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Project Management Career Start - the SPARK Method - 3/4

Name: Project Management Career Start - the SPARK Method - 3/4
Rating: 4.3 (31 reviews)

Start a career in Project Management. Be confident to deliver great results. Be seen as a respected leader by your team.

Created byMarko Radović

Last updated 2/2023

English

What you'll learn

Communication Strategy in Project Management
Meeting organization
Set up audio conference
Set up video conference
Set up screen sharing conference
Set up face-to-face meeting
Use e-mail and chat communication properly
Plan work to be done (Work Breakdown Structure, Backlog)
Schedule tasks
Manage project costs
Manage project risks
Manage project issues
Execute project work
Generate lessons learned
Get feedback on everything you do in Project Management
Learn how to behave properly in multi-cultural environment
Overcome troubles of working in second language
Learn how to listen and praise your team
Provide positive and negative feedback
Talk with Customer with confidence
Learn the value of Trust
Learn the value of Openess
Learn the value of Empathy
Learn the value of Courage
Learn the value of Respect
Learn the value of a Servant Leader

Course content

2 sections • 12 lectures • 1h 49m total length

Introduction to Module A - Act, Listen, Improve1:30
Welcome to the Module A or “Act Module”!
As already stated, in the third, “A” module, everything is about feedback. One thing is to think that you do the work correctly, but completely another when you ask and receive honest feedback on your performance. If done correctly, feedback is the most powerful way to progress fast in your career!
In Module A, you will learn how to:
Get comfortable with your chosen communication strategy.
Grow by asking questions and gathering feedback.
Listen, test and act on feedback.
Course correct and continue with the improved system.
Need for feedback14:31
Whenever we want to implement something or explain it, the first and most important step is to understand WHY that “something” is important, or WHY we want to do it. We are starting this module A or Act with the explanation as to why feedback is so crucial and why we should gather it for all of our actions and why said feedback is the best way to improve.
Let’s start with several initial statements why getting the feedback is truly invaluable.
First of all, honest feedback is really mirroring all of our actions, because it tells us how we actually look like in the eyes of our stakeholders, how our actions are perceived and what the quality of our work is.
Secondly, we must know that the detailed feedback is really the quickest way to learn. Naturally, we can read a lot of documentation, we can search for some specific knowledge in books, but that is arguably not the most efficient and quickest way to learn, especially in today’s environment, where we need to adapt and learn quickly, to improve constantly, and where we need to show tangible results every day.
Feedback on Communication Strategy15:44
The first area that we get feedback for is our overall communication strategy. As we have already established, there are many ways to gather feedback as well as to ask our stakeholders about our performance and communication style. Which is why, in the following module, we are going to go through some questions that we can ask.
However, we need to see the following slides more as a guidance than a set of strict rules. If you do not have enough experience in Project Management, communication or in leading your projects, then the following questions may be useful for you.
The areas in communication strategy for which we definitely require feedback are the following:
first, we need to get feedback on the Stakeholder map creation process, meaning that we must check if we added all the stakeholders to our map or if we communicated properly with all of them;
after this, we have to gather feedback on meeting organization and agendas, followed by
feedback on quality and precision of our emails and communication via those emails.
We should also ask for feedback on quality of our:
audio conferences,
video conferences or
conferences with screen sharing.
Finally, we should not forget to get feedback on quality and usage of our chat conversations.
All of these areas are fundamental in our communication strategy, so, given all this, let’s go through some questions that we can ask our stakeholders.
Feedback on Planning Activities17:58
Now, let’s move on to gathering feedback on planning activities. This is feedback on everything that we do in order to plan our project properly. By simply asking the questions on the following slides we gather an immense amount of information and we improve our planning activities so that we are sure they are failproof.
The planning activities for which we need to gather feedback are as follows:
First and foremost, we need to gather feedback on Work Breakdown Structure creation process.
Then we gather feedback on the quality of our schedule creation process.
Then the feedback on the quality of our Cost Estimates, followed by the
feedback on the quality of Change Management, Risk Analyses, Issue Management, and finally
the feedback on the quality of Lessons Learned.
We can all clearly notice that all these parameters are the ones that we mentioned in our planning module (P module) and if you concentrate on each of these elements, we guarantee that the start of your project management career will be successful.
Understand and Implement6:58
After all of these gathered feedbacks, let’s now do the most demanding, the most challenging, the most useful part of this process - let’s try to understand the feedback that we have gathered and then apply changes, „even when the feedback is tough”.
The first step that we need to perform is to physically collect the feedback from all sources that we used and have them at the same place. We should be mentally prepared to read some harsh and maybe not so pleasant sentences, but the important thing is to know that this is absolutely fine. The more honest the feedback we received is, the higher are the chances that we will improve all of our systems.
As humans, we are inherently prone to emotional reactions, however, when it comes down to receiving critique, be it good or bad, we must literally train ourselves not to react emotionally because those sentences, especially if they are honest, truthful and correct actually pave a golden path for improvement.
We need to take our time to analyze the feedback carefully and read it with the intention to understand and improve. No one is born with the talent to be an excellent Project Manager, and everything that we know or that we learn in time, everything that needs to be done is to be practiced, tested and improved.
Module A - Practice Time!

Introduction to Module R - Reflect - Put Soft Skills in Action1:52
Welcome to the Module R or “Reflect Module”!
As already stated, in module R, everything is about the team, what they need, how to help them, how to recognize team members, listen to their feedback and understanding others, including Customers.
In Module R, we will cover a significant amount of topics and you will learn how to:
Use soft skills and lead your team toward maximum results.
Avoid micro management.
Use knowledge of a whole team.
Improve on soft skills and team leadership.
Grow as a person.
Be respected by the team as a great leader!
Then, you will practice and acquire knowledge on:
How to work in a multi-cultural and disperse teams;
What to do if language proficiency varies across the team;
How to listen and conquer your own ego;
How and when to praise your team;
How to give a constructive feedback;
How to speak with customers.
Multi-Cultural Environment12:49
Let’s begin our journey with a well-known story from the Bible. Legend has it that there was a famous Babylon tower built by the people who wanted to reach the heavens. In order to stop them, however, God made up several different languages and bestowed them upon the people, so that they could not understand each other, and the project, of course, failed.
This is an excellent metaphor, as well as a beautiful picture that captures the challenges that we face on a daily basis as Project Managers. If we do not have good communication and understanding of our team members or our stakeholders, or generally about the world around us, for that matter, we are unlikely to succeed and accomplish our project goals.
Communication and understanding of others and their cultures is the crucial point to have under control if we want to have our project successfully delivered. And we all want that.
Therefore, if the communication and understanding of our team members is on a high level, if we understand their intentions and points of view, in the majority of cases, we will deliver a certain project successfully.
Now, let’s analyze some of the best practices for communicating in the best possible way.
Second Language9:28
A very common question and a topic in the PM world is about leading a project successfully, if we work in a language that is not our mother tongue.
Often, people lack the confidence to speak publicly if the language is not sophisticated or fluent enough. So the question as to what to do if our second language proficiency is not high enough is present widely and asked by many of our colleagues.
There is some good news, however. Do not be worried. Audio is not the only communication channel, and we can use visuals as much as we need. Also, we need to remember that the majority of people do not really have problems with the level of language proficiency as long as the communication style is organized, structured and understandable.
Let’s see which techniques we can use so that any possible problems with our language proficiency could be overcome.
How to Listen4:54
Now we are coming to one of the crucial areas that we need to incorporate into our behaviour as leaders. Some may find this to be very difficult, while others may beg to differ. Be that as it may, we need to learn how to listen and fight our own ego.
This is a very tough internal fight, but all of us can win it. It is also crucial behavioural trait that we need to have as team leaders, so that we could allow our team members to fulfill their own potential.
Let’s cover some basic necessary behaviours that are significant in daily work of Project Team.
Praise Your Team4:09
Praising our team and our team members for their good work is one of the important elements of Project Management, which is why we need to remember it and do at all times.
Never forget that we are nothing without others. We must always keep the perspective that we are there for our team, and that it’s not the other way around.
That’s why praising our team members for their good work is absolutely mandatory.
Constructive Feedback10:17
Finally, we have reached the topic of constructive feedback.
This is usually people’s favorite topic in overall Project Management and Leadership areas because not only does it strengthen our team and improves the performance but it also enhances and improves us, as people.
If practiced correctly, we become better people by putting ourselves into situations that are not easy to handle, that are inherently challenging, but in which we have control over our own feelings and in which we take care about the other person while still talking about difficult areas.
The whole point of providing constructive feedback is knowing how to say something which will improve performance and behaviour and not hurt that person as such.
The general idea is to address certain behaviors or areas that resulted in poor performance and still have an utmost respect and openness towards the person with whom we speak.
Talking With A Customer7:28
This module will be covering one of the most important relations that the PMs have during their daily work and that is the relation with the customer and how talking to the customer is a big part of that collaboration.
It is very important to be prepared for the most important conversation we have during the day. So let’s see some of the key approaches that we can use when preparing for meetings with the customer.
Module R - Practice Time!

Requirements

Undergraduate / College Graduate Education level recommended but not mandatory.
Be interested in how to organize team work effectively.
Be interested in how to work with a team and treat people properly.
Willingness to start a new career in one of the most exciting areas (Project Management).
Willingness to develop hard and soft skills and see impact in professional and private life.

Description

This course is part one of four-course series:

Project Management Career Start - the SPARK Method - 1/4

Project Management Career Start - the SPARK Method - 2/4

Project Management Career Start - the SPARK Method - 3/4

Project Management Career Start - the SPARK Method - 4/4

There is a new, practical method in Project Management that I am going to tell you about in just a minute. The very essence of the method is to answer on a question:

“How do I begin a career in Project Management in a fast, practical manner and have a successful career start?”

For centuries, ancient painters and architects used a golden ratio between dimensions inside their master pieces. They tried to find a perfect balance between them and to create the most pleasing pieces for the human eye.

Transferring that ancient approach to Project Management, we try to find:

a perfect balance between management and leadership,
between control and trust to your team members,

so that you can have a perfect Project Management career start and excel even as a beginner!

You absolutely need to know about this as, once implemented into your working system, you can be confident that you are beginning your career in Project Management by delivering great results and being respected as a leader by your team members.

The reason why this method is different from everything else is that finally, we truly concentrate on cooperation between team members and leadership and not on processes and procedures, like most of the courses and official guides do.

By concentrating on cooperation and communication, the most important part of Project Management, you are resolving majority of challenges immediately.

The power is in simplicity and in using knowledge that your team already has, so that you can:

deliver projects on time,
in budget and
with high quality.

As a beginner in Project Manager, you will not know everything, but guess what, you do not need to know everything! It is enough to know how to cooperate with people and create environment in which they are willing to share knowledge.

With that, you can begin and make the next step in your career!

And you are making a great choice!

According to PMI’s “Project Management Salary Survey”, only in the US, the demand for Project Management Professionals will grow, by 2020, for more than 12% or 700 000 jobs! That strong demand leads to:

a higher average salary and
salary growth worldwide!

For more than a decade I teach, lead projects and cooperate with people around the globe. I am a certified Project Management Professional (PMP® #1702088), Agile Champion and recipient of several Service Excellence Awards and Manager Choice Awards.

It is my pleasure to present to you, the balanced approach that allowed me to be seen as a great mentor, a leader and a colleague wherever I worked, and to give you the tool that is a result of years spent in mentoring and Project Management.

When I have begun my career in Project Management, I needed to discover tips and tricks on my own, I was thrown “into the fire” immediately and needed to orient myself in a completely new area, full of procedures, processes, does and don’ts. As a beginner, I made missteps, I had setbacks, worked with angry customers, but eventually I grew out of it with a vast experience.

Now, I want to share this knowledge with you so that you do not need to go through the same pains I did.

For that purpose, I’ve created approach that is now called the SPARK Method that finds a perfect balance between control and trust and between management and leadership, necessary for a great career start.

Our first task is to reduce complexity, to remove pressure of having to know everything and to start from basics. We are moving together step by step through our method, so you can come to work and be excited while building new relationships and delivering great results!

Moreover, by going back to basics and using the knowledge of the whole team, you save a lot of time, avoid misunderstandings and build trust between team members!

The reason our approach works so well is that we take a step back and teach WHY we communicate as we communicate and then we show HOW you can do it by providing you with the practical tooling set.

By cooperating effectively and treating your team members well, you are guaranteed to have more success in your projects. PMI simply states in their paper that: “Organizations that communicate effectively have more successful projects.”

Normally, you do not receive a guide how to start in Project Management without stress, with knowledge how to communicate, cooperate and be confident that you will manage. Often, without that kind of help, people resign from a wonderful career. I don’t want that to happen to you. We will help you to understand that Project Management is not too complex, that it is fun and that you can do it too.

That is what our SPARK method is all about.

A method that focuses on cooperation and finds a perfect balance, a golden ratio, between control and trust and making sure that you will succeed in your Project Management career.

From the cooperation centric point of view, the SPARK Method introduces:

communication strategy,
how to plan job to be done,
need for constant improvement,
soft skills and
leadership necessary to lead your team.

There is nothing more gratifying than, while implementing this approach, you get feedback from your team members like the one you will see below.

That being said, let’s move forward step by step...

---- Colleagues and students feedback reffered to in the text above ----

"...you’ve been an inspiration and positively influenced me to

learn and work and I will never forget that...", J.

“... a great human, manager, leader, PM in one body. I had a chance to

observe his team transformation

and the outcome was bigger than anyone could imagine. People have started

communicating and talking openly, he builds a situation in this way that people don't have to do something...

they just want to do something...”, M.

“...leaping off the page on a regular basis by being a mentor,

by leading internal knowledge sessions within his Department & Unit,

by receiving approbations for his outstanding PM performance.

It is very hard to be a manager but also a coach and mentor

at the same time but Marko succeeds...”, K.

“...very unique example of balance between recognition

of human in each employee and business results,

so important in big corporation...”, T.

“ ...I could numerate several different merits

which Marko is holding to, which from my perspective

are the ones each good Manager should follow:

trust, loyalty, open and honest communication, positive attitude to people and changes, respect, good listening.

Such working environment is the one which I, as an employee

was searching for to be efficient and satisfied in...”, K.

Who this course is for:

A person wanting to start a career in Project Management regardless of the previous experience.
A person curious about team leadership and values necessary.
A person curious about Project Management Career.
A person curious about team management and soft skills necessary.
Undergraduates / College Graduates in Project Management or related area.
A person wanting to organize any type of events / projects where multiple people are involved.
A person curious how to organize and structure the work at hand and make a proper plan how to implement it.

Project Management Career Start - the SPARK Method - 3/4

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Action - Act, Listen, Improve5 lectures • 57min

Reflect - Put Soft Skills in Action7 lectures • 51min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: