Citizen Project Manager Course: Empowering Change at Gonzaga University
At Gonzaga University, a new initiative, the Citizen Project Manager Course, has been introduced to empower staff and faculty as change agents within their departments by equipping them with essential project management skills.
This program specifically targets staff and faculty members who may not be professional project managers but are eager to learn foundational techniques. Many individuals on campus find themselves managing small projects without formal training or the need to pursue a PMP certification. The Citizen Project Manager Course bridges this gap by offering comprehensive training that enables participants to develop a common vocabulary, essential skills, and a fresh perspective on workflow and expectations.
Meticulously designed, the program introduces the basics of Agile and Waterfall methodologies, providing a solid understanding of these frameworks. This foundational knowledge lays the groundwork for participants who may wish to further their education in project management as well as those who simply want to support change within their department.
Regardless of whether they pursue a project management certification the skills and insights gained from this course set them up for future success while adhering to universal project management principles for consistency and alignment with industry standards.
The course establishes foundational terminology and processes applicable to a variety of scenarios. One participant from the beta class, Jaron Fuglie, reported that the framework provided in this course was profoundly empowering, presenting the potential for successfully managing both small and large-scale projects. Additionally, he reflected, “After doing that course ... I felt totally prepared for project management.” He emphasized the importance of scope and accountability, illustrating with this analogy: if one arrives to help a friend move, intending to load a few boxes, but discovers that none of the household items are packed, the nature of the task changes drastically. Understanding the full scope of the project sets the team up for success, whereas changes in scope set us up to be ill-prepared with time and resources. This course emphasized the necessity of being proactive in projects.
The first cohort, consisting of 20 enthusiastic participants, completed the course in March. The second cohort followed in June, with 15 participants. All 35 individuals have successfully completed their training. Moving forward, continuous iterations are planned for subsequent fall and spring terms to ensure sustained impact. Future opportunities to join the Citizen Project Manager course will be announced in Morning Mail.
This program specifically targets staff and faculty members who may not be professional project managers but are eager to learn foundational techniques. Many individuals on campus find themselves managing small projects without formal training or the need to pursue a PMP certification. The Citizen Project Manager Course bridges this gap by offering comprehensive training that enables participants to develop a common vocabulary, essential skills, and a fresh perspective on workflow and expectations.
Meticulously designed, the program introduces the basics of Agile and Waterfall methodologies, providing a solid understanding of these frameworks. This foundational knowledge lays the groundwork for participants who may wish to further their education in project management as well as those who simply want to support change within their department.
Regardless of whether they pursue a project management certification the skills and insights gained from this course set them up for future success while adhering to universal project management principles for consistency and alignment with industry standards.
The course establishes foundational terminology and processes applicable to a variety of scenarios. One participant from the beta class, Jaron Fuglie, reported that the framework provided in this course was profoundly empowering, presenting the potential for successfully managing both small and large-scale projects. Additionally, he reflected, “After doing that course ... I felt totally prepared for project management.” He emphasized the importance of scope and accountability, illustrating with this analogy: if one arrives to help a friend move, intending to load a few boxes, but discovers that none of the household items are packed, the nature of the task changes drastically. Understanding the full scope of the project sets the team up for success, whereas changes in scope set us up to be ill-prepared with time and resources. This course emphasized the necessity of being proactive in projects.
The first cohort, consisting of 20 enthusiastic participants, completed the course in March. The second cohort followed in June, with 15 participants. All 35 individuals have successfully completed their training. Moving forward, continuous iterations are planned for subsequent fall and spring terms to ensure sustained impact. Future opportunities to join the Citizen Project Manager course will be announced in Morning Mail.