Organizations typically want projects completed on time and within budget, but finding project managers who can accomplish those tasks can be a challenge. At least that’s what Kent Sovern heard from local employers during focus groups he conducted to learn about the professional development needs of their workers.

In response to the need for additional training for project managers, the Des Moines Higher Education Collaborative, a professional development and education organization led by Sovern, will launch an in-depth program to provide managers with the project management and people skills they need to work effectively with their teams.

“Where managers may be technically proficient, they also need the team-building skills and some of the soft personnel skills to get people to work together,” Sovern said.

The course, “The Art and Science of Project Management,” will begin Feb. 6 and continue through April 24 at the John and Mary Pappajohn Education Center. The program is designed for people who want to improve their effectiveness as project managers, new or upcoming project managers, or anyone who works in a team environment.

Two local certified project managers, Timothy Johnson and Dana Dennis, designed the curriculum and recruited instructors to cover different topics. The instructors are working professionals and project managers representing a variety of industries, according to Dennis.

“We will use about seven different instructors so that students get a variety of perspectives,” she said.

Project management is an area of expertise first used by the construction industry more than a quarter-century ago. Since then, the discipline has been incorporated into many other industries, including information technology, health care and insurance.

Projects often involve people from different parts of an organization working together. Dennis said this creates special demands on the person overseeing the project.

“The project manager tends to have a lot of responsibility without a lot of authority,” Dennis said. “You’re working with people who aren’t assigned to you on a permanent basis, and you have to be able to influence them despite not having direct authority over them.”

Not only do project managers often lead people they might not work with regularly, but the time constraints of a project often leave no time for developing long-term relationships with those people, Dennis said. These challenges make it especially important that project managers be able to communicate clearly, understand different personality types and motivate others.

“These skills are subtle things that a person picks up over the course of their career, and things that are seldom put together in a course,” Dennis said.

A $45,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education and support from the Central Iowa chapter of the Project Management Institute helped offset the cost of the program, but enrollment fees are still $1,650 per person, with a limit of 25 students. Classes will be held Tuesdays from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., with two weeks off in mid-March for spring break.

Sovern hopes make the project management program a regular offering at the Pappajohn Center, with up to three sessions per year based on demand. Call 235-4503 for more information.