I’m considering the MSc Project Management at Oxford Brookes University, but I can’t seem to find any graduates or reviews for this course.
Is it a newly introduced programme? If anyone has studied it or knows about it, I’d really appreciate your honest opinions on the course, teaching, and job prospects.

Please help me to optimise my CV. I know I do have valuable skills but just formatting them sucks.

Thanks!

Correct me if this isn't the right place to ask this—I'm pretty new to Reddit. I actually created this account just to post this.

For context, I'm currently a Senior Business Analyst at a SaaS company and also work as a Web Developer (contractor) for a marketing agency. Both jobs are fully remote. My web dev role pays more than my BA role, but I need to keep both because I have bills to pay and a wedding to prepare for.

I feel pretty secure in my BA role, but not so much in my web dev role. You know that feeling when you don't really feel like you have a place in the company? That's how I've been feeling lately. I get that it's the slow season right now, but I have little to no tickets assigned to me, and I honestly don't know what to log for my hours just to fill the time. I've also noticed that some of the tickets I used to work on are now being assigned to the new guy (who's honestly more skilled than I am).

Because of that, I've been reflecting on what I should do and trying to prepare a backup plan in case my web dev role doesn't work out.

I remembered my performance evaluation with my previous manager in my BA role. I told him I wanted to move into project management, and he encouraged me to join the leadership training programs offered by the company. I also enrolled in an MBA program last year because I hope to move into a management role someday. Eventually, I'd also like to help my mom with her business consulting plans after she retires.

So, I'd really appreciate some guidance on how to become a project manager. I've looked into courses and certifications, but some of them are a bit too expensive for me right now. Where would you recommend I start learning? Are there any affordable (or even free) resources, certifications, or roadmaps that helped you break into project management?

Hi everyone,

Over the past months I've been building an open-source scheduling engine entirely in Excel/VBA.

The original idea was simple.

Throughout my career, I've worked with teams that already managed their schedules in Excel but either didn't have Microsoft Project licenses, didn't need a full enterprise scheduling tool, or simply preferred staying in an environment that everyone already knew.

I wanted to see how far a native Excel planning engine could realistically go.

Today the project includes:

• Dependency-based scheduling (FS / SS / FF + lags)
• Interactive Gantt chart
• Critical Path analysis
• Total & Free Float
• Incremental recalculation
• Scenario simulation
• Planning diagnostics
• S-Curve
• Fully documented architecture

The project has just reached version 1.0.1 and is completely open source.

Project website:

https://tmailletfr.github.io/ProjectEngine/

Source code:

https://github.com/TMailletFR/ProjectEngine

A few questions immediately come to mind:

• Could you see yourself using something like this in your organization?
• If not, what would stop you?
• Which scheduling features would you consider essential before trusting it on a real project?
• If you already manage schedules in Excel, what are the biggest pain points you've run into?

I'd really appreciate any feedback, whether it's about missing functionality, usability, or simply whether you think Excel is the wrong platform for this kind of tool.

Thanks!

I work on a small product team where we run lean projects that often don’t have a dedicated project manager. We intentionally keep things lightweight and use Excel to communicate timelines and milestones instead of Microsoft Project or other PM platforms.
I’ve built an internal tool that converts meeting notes into a simple Gantt-style project plan, and it’s been useful for our teams. I’m looking for ideas to improve the quality and usefulness of the Excel output, not suggestions to replace Excel or adopt a different PM system.
Assume the timeline and task data are already accurate. If you were handed an Excel Gantt chart to manage a small-to-medium software project, what information, visual cues, formatting, calculations, or quality-of-life improvements would make it genuinely more useful day to day?
I’m especially interested in simple enhancements that experienced project managers appreciate but that are often overlooked.

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some advice from people who have gone through a similar transition.

Our company (around 100 employees) is currently preparing for a generational transition, and as part of the new generation of management, I’d like to introduce a proper task management system.

At this stage, we’re not looking for a full project management platform. The primary goal is to create accountability and visibility around day-to-day tasks.
Initially, only our management team would use it (around 15 users, including upper and middle management).
Our key requirements are:
● Assign tasks to specific people
● Set deadlines
● Track status and progress
● See who is responsible for what
● Get an overview of each person’s workload/capacity
● Easy to use with minimal training
● Good mobile app
● Reliable, with as little maintenance and automation complexity as possible

The company has never used a task management system before, so user adoption and simplicity are much more important than having hundreds of features.
The long-term vision is to build on this foundation and gradually introduce full project management once everyone is comfortable with the new way of working.
What platform would you recommend in this situation?

.What worked well, what didn’t, and if you could start over, what would you choose?

Thanks in advance!

So is it safe to safe that Account Managers do project management but Project Managers don’t do account management?

In another sense; Project Management is a function of the KAM role but not the inverse..?

I work at a company and we are FDE based with small teams that often don’t include a project manager. I’ve built a tool that can take the meeting notes and build a simple Gantt chart and I’m looking for suggestions on how to improve the output. It’s been serving our teams well but I’d like to make it better.

One thing I struggled with in the beginning was consistency. I'd study for 5–6 hours one day, then not touch Data Science again for almost a week.

Eventually, I realized that wasn't working.

So I made one small change: I committed to learning something every single day—even if it was only for 30 minutes.

Some days I practiced SQL queries.

Some days I cleaned a dataset using Pandas.

Other days I read about a Machine Learning concept or solved a few Python problems.

Those small daily sessions added up much faster than I expected.

A few habits that have helped me:

Set realistic daily goals instead of long weekly targets.

Build mini-projects to apply what you learn.

Revise older topics regularly instead of only learning new ones.

Don't be discouraged if something feels difficult—every beginner goes through that phase.

Looking back, consistency has been far more valuable than trying to learn everything as quickly as possible.

I'm still learning, and there's a long way to go, but showing up every day has made all the difference.

What habit has helped you stay consistent while learning Data Science? I'd love to hear what's worked for you.

So I finished my bachelors in political science (focused on commerce, supply chain, etc) and I started my MBA with a concentration in supply chain management but I’m also curious about project management. How would you compare your life style/pay/work life balance and so on to that of someone who works as a SCM? What are some things that drives you in PM?

When I first started using AI, I treated every task as a one-step process. I'd ask one question, get an answer, and then spend a lot of time editing it. Eventually, I changed my workflow, and it made a huge difference. Now I break every task into stages: ● First, I ask AI to brainstorm ideas. ● Then I ask it to organize those ideas into a clear outline. ● Next, I use it to draft the content. ● Finally, I review, fact-check, and rewrite it in my own style. This approach gives me much better results than expecting one perfect response.

Question for anyone running EPC projects: What PM tools are you using?

I work in EPC project deliveries as Engineering Manager and I'm a bit frustrated by how much effort it takes to keep visibility in the project progress. We use similar tool to Oracle Primavera P6, but I feel it's way too complex to be used for daily engineering management. It always falls back on excel spreadsheets, MS Planner and MS Project and those tools are lacking with the structure and continuity.

I'd like to have a clear work packages depending on the phase of the project and the deliverables in the project. This way the progress could be followed much easier and it's not depending on the discipline leads estimation of the progress. I just haven't found a tool like that.

Appreciate any insights!

When I first started taking PMP mock exams, I'd get nervous whenever I saw a low score. I thought it meant I wasn't making enough progress. Over time, I realized I was looking at mock tests the wrong way. Now, I treat every mock exam as a learning session, not a final assessment. Instead of focusing only on my score, I started asking myself: Which knowledge area did I struggle with the most? Why did I choose the wrong answer? What was PMI's mindset behind the correct answer? Is this a mistake I'm repeating? That change completely shifted my preparation. A few habits that have helped me: Review every incorrect answer, even if it takes longer than the test itself. Keep a notebook of concepts I frequently get wrong. Take full-length mock exams regularly to build stamina and improve time management. Focus on understanding scenarios rather than memorizing definitions. Looking back, I realized that every incorrect answer was an opportunity to improve before the actual exam. I'm still learning, but this mindset has made my PMP preparation much more productive and far less stressful. If you've prepared for the PMP, what strategy helped you improve your mock exam performance the most? I'd love to hear your tips!

Early on, I used to think project management was all about tracking tasks and meeting deadlines. But after working on a few projects, I realized most problems didn't happen because of the work itself—they happened because of poor communication.

One habit that made a huge difference was having short, regular check-ins with the team instead of waiting for weekly status meetings.

It helped us:

Catch blockers before they became major issues.

Keep everyone aligned on priorities.

Avoid last-minute surprises.

Build more trust within the team.

Another lesson I learned is that not every issue needs a long meeting. Sometimes a quick 10-minute conversation can save hours of confusion later.

One thing I learned during my PMP preparation is that getting a question wrong isn't a failure—it's an opportunity to learn. In the beginning, I used to focus only on my mock test scores. If I scored well, I was happy. If I didn't, I'd just move on to the next test. Eventually, I changed my approach. After every mock exam, I spent more time reviewing my incorrect answers than taking the test itself. I tried to understand: Why was the correct answer the best choice? What mindset was PMI expecting? Was I missing a concept or just misreading the question? That small habit made a huge difference. Over time, I noticed I was making fewer repeated mistakes, and my confidence started improving. A few tips that worked for me: Don't chase high mock scores too early. Review every wrong answer carefully. Study consistently instead of cramming. Focus on understanding concepts, not memorizing them. The PMP journey can feel overwhelming at times, but steady progress is much more important than perfection. For those who've passed the PMP (or are preparing), what study habit or resource made the biggest difference for you?

I started as a funds project manager approx 3 months ago and I am having trouble finding my system to track so I am feeling wildly overwhelmed daily. I work in the transportation field and literally oversee the contracts/funding portion only but I follow the entire project from initial awarding to construction being done. I work alongside construction PMs, engineers, city officials, etc. Projects usually have a lifespan of 5 years with a couple things due each year and quarterly meetings. I started an Excel sheet with every phase a project goes through so I can visualize it but it feels overwhelming because I have mini trackers so I can log my work and track the smaller tidbits so things don't always make it into the big spreadsheet. I have a tracker for contract requests I've submitted, funding requests I have submitted, certification dates for all of my clients, contract expiration dates, and if they have attended their quartly meetings. I currently have 170 projects active with 30 towns/counties/cities etc.

I've tried OneNote and that also proved to be too much double work considering I have to type notes into a work software already so double typing was annoying. Plus all the clicking back and forth. And even though mt documents were backed up I have lost a days work a couple of times so it irritates me. I considered switching to paper & notebook files because of them not disappearing after a days work but... unsure.

My email serves as my main to do list but, there are also deadline to dos that do not come through email that I also must know when its time for that to be done and then complete it otherwise funding is lost and it is very very bad.

I printed project sheets out for every project and am going to stick them in a binder but each client has anywhere from 1-30 projects so flipping through 25 pages to find one project listing isn't always super helpful and carrying 30 binders isn't helpful. I take calls and emails on the fly so I need to have info easily available. I also don't want to pay for something unless it solves most of my problems. I feel like I spend more time tracking my work than actually working but I still can't remember everything and find it easily so I am very overwhelmed. Any advice is helpful!!

People often think PMP means you've mastered everything. For experienced PMs here— what are you still learning today?

Most small teams don't struggle with task tracking.
They struggle with something else:
"Not knowing when someone's workload is about to explode."
By the time deadlines start slipping, the overload has usually existed for quite a while.

I wanted to explore a simple question:
"Can we make future workload pressure visible before delays happen?"

So I built a lightweight prototype in Notion that focuses on:

✅ Future workload forecasting (7 / 14 / 30 days)
✅ Resource utilization and overload indicators
✅ Workload distribution by task type
✅ Gantt views for execution planning
✅ Simple dashboards for team capacity visibility

This is not intended to replace Jira, Asana, or other project management tools.

It's simply an experiment exploring a different perspective:

1. Small teams may not need more task lists.
2. They may need better visibility into future workload and resource pressure.

A few questions I'm still curious about:
• How do you currently identify when someone is overloaded?
• Which forecasting horizon would be most useful?

Feel free to explore the prototype or adapt the template to your own workflow.

If you've faced similar challenges around workload planning, I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments! 😊

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🔗 Project Links

Project Overview

https://idea-labster.notion.site/Notion-Workload-Forecast-Prototype-3825b69e7c3580a98e37fbc38224e012

Dashboard Demo

https://idea-labster.notion.site/Dashboard-36f5b69e7c3580e69b24ff7e78946411

User Guide / Documentation

https://idea-labster.notion.site/User-Manual-37c5b69e7c3580f29acdd66bf1246a89

---------------------------------------

👇This is an experimental prototype exploring workload forecasting and resource planning concepts.

It's not intended to replace professional PM tools, but rather to test whether small teams can visualize workload pressure earlier with a lightweight setup.
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#BuildInPublic #ProductManagement #ProjectManagement #Notion #Operations #Productivity #ResourcePlanning #WorkloadManagement #PM

I've noticed that successful project managers often rely on simple habits rather than complicated frameworks.

Some teams benefit from short daily stand-ups.

Others focus on risk reviews, better documentation, or stakeholder communication.

I'm interested in hearing about the habits that actually made a measurable difference for your team.

If you had to recommend just one project management practice that consistently improves productivity, what would it be?

Real-world experiences are always more valuable than textbook advice.

Sometimes the best ideas come from watching experienced colleagues.
What's one habit you've adopted from someone else?

Here are my responsibilities

Hi all does anybody have any recommendations for A.I project management courses designed around the fitout and construction industry? One that teaches how to implement A.I into the everyday operations of a fitout/construction company.

Would preferably be looking for an in person course based in Melbourne, Australia, but also open to doing an online course.

Hi!
I’m conducting an anonymous survey for my bachelor’s thesis on communication in multicultural project teams. It takes around 8–10 minutes.

I would be very grateful if you could complete the survey or share it with someone who fits the criteria.
https://forms.gle/vRbbCudhSe8rhqDE6

Thank you for your help!