“Now the Bereans were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they receive the word with all readiness, and searched the scriptures to find out whether these things were so.” – Acts 17: 11, New King James Version
Genchi Gembutsu is a Japanese phrase that literarily means in English to “go and see for yourself” and is a central tenet of the highly successful Toyota Production System popularly called Lean Management. It emphasizes firsthand acquisition of knowledge rather than understanding from another person, which might be biased or incorrect. It is important to go beyond what you were taught or what you read in a book, get your hands dirty and check if those things are as accurate as they proclaim them to be.
Pics Above: Dipo facilitating Practical LSS Green Belt Training at the Amber Residence
How do we train professionals to be efficient Project Managers in their search for Continuous Professional Development (CPD)? It is definitely not by becoming a certificate mill therefore encouraging professionals to cram the PMBOK® Guide in order to ace the PMP®certification exams. Whether these professionals are aware of the immediate challenges of their industry or not, they need real life skills that are relevant to solving acute business challenges that their organization is currently facing.
A professional that can conceptualize the PMBOK® processes to managing schedule and cannot readily develop a schedule when faced with developing one, loses self esteem and confidence in that area of pursuit. All conceptual knowledge fades quickly and professionals hang on to their badge of certification, which is totally useless when the rubber meets the road. Unfortunately, certificates cannot shore a professional against the tides and claws of the changing professional world.
Professionals in Nigeria need to understand that we live in a global society. Skills are better acquired through practical application of knowledge not by mere gathering of certification. Practical application of knowledge makes learning easier because professionals become easily accustomed to the tools and techniques by “doing” as opposed to “reading”. Imagine learning to drive a car by reading the manual or attending classes. Finally, it is only by practice that professionals can highlight and addresses gaps in knowledge and experience when compared to best practice.
Based on the aforementioned reasoning, we have adapted all our classroom courses to be practical based. We are kicking off in April by offering Free Microsoft Project, Free IBM SPSS, Free Microsoft Visio and Free PMBOK® Guide Document Preparation training for all those that attend our PMP® Preparatory training for 49K on April 2nd. This offer ends on Friday 25th March 2016 with complete payment to our office or bank. For full details on the program, kindly click PMtutor Lite here.
