Brightmoon Consulting & Training

PRINCE2 Practitioner certification examination is an open-book examiniation. Delegates are allowed to make annotation and tagging on the official manual ("Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2"). Using table of content is the worst approach in searching for right information 

The key strategy is to reduce the lead time in searching.

With the key strategy in mind, the following approach has helped me passed with a very satisfactory score. All thanks to the every second I saved from searching (on top of revision & rehearsal),

On top-side of the manual, tag all the processes with their respective abbreviation to save space with stickies. For example, "IP" for "Initiating a Project." You can get list of process abbreviations from the manual or internet.

On the first page of each process, write their respective page number for each key activity. 

On the right-side of the manual, three areas we need to tag with stickies:

1. Key Topics (e.g. Business Case, all management strategies, PRINCE2 Themes, Process Model & etc.)
2. Appendix A (Product Description Outlines)
3. Appendix C (Roles & Responsibilities)

Similar to approach above, write down the page number of each products on their side.

Use the empty page on the left to list all roles with their respective page number.

When the manual is ready, it is always wiser to practice on this newly "upgraded" manual. Going through sample questions is very effective approach even though you have done it.

The Search Strategy

1. While reading the question or scenario, identify which area the question is focusing (i.e. processes, themes, products, roles & responsibilities).
2. Go to specific tag
3. Drill down to specific page to look for the details

All the Best
After few rounds, you will shorten the time spent on searching. And all the best to your PRINCE2 certification examination!

Congratulations - you made it through the dark hours. You have accustomed with the new role. Many of you have started or completed a project. It is just the beginning and more to go...


We are going to discuss on how to sustain the momentum, and bring your career to greater height.


1. Fabricate Pain Points

• Purpose: avoid all the hardships and struggles going down the drain for good.
  
• To-do: Start imagining the worst things it could happen to you when fall back to former role. For example, the peers start questioning you in doing new things.
  

2. Get a Mentor

• Purpose: They provide encouragements for you to move.
• To-do: list down who can provide advise to you when you needed one; experienced project managers are good candidate. If you unable to get project manager as mentor, any good friend will do.
  

3. Find a Devil's Advocate

• Purpose: Keep you alert level at constantly high with brutal (and hostile) feedback.
• To-do: Whoever hate or dislike you is good candidate for this. You just need to regularly share your thoughts and news with him/ her. He/ she will hammer you for no good reason. Take the heat to build your endurance.
  

4. Write Own Diary/ Journal

• Purpose: Keep a trail on your development. When self-doubt kicks in, read all the breakthroughs done in the past.
• To-do: You do not need to write everything. Focus on the significant events and key lessons learned.

5. Reflect Regularly

• Purpose: Embrace continuous improvement via reflection.
• To-do: Giver gains more by giving. Share your experiences and achievements with others; inspire and help others to go through such transition.

Concluding Remark
Project Management roles are filled with excitements and surprises. Every project is unique by its own. By repeating the steps above, you will find yourselves immersed with abundant of wisdom to share with others.

Wish you have a successful Project Management profession.

After you have landed on a new role in project management, it is too early to celebrate the victory. There are dark hours that may pull you back to former role.

Comfort Zone
Mind: Argh... So many things I am not used to it. If I was in previous role, I am the man/ woman.

Self-Doubting
Mind: Others have no confidence in me to run a project. My performance is handicapped, and it may impact my career advancement.

Headless Chicken
Mind: There are so many uncertainties, I cannot see where the project is heading. Oh man.... I wish someone could tell me what to do expect next.

The Small Candle
Despite of degree of the darkness, a small candle can dispel it away. Here are three small candles that may come in handy.

1. Recall the initial intention - keep you focused on what you intent to achieve. When in doubt - ask: what I want to get out from this?
2. Revisit Resume/ CV - most likely it is the key landed you on a new role. Read it again to regain self-confidence.
3. Go back to Job Requirements - obvious gaps have surfaced and keep you from moving forward. Now is the perfect timing to identify them.

Conclusion
One thing to take home - struggles are necessary to have breakthrough. When you are in the darkness, remember use the three small candles stated above. The duration of struggle is highly depending on individuals. Such duration can be shorten when you:- Accept it - Face it - Breakthrough it.

We are delighted to bring these three pro-bono training to you. Now you can register in the links below. At the same time, stay tuned on our Eventbrite page on the news of future sessions.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014 from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM

Wednesday, January 22, 2014 from 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM

Wednesday, January 22, 2014 from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM

Welcome to 2014. What is your new year resolution? This blog is specially for you, if one of your goals is to make career transition to project management. This post is a personal experience sharing from Tai Choo Tack.

The First Step - Not for Fainthearted
The future is lucrative if he was to stay in existing role. However, he decided to conquer another peak. The very first step is to coming down from existing peak. It is like letting go all the fortunes and start from ground zero, and this is not for fainthearted!

The Second Step - Search for the Bullet
Since he was in employment, he started lobbying for project management opportunities within the company. At the same time, he took MBA specialized in Project Management. With hope, he has sufficient knowledge to jump-start a new role. Unfortunately, the luck was not on his side. His superior and department head unable provide such opportunities. Thus, he started to look out for new job.

The Third Step - Bite the Bullet
This is common step in any career change - find new job elsewhere. Five points below can give you a good start:-

1. Read A Lot of Job Requirements - familiarize yourselves with what other companies are looking for, and gaps can be easily identified early. And, you can focus on those close to your heart and personality. For example: Project Director, Project Manager, Project Controller & etc.
2. Transferability - List out the experience or skill you can "transfer" to project management role. Try focus more on those in relation to job requirements. For example, transfer "conduct end-to-end user acceptance test with relevant stakeholders in accordance to test cases" as "engage key stakeholders in UAT sign-off."
   
3. Rewrite Resume/ CV - invest your time here to come out new resume/ CV. All the gaps you identified are highlighted here. Remember, take your time to identify all transferable experiences & skills - in relation to project management job requirements. Please focus on highlighting your accomplishments.
4. Job Application - start depositing the completed resume/ CV to any potential companies. You might get call for interview. Interview is great an most effective way to validate one's readiness for new role. It's perfectly okay to be rejected. Remember - you are going to a new peak from ground zero.
5. Revise Resume & Close Gaps - go back to your resume to note down the weaknesses/ gaps surfaced during interview. Remember to close the gaps or find ways to mitigate the weaknesses. Repeat from step 1 to make your mind clearer.

Concluding Remark
A quick reflection, Tai Choo Tack took 6 months to land him on a new role. He was going all-out to make the transition happen, and ready for pay-cut. What kept him moving is the analogy of two peaks - he needs to go all the way down from where he stands, before he can go to a new peak.


Please comment here if you are ready to bite the bullet to venture into project management role.

Happy New Year to everyone. Our 2014 training calendar is available here.

At first cut, the public training is on:-

• Scrum Workshop
  
• Introduction to Document Management
  
• Effective Document Management in SharePoint®
  
• Using SharePoint® for Effective Project Collaboration & Management

We proudly offer pro-bono training (FREE training) covering topics below. Their availability will be published in this blog, EventBrite and Facebook.

• Introduction to PRINCE2®
• Accelerated Introduction to Scrum
• Accelerated Introduction to Document Management
• Accelerated Introduction to SharePoint®
• Accelerated Introduction to PMIS (Project Management Information System)
• Accelerated Introduction to KOAN-PM

We would love to listen to what you have in mind. Till then, have a great and wonderful 2014 ahead!