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A unique “learning-on-the-project” approach makes sure that the curriculum of the specialization in Project Management at the WU Executive Academy is as practical as it gets: three blocks of the program are thematically linked by means of a training project.

This provides the students with a testing ground for the theories, concepts and methods discussed in the course of the class.

During these economically demanding times, the ability to carry out projects professionally is a key factor of success for companies and their employees. This is exactly where the Professional MBA Project Management takes effect: the program conveys extensive knowledge, which also includes innovative curriculum topics such as sustainability, leadership and stakeholder management in project.

Role play for managers

But apart from teaching important theoretical know-how, the Professional Project Management goes one step further and allows students to gain real practical experience. In a specifically designed feature called “Learning on the Project”, participants form small groups to work on planning a project in real-time, assuming the roles of project management consultants. What makes it even more special is that the training projects are not dictated, but rather drawn from the students’ own professional practice and are selected at the beginning of the specialization.

“During the training project, I gained an understanding of how agile and traditional project management methods can be combined which enhanced my professional practice”, says Denis Neglyad, current participant and Technology Consultant at Accenture.

For the project, Denis and his team mates jumped into the project manager position of a unique electronic payment service development project for one of the world’s largest retail banks: “We structured the project from scratch aiming to tackle real life challenges. Moreover, our recommendations for the stakeholder management and the management of project risks and discontinuities were indeed implemented in the actual project. As our training project took several months, we were able to see how the actual project was evolving and derive lessons learned.”

Tools, techniques and teamwork

Prof. Martina Huemann, Academic Director of the Professional MBA Project Management, emphasizes the high degree of practical relevance as the core value of the program:

“The concept learning on the project helps the participants to tailor project management approaches to their purposes. While working together in a small international team, the participants are able to reflect on the potentials and limits of the methods, concepts and theories in a particular project context that derives from the professional background of the participants. Having training projects from different contexts relevant to the participants brings out similarities and differences in applying project management.”

Maria Nazarova, current participant and Training and Development Director at Raiffeisen Bank International AG, said she especially benefitted from the team collaboration process:

“My training project on setting-up a business was supported by three team-members, who further brought in specific know-how and expertise. Together we applied project management tools and techniques and I defined those I feel comfortable with and those I need to investigate further. During that process, we dealt with conflicts, built mutual trust and had fun working together.”

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