Prendo’s 20 year collaboration with the Major Projects Association

Prendo’s 20 year collaboration with the Major Projects Association

I had a brief phone call in the summer of 1999 with the incomparable Dr Martin Barnes, when he was Executive Director of the Major Projects Association (and also President of the APM at the time) and I described to Martin a simulation we had only recently then developed for Shell – a simulation that models the behaviour of a diverse group of stakeholders during the planning phase of a major natural resources project.

Shortly after the call, Martin wrote me a letter (on paper – the kind that required an envelope and a stamp) inviting me to run the simulation as part of the MPA’s annual “The Challenge of Major Projects” course for the first time in October 1999. I have run the simulation every year since then, and so the recent October 2019 edition marked the 20^th anniversary of Prendo’s collaboration with the MPA.

Whilst the 5 day program has evolved considerably over this period, especially under the direction of Professor Denise Bower in recent years, the broad objectives remain much the same. It is aimed at participants with some experience of larger projects and it provides them with a broad view of the strategic issues involved in the initiation and delivery of major projects. It also provides them with an opportunity to share experiences with about 25 other like-minded project professionals, mainly from across the diverse group of MPA member organisations.

And partly as a result of Prendo’s stakeholder simulation being well received on the Challenge of Major Projects program, Martin Barnes, in 2007, persuaded the rest of the MPA board to invest (mainly their expertise and also some funding) into the development of a more comprehensive major project simulation, which Prendo completed in 2008. At the end of 2019 I have delivered this 1 day simulation workshop for the Major Projects Association 30 times, with around 20 participants attending each event.

So for more than 20 years now I have had the privilege of contributing to the Major Projects Association’s forward thinking and always relevant professional development programme, and the pleasure of working with hundreds of people looking improve their organisations’ and their own project management capabilities.

Thanks to Martin, Manon, Denise, Ruth, Maggie and all at the MPA!