Online Learning to Programme Success

Who's featured

Ricardo Santos, Programme Manager, DART Expansion programme

Ricardo

Santos

Senior Programme Manager Irish Rail

Ricardo has over 20 years’ senior-level experience in Operations and Project, Programme and Portfolio Management (P3M) of large scale, multi-disciplinary Construction, Energy, Utilities, Software and Railway Projects. His delivery track record includes: the UK, Ireland, Canada, Indonesia, Norway, Algeria, Poland, Spain, and Portugal.

Accredited Training Organization

Raj Khanna Associates

Professional Experience and Motivation

Can you tell us about your background and your current role at Irish Rail?

I have a BSc Hons Degree in Electrical Engineering, a Post-Grad in Management, and over 20 years’ senior-level experience in Operations and Project, Programme and Portfolio Management (P3M) of large scale, multi-disciplinary Construction, Energy, Utilities, Software and Railway Projects.

I joined Irish Rail in 2019, as Programme Manager of The DART Expansion programme, a transformative railway initiative under the National Development Plan 2018-2027 and the Ireland 2040 Project, providing a sustainable, electrified, faster, reliable and user friendly rail system in the Dublin suburban area, which increases train frequencies and customer carrying capacity.

My delivery track record includes:

the UK
Ireland
Canada
Indonesia
Norway
Algeria
Poland
Spain
Portugal

I’m also a certified Senior Project Manager by the IPMA and Praxis Framework Practitioner.

Training and Exam Experience

You recently passed the Praxis Framework Practitioner exam. What was a key factor for you in deciding to upscale from Foundation to Practitioner?

Quite simply, I felt the need to go deeper and broader into the Framework. The size and complexity of the projects I manage require knowledge and competency levels that I believed the Practitioner level could provide (and it does).

What are your thoughts on the training and exam?

The Praxis Framework is the most complete and integrated P3M Framework in the market. The amount of information in the book and website is considerable, requiring solid preparation from the candidates for the Practitioner exam, which is extensive and complex.

However, the satisfaction of being certified as a Praxis Practitioner is huge; I really feel this certification significantly increased my competencies to manage complex capital projects and programmes.

How was your experience with virtual training?

The training was provided virtually via video conferencing and complemented with a series of emails and phone calls, which always happened at the right moment needed to consolidate information into knowledge.

The remote online support provided by my Trainer was very important. He had the capacity to anticipate my needs and was flexible enough to adjust to my pace; I am very impressed with the results, and I highly recommend this training to all those interested.

Certification Impact

Was there a key piece of information or learning outcome that really resonated with you?

There are lots of valuable pieces of information available in the Framework. However, if asked to choose one, I would have to say Benefits Realisation.

The Praxis Framework brilliantly explains and justifies the need to identify project objectives, desired outputs and outcomes and expected benefits. Aligning benefits with the strategy (Business Case and Project Brief), revisiting these throughout the project lifecycle and adjusting the project scope to match eventual realignment, is vital for successful projects. Also, the clarity provided on the Sponsor responsibility over benefits realisation, is laid out in a very simple and logical manner.

Have you used the exam in your job role as of yet?

The knowledge, processes and tools acquired are used regularly in my day-to-day activity. Also, I am now better equipped to contribute to the refinement of the internal Project Management Process (PMP) and the Governance Framework.

Irish Rail are happy that I decided to take the Praxis Framework Practitioner certification, which is seen as valuable to the success of the DART Expansion programme.

Has the certification helped you develop your career?

We shall see that in the future. For the moment, it has certainly enhanced my performance in terms of effectiveness and efficiency, which is very valuable for my current position.

Is there anything you would like to say to Praxis Framework Foundation candidates considering the Practitioner training and exam?

Just go for it. You will see the P3M world with a different (and much more powerful) set of eyes. The Foundation level grants the capacity to keep up with the pace of the platoon; the Practitioner level on the other hand, provides knowledge and competencies strong enough to lead that same platoon.

“The Praxis Framework is the most complete and integrated P3M Framework in the market. The satisfaction of being certified as a Praxis Practitioner is huge; I really feel this certification significantly increased my competencies to manage complex capital projects and programmes.”