PM Basics … Sweeter the Second Time Around

Just how important is it to refresh basic learning from time to time?

Recently, a training client of ours emailed me to ask if I could help her answer a question from one of their employees. The employee had taken our PM Essentials course six years ago, but there were some details of time management that she felt she needed refreshing on. Could we help?

It’s not an uncommon question. What we have found is that many of our clients re-run courses every three to four years because what they use and understand from training evolves with experience. While some of the material may be repetitive, there are enough fresh nuances that can be gleaned the second time around that the refresher course rounds out and deepens the participant’s knowledge. A worthwhile outcome!

Not long ago, PM College instructor Bill Athayde taught our three-day PM Essentials course to a group of experienced PMPs at a major oil and gas company.  Several in the group commented that the refresher was very helpful … that, the further away from our original training, the more old (bad) habits slip in. Additionally, with more experience, you can understand the concepts with a deeper appreciation. You have the hands-on experiences in mind to which the concepts can be applied.

One clue to the importance of refresher courses is that, in most any field you can name where the stakes of failure are very high, refresher courses or continuing education are required: OSHA’s Hazardous Waste training programs are a great example.

Your projects may only be “life or death” in an abstract sense; but freshly trained minds on the case can only improve the outcome.