SPS Bermuda’s Project Management Seminar
Twenty-two business professionals attended “Project Management – Tools, Techniques, Templates and Tips” hosted by Strategic Procurement Solutions Bermuda [SPS] on Wednesday and Thursday of last week. The two-day seminar was presented by international Project Manager Gary Heerkens.
Attendees represented diverse industries including, Telecommunications, Insurance, Health Care, Information Technology, Legal, Construction and Government [in the fields of IT, purchasing, engineering, cultural affairs and others].
Upon completion, each attendee was given 16 professional credits towards obtaining an official Project Management Professional [PMP] designation offered by the Project Management Institute [PMI].
Mr. Heerkens has over 40 years of project management experience and is currently President of Management Solutions Group, Inc.
He has served as president of the PMI Rochester [NY] chapter for four terms and is known industry-wide for his 20 years of service at Eastman Kodak Company. Mr. Heerkens has co-authored a number of books. His most recent book, The Business-Savvy Project Manager, was released in early 2006.
When asked his approach to leading the two-day seminar, Mr. Heerkens said, “My goal was to focus on organizational content in which PM can be successfully applied to any business.
“The PMP material is usually self-studied over a span of months, so with two days, I wanted to provide examples of practical application.
“Therefore, I introduced an eight step approach on how to properly plan and control a project by mainly focusing on the tools and techniques available. I wanted everyone to walk away with significant value and be able to apply it tomorrow.”
The programme was developed by Gary Heerkens to break down the ‘art and science’ of project management. Mr. Heerkens identified two major aspects – first, leading people on the project [the art], and second, defining and coordinating the work to be done [the science].
With a primary focus on the ‘science’, he presented the application of tools and techniques to: identify needs and opportunities; precisely define an objective; then plan schedule, and control against that objective to achieve the desired outcome. The tools and techniques he provided supported the entire business process.
Tim Repose from Link Bermuda said, “The workshop was very worthwhile. Coming from an engineer’s perspective, we are very task-oriented and can now understand how project management can be useful for tracking and controlling projects.”
Elizabeth Christopher from Christopher’s Law Firm said, ”Project management is a complex subject with a broad brush that can be applied and customized across many industries.
“I appreciate the tools and tips that Gary provided and can easily see me using them. For example, as a volunteer at the Corporation of St. Georges and in my legal profession, PM has given me ways to streamline respective processes.”
Antonia Holder from Freisenbruch-Meyer Group said, “Considering my Marketing and Communications role at FMG, I truly see the value in the systematic approach that project management offers.
“It can eliminate the uncertainty of accountability, which is usually challenging from a task management perspective, by documenting the project from inception of an idea, right through research, estimating, implementation and analysis.”
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