Seven years ago,I wrote in my previous blog why we technical professionals must learn project management.I think it is still valid today.It is a cut and paste from my lecture note.
Let's start with WHY we learn Project Management?
May be it is best that I used myself as an example because I was a JKR engineer.I joined JKR in July, 1976-a long time ago. When I was transferred to JKR Pasir Mas Kelantan to manage education projects there, no body really guided me to do my work. Then, I was almost 24 years young and a gungho engineer who can?t wait to get his hands on managing projects messing around with projects. I was given a list of education projects in Kelantan Barat, two TA's and few technicians under my command. What do I know about the projects? Just read the contract documents.That's all. Good luck to you, Adib.Does that sound familiar to YOU?
Since I was trained at British University, let me borrow a good English phrase- I muddle through project management to deliver my projects. The boss will ask; Bila project boleh tender? The DO will ask bila project boleh siap. The contractor will ask: Bila dapat progress payment? At that time, I don't even understand JKR 203C conditions of contract!
All the way, it was a struggle. Why? Because I was working in a struggling organization then. Now, you boss or leader knows the importance of PM knowledge. That is why we are all here-we are to teach and you to learn. The main purpose, I believe is to strengthen and enhance JKR's core competency i.e project management. May I quote Hamel from HBR:
To survive and to thrive , the organisation must nurture their core competency.
When I met Dato Zaini, I told him I have 25 yrs experience in PM-in JKR construction projects and corporate projects. Being an engineer & lawyer as he is, he said sarcastically.Not 25 yrs of experience but 25 yrs of services. And one year of experience repeated 25 times! Imagine that: ONLY ONE YEAR OF EXPERIENCE.Dato Dr Wahid is more kind. He said JKR engineers has only 2 yrs of experience and repeated by the no of years of service divided by 2!. Some will agree and many will disagree with their views but there is some truth in it. But honestly, over the years that you have worked for JKR, how much do you really learn from your experiences? How much knowledge, skills and tools and techniques that you have acquired based solely on your experience?
In my case, I admit I do not know that much until I started learning to discover the world of knowledge of PM since early 2000.
In early 2000, I told Tan Sri Omar that I would like become PM consultant? Then, he asked me: What do I know about PM? Well, I told him that I was a JKR engineer for a few years and was CEO of a listed company on KLSE. Tan Sri Omar said: Adib: Go and learn.. take this book(Fast Forward MBA in PM) and go to London to meet people in APM? Then I ask: Do you mean that what we have been doing in JKR is not project management? He replied: NO!(To my understanding:what it means is NOT the project management as what it should be). After that I dared not asked! Not many dare to ask him any question when he was the DG at that time.
Then my odyssey in PM began and I am still on that journey until to-day..so all of you are welcome to board the ship and began our journey to discover or rediscover PMBOK!
Actually, we don't learn much from our experience.At first I don't agree with Dr SM Yeoh that I don't learn from experience. Then , I ponder for a week and finally agreed. In term of knowledge, I learn more in the last two years then in the last twenty years. We must learn from our leaders (bosses don't teach) and from our teachers. I also then discovered PMBOK and PMI, APM and meet interesting people along the way..something like a pilgrimage. In a pilgrimage( ex Haji), everyone may have the same roadmap-the road ,laybyes,stops and destination BUT everyone will have his own personal journey.
People questioned Dato' Dr Wahid ( behind his back ofcourse) and me on why they now have to learn PM? The older engineers of JKR could still completed the jobs without learning PM? I don't know Dato' Wahid's answer but mine is simple. My 90yrs old grandmother told me she used to walk from Bachok(20km) to Kota Bharu for half a day but I would prefer to take my car in half hour. The Pharaoh has built The Pyramid but he did not use any PM software. Well, Pyramid took 200 years to be completed but we wanted our project to be completed by yesterday.
I hope that short story of my personal experience in JKR answers the first question of WHY.
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