ROB VAN DEELEN, TEUS WALPOT AND JACK VAN VLIET
The project management procedures at KH Engineering are set up according to the international project management standard ISO 21500. Through implementation and certification according to this standard, we encourage our project managers to work in a uniform manner with sufficient room for individual interpretation. This enables us to work more efficiently and makes it easier to further develop supporting applications.
The aim fits in with the further professionalisation of KH Engineering's working method. Manager Operational Excellence Rob van Deelen explains: 'For a long time we had the idea that we should work more uniformly. At the time, we had to deal with differences in the working methods of project managers in Schiedam, Amsterdam or Antwerp. Moreover, the arrival of new colleagues from various acquisitions also led to differences in approach.’
NO COMPROMISEs
According to Rob, the solution for eliminating these differences was not to seek a compromise. ‘We found that the prescribed guidelines for project management according to ISO 21500 are excellent and well applicable for us. So we don't have to reinvent the wheel. So we agreed that we would work in a uniform way in terms of project management. That will be much more efficient and it will also be easier to improve your processes, because it will be easier to compare approaches.’
CERTIFICATION OF PROJECT MANAGERS
‘The methodology we use', continues Rob, 'is supported by a self-developed application within our project management system iPMT. In addition, we are currently working on the certification of our Project Managers according to ISO 21500. This will be done by auditors of TSTC. With an important point of attention: in the training the link will be made with the KH Engineering interpretation of the ISO 21500 standard. In this way, we will ensure that the new working method really meets our wishes.’
GOOD IMPRESSIONS
The new, uniform and certified working method not only allows us to work more effectively, it also makes a good impression on the customer, says Rob. ‘It offers clarity and quality and guarantees professionalism. Of course there is still room for differences, one project manager is not the other. But you must always be able to fall back on the standard working method.’
Jack van Vliet:
‘Distinguished in the market’
‘In fact, we have been working with this method for quite some time, but I see it as a good step to formally confirm this with a certification', says Manager Projects Jack van Vliet. ‘The ISO 21500 guideline gives more structure by setting out very clearly the five steps a project goes through. We are now starting with a group of ten Project Managers, who will follow the training and be certified. Ultimately, we want all Project Managers to follow the training. In this way we will show that we work in a structured way and with the ISO 21500 certificate we can also distinguish ourselves as a forerunner in the market.’
Teus Walpot:
‘Curious about the course’
Project manager Teus Walpot will be one of the first colleagues to follow the ISO 21500 training course. He will start in mid-October. ‘Although I have decades of project experience, I like to immerse myself in the ISO 21500 course,' says Teus. This method offers the building blocks you need for structured project management in an unambiguous and clear way. We are going to use this method, provided with a "KH flavoring". I am curious about its added value for KH Engineering!’