Point 6 - Deming in Project Management

Job/Task-Related Training

A quality organization understands the value of the people who work in it. The same goes for project management. Training project managers, analysts, and everyone else who regularly works on projects in the company methodology, soft skills, etc. can bring significant rewards.

Many companies use the cop-out of “on the job training” to sidestep any responsibility to have a formal system in place to ensure their people are constantly learning how to do their jobs better. I am not saying that OJT isn’t valuable, but it can’t be the only training “effort” put forth by the powers that be.

The companies I have experience with that get this have the following resources and programs in place:

• A project resource center with books, periodicals, and other materials
• Time specifically scheduled for training and learning each month
• Presenters, either from the team or externally, giving a talk monthly to the whole group
• A significant amount of funds in the budget earmarked for training
• Sending a few people each year to seminars and events like the PMI Global Congress, etc. –And then those people present what they learned to the whole group when they get back
• A formal mentor program whereby new employees are paired with a vetran
• Company methodology and process training

There are many other ways to show commitment to project management training and education, these are just a few. Please leave your ideas and experience about best practices as a comment below.

(Back to Deming’s 14 Points)

References and Resources

Managing for Quality and Performance Excellence
Deming and Goldratt
Out of the Crisis
The Deming Management Method
The New Economics
Four Days with Dr. Deming
Deming Route to Quality and Productivity
Deming The Way We Knew Him

About the author

Josh Nankivel is a Project Planning & Controls Control Account Manager and contractor for the ground system of the Landsat Data Continuity Mission, a joint project between the USGS and NASA. His academic background includes a BS in Project Management, summa cum laude.  He can be found writing and contributing in many places within the project management community, and his primary project management website is located at pmstudent.com.