MySkills4Afrika:Project Management & Windows 8 TrainingTrip Report

DTBI – Dar Es Salaam, TanzaniaMay 2 – 9, 2014

2

Microsoft MySkills 4Afrika Initiative

• The Microsoft 4Afrika Initiative was launched in Feb 2013 to help accelerate Africa’s economic development and to improve its global competitiveness. It is based on the dual beliefs that technology can accelerate growth for Africa and that Africa can accelerate building technology for the world.

• The program is built on three key enablers: innovation, world-class skills and affordable access. The MySkills4Afrika is one of these pillars, with three objectives:• Promote global leadership and skills development amongst MS employees;• Transfer vital skills and perspectives to enable Africans to grow, innovate and compete globally;• Promote better understanding of the African markets throughout the company.

• As part of this program I applied for and was accepted to deliver project management training in Dar Es Salaam during the first week of May, and a class on Windows 8 during the second half of that same week. The training was offered through the Dar Teknohama Business Incubator (DTBI), and was held at the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH).

3

Dar Teknohama Business Incubator (DTBi) • The Dar Teknohama Business Incubator (DTBi) is an autonomous entity within the

Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH). Its mission is to enable technology based startups, innovators and the software developer community in Tanzania to grow skills and build businesses. Microsoft cooperates with DTBI with the goal of offering incubator communities increased access to software and skills development opportunities.• http://www.corporate-digest.com/index.php/microsoft-partners-with-costech--dt

bi-to-accelerate-innovation

4

Project Management, DTBI Dar Es Salaam, 2nd - 6th May

There were 20 attendees in this 3 day course, from a variety of business backgrounds. Some were simply trying to gain an understanding of what project management is, while others were planning to launch their own businesses. There was also a significant contingent of attendees who were already working for successful businesses like Maxcom Africa and UhuruOne, or small, recent start-ups like MagilaTech.

• Most attendees had some experience of project management but very little knowledge of the formal methodology. There was great interest in learning about and leveraging existing tools and processes, but also to discuss challenging real-world scenarios particularly those involving negotiation, cross-group collaboration and stakeholder management.

• I heard from a few people that they are interested in attending non-technical courses, like leadership training, strategic thinking as well as courses on finance and human resource management. There was also significant interest in using MS Project, so I included an introductory hands-on session on this topic on the third day of training.

• There was significant interest expressed by attendees in gaining PMP (Project Management Professional) certification but the majority of attendees did not have sufficient experience and/or enough understanding of the PMI approach to be in a position to apply. Costs are also significant and could potentially hinder applicants in the future.

• Attendees returned to COSTECH on Friday, May 9 to receive their certificates of participation in a small ceremony that was conducted by the CEO of DTBI, George Mulamula, and the Director General of COSTECH, Dr. Hassan Mshinda.

5

Windows 8, DTBI Dar Es Salaam, 7th and 8th May

Approximately 16 people attended this 2-day course; the majority were college students or recent graduates. The course was intended as an introduction to Windows 8 and 8.1, but after the first day it was clear that attendees were already familiar with the new OS and wanted to learn how to develop for the Windows Phone 8. We hence changed direction and had the two Tanzanian “app stars”, Godfrey Magila and Paschal Maduhu, provide an introduction to Windows Phone 8 development.

• Most attendees were practicing developers working on the Android platform. Few were familiar with the WP8 development environment or knew how to get a WP Developer Account. The overview included details on how to get started on Windows Phone 8 development.

• Over the course of the day participants learned how to build a small practice app that plays the Tanzanian anthem. There were many pointed questions about why they should develop for the Windows Phone 8 instead of Android devices. Some additional evangelism and incentives would be beneficial for this and similar groups of young developers.

• All students understood and acknowledged the value of Visual Studio 2013 for developing solutions.

6

Next StepsThere are several follow up actions from these trainings:

• Continue gathering project management scenarios that are relevant to the local context and expand curriculum to include those.

• Gather feedback on experience from participants through DTBI to better tailor future training offerings.

• Partner with DTBI to identify additional training needs and determine best way of delivering training.

• Follow up with Ivan Lumala to explore expansion of training offerings to the Microsoft Innovation Center in Dodoma

• Setting up 1:1 sessions with participants to provide support and ensure implementation of newly acquired skills.

• Offer support to the MySkills4Afrika project team, as they build out plans for future waves of volunteering opportunities.

• Provide advice for new volunteers traveling to Tanzania.

7

Future Considerations• In planning delivery of training as part of MySkill4Afrika program, consideration might

be given to a “Train the Trainer” approach for core business skills such as Project Management. From my brief engagement, I concluded that there was huge interest and a real lack of the basic concepts and skills; none of the attendees had taken any classes in project management before and were entirely self-taught. A “train the trainer” approach might offer greater possibilities for scaling the reach of the training and delivering greater impact.

• A second consideration might be given to strengthening the now existing relationships. Some situations encountered during the training are unique to the locales and it may be more efficient to meet program goals if trainers are sent back to build on the first round of training or, in the case of Tanzania, expand the offerings to new venues.

8

Personal Reflections• While I have a fair amount of experience delivering tech training in the US through the

Indigenous Language Institute in Santa Fe, I have no prior experience delivering training in project management, so this was a great opportunity for me to develop my own materials and extend my skills in this area. Of greater significance was the opportunity to gain insight into the types of projects people are involved in and to understand more of the specific challenges of working in and starting up new businesses in emerging markets. Some of the most valuable aspects of the courses were the open discussions, when I believe everyone attending, myself included, learnt from the experiences which people shared.

• In order to participate in this program, the support of the MySkills4Afrika team and the staff at DTBI in arranging logistics and clarifying requirements was invaluable. Participation involved 6 days of delivering training on site, 3 days of traveling and innumerable hours up front preparing the curriculum, case studies, and slides. This was a very rewarding and worthwhile experience and I highly recommend it to others, but anyone considering applying in the future should be aware of the high level of commitment involved.

• In summary, I would highly recommend participating in this program and would be happy to share further insights with anyone planning to apply.