In her monthly Business Argus column, Acorn’s Sarah John addresses the significance of project management as a crucial skill which is transferrable to a range of sectors.

In recent years, more and more companies are turning to cultivating project management to consistently deliver business results.

According to the Project Management Institute, project management is, in fact, shorthand for project, programme and portfolio management and a number of businesses are clearly seeing the pay-off from investing time, money and resources to build organisational project management expertise.

Project management is one of those skills that looks relatively straightforward – until you try it. From delegating, to building a team, focusing on customer needs and delivering on promises, project management is a style of leadership that needs nurturing.

At Acorn, we pride ourselves on responding to the market and our clients’ needs and so in joint partnership with Cardiff Metropolitan University, we have recently developed a brand new course; a Level 4 Diploma in Project Management.

Just two weeks ago, we officially launched the diploma at the Cardiff School of Management Business Club and I was delighted to see so many people there, who were excited and genuinely interested in seeing what the course has to offer.

The diploma, equivalent to the first year of a degree course or HNC, is aimed at professionals in job roles that involve managing projects as a key responsibility and has been exclusively designed to develop skills and knowledge, to support and recognise occupational competence in managing a project to a national level.

From managing change and risk, clearing issues, retaining knowledge and organising chaos, project management with the right resources can really help to drive an organisation forward, regardless of their core offering. Ultimately, strong project management skills can keep companies competitive in the marketplace and I for one am looking forward to seeing this new diploma is received, both by delegates and by the wider local business community.