Welcome to the September Bulletin
With the new academic year on us we thought it might be timely to look at the theme of work-based learning. At CITI we have always believed that practical application of sound principles is a powerful development approach. We’ve never had faith in the ‘sell a man a fish and your feed him for a day’ philosophy; we’ve always preferred to ‘teach him how to fish so that he is fed for life’. But such an approach means breaking out of the confines of the classroom and putting a rod in the student’s hand and stand with them at the water’s edge; you can’t learn to fish in theory alone.

Enough of the analogies, lately, over the last few years, we have seen an increasingly common trend amongst several of our clients who are benefiting disproportionately from experiential learning based approaches. The latest epitome of this is the 70:20:10 model of individual and corporate development so this month we are going to focus on this.

Some might argue it is a formalisation of what already happens in reality; others that there is nothing new under the sun as 70:20:10 harps back to the day of the old-fashioned apprenticeships and yet others might suggest that it is little more than management consultant hyperbole and ‘spin’. Whatever the truth, In this issue of the Bulletin, we’ll take a look at some of the pros and cons of such an approach.

In addition we provide a round-up of the latest Project Challenge and also offer access to CITI’s new corporate video.

We hope you enjoy your copy of Bulletin and, as ever, look forward to your feedback and input.

Your comments and questions are welcome – or feel free to join the debate by commenting in the linked articles!

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How can my PMO add more value to the business? – By Costas Chryssou, CITI
Today’s competitive global environment is forcing businesses to be more flexible, responsive to change and efficient than ever before. Gaining and sustaining competitive advantage is one of the biggest priorities and challenges that all organisations, in both private and public sectors, face.

How can I create a business-focused PMO? – By Julie Black, OfGem
There is something gratifying in being able to create order from a previously erratic project management landscape. In 2009 I was part of a team which was specifically set up as a PMO in response to a business problem. It was exciting to be part of a developing profession in the organisation, and by the time I left change was better controlled and implemented.

You ask the questions – By Hilary Small, CITI
In this month’s questions and answers column, Hilary Small answers the question “How can my PMO start to add more value to the business?”

Your comments and questions are welcome – or feel free to join the debate by commenting in the linked articles!

The post Bulletin – August 2015 appeared first on CITI consultancy solutions.

What do you tell your manager when the wheels come off!
Nick Dobson talks about dealing with disaster in your project.

Preparing for difficult conversations
Nick Dobson companion article discusses how to prepare for that difficult conversation using a four-step plan.

You ask the questions
In this month’s questions and answers column, Patrick Boulter gives advice on how to respond if your projects stakeholders are in disagreement with the business changes and appear to have ‘lost interest’?

Your comments and questions are welcome – or feel free to join the debate by commenting in the linked articles!

The post Bulletin – July 2015 appeared first on CITI consultancy solutions.

Making change managers effective
Bernard explores the common problems he encounters when coaching client in effective change management.

How business architechture @AXA is a game changer
Geoff Grace from AXA has submitted an article on how the digital age is affecting how Business Architects understand today’s issues with big data.

You ask the questions
In this month’s questions and answers column, Nick Dobson answers what it means to be assigned the role of Accountable Executive.

Your comments and questions are welcome – or feel free to join the debate by commenting in the linked articles!

The post Bulletin – June 2015 appeared first on CITI consultancy solutions.