PERSONAL STORY
By Tasiyana Siavhundu
Gweru, Zimbabwe
I commenced studying Project Management only in 2015 and I have to honestly confess that since then the way I look at and do things has totally changed for the better. I am now able to properly organise my home, work as well as school projects and activities. I have now taught myself that each and every small task or activity is a project on its own, wherein all the 10 PMBOK Knowledge areas are applied. This has helped me achieve all my targets smoothly, with only a few inevitable challenges. Some of my colleagues at work were amazed at the way I organise my work and were curious to know where that ability stemmed from and I had to happily refer them for trainings in project management. Those who took my advice are equally doing good work and a historical comparison can tell that project management training caused some of the improvements.
A module called Personal Development Planning (PDP) incorporated in Project Management Zimbabwe (PMZ)’s learning programmes was my first eye-opener. This module helped me view my own life journey as a project on its own. The only difference between life and other projects is that the project finish date is unknown: we are only aware of our dates of birth and unaware of our dates of death although we can make probabilistic predictions based on life expectancy and related statistics. I am therefore now successfully applying all the PMBOK’s ten knowledge areas from Project Integration Management to Project Stakeholder Management and it is interesting. It is only after the PDP module when I did my first SWAIN Analysis, which analysis is now instrumental in directing my personal development plan. When necessary, I update my SWAIN Analysis to keep it real and live.
At work, I make sure I diarise a list of all my daily, weekly, monthly or quarterly tasks. These tasks are spiced with relevant details such as timelines and priority lists. I also make sure that I identify, assess and attempt to control all possible risks so that I exploit positive risks and attempt to mitigate negative risks that may hamper the successful completion of my tasks. This culture has earned me a reputational trademark at work and all lower level projects that need an organised coordination are given to me by my superiors for coordination. This is helping me to gradually grow as an aspiring project manager because I regularly apply the project management methodology.
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How to cite this paper: Author Siavhundu, T. (2019). Project Management Skills – a Life Changer, PM World Journal, Vol. VIII, Issue IX, October. Available online at https://pmworldlibrary.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/pmwj86-Oct2019-Siavhundu-project-management-skills-a-life-changer.pdf
About the Author
Tasiyana Siavhundu
Gweru, Zimbabwe
Tasiyana Siavhundu is a member of Project Management Zimbabwe (PMZ) with qualifications and experience in Project Management, Economics, Taxation as well as Investments and Portfolio Management. He is a holder of a B.Sc. Honours Degree in Economics, Master of Commerce Degree in Economics, Post-Graduate Diploma in Project Management, Executive Certificate in Investments and Portfolio Management, Advanced Certificate in Taxation and many other qualifications.
Tasiyana has worked both in the private and public sectors in Zimbabwe. He is now employed as a Revenue Officer with the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) where he has been instrumental in economic research, revenue enhancement projects, taxpayer education, audits and so forth. He is very passionate about research work and has interests in the fields of Economics (particularly Public Economics), Project Management and Taxation.
Tasiyana Siavhundu can be contacted by email at tsiavhundu@gmail.com
