CAREER DEVELOPMENTCASE STUDY

Tell us about your role as Project Manager

As a Project Manager at Prima Solutions, I am responsiblefor multiple projects, for new and existing customers ofvarious sizes across the clothing, footwear and accessoriesindustry. My role includes project planning, commercialmanagement, resource management, project activitiesscheduling, reporting project statuses to all stakeholders,managing small and large project teams and attending allkey project milestone meetings.

As well as this, I am also part of the company's OperationalManagement Team, in which I work closely with my fellowcolleagues to contribute to the improvement of internalprocesses, our Continuous Improvement initiatives andthe management of day-to-day business operations.

Tell us about your background and education

I always had a desire to develop my career in IT ProjectManagement, and graduated from De Montfort Universityin 2004 with a BSc Honours in Computing. My first jobafter university was a Progress Developer role, and I joinedPrima Solutions in August 2007 as an ImplementationSupport Analyst. In July 2009 I moved into the ProjectManager role and alongside this, I was appointed on theOperational Management Team in February 2015.

Why did you join Prima Solutions?

Prima Solutions presented an opportunity to develop mycareer in Project Management, with a customer-facing rolewhere I could engage directly with clients. During theinterview stages I found the people to be really nice andfriendly too, as they listened to me and how I wanted mycareer to be developed. I was made to feel very welcome atthe interview stage by Rob and Fiona, who were willing totake my thoughts into consideration and therefore I reallyenjoyed the recruitment process!

What has allowed your career to develop here?

Right from the start, Rob and Fiona set out a greatinduction plan which allowed me to get a good grounding inmy role. Without a doubt, the Personal Development Planis also an effective way of formalising your objectives andsetting out what you want to achieve.

Furthermore, I have had the chance to work veryclosely with Gordon and Mat from the Board ofDirectors, working with Mat to develop my projectmanagement skills and knowledge, whilst Gordon hasprovided me with a great deal of product knowledgeon every project I've been involved with. Both of themhave added real value to my personal development bybeing very supportive and willing to spend time withme to build my skill set.

What is the best thing about working at PrimaSolutions?

Prima Solutions is a Gold Investors in People Companyfor a reason, and we truly do invest in our team. Thishas been shown clearly through my own personaldevelopment and career progression with thecompany, as well as seeing how my colleagues haveprogressed in the business such as Andy Coats, MeeraBhalsod and Andrew Gretton.

How has working at Prima benefited your career?

My career has benefited in the sense that I now havethe ability to deliver solutions to end users, as well asthe required skills to successfully manage complexprojects for small, medium and large businesses. Ireally enjoy working for Prima Solutions and hope tocontinue in my career development here for manyyears to come.

BHAVIN PATELPROJECT MANAGER