The training arm of the Ateneo School of Government, its Executive Education Program recently concluded the online course entitled Keeping on Track: Executive Training on Project Management and Coordination. The course ran from October 9 to 23, 2020 and was participated by 28 participants from the academic institutions and non-governmental organizations.
 
Anchored on the principle of coordination as one of the key variables in a project’s successful implementation, the overarching objective of the training was to equip the participants in ensuring the timely, professional, and quality delivery of project outputs in a multi-stakeholder setting. It has two main modules – Completed Staff Work and Project Management.
The training was implemented using a variety of self-paced learning materials (asynchronous), including video lecture and readings, and live interaction with subject matter experts (synchronous). These experts included Marco Antonio Luisito Villanueva Sardillo III (a lawyer by profession, former Administrator of the Intramuros Administration, an attached agency of the Department of Tourism and a consultant to various multilateral donor institutions) and Emmanuel Joseph II B. Solis (faculty at the Development Studies Depart of ADMU and Senior Program Officer (Political Section) at the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade).
The synchronous sessions for the first module were held on October 9, 12, and 16. This module was aimed to re-acquaint the participants with CSW as a tool for effective office management. During the synchronous lectures, Mr. Sardillo emphasized that more than technical know-how, completed staff work is also about the ethos of a person to deliver outputs meaningfully and excellently according to shared values. At the end of this module, participants submitted outputs that were a result of the simulation activities created to apply the lessons taught by Mr. Sardillo.
On the other hand, the second module’s synchronous sessions were held on October 16 and 23. This module provided practical overview of the cycle of the development process involved in the management of development programs and projects, including project conceptualization, design, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL). A simulation activity in the form of crafting a project proposal was the output of the participants after this module.
The online training was capped by a closing session held right after Module 2. During this session, the participants who completed the course requirements and attendance were (virtually) awarded their certificate of completion. Testimonies were likewise presented where selected participants were asked to share their learnings and experience of the course. One participant mentioned that the course gave the participants and their respective organizations a sense of position on how to better manage their projects professionally but personally as well. Another participant mentioned that “It’s self-awareness, nakita dito what are our strengths and also our weaknesses, and working on that weaknesses for us to improve all the things that we do”.
Aside from the technical know-how of project management, this course enabled participants to also work on the taken-for-granted skill every organization must have – a character geared towards excellence and collaboration. With the Completed Staff Work module as a foundational topic, the course emphasized that project management can be easier.
The ASoG-ExecEd has similar training programs in the pipeline. The unit also does customized courses for your specific organization’s needs. To know more about our capacity development programs, please reach us through the email address execed.asog@ateneo.edu. |
