My Business School Experience: Linking Academia to Practice

For the last couple of weeks, I have been working in a team of six to deliver a real life project; akin to one which I could be tasked with as a project manager in the future. This project involves an external client and the project mandate requires that an event is designed which has 150 medium and large businesses in attendance. Our responsibility lies in assembling a Project Initiation document (PiD) which speaks to the business case, and within that identify quality, risks, stakeholders, work breakdown structure, and all that good stuff associated with delivering a project. Thereafter, deliver the project.

It has been an eye opening experience working in a diverse team of people with varied expectations and skills set. Add the pressure of dealing with a demanding client, and the complications of working sometimes in a virtual team, and what you have is an excellent preparation for working on project teams. In executing this project, we are utilising the PRINCE2 methodology and it feels good to use something which I only recently studied and wrote the qualification examinations for. This is the first time that I have developed a quality management strategy, a risk management strategy, and a stakeholder communication and management plan for a real life project, and it feels very fulfilling. This is the best part of my time here I think; the business school’s attempt to link students to actual practice.

One can feel far removed from the business world when buried in theories and research, this project serves to bridge the gap between academia and practice. It is an opportunity to try out the many methodologies which we have worked through. In addition, we are engaging with senior managers and CEOs of companies who have offered great advise and suggestions on how to take our career forward after the master’s, and what the market is like at the moment. In the coming weeks, I shall post updates on the milestones we have set and how/if we have met deadlines or not. 

In the interim, keep well.

PRINCE2, Internship and Next Steps

For the last couple for months, I have been searching for a job within the Luton and Beds areas. To yield more results, I extended my search to London in the hopes of finding a good student opportunity which could build my experience and provide a little bit extra cash (every student needs some extra cash). Anyway, I did find some opportunities and attended a few interviews, but none of them was the right fit for me; too long a commute or more hours per week than I could manage. 

Fortunately, the University has an internship scheme; a 75 hour placement either within the university or within a business in the Luton, Herts and Beds area. I sent my CV in to the Internship office, attended a few excellent workshops on tips for CV writing and interviewing, and voila, yours truly is now commencing a 75hr placement within the university. The best part of this is that I have flexible hours so that my academic workload isn't suffering, and I get paid for my time. Good times. If you are at the university already and have not taken advantage of this scheme, you should! Go to the International office in the Library at Luton campus, and speak to the internship scheme. You only have to be a student here, it does not matter if you are undergraduate, postgraduate, Home, EU or international student.

In other news, as someone who has worked as part of many project teams, and is presently studying for an Msc in Project Management, it was only natural that I felt the need to acquire a deeper understanding of the methodologies used worldwide to manage projects. I began my methodology journey with the PRINCE2 certification examination (Projects In Controlled Environments) which is the recommended methodology developed by the UK's Office of Government Commerce, for managing projects. I wrote the foundation examination yesterday, and I passed. It is very exciting to see one's journey unravelling in the best ways, you make gains, you learn new insights.

These months are the final few which I shall spend here before I am awarded my Msc in Project Management and to be honest, I have learnt so much here that I am considering making continuous development programmes a part of my life, twice yearly. There is something full of wisdom and rewarding about being here. I am glad I embarked upon this journey, and although there have been lots of stumbling blocks and things that quite frankly, I have been disappointed about here, on the whole, it is proving to be one of the most rewarding journeys that I have embarked on my life.  In my next post, I shall discuss some of the challenges, how to be prepared for them and the benefits which quite clearly, outweigh them. Keep well everyone.

Photo sources:

1. University social spaces: www.beds.ac.uk

2. PRINCE2 logo: www.apmg-international.com

Grades, Travel, Freebies and House Hunting: The Joys of Being a Student

I am well into my summer holidays and I have to say that I have had a really great time. I travelled to the South of France for a few days and had the best time. It was sunny and just right, and there was a lot to to. It was my first  time in France, I went to Carcassone and Toulouse. Perhaps the best part for me was finding lots of freebies which I got for being a student; certain places gave me 10% off meals and drinks when I showed them my identity card.

I went on to travel within the UK for a bit after France. It helped that I had received my grades before I went and so I knew exactly where I was with the units of my course, and I was in a good place. All that studying seems to have paid off. After France, I went to the Midlands and had a small tour of the little villages around Stoke-On-Trent and was struck at how different it is from Luton and London. I did some very English activities including going to a lovely tea room which served scones with cream and jam, as well as really great tea complete with tea cups, sieve and cupcakes.

Before my visit to Stoke-On-Trent, I started with places of interest in Luton which I had been too busy to see. I went to Stockwood Park Discovery centre in Luton, had a wander in its park and had lunch in the cafeteria, I went for a comedy night at the Hat Factory (which is a post for another day), and I went to Venue 360 the place with tennis courts and loads of fun stuff to do. Apparently, they have a plethora of discounts and concessions for University of Bedfordshire students, which is great if you are living on a budget.

Speaking of budgets, I am still searching for a job, nothing has come through yet and this may explain why freebies are concessions are so important to me right now and almost got a post of their own as they now come in very handy. Have you made any headway with your search? I have been luckier with finding accommodation. I have now found a really great space in an excellent area close to the university. I am thankful that I practically lived at the university for the first six months of my time here as those were absolutely key  to how I adjusted and began the race towards my Msc. House hunting completed, I am now focusing on looking at the modules required for PRINCE2 foundation and practitioner exams, which I shall write in February 2015 (no harm in starting early) while I continue to search for that oh-so-elusive job which will ensure that I can enjoy my pints and shisha at the Lounge and wherever else I choose to go.

Photos:

1.  Sign of events at the Carcassone Festival (Photo credit: Me)
2. The central square in Carcassone (Photo credit: Me)
3. Tea in West Coyney (Photo credit: Me)
4. Exhibition at Stockwood Discovery Park in Luton (Photo credit: www.lutonculture.com) 
5. Comedy club logo at the Hat Factory Luton (Photo credit: www.lutonculture.com)

Rain, coffee, and stuyding all night: My Msc journey

For the last eight years, I worked in international development; working in cross-cultural teams delivering various forms of projects which were donor funded interventions geared towards improving the lives of people in mostly Nigeria. I worked in varied areas of intervention from public health to secure livelihoods. I worked steadily in community liaison and operations management of the various projects and programmes that I was involved in. After six years in the sector, I re-evaluated where I was and what I wanted going forward. I wanted more responsibility, better pay, a more diverse experience and increased project involvement spanning several continents. Having conducted some research and spoken to a few mentors, the answer, to begin with, was a master's degree. I chose to study project management as I felt it was the perfect opportunity to understand the tools and techniques required to respond successfully to any business case, and to validate the experience which I already had. For the last two years, I planned and saved towards this.

The first decision had been taken, but then came the choice of location, universities/facilities and cost. I chose the UK for the language ease and the length of the course as I did not want to spend more than 12 months away from the sector. I also reviewed over 10 UK univerisites and evaluated them based on learning and living support, feedback from alumni, and costs. The University of Bedfordshire came out tops based on my listed criteria and in March 2014, I arrived Luton to begin one of the most exciting journeys of my life so far.

When I arrived Luton and Beds exactly four months ago, I was struck especially by how diverse the university community was, how there was so much going on, and a plethora of offerings to choose from. However, I was initially concerened at how everyone seemed almost five to ten years younger than I was; surely this would impact on my experience? Four months later, I have found that this community is a mix and match of different age groups, ethnicities and life experiences. This is very much a global community in every sense of the word. I am excited to be a part of this. In my PM course units, the teaching method is a mixture of lectures, practical work, and research. The tutors are very helpful and respond to emails very often, I was very surprised by this. The learning resource centres are also open 24 hours, 7 days a week, and for someone like me with a background in English language and literature, this is all very convenient as I have had to put in extra work to make it all worth it.  The department has also made provision for Msc PM students, should they opt for this, to be tutored and undertake foundation and practitioner certification work/exams for the very well respected PRINCE2.

There are a few things I would like to change here; I wish the weather wasn't so rainy, I wish I could avoid pulling an all-nighter for several assessments involving case studies and 3000 word reports, I wish I could drink coffee and red bull to stay awake and finish those reports quickly, I wish I could spend as much time as I wanted dancing in the town centre. I wish Geert Hofstede wasn't right and all his 6 dimensions weren't manifesting in the dynamics of the group work which we are required to do. But invariably, it is what it is, and I have thoroughly embraced the delightful journey and crazy freshness that this experience has brought with it. I have made some lifelong friends here and have learnt so much about the practice of PM in such a short time. Within this blog, I shall continue to record and detail the milestones and living which lead up to the achievment of all the goals for which I came here.

Photo credit:
1. Photo of some PM full time students; Sept 2013 & March 2014 entry with some tutors during a field trip
2. Photo of the new Student's Union lounge