PMAcademy, Poole (2026)

25/04/2026

Closing out the week on a high after completing the AI-Native Foundations course. I'm pleased to have secured a pass in the exam.

It’s been a genuinely valuable experience. The programme goes beyond theory and starts to reframe how we think about work, workflows, and decision-making in an AI-enabled environment. The shift isn’t incremental, it’s structural.

What’s clear is that AI is no longer a peripheral capability. It’s fast becoming a core competency for both organisations and individuals. Those who build fluency now will be in a significantly stronger position to lead, adapt, and deliver impact.

I'm looking forward to continuing the journey next week with the Change Agent training, taking this from understanding into practical transformation.

If you’re exploring how to enable your organisation to integrate AI from the ground up, from foundations through to real-world application, now is the time to act.

Get in touch if you’d like to learn more.

15/04/2026

We’re delighted to be exhibiting at Project Forum next week - www.projectforum.co.uk

Join us for expert advice across project, programme and portfolio management, as well as agile and change. Whether you're refining your approach or tackling complex delivery challenges, we’re here to help.

Come and meet one of the most experienced training teams in the field and discover how we can support your next step.

www.pmacademy.co.uk

11/04/2026

APM PMQ with free AgilePM

This is quite an offer. APM Project Management Qualification (PMQ) on 5-8 May 2026 for £1,995 + VAT.

We have a limited number of seats available that include free AgilePM Foundation e-Learning worth £895.

Includes official manuals and exams.
Email: [email protected] or DM.

https://pmacademy.co.uk/apm-pmq/

11/04/2026

APM PMQ with free AgilePM

This is quite an offer. APM Project Management Qualification (PMQ) on 5-8 May 2026 for £1,995 + VAT.

We have a limited number of seats available that include free AgilePM Foundation e-Learning worth £895.

Includes official manuals and exams.
Email: [email protected] or DM.

https://pmacademy.co.uk/apm-pmq/

08/03/2026

🚀 Want to get your AgilePM certification the smarter way?

Our brand-new AgilePM accredited e-learning makes studying easier, faster and more flexible.

🎓 Study anytime📚 Structured learning🏆 Get certified with confidence

🎁 WIN FREE ACCESS (worth £300)

To enter our weekly draw:👍 Like this post🔁 Share it👥 Follow our page

One winner every week gets FREE AgilePM Foundation e-learning.

www.pmacademy.co.uk

19/09/2025

In any negotiation we are often pulled in two directions:

- The importance of the relationship – how much we value maintaining trust, respect, and collaboration with the other party.

- The importance of the goal – how much we value securing the specific outcome or objective we are negotiating for.

This model is deceptively simple, yet powerful. It reminds us that negotiation is rarely about a single issue; it is about how we manage the dynamic between what we want to achieve and how we want to maintain connections.

When we overlay this onto the IPMA ICB4, we can see a direct link with two cornerstone behavioural competences:

ℹ️ Relationships & Engagement
This competence is about building, maintaining, and leveraging trust-based relationships with stakeholders. It demands emotional intelligence, empathy, and the ability to engage others in ways that foster commitment.

In negotiation terms, this maps directly to the “importance of the relationship” axis. If the relationship is critical – for example, with a strategic partner or long-term client – we may adopt a more collaborative, win-win approach. The aim is not just to agree terms, but to strengthen the foundation for future cooperation.

ℹ️ Results Orientation
On the other side, we have the drive to deliver outcomes – meeting scope, quality, time, and cost objectives. Results orientation reflects discipline, focus, and resilience in achieving tangible goals.

This aligns with the “importance of the goal” axis. When results are paramount – perhaps in regulatory negotiations, contractual delivery, or time-critical project decisions – the negotiator must assertively pursue objectives, ensuring outcomes are not compromised.

The Balancing Act

The skill for a project professional lies not in over-emphasising one axis, but in consciously calibrating between the two:

- High goal / low relationship – Suitable for one-off, transactional negotiations where results are non-negotiable.

- High relationship / low goal – Useful where preserving goodwill is paramount, such as resolving a conflict with a long-term client.

- High on both – The ideal but challenging quadrant, where we negotiate with creativity to “expand the pie,” delivering results and strengthening trust.

IPMA’s competence framework reminds us that excellence is not just about what we deliver (results), but how we deliver it (relationships). Effective negotiators understand this duality and flex their style to fit the context.

Projects are, by nature, temporary endeavours – but their impacts and relationships are long-lasting. A negotiation that secures results but damages relationships may undermine future collaboration. Conversely, prioritising relationships without achieving outcomes may compromise delivery confidence.

Aligning Results Orientation with Relationships & Engagement helps to create sustainable success.

www.runfar.co.uk

08/07/2025

✅ Project Success Is a People Business

In today’s dynamic project environments, understanding the goals and ambitions of your team members is not a peripheral activity—it’s a core leadership competency.

When project leaders take the time to explore what drives each individual—whether it’s professional growth, skill development, career progression, or the desire to contribute to something meaningful—they create a powerful alignment between personal aspirations and project objectives.

This alignment delivers measurable impact:
🔹 Increased engagement—individuals are more invested when their ambitions are valued.
🔹 Enhanced collaboration—a shared purpose energises collective performance.
🔹 Greater ownership—team members see project success as integral to their own success.
🔹 Sustainable outcomes—when individuals grow, the organisation thrives.

It’s a genuine win:win:win:win—for the individuals, the team, the organization, and the project itself.

As project professionals, let’s move beyond transactional management and embrace a transformational approach that integrates human ambitions with strategic delivery.

Our next IPMA Level D programme is scheduled for:

📅 Module 1 – 29th September to 1st October 2025
📅 Module 2 – 27th to 29th October 2025
📅 Module 3 – 1st to 3rd December 2025

If you're interested in joining or want to learn more, drop me a message – I'd be happy to help.

30/06/2025

Resourcefulness: The Critical Capability for Project Success

In the dynamic landscape of project delivery, there is a universal reality every project professional must confront - there will be times when your available resources are simply not sufficient to meet the requirements.

Whether it’s constrained budgets, compressed timelines, limited materials, or shortages in personnel capacity, these gaps have the potential to derail even the most meticulously planned initiatives.

This is where resourcefulness becomes the differentiator between stagnation and progress. As a project manager, you are expected not only to manage resources but to think creatively and strategically reconfigure the path forward.

Resourcefulness demands that you:
✅ Reframe constraints as opportunities for innovation
✅ Leverage the diversity of your team to explore solutions from multiple perspectives
✅ Maintain situational awareness and adjust tactics decisively
✅ Look beyond conventional approaches to uncover hidden capacity

Remember - your team is one of the most versatile resources at your disposal. When challenges arise, tap into their collective experience, skills, and ingenuity. Creating a culture where team members feel empowered to contribute ideas ensures you can rapidly pivot and sustain momentum.

In an environment where volatility is the norm rather than the exception, your ability to foster and model resourcefulness will be instrumental in securing stakeholder confidence and delivering successful outcomes.

How do you encourage resourcefulness within your teams? I’d welcome your insights - let’s elevate our collective capability to navigate constraints with confidence.

Want to know more about IPMA competencies?

Our next level D course programme is:

Module 1 – 29th September to 1st October 2025
Module 2 – 27th to 29th October 2025
Module 3 – 1st to 3rd December 2025

Message me for more details or visit www.runfar.co.uk

23/06/2025

Understanding the desired outcomes and benefits of a project better equips the Project Manager to establish the requirements and objectives that will drive success.

If we know what the end benefits look like, then we can define requirements that lead to delivering usable outputs - and ultimately help confirm those benefits. Otherwise, we risk delivering outputs that look good on paper but don’t produce the real-world results that matter.

Equally vital is understanding the priorities of the stakeholders. Aligning requirements with what matters most to them is key to ensuring the project delivers what’s needed to secure acceptance.

It’s also crucial to establish how the project will be managed - including clear reporting; control processes; and communication - so we can plan and maintain progress toward the agreed goals.

Rudyard Kipling, an English writer and poet born in 1865, wrote a short poem of which the first verse perfectly describes the work we do as project managers:

I keep six honest serving-men
They taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who.

These six honest serving men — What, Why, When, How, Where, Who — are the essential questions we ask in order to explore the project environment, to understand the outcomes and benefits, and to establish help establish how the stakeholder's priorities shape the management of the project, which we will record in the Project Management Plan.

Starting a project without them would be like setting off on a journey without a map - and that’s not a position any successful project manager wants to be in.

What tools or techniques do you use to make sure you truly understand the benefits and outcomes of your projects? Let’s share our best practices in the comments.

If you’d like to connect or talk more about successful project initiation, feel free to reach out — I’d love to continue the conversation.

17/06/2025

Why Competence-Based Certification Means More Than Just Knowledge...

In the world of project management, it’s not enough to simply know the theory. True capability lies in the application of that knowledge - and that’s where competence-based certification truly stands out.

Unlike knowledge-based certifications that focus on recalling frameworks and definitions, competence-based certifications (such as IPMA) require professionals to demonstrate their experience, decision-making, and depth of understanding in real-world situations.

Take risk management as an example. It’s one thing to recite a five-step process: e.g. identify, analyze, evaluate, treat, monitor. But true competence is shown when a professional can explain:

✔️ Why the risks exist
✔️ How to investigate root causes
✔️ Who to involve in workshops, and when
✔️ How to use inherent risk lists and categories to identify both primary and secondary risks

And when it comes to analysis, a competent project professional understands that risk impact goes beyond simple probability scores. They evaluate potential effects on cost, time, quality, scope, benefits, resources, and on unresolved issues and other risks. They consider how each element may be impacted differently at both project and stage levels, and how these interdependencies affect the selection of the most appropriate response.

Thinking beyond reducing probability or transferring impact to a third party and understanding who ultimately bears the consequences will help ensure decisions are made that balance strategic and operational needs.

This level of thinking - and doing - is what competence-based certification validates. If we want truly capable professionals leading projects, we must move beyond checking boxes of theoretical knowledge, and look instead to how people think, act, and lead in practice.

Our next Level D programme is scheduled for:

📅 Module 1 – 29th September to 1st October 2025
📅 Module 2 – 27th to 29th October 2025
📅 Module 3 – 1st to 3rd December 2025

www.runfar.co.uk

If you're interested in joining or want to learn more, drop me a message – I'd be happy to help.

13/06/2025

This week I have been delivering IPMA Level D training to a fantastic group of delegates – what a pleasure it's been working with such a committed and curious cohort!

In my opinion, this is the most concise and comprehensive project management certification available. It doesn’t just focus on tools and techniques, but develops well-rounded project professionals who can think strategically, lead effectively, and deliver with confidence. Plus, I enjoy delivering the content immensely!

For those unfamiliar, IPMA (International Project Management Association) offers one of the most globally recognised and desirable project management certifications. What sets it apart is its depth and breadth, covering 28 competencies across three key areas:

🔍 Perspective – the strategic and contextual environment of projects
🤝 People – leadership, teamwork, and stakeholder engagement
🛠️ Practice – the core technical elements of project delivery

Whether you're just starting out in project management or looking to formalise your experience, IPMA Level D is a powerful foundation.

Our next Level D programme is scheduled for:

📅 Module 1 – 29th September to 1st October 2025
📅 Module 2 – 27th to 29th October 2025
📅 Module 3 – 1st to 3rd December 2025

If you're interested in joining or want to learn more, drop me a message – I'd be happy to help.

05/06/2025

Negotiation isn't just about getting to "yes" - it's about clarity, preparation, and follow-through.

Whether you're negotiating a new deal, revisiting a contract, or aligning internal teams, effective negotiation is a structured process. Here are five steps essential to making negotiation a tool for long-term success, not just short-term wins:

1. Is negotiation even needed?
Before diving in, ask: Do we already have agreements in place? Sometimes, clarity or reinforcement is all that's needed - not a renegotiation.

2. Prepare with purpose.
Understand your objectives, the other party’s likely goals, your walk-away points, and areas for flexibility. Preparation builds confidence - and credibility.

3. Execute the plan.
In the heat of the discussion, stick to your strategy. Listen actively, communicate clearly, and avoid making unplanned concessions.

4. Document outcomes.
A handshake isn’t enough. Capture agreements in writing — whether that’s a formal contract, a memo of understanding, or detailed meeting notes. This protects everyone.

5. Manage the agreement.
Too often, the contract is filed away and forgotten. Great negotiators follow through - ensuring both sides uphold their commitments and revisit terms when needed.

Negotiation is a discipline. These steps help shift it from a one-off event to a repeatable skill that builds trust and delivers results.

What steps do you follow before and after the negotiation table?

www.runfar.co.uk

PMAcademy

25/04/2026

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11/04/2026

11/04/2026

08/03/2026

19/09/2025

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30/06/2025

23/06/2025

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13/06/2025

05/06/2025

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