cutting application.
Principles approach more detailed, aligned with the Program DPro Guide.
Stage management (the rolling wave planning) presented in detailed technique and process.
Please visit the PM4NGOs Video Collection to access videos and webinars’ recording that present the new edition changes. Videos are available in Arabic, English, Portuguese, and Spanish.
The certification exam
The Project DPro exams will continue to be accredited by our partner APMG International. There are a few changes in the certification scheme:
The foundation exam (level 1) has been updated to the second edition content, but its structure has not changed. The exam is multiple choice with 75 questions. The pass mark is 65% – or 49 correct questions.
The practitioner exam (level 2) has changed to an activity-based process.
The DPro+ platform, a continuing professional development program hosted by PM4NGOs, is available for all certified professionals.
Exams (both levels) require approved invigilators for their validation.
The first edition exams will available until September 2020 to allow candidates and trainers to adapt their courses and materials to the new edition.
About PM4NGOs
PM4NGOs is an international non-profit organization that seeks for an equitable and sustainable world where social investment achieves the greatest impact. PM4NGOs promotes excellence in the management of social investment projects and programmes through the creation and development of best practice guidance for development professionals, certification schemes for those working in the sector who will be proud to hold an internationally recognized qualification and a forum for communication and discussion about international development sector best practice. The PM4NGOs mission is to promote and sustain the professionalism of program and project management in the international development sector.
About APMG
APMG International is a global accreditation body specializing in professional certifications to help individuals and business deliver best practice solutions. Our portfolio includes a host of industry recognized certifications; Certified Public-Private Partnerships Professional, Forest Garden Training Certification, Praxis Framework™ and Change Management. During the past 25 years APMG International has worked with over 550 Accredited Training Organizations and Scheme Owners across the globe. Over 2 million candidates from 100+ countries have taken an APMG exam in 21 languages. Our examinations are rigorous, challenging and consistent so that candidates can be proud of their achievement.
PM4NGOs has launched the PMD Pro Pulse 2019 – a survey to identify the demand and needs of project managers at the development and humanitarian sectors.
You will be leading the project management tools/guides development in 2020/2021 and providing your opinion and recommendations along with other professionals around the world.
This survey takes approximately 15 minutes. You participation is crucial – the survey findings will not only generate a global report but, more importantly, drive PM4NGOs and its partners efforts to attending professionals and organizations’ project management needs. Please also share this initiative with your colleagues.
Save the Children is offering you the chance to get involved in the development of a pioneering humanitarian learning resource!
FIELD (Field Managers in Emergencies Learning and Development) is a ground-breaking, free capacity building programme currently being designed by Save the Children, with support of World Vision International and funding from the IKEA Foundation.
FIELD’s focus is to develop the pool of local, national, and international staff who can prepare for and take charge of in-country operational programmes in humanitarian responses.
This APM Research Fund study builds on the 2015 APM North West Volunteer study on the practical adoption of agile methodologies which provided a review of approaches at a project level, this study aims to investigate the level of practical adoption of those programme and portfolio components addressed by Scaled Agile methodologies.
The objective of the study was to understand the extent to which scaled agile tools, techniques and roles are practically in place in corporate portfolio, programme, project and development management methodologies, to determine the level of corporate commitment to exploiting scaled agile, e.g. pilot, full use, selective based on need, as well as drivers for selection or deselection of the framework based on the overheads
Who is the intended audience?
The proposed target audience is APM corporate members and their employees but would also be of interest to individual practitioners, training providers and those who are considering or have adopted Agile and now want to expand its use, or who have been struggling to align timeframes and products across multiple agile deliveries.
Before learning and adopting
best practices for project management, developing a project schedule was a
pain. I used to grab the project proposal and other available documents and then
spent several hours (days) behind my computer working on the MS Project. No
matter how much time I dedicated or how focused I was, the outcome was never detailed
or comprehensive enough.
PMD Pro made me understand that there are many steps prior to the scheduled development, such as the Logframe review, WBS development, sequencing activities, estimating resources and duration, and establishing the critical path, to finally develop the project schedule. However, I still struggled to understand why I needed to follow all these steps, one by one, instead of simply applying their techniques at once. After all, when thinking on a task or set of activities, our mind naturally assembles all aspects at the same time: when task will start and end, the required resources, who will be responsible for it, etc.
Here are a few reasons why following these five steps is crucial to develop a more accurate and comprehensive project schedule:
Social, environmental, and economic
needs are complex and require participation of a variety of stakeholders. It is
essential for an organization to form partnerships and alliances with other
NGOs and civil society organizations to achieve better results. In addition, strategic
alliances with local and national governments, companies, and industries increase
the chances of a project success.
Working through partnerships
helps to save resources and joining efforts on initiatives (projects) that are
similar or related. More importantly, coordinating projects would avoid overlapping
activities and, therefore, overloading a community with too many events,
training, meetings, and mobilization.
This article has been originally published at Thinkfully
Last month, Thinkfully joined the Third Sector Project Management Forum (TSPMF) at the British Red Cross offices in London to facilitate a session around how to think brilliantly and use different thinking strategies.
As with many other industries, the Third
Sector is facing challenging times in a rapidly changing environment. Previous research within the third sector has
highlighted the importance of learning lessons from past experiences and
projects. Therefore, we set the challenge question: “How to identify, take on board and put into practice lessons learnt to
improve future projects and become more efficient and effective?”The
purpose of this question was to help unpack ideas around ownership of lessons
learnt and to orientate the focus on embedding and enabling change for future
projects.
The concept of ‘Return On Investment’ (ROI)
is well understood (looking at the positive benefits or pay-offs from investing
in a resource) however, this session revealed the importance of a new concept –
‘Return On Failure’ (ROF).
The discussions identified some really
valuable and important lessons for us all. Here we unpack 10 big ideas for us
all to maximise our ROF, along with some key questions to ask ourselves along
the way.
I always wondered why we need to develop the Problem Tree … then the Objectives Tree … then the Alternatives Tree … and finally start developing the Logframe. Once we have identified the core problem, its causes and consequences, why not jumping to develop the Logframe?
During the project launch meeting, suddenly, the Project Manager raises from his chair and shouts: “long live decision gates!” Yes, decision gates must live long and walk through the entire project life. But what are decision gates?
According to the PMD Pro Guide, decision gates consist of a series of points in the project that require a decision to either proceed with the next phase of the project, modify the Scope, Schedule or Budget of the project or end the project outright. Each successive decision gate builds on the work that was developed in the previous stage.
Although more common at the Setup Phase, when a formal approval is required to mobilizing resources and beginning the iterative planning and implementation phases, decision gates are helpful and necessary to connect each phase and stage of the project.
The most common decision gates
During the Setup Phase, there are three most used decision gates:
From a simple e-mail to a document written accordingly to a template, this gate is presented to internal stakeholders (including implementing partners) to collect feedback on the initial project idea. It must be simple, but clear. High level budget estimate and overall outcome must be included. It will focus on the “what” and will present an initial idea on “how” the project will achieve the proposed idea.
Submitted to potential donors and key external stakeholders, the expression of interest still consists of an informal document or presentation, depending on the relationship that is already established with these stakeholders. This document still presents high-level details, but the “what” and “how” must be more tangible.
A formal document requesting approval receiving funds, sometime following the donor and/or external stakeholders’ template. The proposal is more detailed and precise, which requires more time and resources to develop it. Jumping into writing a project proposal without going through the first two decision gates might end up as a loss of time and resources.
Ready to start the project?
No! The project proposal is not the decision gate that approves the beginning of the project. A formal authorization is required, even if you receive a proposal approval. If funds are internal, a Project Charter might be enough to authorize the beginning of the project, depending on your organization policies and procedures. But, normally, a formal agreement or contract is required to establish roles, responsibilities, budget, expected outcomes, tolerances, and project changes procedures.
Long live the Decision Gates
The initial decision gates are most common, but no more important than gates that will connect stages and phases through the project life. According to the PgMD Pro Guide, one of the most effective ways to maintain control of the Program (or project) is to divide the Planning and Implementation phase into stages, with a Decision Gate at the end of each stage.
Questions like “are we ready?” and “do we continue?” must be answered at each gate. A good example is the end of a series of microfinance and entrepreneurship training courses that prepare the beneficiaries to create their small enterprises.
Are they ready to start their businesses? Did the courses achieve the level or comprehension we planned? Is there any additional knowledge we must share with them?
Are we ready to support them? Is our team prepared to guide them through the business development paperwork? Are there tools to help them managing their business?
How about other project components? Are funds available? Systems in place? Reports and documents ready?
Do we continue? Is there any change in the context, bureaucracy, beneficiaries… that would require “one step back” before moving to the next stage?
Stages… phases… milestones…
During the planning phase, the project manager usually sets up specific “moments” to review the project progress and adapt the plans. These are very good points of control and decision gates can be added to the review/planning process.
Remember: decision gates are not necessarily a decision point for the Project Committee – it can and must be a helpful tool for the project manager and project team.
Ultimately, a decision gate can also consist of a series of doors (or options), each one of them leading to a different approach to the next project stage or phase – helping the team to move forward to the same direction.
Stop!
Emergency Decision Gates are moments in which the operating environment of a project or program changes dramatically in a short period of time. Stakeholders critical to the program – senior managers, governance authority, internal and external specialists – will then need to make quick decisions about whether to change plans, or in some cases, even stop the project.
As a real example, a sports activities project funded by two donors has its procedures, expectations, outcomes, and priorities changed every other month by one of the donors. The counterpart did not agree with the constant changes and informed the project manager that it would possibly requests the funds returning if the project would not achieve the original outcomes.
Pushing the project forward at the risk of returning all funds (already received and future parcels) or cancelling the project now and returning only funds already received? The project manager developed a financial impact analysis comparing both scenarios and “pressed the button,” which lead to a Committee decision to terminate the project – avoiding an even more critical risk: reputation’s damage.
How should the project move forward after a decision gate?
Project Plans, Charter, and tools must reflect the decision and analysis that was just made. It is most likely that a decision gate will change the project, to correct the project path or simply improve it.
Besides updating project documents, it is very important to communicate any change and what was analyzed and learned – a one-page message to all key stakeholders (internal and external) will help to keep everyone in the same page. As in any other project management process, communication is a key for the success.
Think of your project as a long flight with many connections. Each airport you land is a decision gate.
You need these connections to refuel the plane, check all engines, change passengers (beneficiaries), maybe replace the crew (team), and adjust the plane route. Even if the boarding gate is the same for the next flight leg, I am sure you will check the airport panels (indicators) to make sure you are in the right place and going to the right destination.
