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*** VI *** *** THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2008 THE DAILY TELEGRAPH | *** CAREERS IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT AWARDS AND TRAINING THE PRIZE WINNER JIMMY ZAMMER, OF UK CONSTRUCTION CONSULTANTS DAVIS LANGDON, WAS AWARDED THE ASSOCIATION FOR PROJECT MANAGEMENT’S YOUNG PROJECT MANAGER OF THE YEAR AWARD IN 2007 FOR HIS WORK ON THE REFURBISHMENT AND SECURITY UPGRADE OF THE BRITISH COUNCIL’S PREMISES IN KHARTOUM IN SUDAN. HERE, HE DESCRIBES THE CHALLENGES THE ROLE PRESENTED: “Winning the award meant a tremendous amount to me and it feels like a real privilege to be recognised for the role I played. It was a delicate job that required continuous coordination between geographically dispersed parties and management within a difficult environment (the 2005 Sudan peace treaty had only been recently signed). The award also helped to raise the profile of project management in the Middle East, so it was good for this sector, too. The Khartoum job was incredibly complex and lasted16 months. Twice a month, I travelled from Dubai to Khartoum. Travel was physically difficult because of the state of the airport. I had to arrive four hours early and faced a lot of protesters. There were street riots at the time and therefore The Daily Telegraph a lot of security issues with the project. British Council personnel had to be relocated during the upgrade to maintain their safety, and often the workers on the site had to hide on the roof. Dealing with the bureaucracy surrounding regulations was also a challenge, as was getting permits signed and applications passed for utilities such as water and electricity. There were many obstacles and we had to approach officials in different ways, using intermediaries. We also had to explain why our work would benefit the local community. Sourcing other building materials in Sudan was very difficult and we had to import most of them. Everything had to be assembled in Dubai to be imported to Sudan in one go. Climatic conditions such as sandstorms made painting and finishing the building a real task and many times work had to be postponed. But we did manage to get the job done, which was very rewarding.” IF THE HAT FITS... TRANSFERABLE SKILLS ENSURE THAT THOSE ENTERING THE SECTOR CAN TAKE THEIR PICK FROM A VARIED RANGE OF ROLES, SAYS JANETTE MARSHALL GRADUATE TRAINING SCHEMES UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK The WMG MSc in Programme and Project Management at Warwick University was launched in October 2004 with just 19 students. Their current intake is 102 per year. The programme can be taken as either a one-year full-time course, or as a part-time course over two or more years. Parttime students are typically sponsored by their employer and start dates are flexible. The taught parts of the course are presented as one-week modules, each of which is followed by an assessed assignment. There is also one major project to be undertaken. Post-study graduates go into fields such as IT and engineering. There is also a newly launched programme sponsored by Network Rail, with 36 participants this year. A firstor second-class honours degree is the normal entry qualification. www.warwick.ac.uk NETWORK RAIL As its need for project managers increases, Network Rail hopes to take on 200 graduates every year over the next couple of years. Following an intensive induction at Network Rail’s leadership and development centre in Coventry, graduates are given the opportunity to spend a year working on a series of large-scale engineering projects such as the multi-million pound redevelopment at King’s Cross. A year into the scheme, project management graduates will move on to their initial appointment, often as a project-management assistant first, so that they can continue to gain experience until they are qualified enough to become a scheme project manager. The on-the-job environment of this scheme affords graduates the opportunity to gain real insight while on high-profile projects throughout the UK. www.networkrailgraduate LEARNINGS — PM word for ‘“lessons” MILESTONES — the markers by which a project is deemed to be on schedule RISK REGISTER — the possible pitfalls of a project SCOPE — pre-agreed project requirements TURNER & TOWNSEND Construction and Management firm Turner & Townsend claims to be the largest employer of project managers in the UK at present. Its graduate development programme takes in 15 graduates a year in the UK and offers a two-year APC (Assessment of Professional Competence) training course. The scheme is designed to develop behavioural as well as technical competency, and graduates are given opportunities to work on a wide variety of projects to ensure that they get a chance to experience as many aspects of a project manager’s job as possible. A place on the programme also constitutes a first rung on the ladder at Turner & Townsend, with the majority of graduates eventually going on to become project managers with the company. www.turnerandtownsend.c SLIPPAGE — where the project is falling behind in time and budget TOR (PID) — terms of reference and keystones of a project — the where, how, when, and whys WORK STREAMS — the varying sections of a project ‘‘ A career in project management offers great scope along with good opportunities for development. “It’s an infinitely transferable skill that crosses over all sectors of industry,” says Scott Walkinshaw of the Association for Project Management (APM). Indeed, the shortlist of finalists for the APM 2008 Project Management Awards, which take place on the 29th of this month in London, shows how varied, complex and interesting the role can be. The shortlist includes the team that handled the transfer of Eurostar’s operations from Waterloo International to King’s Cross, St Pancras, for the high speed rail link between the Channel Tunnel and St Pancras. The move was a highly successful one and passengers were not disrupted by the Herculean task that was being undertaken. Compare this with the problems suffered at the opening of Terminal Five at Heathrow, and you get some idea of the scale of many of the difficulties project managers have to deal with and resolve. Network Rail is the UK’s largest employer of project professionals, who play a major role in around 6,000 engineering projects a year. Simon Kirby, Network Rail’s director of infrastructure, points out the extent to which its operations rely on project management as part of the billion-pound enhancement of existing stations and track: “We have projects in Scotland, Wales and most regions of England, and have recruited 1,500 project managers in the past two and a half years. In the next six months ‘‘ British project managers played a big part in building ‘The Ice Cube’ aquatics venue for the Beijing Olympics we will probably need another five hundred professionals in the field.” Whether within the UK or on a global level, project managers get many opportunities to travel. “It’s a very portable skill so you can work across industry and international boundaries” says Walkinshaw. For instance, British project managers played a big part in the engineering firm Arup’s work for the China Construction Design Institute. The firm built the National Aquatics Centre, also known as “The Ice Cube”, in Beijing, where the swimming, diving and water polo events took place during the Olympic Games. The Middle East is another hot spot for aspiring project professionals. UK construction consultants Davis Langdon project-managed the building of AMA Bahrain International University, a Philippines-based academy which selected Bahrain as the base for its services throughout the Middle East. Additionally, a £10 million project to upgrade and expand Bahrain’s second largest wastewater treatment plant at North Sitra has been managed by MWH management services for the Kingdom’s Ministry of Works. “The Middle East is a big area of growth as far as project management is concerned,” confirms Anne Beitel, managing director of recruitment specialists, Executives Online. “There is a huge demand from clients in Dubai and elsewhere, particularly in the construction and mining sector. Employment regulations also make it easier for UK citizens to get work permits.” JARGON BUSTING Are we ALIGNED? — Do we have an agreement? GANTT CHART — the form in which a PM’s tasks and schedules for any project are written down @ JOBS ONLINE: jobs.telegraph.co.uk/ careers-insider *** *** THE DAILY TELEGRAPH *** *** Magic moments THE SPECIAL SKILLS IT TAKES TO GET THE JOB DONE page 2 History repeating LEADING TACTICS FROM PAST BATTLES page 5 Healing hands MANAGING GLOBAL RELIEF EFFORTS page 7 ILLUSTRATIONS THROUGHOUT BY MARK LAZENBY Project management CAREERS IN THURS *** II *** *** THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2008 THE DAILY TELEGRAPH | *** PROJECT MANAGEMENT OVERVIEW The Daily Telegraph MODERN WIZARDS today, some as consultants; others employed as “in-house” staff. All need to be eminently flexible and ready to take on fresh challenges. “The job can change *** *** THE DAILY TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2008 *** *** | III The Daily Telegraph PEOPLE CAREERS IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT Xlang Jing’s “Your Body” is currently on show at the Saatchi Gallery TAKING A BROAD NIGEL HURST DIRECTORANDCHIEF EXECUTIVE OFTHE SAATCHIGALLERY PERSPECTIVE FROM *** IV *** *** THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2008 THE DAILY TELEGRAPH | *** *** *** THE DAILY TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2008 *** *** | V The Daily Telegraph SKILLS DEVELOPMENT CAREERS IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT LEARNINGFROMPAST MASTERS ALAMY, CORBIS, GETTY THE TACTICS EMPLOYED BY FABLED LEADERS OF THE PAST CAN PROVIDE VALUABLE TIPS TODAY. THE BATTLE OF HASTINGS IS A *** VI *** *** THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2008 THE DAILY TELEGRAPH | *** CAREERS IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT AWARDS AND TRAINING THE PRIZE WINNER JIMMY ZAMMER, OF UK CONSTRUCTION CONSULTANTS DAVIS LANGDON, WAS AWARDED THE ASSOCIATION FOR PROJECT MANAGEMENT’S YOUNG PROJECT MANAGER OF THE YEAR AWARD IN 200 *** *** THE DAILY TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2008 *** *** | VII The Daily Telegraph GLOBAL ASSIGNMENTS CAREERS IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT TIME FOR A CHANGE? Searching for a career change that reflected her own ethical values, Wooster’s first experience of charity work was when she volunteered *** VIII *** *** THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2008 THE DAILY TELEGRAPH | *** PROJECT MANAGEMENT TRANSPORT Rail finders: the Docklands Light Railway The Daily Telegraph TRANSPORT TO THE 2012 LONDON OLYMPICS WILL NEED TO BE AS PRECISELY PLANNED AS THE EVENTS THEMSELVES, SAYS GABRIELLE COLLETT-WHITE C