Interview with Lisa Sherwood, MSP delegate with Maven Training

On the week commencing the 19th October, Lisa Sherwood, a programme manager in the public sector took the MSP Foundation course at our Maven Training centre. A few questions were posed afterwards to find out her thoughts and opinions on the qualification so take a look at what she said about it.

1) Who do you think it is so important to have the MSP qualification?
MSP is the most widely recognised programme management qualification in the UK, and it's an indication of your committment to managing business change so that you realise the benefits.

2) How does the MSP qualification complement PRINCE2?
Well, it's from the same best practice stable as PRINCE2 so it allows PMs and PgMans to talk the same language when discussing their management areas.

3) How does it prepare you for going back to the office after gaining the qualification?
I feel much more confident now that I know the language of programme management and understand it's principles, governance themes and processes.

5) What level do you feel the course is aimed at?
MSP isn't for the faint hearted - there's a lot of information here and a lot of detail to absorb, so if reading isn't your thing, it probably isn't for you. Similarly I think it helps if you have had exposure to some level of PgMan before, either as a project manager or as a programme manager, or you've been part of the business change team in your organisation. Senior business leaders would also benefit - those who will be part of sponsoring boards or senior responsible owners, so they can understand their roles and those of the team around them.

6) What is the next step after an MSP course?
To use the new skills! I'm already trying to apply what I've learned to a new programme of work that I'm responsible for. I'd also like to expand my knowledge of P3M3 and programme offices. Future training course possibilities include Change Management and Management of Risk (M_o_R).

7) How do you implement MSP into organisations when you are the only person accredited with the qualification?
Well, I think you have to communicate, communicate, communicate. Part of your return to work should be to brief your colleagues on what you've learned and plan the implementation according to what you've learned. If your organisation doesn't use any form of methodology to manage the change - it would seem a very good time to start!

8) How has it helped you individually and what part of the course has interested you the most?
I'm more confident now with the differences between projects and programmes as well as understanding how important it is to align to the corporate strategies that drive your business. MSP & PRINCE2 help you to do that by ensuring the reasons for doing the programmes and projects remain sound.


Thank you for answering our questions Lisa and we hope to see you again soon.