Competency Development

Even with effective assessment and selection processes, further improvement of critical project manager skills is desirable for all project managers, even the most competent. Efforts to achieve this improvement should be directed both on the job and in the series of professional training opportunities that may be available or sponsored by the organization. Several self-development and training methodologies exist which can be adapted for this purpose. These include the competency assessment instrument and critical incident interview described above.

Case studies have also proven effective in addressing project manager competencies when imbedded in established training programs. Case studies based on past projects can bring the real-world dimension to the classroom and provide additional focus on project manager unique skill requirements. Several such real-work cases have been developed by DSMC and are now used in the curriculum.

Experiential exercises can add the behavioral dimension to the classroom environment. Here, understanding is only the first step in mastering the complex set of project manager competencies. In his book The Competent Manager, noted management researcher Dr. Richard Boyatzis states (Boyatzis 1982):

Too often training programs attempt to teach the fundamentals using lectures, readings, case discussions, films, and dynamic speakers to transfer knowledge to course participants. Unfortunately, it is usually not the lack of knowledge, but the inability to use knowledge that limits effective managerial behavior.

To focus on this application of knowledge, DSMC uses several experiential exercises (Gadeken 1989, 1994) in its project management courses. They range from short team-building exercises to the elaborate Advanced Unmanned Ground Vehicle (AUGV) which features development of a small remotely controlled model vehicle with programmable software. This exercise covers the entire project life cycle with student work groups acting as project teams.