This document provides tips for designing effective project management training. It recommends understanding the industry and organization's processes and maturity level. Training should be customized for different industries, like IT versus construction. The organization's current project management processes and maturity should be assessed to deliver the right level of training, whether basic or advanced. Rather than relying on one standard, the training should provide a complete solution tailored to the specific needs of the client organization.

1. How to Design
Project Management Training
that delivers value
By:
Dr Madhu Fernando

2. Organizations lose faith on training when they don’t deliver
the expected value.
Project Management is the best strategy and tool to ensure
organizational strategies are effectively implemented.
I like to share few key points with you to ensure your training
will create the expected value.

3. Understand the Industry Requirements
 Same training cannot be delivered to organizations
from different industries even though Project
Management Standards are said to be ‘Universal’.
 As an example: Project Management in IT industry
differs from Project Management in the Construction
industry. Appreciate the difference and customize the
training as required.

4. Understand the Environment and the
Processes unique to each Organization
 Understand the environment projects are being
managed and the industry and organizational specific
trends, standards and the processes.
 Don’t teach them what you know, teach them what
they need to know.
 In a public training where more than one industry is
present, ensure you always keep the balance.

5. Start by Assessing the Level of Project
Management Maturity
 Some organizations are very much project driven. Some are
new to project management concepts. Assess the level of
organizational project management maturity before
developing the training.
As an example, an organization which shows the
characteristics of a ‘managed’ level of maturity will not
benefit by taking its teams through the basic project
management training, where an organization in a ‘initial’
stage will not benefit by advanced process improvement
training.

6. Don’t rely on One Global Standard
or a process framework
 Ensure you provide the complete solution that a
company needs. Do not be a master of one global
standard.
 PMI, IPMA, AIPM, PRINCE2 introduce some of the most
common standards.
 One set of standard might be good for planning, another
to provide a good governance, and another for tracking.
 Know your subject well and deliver the specific
requirement of the client.

7. Useful web sites :
 http://www.pmi.org/
 http://ipma.ch/
 https://www.aipm.com.au/
 https://www.prince2.com/

8. Further Information:
Dr Madhu Fernando can be contacted on madhu.fernando@innovastrategies.com +94 714 447 447
Dr Madhu Fernando is the CEO of Innova Strategies Pvt Ltd.
Chairman of Global Institute of Project Management, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Director of Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Colombo, Sri Lanka
She is a senior (visiting) lecturer at MBA and Master degree programs at:
University of Wales MBA and Degree Programs 2009-2011
Coventry University UK, 2013 to present
University of Moratuwa, 2006-present
Commonwealth Executive MBA at Open University Sri Lanka, 2011-present
MBA and MPM Program – University of Southern Queensland USQ, 2011-present
MBA Program – Rajarata University Sri Lanka, 2011-present
Some of he qualifications:
PMP, PMI USA Certified Project Management Professional.
DBA, Doctor of Business Administration (Swinburne University, Melbourne, Australia)
PMI USA Organizational Project Management Maturity Model Development Project Team Member
https://lk.linkedin.com/in/madhufernando
www.innovastrategies.com