PM Classes ROI – Measuring

by Nick J Webb via Flickr

The classes in the Santa Clara Valley Water District’s (SCVWD) program this year (it varies slightly from year to year) are Role of the Project Manager, Scheduling Optimization Techniques for Managers, Project Integration & Risk Management, Creating the Successful Project Team, Project Management Negotiation Principles & Techniques, Project Leadership & Communication, and the capstone course Applied Project Management.

This is the kind of measurements and information we’ve suggested the students collect.

Some of the items to be included (add anything that is important to you):

1.    Starting Point

a.    Description of current project management skills and responsibilities

b.    Self-rating of your PM skills on scale of 1 to 5 (1 = very low, 5 = very high)

i.          Initiation (starting projects)

ii.          Planning (estimating/communicating scope, schedule, resources)

iii.          Executing (doing/managing project tasks as planned, coordinating resources)

iv.          Controlling (adjusting plans, managing changes, reporting progress)

v.          Closure (documenting acceptance, handoff responsibility, lessons learned)

c.    Management rating of your PM skills (optional)

d.    Expectations of your development from this Certificate Program

2.    Courses (repeat for each course you take in the program)

a.    Your key objectives at start of course

b.    Important concepts/techniques/tools (repeat as many times as needed)

i.          Description

ii.          How you applied it at the Water District

iii.          Resulting improvement

c.    Things to do after the class

i.          Description

ii.          Due date

iii.          Metrics

d.    Self-rating of your PM skills on scale of 1 to 5 (progress tracking)

e.    Other observations and insights

3.    End of Program

a.    How well were your objectives at the start of the program met

b.    Top most important concepts/techniques/tools (repeat as needed)

i.          Description

ii.          How you applied it at the Water District

iii.          Resulting improvement

c.    Further things to do after graduating!

i.          Description

ii.          Due date

iii.          Metrics

d.    Self-rating of your PM skills on scale of 1 to 5

e.     Manager rating of your PM skills on scale of 1 to 5 (optional)

f.     Other observations and insights

Are these the right measurements to collect?  Are there others we should include?   I have told the students to consider these measurements listed as “thinking points” and we can certainly add more.   Some of the measurements may be more appropriate to one class than another.