Participants' comments
No comments, names or photos have been posted without the participants' permission. Where participants agreed to the use of photographs or comments only, their names have been replaced by "Participant". Some comments have been edited for spelling.
When asked whether they got value for their money, 57% of participants replied "Completely", while 24% said that the Workshop exceeded their expectations, and 19% said "Mostly".
We asked whether the Workshop achieved that they had expected, and 38% said "Completely", whereas a further 38% replied that the Workshop had achieved beyond what they had expected. The remaining 23% of the respondents replied, "Mostly".
"Did the teaching methods work for you?" we asked. The reply of 52% of the respondents was "Completely", whereas 24% said that their expectations had been exceeded, and a further 24% replied, "Mostly".
We also wanted to know whether participants left with a clear vision for themselves regarding their involvement in Project Management. 75% replied "Completely"; 24% replied "Beyond expectations", and the remainder replied "Mostly".
None of the participants replied "Hardly" or "Not at all" to any of the questions.
Participants were also asked what transformation the course achieved for them.
Several participants said that the Workshop had given them more confidence to speak up, while one participant said that he had learned to listen! "I can see why my project is failing miserably," replied someone from an IT environment. Verna Venter of Kopano Outsourcing said that the Workshop had helped her with her tender document, and several others said that they would now be able to follow a systematized process in their planning and execution of projects.
Below are some of the detailed replies given by participants to some of the other questions. Constructive criticism has also been included. No negative comments were received.
What was it like working with your team?
It was very enjoyable. Loved the teamwork and member participation.
— Ulindi Venter, Vegascape
It gave insight into the dynamics of a team from the view of a PM.
— Leon Rossouw
Interesting, exciting, humorous not too serious.
— Corni Grobler
Very helpful. I learned to step up and speak up. To take control. The rest of the team was wonderful to work with, very suppotive.
— Jacquie Bezuidenhout
It was beneficial to share the experience.
— Andrew Khosa, Medicine In Need
Great fun. Good to get insight from other fields. One simple task can have several different meanings/descriptions in diffent fields.
— Lindie Venter, Medicine In Need
The informal presentation assisted with breaking the ice and it was fun working in the teams.
— Lean du Rand, Donaldson
Great people to work with and learn from.
— Sue Olver, Discovery/Oracle
Challenging working with people having own ideas and come to a mutual agreement in order to achieve our goal.
— Verna Venter, Kopano Outsourcing
Enjoyable.
— Tinus Herbst
Good.
— Waldo Boshoff, Yara SA
I enjoyed the second day more.
— Kobus Snyman, Donaldson
It was very fascinating, cooperative and very cordial.
— Oliver Ibewuike, self-employed entrepreneur
Excellent — teamwork helps clarify and put things into perspective.
— Charl du Plessis, Banking Machine Services
Much easier than the "real" team.
— Mandé Zwarts, Sita
Realistic exercise in the practical application of working towards a goal. Interesting to work in a team of individuals with totally different backgrounds, experience and field expertise.
— Other participant
Communicated well with both teams. Shared useful ideas.
— Other participant
What could be improved about the Workshop?
More than half of the participants indicated that they did not feel any improvements could be made. Others made the following recommendations:
Time longer than two days (LOL)
— Corni Grobler
To stress more in the software training or introduce a more specific part in software training.
— Andrew Khosa, Medicine In Need
More hours.
— Oliver Ibewuike, self-employed entrepreneur
Throw in more budget-related exercises.
— Mandé Zwarts, Sita
Workbook: the page structure, listing all the project steps together before breaking the steps down & discussing them.
— Other participant (We particularly appreciated this useful comment. The workbook which will be used in the next Workshop will incorporate a page which addresses this requirement.)
What were the main negative things that contributed to your overall experience?
Waldo Boshoff (Yara SA) felt that there was too much of the same person, while Mandé Zwarts said that the time limit forced participants to be brief.
What were the main positive things that contributed to your overall experience?
Many participants mentioned the interaction during group exercises as the main positive factor. One participant said that the teaching methodology stood out the most. Sue Olver (Discovery/Oracle) and Lean du Rand (Donaldson) felt that the highlight was the simple way in which a complex subject was presented. |