Group Project Management training for businesses: Build stronger teams and better projects

Projects rarely succeed because of one person.

Behind every successful project is a group of people who need to plan, communicate, manage risk, make decisions and work towards the same outcome. Yet within many organisations, the people involved in projects have developed their knowledge in very different ways.

Some may hold professional project management qualifications. Others have learned entirely through experience. Some might understand a particular methodology, while others have never received formal project management training at all.

That can create an important question for businesses:

What would change if your teams had a more consistent approach to managing projects?

Group project management training gives organisations the opportunity to develop skills collectively, creating shared knowledge that employees can take back into the projects they deliver every day.

What is group project management training?

Group project management training allows organisations to train multiple employees through a coordinated learning programme rather than arranging training separately for each individual.

Depending on the needs of the business, this could mean putting one project team through an accredited qualification, developing employees across several departments or creating a wider learning programme across multiple locations.

It doesn’t have to mean bringing everyone into the same classroom, either.

Training ByteSize offers group training through private classroom courses, virtual instructor-led training, online learning and blended programmes. Selected training can also be tailored with workshops, practical examples and business-focused discussions to make the learning more relevant to an organisation’s objectives.

The result is a training approach built around the organisation and its people, rather than expecting the organisation to fit around the training.

Why train project teams together?

Sending an individual employee on a course can strengthen their knowledge.

Training a group can have a wider impact.

When colleagues learn the same project management principles, terminology and best practices, they return to work with a common foundation.

That can support more consistent conversations around areas such as:

• Roles and responsibilities
• Project planning and control
• Risk and issue management
• Stakeholder engagement
• Governance and decision-making
• Communication
• Change and benefits
• Project delivery

It also gives colleagues the opportunity to learn alongside one another.

For example, Training ByteSize’s onsite group training allows delegates to discuss business challenges and consider how their learning could apply directly within their organisation.

Instead of project management being something employees study separately, learning becomes something teams can discuss and apply together.

Build the capability your organisation actually needs

There is no universal training plan that will suit every organisation.

A business introducing formal project management for the first time has very different needs from an established PMO developing experienced project professionals.

Likewise, an organisation going through significant transformation may need change management capability alongside its project management knowledge.

That’s why the starting point shouldn’t necessarily be:

“Which course should we buy?”

A better question is:

“What capability do our people need?”

Training ByteSize provides recognised qualifications and professional development across project management, Agile, business analysis, change management and IT service management.

This means organisations can create learning pathways around their actual requirements.

For example, one group may need project management fundamentals while more experienced employees work towards an APM qualification. Another organisation might need PRINCE2® knowledge alongside Agile or Change Management training.

The aim isn’t to give everybody the same qualification.

It’s to develop the right knowledge in the right people.

Group training doesn’t have to mean everyone in one room

Today’s teams don’t always sit together.

Employees may be spread across different offices, working remotely or even based in different countries and time zones.

Group training therefore needs to be flexible enough to reflect how modern organisations actually work.

Online learning

Self-paced online learning can be particularly useful for busy professionals and teams spread across different locations.

Training ByteSize learners receive individual access to online learning materials, including interactive modules, videos, downloadable resources, knowledge checks and mock exams, with trainer support available throughout.

For organisations, progress tracking and administrator reporting can also make it easier to see how learners are progressing.

Onsite training

For teams that benefit from learning together, training can be delivered at your workplace or another chosen venue.

Alongside reducing travel requirements, onsite delivery gives colleagues an opportunity to discuss ideas together and connect their learning with the situations they encounter at work.

It can also be a cost-effective option when training larger groups.

Virtual classroom training

Virtual classrooms combine live trainer-led learning with the convenience of remote delivery.

Teams can ask questions in real time, participate in discussions and complete group activities without needing to travel to the same location.

That makes virtual delivery particularly useful for remote, multi-site and international teams.

Blended learning

Sometimes the most effective answer is a combination.

With blended learning, employees can complete theory through online learning before joining an instructor-led virtual or onsite session.

The live session can then focus on strengthening understanding, addressing questions, applying key concepts and preparing delegates for their assessment.

This can help organisations reduce time away from day-to-day work while retaining the interaction and support of trainer-led learning.

What if an off-the-shelf course isn’t quite right?

Professional qualifications are valuable because they provide recognised frameworks, standards and knowledge.

But organisations also have their own challenges.

Perhaps your teams need additional support in a particular area. Maybe you want delegates to explore practical scenarios that feel closer to their working environment. Or perhaps you’re developing capability across several departments and need something broader than a standard course.

This is where bespoke group training can be useful.

Training ByteSize can build tailored programmes using recognised frameworks and best practice as the foundation, with additional workshops, exercises, case studies, discussions and specialist topics incorporated depending on the organisation’s requirements.

Training can also be delivered across multiple sessions and departments, onsite, virtually or through a blended approach.

Make training easier for your L&D team

There’s another side to group training that can easily be overlooked: administration.

Coordinating training across a team can quickly involve multiple bookings, learner communications, course dates, access requirements and progress updates.

A good group training provider shouldn’t simply deliver the course and leave the organisation to manage everything else.

Training ByteSize supports organisations with learner bookings, communications and course delivery, while a dedicated Account Manager provides support from the initial enquiry through to programme completion.

For online programmes, administrator reporting can also provide visibility of learner progress.

That can make a significant difference when you’re responsible for training more than a handful of people.

Look beyond the qualification

Achieving a recognised project management certification is an important outcome of professional training.

But for an employer, it shouldn’t be the only one.

The bigger opportunity is what happens when employees return to their projects.

Are teams having better conversations about risk?

Is there greater clarity around responsibilities?

Are stakeholders being engaged more effectively?

Do employees understand why governance matters rather than simply seeing it as another process?

Are people more confident challenging assumptions and raising issues?

Is there greater consistency between projects?

That’s where professional development begins to turn into organisational capability.

Choosing group project management training for your business

Before arranging training, spend some time thinking about what you actually want it to achieve.

Consider:

Who needs development?
Is it one established project team, new project managers, experienced professionals or employees across several departments?

What do they need to know?
Do they need project fundamentals, a recognised methodology, broader professional knowledge or specialist skills?

How does your team work?
Would classroom, onsite, virtual, online or blended learning fit best around their roles and locations?

What happens after the course?
How will employees be encouraged to apply their new knowledge to real projects?

Answering those questions can help turn training from a one-off exercise into a much more valuable investment in your organisation’s future capability.

Build stronger project capability across your organisation

Whether you’re developing a single project team or strengthening capability across multiple departments and locations, the right group training programme should work around your people, objectives and business requirements.

Training ByteSize delivers accredited group training across project management, Agile, change management, business analysis and other professional disciplines, with flexible online, onsite, virtual and blended learning options.

You’ll also have a dedicated Account Manager to help identify the right approach and support your organisation throughout the training process.

Ready to develop your team’s project management capability?

Tell us about your team and what you want to achieve, and we’ll help you create a group training solution that works for your organisation.

Speak to our team about group training and find the right learning pathway for your business. Call us on 01270 626330 or fill in our online contact form to request a quote.

Frequently asked questions