News

Designing and Managing Investment Projects

07-11-2022

“I am sure that the knowledge I gained from this blended Project Management course will be very useful in my daily work as it enables me to contribute significantly to improving the management of ongoing and upcoming research projects within our department.”

These were the words of Mr. Idrissa Nonmon Sanogo from Mali on the last day of MSM’s short blended Project Management programme which kicked off with a virtual meeting on 3 October 2022.  

Mr. Nonmon Sanogo continues: “This course was an opportunity for me to understand the project’s life cycle and its different stages. I have also learned about analytical and planning tools such as stakeholders and needs analysis, results chains, critical path method and cost scheduling.

According to Mr. Said Bouzidi (Algeria) joining the blended Project Management programme was an important lesson for both his professional as personal life: “I have chosen the project management programme because I believe that each step of our life is a project, either professional or personal. As a young professional, and co-manager of a small business and active in an NGO, project management skills are crucial to set up my future project with the right tools and with more efficiency.”

On the question why Mr. Kevin Dipama (Burkina Faso) applied for the Project Management programme he answered: “I have been a project manager in a Dutch NGO since 2019 and I am facing challenges. I therefore applied for this programme to strengthen my capacities in order to better ensure the success of my projects.”

Mr. Alhaji Jawara (Sierra Leone) enjoyed being part of such a diverse and international learning environment: “Joining this short blended programme has been inspiring and life changing. MSM is a melting pot of people from all around the world with different experiences, which makes no day the same.”

Mr. Rui Miguel Santos is the lead trainer of MSM’s blended Project Management programme. The way he delivered the content, combined with real-life experiences, was very much appreciated by Mr. Bouzidi: “Mr. Rui is very experienced in his domain. He has a strong practical background in project management and brings in experiences from many countries. The atmosphere was very positive and the face-to-face part was  interactive due to many questions from the students and many answers from Mr. Rui Santos."

Mr. Jawara fully agrees: “Mr. Rui Santos was so friendly and easy to approach and I have learnt skills here that I am sure will impact me both personally and professionally. MSM is definitely a must if you want to experience multi-culturalism, exciting and challenging curriculums and a great learning environment.”

Mr. Dipama was also very positive about Mr. Rui Santos: “In addition to mastering the techniques of project management, Mr. Rui Santos has 30 years of experience in several countries and in several fields. For us as professionals, it is this exact approach that we need, the combination of theory with practice, sharing tips, the important details, and the best ways to do things.”

It was the first time MSM offered the executive Project Management programme in a blended format. This new set up was highly valued by the participants: “My experience was great and smooth during the blended programme. The online part was well designed and clear to use. The face-to-face part of the programme focused on the outputs of the online part of the programme,” said Mr. Bouzidi.

Mr. Dipama shares this opinion: “It is a very nice approach. The online training allowed me to understand the concepts, to read the documents and to learn other techniques. During the face-to-face part, I felt comfortable because I already knew the subject and it was a great opportunity to exchange details and real-life examples with the teachers and my classmates.

Also have a look at this video in which Mr. Rui Miguel Santos and some participants explain more about how they have experienced the blended Project Management programme. 

About the short executive blended Project Management programme
Through this short blended programme, participants develop the skills, knowledge and essential techniques for successful, cost-effective management of both large- and small-scale projects. The programme takes a practice-oriented approach providing participants with examples for practitioners. Furthermore, it will provide new perspectives by being part of a group of professionals with different cultural and career backgrounds. 

Once back home, all participants will start working on their individual assignments, monitored and evaluated by Mr. Rui Santos. If completed successfully, the participants will receive their certificate.

Would you like to join the blended Project Management programme as well?
Keep an eye on our website to find out when the next blended Project Management programme will run or contact msm-executiveprogrammes@maastrichtuniversity.nl

About MSM’s Short Executive Programmes
Today’s rapidly changing societies and economies demand the most from organisations, leaders, managers and professionals. MSM’s Short Executive Programmes for emerging markets are developed to achieve a successful and sustainable transformation of both individuals and organisations to support local economic development and business management.

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