I mostly just need perspective on if I can/should use the year long train up of my squad for deployment as one big project with many phases, or get very specific and turn it into death by a million paper cuts(every little inspection, field problem, etc). I also am facing the same question with deployments. One big project of many many many 1-2 week projects (sometimes 1-4 days).
Additionally, I was told I probably couldn't use my 3 years as a Drill Sergeant as that would more likely fall under "operations" and not projects. Yet every week my platoon had duty week (1 out of every 4 weeks) we took lead on facilitating training to include plans and set up, quality control, stakeholder engagement, schedules, scope management etc. As this rotates what training events we had cycle to cycle would these not be projects? I would think that all training, weather or not it's repeated cycle to cycle, would be a project as it has a beginning, an end, and deliverables.
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While I can not answer the question, I might suggest the LinkedIn US Army Transitioning group. Or just post the question on general on LinkedIn. I facilitate TAP and always talk about senior military eligible for the PMP, due to many projects. I hear conversation they pulled most down from NCOer's. Hope this helps, I also know the Veteran Institute at Syracuse University offers the test and study program for veterans, last I heard there was a slight waiting list. Good luck and thanks for your service. God Bless.
GAry,
PMP since 2001 so I had to brush off some long term memory. The way I framed any military projects was based on OPORD. If it happened under a single OPORD, it was part of a project. If there were FRAGOs, etc, I considered those part of change management. Under that approach, you could consider the train-up as a single project.
With your time as a DS, you can look at those duty weeks as project planning activities and you can look at each cycle as execution and control activities, just show that there were different planning inputs into each cycle if you feel it was project time and not operations time.
Good luck on getting your PMP. Worst thing they can do is disagree with your assessment and not count that portion of time, so go in with enough extra coverage to make sure you qualify with the minimum # of years' experience.
Hi Gary -
Anything with a start and end date could be a project. The 1 to 2 week projects you describe are fair game. The one caveat is not to detail any project as taking more than 80% of your time (40-60 hr work week). This normally raises a red flag with PMI.
Feel free to PM me if you would like to discuss further. Good Luck!
Damin
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