Poll on Project Controls e-learning & Certification Courses

We have initiated a process to start training and certification programs at ProjectControlsOnline.com and to aid us in our decision making process, wed like to hear from you on the following. A) Would you prefer classroom based training or like to go for online based ones. In case of online, would mentoring (chat & email based) support be appreciated and will it add value to it ? What should be be core subjects (both for training & certifications).. The immediate ones are Planning & Scheduling, Cost Engineering, Estimating, Risk Analysis, Delays and forensic analysis.. Is there anything which is missed out from the list ? Which subject would you prefer for enhancing your current skills and bringing tangible benefits to both i.e., you and employer.. C) From employers perspective, which subject would is most preferred to fill the current skill gap ? D) How much are you willing to pay and how long the training program you think would do the needful ? This refers to both classroom and online trainings and certifications. E) Would the program needs to be user specific i.e., for beginners, intermediate and experts..? Or should it be one for all...? F) Does the training & certifications needs to industry specific ? i.e., for O&G, Rails, Nuclear etc or should it be one for all considering application of Project Controls fundamentals does not vary greatly by industry. Thanks in advance for your time and request to please provide your valuable inputs to help us serve this discipline & industry in most effective way. Regards, Anil Godhawale, Moderator

The problem with accreditation in planning is that there is no benchmark to measure skills - there is no set sylabus so everything is wide open to objective views. People have been doing their own thing for years and have become entrenched in their own methods - for instance I would advocate that the only correct method of constructing a programme is to use only FS links and tasks no longer than 10 days - this always causes howls of dismay from the SS FF brigade. Then there is the software thing - all planners believe that the system they first used and became familiar with is the only one that works. I have been advocating Accreditation by Experience with three grades. In the end it all comes down to the fact that If you Cant Build It - You Cant Plan It. Best regards

I would add the procurement and project delivery strategy subjects as I would expect a client and a contractor to be able and identify the correct approach to project planning and eventually delivery which must match and meet clients expectations as they are crafted by the chosen delivery strategy

Hi dshah, I appreciate your concerns. There is definitely no benchmark to measure skills and hence we propose to test the fundamentals (for beginners) and for experienced ones, we are considering case studies to test the both the knowledge and level of experience. Software now a days has become an integral part of Project Controllers life.. To give exposure to various other alternatives available, we plan to cover them under separate subject on our portal. Hope this answers you query however would be glad to hear more on this subject from you. Richard: Procurement and project delivery strategy is great subject and I will put this forward to my certification team and will keep you posted.. Thanks to both of you for your time and valuable comments. Regards,

Anil, please see my comments below. Good luck A. Online Training B. Core Subjects should be Cost Engineering, Risk Analysis C. Cost Engineering, Risk Analysis D. Should be knowledge based and aimed to provide a platform where people can come and learn E. It should cover all, each course can have three levels (beginners level, Intermediate and Experts) F.General will work out well for everyone

WOW...what a great idea. A) Online training is preferred...Mentoring, email and chat bases would be great. I am for all of them...I have experience in most but always wanting to learn more. My weakness is Cost Engineering and Forensic analysis. Please include examples of all industries in all the training. C) I am not employer, but I see a huge gap when it comes to Risk Analysis. D) How do you put price on learning? E) It should cover all, with modules that you can take to get more in depth information if you are having a hard time with the course. F) General will work for me....again examples from all industries included in the course. If you incorporate the discussions in the chat rooms people from all industries can add input on how they would handle the specifics from their industry.