eVa in the UK – Building better project managers
EVA19, the established Earned Value conference, took place in 2014 towards the end of May. The venue again was the magnificent Armourer’s Hall; steeped in tradition and just a stone’s throw from St. Paul’s Cathedral. The plan to explore the ‘ABC’ of project management – Agile, Benefits and Complex was executed masterfully
The backdrop proved to be as poignant as ever, as Steven Carver regaled the audience with the story of Alfred the Great, using real-life actors and Jonathan Crone provided Lessons from WW1, and the heroic battle of Vimy Ridge.
The military theme culminated with Lt. Colonel Tom de La Rue explaining what Leadership means in the context of an Apache Helicopter squadron on active service, and as the commanding officer of Prince Harry, in Afghanistan.
The two days, which included a banquet in the impressive livery dining hall, were engaging and intimate with the emphasis on personal development and learning together. The speakers were practitioners and professionals of the highest calibre, with many having taken time out from their day-jobs as managers and directors of mega-projects and programmes, to share their considerable knowledge and experience.
Steve says “The emergent themes from the conference this year were the importance of people and culture. Organisations need to move beyond slavishly following process and create an environment where project managers can really thrive.
It is vital in any project that stakeholders are properly engaged which underlines the fundamental need for project professionals to Listen, Learn and Lead.”
Steve’s events have a reputation for being innovative and edgy – and this year was no exception. Peter Taylor, the project manager who smiled, entertained the audience with anecdotes and stories, including a personal favourite about a genie, a project manager and the task of building a bridge over the Atlantic.
was masterful in teaching members of the audience how to write the project management blues, which he went on to perform with his band throughout the day.
eva19 ABC Conference – Day 2 by mervwyeth
The feedback from the audience was extremely positive including this example.
“The strength of the conference for me is the thread between the sessions that allows me to join the dots to meet my needs. I can create my own landscape from the wealth of knowledge and experience shared [maybe not the one I was expecting] and, perhaps most importantly, gets that mental recharge for the next set of challenges. Roll on next year!”
Steve says “The ‘eVa in the UK’ series has a reputation for giving something back to the profession. One way it does this is by creating a rich learning legacy. With the help of its many speakers, supporters and generous sponsors, most notably PM Channel, it has been able to accrue an impressive archive of presentations, video programmes and podcasts which can all be accessed from the archive section of this web site”
Magna Carta of Projects
Steve says “#eva20 is set to return to the UK at the Armourer’s Hall next year on 16th and 17th June and I am already dreaming up plans to go one better with my next event.”
Meanwhile, I would encourage you to find out more about what we are doing to build better project managers at http://evaintheuk.org. Why not subscribe, connect or speak to me, to be part of the story.”