P3O® Foundation Training Justification

And whilst it’s a good thing to have a certification in the job you do, doing it because it’ll look good on the CV isn’t really going to cut it with your manager.

Your answer to the question ‘why’ will help you to create a great justification email or conversation so it needs to be a robust answer and in preparation for that, it makes sense to make sure you know exactly what P3O Foundation is all about.

First Steps

Make sure you understand everything there is to know about P3O®.

• Read through the overviews from the AXELOS website on P3O®
• Read the syllabus for the P3O® course and how the examination works (there is a wealth of information available in this document)
• Consider buying the manual that accompanies the course (extra brownie points for showing you’re keen!)
• Do some research on Linkedin, find out if others have attended the course and what they thought about it – and why they opted for the course. Or you can ask around at events like PMO Flashmob.

Now, Why Do You Want to Do the Course?

After you’ve done your research and found out more about P3O® Foundation, make a few notes about what appeals to you about the course.

Answer questions such as:

• What new skills and knowledge could I learn?
• How will it help develop my existing skills?
• What benefits might it bring for me in my day to day role?
• What benefits would it bring to our PMO?
• What benefits might it bring to the business?
• Is there anything on this course that could help improve my efficiency in the role?
• What behaviours might change in me if I do this course?

You’re starting to create your justification for doing the P3O® Foundation course.

1. How much will it cost – including any extras like accommodation
2. How many days will you be out of the office and what will happen to the work whilst you’re away
3. What benefits will the course give you, and in turn, how those benefits will provide a return on the investment you’re asking them to make

Planning Out of Office

Often there are pressures in the office which means you taking time out for a training course can be difficult. It can be useful to think about that before asking to attend a course. Here are a few things to think about:

• Is there a certain time of the year that is better than others to take time out for the course?
• How about certain times of the month? Often the month-end reporting cycle means that time is definitely out.
• Is it possible to plan your work in such a way that the three days out will mean minimal disruption – like no project meetings planned or the project is not at a crucial time in the lifecycle?
• Can someone stand in for you? Are there others on the team that could pick up the slack whilst you’re out? Or someone else who is close enough to the project and understands your role to keep things ticking over.

What are the Benefits?

What benefits will the course give you, and in turn, how those benefits will provide a return on the investment you’re asking your manager to make.

Just like in project management – articulating the benefits of doing something can make the difference between success or failure. Or you getting that training or not.

Some benefits are difficult to argue with and that’s what you’re looking for when you’re justifying why you should be able to take the P3O® Foundation course.

Normally benefits mean a monetary return like an increase in profits or a decrease in costs but that’s not what we’re looking to articulate here.

Think back to the initial questions:

• What new skills and knowledge could I learn?
• How will it help develop my existing skills?
• What benefits might it bring for me in my day-to-day role?
• What benefits would it bring to our PMO?
• What benefits might it bring to the business?
• Is there anything on this course that could help improve my efficiency in the role?
• What behaviours might change in me if I do this course

Let’s take a look at those in turn, with some examples which will help you identify your own answers:

What new skills and knowledge could I learn?

• About best practice PMO models, processes, techniques and tools
  • Key PMO functions and services such as resource management, risk management, stakeholder management and so on
• The bigger picture about where the PMO fits within the organisation and what it is mandated to do
• More about programme and portfolio management
• How to improve certain functions and services

How will it help develop my existing skills?

• Confirmation that I’m doing certain functions and services in accordance with best practice
• Confidence to improve processes and techniques and how I approach certain tasks and activities
• A larger depth and breadth of PMO knowledge to apply to current tasks and activities
• Confidence to push myself further to carry out new tasks and activities

What benefits might it bring for me in my day-to-day role?

• Increased confidence in working with project managers and other stakeholders
• Ideas on alternative approaches to tasks and activities – improving accuracy or efficiency
• Increased confidence to challenge and suggest new services or improve existing ones
• A clearer understanding of what my role could offer and suggestions for additional responsibilities

What benefits would it bring to our PMO?

• Doing my job more effectively and efficiently
• Building my confidence to work on PMO initiatives or working on new tasks and activities
• Knowledge that there is a framework or model to work towards which demonstrates best practice approaches for the PMO
• Confidence to work on improving existing functions and services and the approach to take
• Confidence to contribute to the introduction of new functions and services and the approach to take
• A deeper understanding of my job profile; function, roles and responsibilities and how to improve these

What benefits might it bring to the business?

• Bringing best practice PMO knowledge on approaches, processes, techniques and tools to improve my personal performance
• Using the foundation to continue to build my knowledge, capability and confidence – boosting my morale and job satisfaction
• Understanding the wider change and delivery remit of the organisation – how change works and my role in how to support and improve that
• Improving customer satisfaction when working with our clients by providing the best PMO service I can
• Carrying out my role effectively, efficiently whilst contributing to the advancement of the PMO

Is there anything on this course that could help improve my efficiency in the role?

• Understand how functions and services should be carried out in accordance to best practice and use those in my day to day work
• Fresh perspectives on how certain tasks and activities can be carried out differently to great effect
• Address certain skills gap areas which are currently holding me back in certain tasks and activities
• Increased confidence from knowledge gained, to seek out further guidance and mentoring from others

What behaviours might change in me if I do this course?

• More confidence in knowing what the role is required of me
• Better communication skills as a result of that confidence
• More confidence to try out new tasks and activities
• The drive to want to do a better job and contribute to the success of the PMO
• The ability to help others in the PMO team

What’s the accountability part? That’s about you being able to make a committment to using your training when you return back to work and what the results or outcomes of that will be. It’s the ‘bringing the benefits to life’ part and really demonstrates that you’ve really thought about this training request and your determination to do it and to use those new learnings for the benefits of yourself, your team and your organisation.

Justification Example

This example is not designed to be simply cut and pasted but should give you a good idea of how to create your own.

The three day P3O® Foundation certification training course being held by PMO Learning focuses on best practice PMO models, processes, techniques and tools. Training in the area of PMO will increase my knowledge and confidence and enable me to understand better how to support our projects/programmes/portfolio (the first benefits to you).  The modules of the course which address the best practice function and services areas of the PMO would be of particular use for me and the PMO team as it covers areas such as reporting, governance, assurance and planning which are all core functions we offer (demonstrate understanding of that the course offers).  The course also covers areas such as improving functions and services; using different tools and techniques and understanding the wider business benefits of a PMO. These areas are particularly of interest and are timely as our PMO is working on improvement areas and I would like to become more involved in those activities.(Benefits to PMO, business and to you)

I believe completing the P3O® Foundation course will help to improve how I perform in the day to day role in the PMO, giving me fresh perspectives on how to carry out my work more efficiently. I also think that increased knowledge in areas such as what the remit and mandate of the PMO is and how it supports the business will give me more confidence when working with our Project Managers and sponsors. This training will allow me to make better decisions on the use of processes and techniques and contribute to the PMO continous improvement initiatives.  I’d like to contribute more and understanding the bigger picture of how PMOs contribute to project success would be really valuable.(More benefits to you and the PMO)

The cost of the virtual classroom training is £895 + VAT. The training course is three days and if the training takes place in the middle of the month, after the reporting period, Jane Jones in the team will be able to keep an eye on my work and deal with any urgent enquiries.(The costs and out of work time)

I hope with the completion of the course that afterwards I will be able to not only share with other team members what I have learnt, I will also be able to improve my own performance through the new knowledge I have learnt. I believe attending the course and interacting with others as I learn will also bring a boost to my confidence which will be seen in my work going forward.(Accountability)

It’s an example which shows that you’re pulling together all the things you’ve thought about to attend the course.

You need to write it in the words you already use when speaking – just type as you speak for your first draft.

Then go back and look at it again.

Does it have:

• Details about the course – how many days, how much, where it is and when
• Does it mention the benefits that it will give to you?
• Does it mention the benefits that it gives to the PMO team?
• Does it mention the benefits to the organisation?
• Does it show that you know what the course is about (we mentioned some of the syllabus in the example)?
• Does it show how you might be after the course – the accountability bit, what results of the training might be seen in your job back in the office?

Start to make some edits – check for grammar etc

When you’re ready, send it to your manager.

Make sure you add at the end that you would like to talk to them about your request at a time that’s suitable for them.

Unsuccessful This Time?

Don’t be too dejected – there will be a number of reasons why now might not be a good time for training requests at your organisation.

If you do get knocked back this time, make sure that your manager will be willing to speak to you about it again in a few months time.

Get on with your work and carry on doing the best work you can. Try again when the timing seems better.

Success?

Give yourself a big pat on the back. You’ve just influenced your manager to support your training and development needs.

Now’s the time to get booking and planning!

Take a look at the P3O® Foundation training course and make your booking, we’re delighted you’re joining us!