Road Town, Tortola - The Ministry of Finance’s Project Support Services Unit (PSSU) is continuing its training initiative to expose public servants to the fundamentals and benefits of proper project management.
Seven public servants from various departments benefitted from the latest session conducted last Thursday. The virtual course entitled, “What Functional Managers Need to Know about Project Management,” was conducted at the PSSU conference room.
The two-hour course was facilitated by Harold Kerzner Ph.D., a Senior Executive Director with International Institute for Learning, Inc., who is recognised for his expertise in strategic planning and project, programme and portfolio management.
The areas covered during the visual and audio presentation included the benefits of using project management, the role of the functional manager with regard to project interfacing and how to handle disagreements with project managers.
During his presentation, Dr. Kerzner said, “There are tons of benefits in using project management.” He continued, “With project management, it is easier to identify the work that is required, it minimises the need for continuous reporting, we can identify the restraints easily and we can measure accomplishments against plans.”
In an interview with the Department of Information and Public Relations, Ms. Shaina M. Smith, Manager of PSSU, said, “Project management is vital in enabling the Government to achieve value for money on expenditure, be it capital projects or departmental projects.”
She added, “Project management is the discipline of planning, organising and managing human resources to bring about the successful completion of a project. It is about getting the right results and not just results.”
“The Project Support Services Unit lives by the mantra- No project is too small to be planned. This is why anyone from any department can benefit from project management training,” said Ms. Smith.
The PSSU Manager also explained that courses will be offered throughout the year and encouraged participation of all public servants.
Public servants interested in registering for upcoming training sessions can contact Mrs. Deborah Maddox at 468-3701 ext. 4249 or Mr. Kevi Potter at ext. 4254.
The Project Support Services Unit was established by the Ministry of Finance to implement and maintain a project management system and procedures to ensure effective and efficient management of all Government projects, with the goal of achieving value for dollar.
British Virgin Islands News