Today we’d like to introduce you to Veronica White.
Hi Veronica, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
ANU Consulting was born from a simple observation. Project managers are the key players that can make or break an organization. A corporation identifies a direction it would like to take over the next 5 years and begins to strategize on how to reach those goals. The actual work that happens to steer the organization in that direction occurs at the project and program level. As we began evaluating project managers at various organizations, we noticed a troubling trend. Almost all of the project managers that we worked with displayed several skillset gaps, and it is only fair to say that is due to the many hats that a PM must wear. To be successful you need to know how to manage conflict, engage stakeholders, facilitate meetings, identify issues/risks, and strategize for resolution. You also have to be able to command respect from a team that you do not have direct authority over. This culminates into a rather challenging role. Which prompted us to ask ourselves, if we were to take someone looking to advance their career from entry-level to a professional project manager, what would that process look like? Could we develop a step-by-step program to take a client from making $50k/yr as a project manager to $100+k/yr? If so, what level of business value could this deliver to an organization? This is the foundation on which ANU Consulting was built. Next, we had to prove our concept and to do so, we initially offered all of our services for free. We needed to be positive that what we were bringing to the table met the needs of both our clients and corporate partners. Almost immediately, we were seeing success. That is when we knew we had something special.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road hasn’t been smooth, but it has been worth it. When we first started out, there was a lot of interest in our courses. The first two Project Management Professional classes that we offered were completely booked. That is a good thing, and we are thankful, but it made us realize the level of demand there is for services such as this. We had to quickly develop processes in order to support the pace at which the organization was growing, especially when it came to the level of support we offer our clients. If we have a client who is up against a deadline and needs support immediately, we make ourselves available to them as soon as possible. That can be challenging when you have a lengthy client roster. However, we started this organization to serve as a support system for those looking for opportunities in this space, and we’re excited to say that through all of our trials, we have remained committed to that mission ever since.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about ANU Consulting?
ANU Consulting specializes in the professional development of project, program, product, and portfolio managers. The organization offers a full spectrum of services that range from PMP certification to courses that focus on facilitation, change management, and C-suite-level presentation. What sets us apart in this space is that we focus on developing our clients in all areas of operational and professional excellence. Having a professional level certification may help get your foot in the door, but there are several other factors that contribute to being successful in the project management arena. This is why we decided to focus initially on training our clients to obtain their certification and then follow-up with the professional development components of our program.
What’s next?
We have experienced a lot of success and organic growth since launching early this year. Our future plans are to expand into the corporate PMO space with the launch of our PMO rehab program. We see it all the time, a corporation has a Project Management Office, but the PMO isn’t properly set up, or the project managers working within that PMO do not have the necessary foundational skills to be successful. This is an area we thrive in. We evaluate the functionality of the PMO, identify areas of weakness, and strategize around the development and implementation of effective processes. We also offer PMO stand-up services for corporations that are looking to build and launch a Project Management Office.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.pmpmastermind.com
- Instagram: @ANUconsultants
