Living the learning

During the last 10 months, despite maintaining high levels of chargeability, it’s apparent that I have learned more than ever before – with no training courses involved!

The project I’m working on is large and complex. By closure it will have delivered in excess of 50 workstreams. A number of these are essentially projects in their own right (e.g., upgrades or Cloud migrations) and the rest vary in size and complexity.

I began working on these in a support role to the project manager. This provided an opportunity to become accustomed to the client’s preferred ways of working. It also enabled me to form sound working relationships with the project team. I then progressed to take ownership of three sizeable, but related workstreams.

Learning from the ground up

As I reflect on my development across this period, what strikes me is the sheer amount of knowledge and skills I have gained whilst I was focussing on delivery. I have been able to observe the project manager in action, watch the outcomes unfold and apply myself to the same scenarios. During this process I’ve gained immediate feedback and experience, which would wouldn’t be possible in a traditional learning setting.

This opportunity to observe, practise, review and refine has led to increased confidence and independence. I’ve been able to quickly obtain an understanding of both detailed and high-level project elements in real-time. All of these experiences have been incredibly valuable to my personal development and learning. During this process I’ve gained experience and confidence through exposure to all aspects of the project. With guidance and informal mentoring from the project manager, I’ve been able to up-skill myself and embrace the project in a practical sense.

The value of learning

As my skillset and confidence have increased, I’ve become more involved in the wider project. In particular this has led me to take ownership for new areas of work, providing value to the client, but also in the longer term, to Entec Si.

I’m thrilled to be able to progress my consultancy through these on the job learning experiences. The emphasis that Entec Si places upon development means that I’m growing both professionally and personally. By creating a supportive and practical environment that puts people at the centre of every process, we’re able to deliver better outcomes for our clients. I’m super excited to see where my learning journey will take me next!