Electricity grid construction projects are huge entities that require a lot from project managers. In addition to the technical side, they need to lead people, act responsibly and understand occupational safety and environmental matters.
“We wanted to strengthen the common operating methods and professional project management skills of our project managers,” explains Development Manager Meri Viikari from Fingrid.
She was involved in planning and developing ideas for the training. The content was designed in cooperation with Project Institute Finland, and the training and coaching programme lasts about six months. When it ends, the participants had the opportunity to complete a certificate.
The participants were project managers from Fingrid and other energy industry companies.
“The managers were able to share their ideas and experiences, which provided them with new insights from outside the company,” says Viikari.
All project managers are being trained
The certificate is a visible proof that a person is a qualified project manager. However, the most important part of the training was for each participate to develop their own expertise and network.
The certification complies with the International Project Management Association (IPMA) system. More than 23,000 IPMA certificates are granted each year all over the world. The system is used in 66 countries, and it has four certificate levels: A, B, C and D.
All of Fingrid’s project managers are taking part in the training, and six of them have earned a certificate so far.
The certificate includes theory, practical work and an exam
Fingrid’s Construction Manager Daniel Kuosa participated in the project manager training last autumn and completed a C-level certificate. This included project management theory, workshop assignments and a written exam.
Kuosa believes that the biggest benefit of the training was the fact that it provided time to think about what good project management is. It can mean different things in different industries.
However, all projects also share some elements.
“A good project manager can lead anything with the same project management skills, as long as the process is systematic. We don’t work only with our own expertise; we also use project management methods,” sums up Kuosa.
