At Centennial College, we measure our success by how far our students go, and in the case of students in our Project Management program, they went right to the top at the 2024 Ontario Project Management Competition. Held in March, Business School students Insida Kullolli, Aakash Kamlesh Bhinde, and Hamizan Arsad presented a standout project showcasing their project management skills, while aligning with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The project focused on providing prenatal care to patients who had undergone Assisted Reproductive Treatment (ART) at a fertility center in Toronto. Competing against project management professionals from other colleges and universities, their work earned them first place in the competition.
But it was a long journey for these three international students. Before they became project management masters, their story was all about coming from different backgrounds to collaborate on a shared success. Here’s how they made it, in their own words.
Many different roads lead to Project Management at Centennial College
Insida, Aakash and Hamizan all come from vastly different career and educational backgrounds, but all decided to take Project Management, as there are project management jobs in every industry.
"I did a bachelor's for interior design," Hamizan says, "and I was working professionally as an interior designer for eight years before I came to Canada from Singapore. That's when I took the project management course. Canada was quite open to accepting international students and immigrants, and also I have some family here."
"There is a project management aspect of interior design," he continues, "where you have to manage the site, and the contractors. But I never had an education in project management, so I decided to study project management formally."
Aakash, who holds a bachelor's degree in automobile engineering from the University of Mumbai in India, says he went to the U.S. to pursue his master's degree in science and technology, with an emphasis in automotive technology, from Pittsburgh State University.
"That program was a blend of both the technical and management aspects of the automotive industry," he says. "So, that got me thinking that in order to broaden my horizons and open up more opportunities in the future, getting a formal education in project management would really help my case."
With a bachelor’s degree in audiology, Insida worked as an audiologist in Italy. But craving new experiences, she decided to come to Canada.
"I chose the project management program, even though it’s different from my background, because I wanted to try to change careers," she says, "not to be an audiologist, but to move into management. In project management, you can gain all the skills necessary, and you can transfer into different sectors, and different industries."
Teaming up for the Ontario Project Management Competition
"We first heard about it from our capstone instructor, Professor Farhad," Hamizan says. "He told us there was a competition going on, and that we should look into participating. The previous batch of students participated, and they got to the finals, but they didn't win. I thought it would add some spice to our student life, so that's when I contacted my friends."
"All three of us were enrolled in different groups at the time," Aakash says. "We were working with different people. It was during our semester break when Hamizan approached all of us, and said it seems like a good experience."
"I decided to participate," Insida adds, "because I thought that it was a good way to see if I had learned something or not, and to practice what I have learned."
A work of ART: Their winning project
Rather than develop a new project management plan for the competition, the team opted to go with one that had been developed in class as a capstone project, because of how unique it was. It focused on project management in healthcare, specifically Assisted Reproductive Treatment (ART).
"In this capstone module, we had to look at our work environment," Hamizan explains. "We’re supposed to examine the processes of what we do in our roles and try and see how we could improve things in terms of the business processes."
"I work part time in the fertility sector," he continues. "Based on that, I identified a business gap in the industry. Fertility clinics are private clinics, and they do not have a dedicated prenatal program for their patients. So, women would go to them, and then after they have successfully conceived, they would go to a public hospital for their prenatal care. But they require more support and more care, because these women tend to be older in age, and some of them would have gone through miscarriages, or they're more susceptible to prenatal depression, or anxiety. The care that they would have received in the public hospital is catered to women who get pregnant naturally, and so wouldn't be at the level that they require. So, the project was to introduce a prenatal care in the clinic itself that is created, tailored and dedicated to these women who had gone through these fertility treatments."
"While we were doing our capstone course, we were in different teams, with our respective projects," Aakash says,"but then for the competition, when we came together, we sat down and discussed which would be the best topic that we could move forward with for the purpose of the competition, and Hamizan’s topic seemed the most relevant. It's new, interesting, an area that was not very common when it came to applying project management concepts, and Hamizan, having worked at the clinic itself, had the most in-depth knowledge about the topic."
"It aligned very well with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, too," Insida adds. "This alignment was one of requirements to participate in the competition."
How the Ontario Project Management Competition worked
"Essentially, the competition was in three main phases," Aakash says. "Number one was submitting the initial business case. Second was submitting our report, and the final phase was a PowerPoint presentation that was to be delivered in person, on the day of the competition."
"We needed to show how well we know project management and, how well we know our project because we needed, in a short time, to explain our project, and what it was about," Insida says about that final presentation. "We had to use project management methods, all the technical terms, and to demonstrate that we were able to execute the project if needed in the future." This would pay off, and net them first place in the competition.
What gave them the first-place advantage?
"I would like to think it's a unique project," Hamizan says. "It's something that that the judges have not seen very often. Even at the end of the presentation, they said, this is a really interesting thing. They also said, you guys seem to really know your stuff. Whatever questions they asked, we were able to answer them with certainty, and they were quite satisfied."
"Another aspect which I feel really helped was the support and backing that we had from our professors," Aakash says. "I can say that we were fortunate that we had professors who were mentoring us throughout this entire process. We had Professors Farhad Moayeri, Bob Xourafas, and Catherine Pottruff. All three were dedicated to this project and put in just as much effort as we did, and were always more than willing to help us out, answer any questions, give us feedback, and on the day of the competition, when the nerves were setting in, they were there to give us that little extra push."
Where are they going next?
All three winners have since completed Centennial College’s Project Management program, and are opting to continue their studies; Hamizan in Marketing - Research and Analytics, Aakash in International Business Management, and Insida as a Research Analyst. All of them agree that the project management processes that they’ve picked up have set them up for success.
"You can say that you've taken part in this competition and you've won, and it will give you a boost in your job application," Hamizan says. "But I think for me, it's more about giving me confidence that I have this skill set, I actually do have some knowledge in this."
"The main prize was tickets to the Project Manager and Business Analyst World Conference that was held in Toronto earlier this year," Aakash says. "That gave me an opportunity to network, meet and collaborate with like-minded people. Networking is something that would go a long way, because Canada is a country where having networks and references can really make a huge difference."
Advice for future students
If you’re interested in acquiring similar skills, skills you can use in virtually any field, you can follow in the footsteps of these three students by joining Centennial College’s Project Management program. The curriculum includes leading-edge industry case studies and hands-on integration of technological project management tools, such as Microsoft Project. You will also work in small teams during a capstone course, collaborating with local organizations on various projects under faculty supervision, before completing a full-time 14-week placement with a participating organization to gain valuable project management experience. You might even participate in the next Ontario Project Management competition!
"Just do it," Hamizan says to any future Project Management students thinking of entering the next competition. "Just add more spice to your student life. Just make it more interesting. You have nothing to lose. You will only get to test your skills and validate yourself."
"Over the years, I have learned how important it is to be organized," Aakash says as general advice for balancing school and life. "For us, especially, it was a daunting task to juggle school, our part-time jobs, and then also dedicating time to this competition, and my colleagues in particular are great examples. They are with their families here in Canada, so they had that additional task that they also had to squeeze within their schedule. So being organized and having a timetable, as boring as it may sound, really helps you manage your time effectively, and you are able to become more productive."
"I will say to every future student to repeat this, fake it until you make it," Insida says. "Just think about this, and you can give yourself the necessary courage and the necessary force you need to continue to go ahead. And if you’re having difficulties, just ask the professors at Centennial College. They are very, very helpful, and want to help with everything they can."
By: Anthony Geremia