4 P's of a Presentation

I am currently working as a Consultant Project Manager, working side by side with one of the best consultants I have ever had the pleasure to work with.  I am someone who always likes to learn, so I have been watching the way that the other consultant is working on various  tasks, learning and understanding new methods and ideas along the way. 

As consultants, we produce many reports, breakdowns and presentations.  One simple tip that I have learned for a presentation format is to tell a story using the 4 P's.  This was such a simple tip, but one that will stay in my mind and will be incorporated into every future presentation.

1. Present - What is the situation now.  Explain the fact of the existing processes, procedures and architecture.
2. Problem - What is the problem with this existing model.  Explain the issues and risks with the current model, keeping to facts and providing evidence of situations that have caused, or could cause, problems.
3. Possibility - Suggest some options, clearly indicating the pros and cons of each.  This must be factual, stating as much information as possible, but limiting the information into a manageable size for the presentation.
4. Proposal - Provide a single recommendation from possibilities mentioned in stage 3.  this needs to have backing for the Subject Matter Experts.  This should not be swayed by personal opinion, but should reflect the best possible option for the business and explain the reasons for the selection over the other options.

When this simple method of presentation planning was explained to me, I could not believe that I had never heard of this before.  Usually simplicity is the best option and from now on, I will be remembering the 4 P's.

Interview Questions (Part 2)

In a first interview, you tend to meet the manager or stakeholders to discuss the project and to discuss whether you are suitable and have previous experience to show you can achieve the goals.

The second interview might be to answer any unanswered questions, but is more likely to be a HR lead interview to make sure you are a suitable fit for the role.  Many companies use HR to ask some difficult questions and gauge how you react under pressure and make sure you can backup your answers with examples.

Below is a set of typical tough questions that can be used to prepare yourself for those tough answers.  I used the following list and wrote out my answers within approximatly 2 hours to make sure that I had answers prepared.... have a go...

1. When have you had to discipline a member of the team.
2. When has a project failed / missed a deadline. What did you do to resolve it.
3. Do you have any weaknesses
4. What are your Strengths
5. Example of where something wasn't initially communicated properly. How was it resolved.
6. Tell me about a time when you failed.
7. Tell me about a time when you were faced with conflicting priorities. How did you determine the top priority?
8. Describe a situation in which you were able to use persuasion to successfully convince someone to see things your way.
9. Describe a time when you were faced with a stressful situation that demonstrated your coping skills.
10. Give me a specific example of a time when you used good judgment and logic in solving a problem.
11. Give me an example of a time when you set a goal and were able to meet or achieve it.
12. Tell me about a time when you had to use your presentation skills to influence someone's opinion.
13. Give me a specific example of a time when you had to conform to a policy with which you did not agree.
14. Please discuss an important written document you were required to complete.
15. Tell me about a time when you had to go above and beyond the call of duty in order to get a job done.
16. Tell me about a time when you had too many things to do and you were required to prioritize your tasks.
17. Give me an example of a time when you had to make a split second decision.
18. What is your typical way of dealing with conflict? Give me an example.
19. Tell me about a time you were able to successfully deal with another person even when that individual may not have personally liked you (or vice versa).
20. Tell me about a difficult decision you've made in the last year.
21. Give me an example of a time when something you tried to accomplish and failed.
22. Give me an example of when you showed initiative and took the lead.
23. Tell me about a recent situation in which you had to deal with a very upset customer or co-worker.
24. Give me an example of a time when you motivated others.
25. Tell me about a time when you delegated a project effectively.
26. Give me an example of a time when you used your fact-finding skills to solve a problem.
27. Tell me about a time when you missed an obvious solution to a problem.
28. Describe a time when you anticipated potential problems and developed preventive measures.
29. Tell me about a time when you were forced to make an unpopular decision.
30. Please tell me about a time you had to fire a friend.
31. Describe a time when you set your sights too high (or too low).

Interview questions

A few weeks ago I went t a very interesting interview. The role was ideal and one that I would be a perfect match for the Project Manager role. (At the time of writing, I am still waiting in anticipation for the result and hoping for a second interview.)

I was interviewed by two people, one being the Head of Project Management and the other was Head of Systems. Both very nice people and the interview was friendly and relaxed. We shared some jokes discussed a few things off topic, however some of the questions were very interesting, so I thought I would share them.

Describe your best day

I started by saying "..with my family, on the beach, in the sunshine, with a cold beer in hand...", but then I thought I had better relate my answer to the job at hand, so I mentioned my ideal working day.

I like to start the day reviewing progress from overnight/yesterday and to ensure we are completing tasks according to plan. This only takes a few minutes, as it is more of a fact finding, rather than actioning. The second task is to have a mini team meeting to find out if there are any pressing issues from the team. The next part of the day usually involves the project planning side of my role and then keeping on top of the issues and reporting that I need to do, which varies according to the day of the week.

Describe your Worst day

I don't really have a definition of my worst day, but I don't like it when people fail to listen and when people do not accept something.


For example, in a recent project we were given a design for a solution and I had to implement it. Simple, in principle, but in practise the solution was not fit for purpose in the environment where we were working. The solution came from a different company, with a different environment and different working practises. For many week wee had to document and track all of our issues and communicate with the solution providers to prove that their solution was not working in reality. Finally, all of the issues we were having started to happen that their company, so the started to believe us.

Other questions included

What is your best asset? Communication, team building and morale boosting

What do you most enjoy about Project Management? Communication, team work / building, delegation, monitoring

What do you least like about Project Management? Simple one work answer - Budgets