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Tips from TSE: Project management pointers

Staff Development Weekly: Insight on Evidence-Based Practice in Education, July 3, 2008

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From reshaping the customer service department to planting a serenity garden, your staff members likely have a plethora of project ideas swimming in their heads. But to bring these plans to fruition, students must be trained in the steps of project management. This skill set is also essential to the growth and development of your class members into effective leaders.

A Florida educator realized the importance of relaying project management skills to her students and has developed a class that is solely focused on helping individuals envision, craft, manage, and ultimately complete a hospital-centered project.

"The general consensus was that we were lacking project management skills," says Jo-Ann C. Byrne, RN, MHSA, director of healthcare education at Wuesthoff Health System in Rockledge, FL. "Basically, we needed to be teaching more organizational skills and answer the question of 'How do you appropriately plan and ensure that you're not going to miss any steps?'"

A typical project management class at Wuesthoff will draw about 18 students and takes place from around 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. Participants must be prepared for "a very interactive day," says Byrne. To begin, students share their project ideas and what they would like to accomplish. "They come to class with a project in mind so that they have some real-life examples to work with," says Byrne.

Some initial time is spent discussing exactly what project management is and how it can help individuals stay on track. Then comes one of the most crucial steps, says Byrne: defining the project. "If you don't understand the project, you won't really recognize when you get there and how to get there," Byrne says. "As long as you know where you're going, you can be sure the route you're taking is going to get your there."

Editor's note: This excerpt was taken from the July issue of The Staff Educator. Discover all the benefits of subscribing to The Staff Educator!

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