Desi van Dijk
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First batch within Young Groupmapping
Shark! Since November 2023, Desi van Dijk (25), I started the training at Groupmapping. With a background in organizational & communication sciences, I knew one thing for sure after my master: I find it fascinating how large groups of people work together. But where I wanted to discover that? I wasn't quite sure yet... Until I got into conversation with Groupmapping! Here I saw the opportunity to learn and experience how collaboration really works within different organisations.
Meanwhile I have been working for more than 1.5 years at Groupmapping and in a small six months I will finish my training. I joined with another trainee the first batch in Young Groupmapping. Last September 2024 three other Young GroupMappers started and we have found four new top players for the third batch in September 2025.
Because I've learned a lot lately and I'm very happy to share my experiences with you through this blog post! I'm taking you into my role in the traineeship, the various projects I've been working on and everything that seems interesting to me about the traineeship.
A what... project process facilitator?
During the traineeship, you are working most of the week with one of our customers. You do this with a project team from Groupmapping or sometimes alone, but with the guidance of an experienced colleague. The role you have within the Groupmapping traineeship is just as different as you often see with other consultancy agencies. Therefore, I explain to you in this blog post what you do as Project Process Facilitator (PPF) within the Groupmapping traineeship.
At Groupmapping we believe that it is important in the world of projects and changes to manage not only projects themselves but also excel in their implementation. Here comes the power of a Project Management Office (PMO) and the power of a Groupmapping Process Facilitator (PF). We combine this power in our Young Groupmapping program! This role gives an extra boost to both successful project management and successful collaboration.
The combination of PMO and PF
The Project Management Office (PMO) role is a well-known term in the consultancy world. A PMO is a project's consistency, quality and efficiency. It is someone who ensures that everything is smooth and projects are successfully completed. Generally, a PMO is involved in project planning, risk management, resource optimisation, project administration, alignment with stakeholders and is often the right hand hand of a project or programme manager.
In addition, facilitating processes is essential to ensure that teams work together smoothly and achieve their goals. We ensure this from the Process Facilitation (PF) role within Groupmapping.
And together we call this a Project Process Facilitator (PPF) within Groupmapping. As a Young GroupMapper, this is a role that fits well within the field of Groupmapping. In this role you support programs, project managers and teams. As a PPF, you have the responsibility for designing the project process and to help the organisations within which the project is carried out to achieve the goals set. You also integrate the specific way of thinking and working of Groupmapping into the project approach. The focus is of course always on bringing people together in small and large groups, spread over time. As a PPF design and support your regular project meetings for, for example, joint discovery, research or decision-making.
What does that look like in practice?
As Project Process Facilitator (PPF), you are actually the spin in the operational project web and you are constantly working on the process, content and progress of projects. You offer structure and direction to the project team. A number of skills you need as a PPFer:
- (Support) setting, structuring and setting targets, scope, milestones and planning;
- Creative understanding of the design and implementation of project meetings for group dynamics, team effectiveness and energy;
- Quality monitoring of both the project process (with emphasis on collaboration and inter-human interaction) and the milestones, products and project targets to be pursued;
- Visualisation/confirmation of calls in and around project meetings;
- Administration, organisation, coordination, planning and logistics.
Being a Project Process Facilitator (PPF) is extremely fun and educational, because it is a versatile role in which you can impact teams and projects and learn all the tricks of the profession. In addition, you bring insights and applications from the Groupmapping philosophy and methodology, aimed at increasing collaboration. A good way to create the Groupmapping way of working!
Sharper, faster, smarter: I want that too!
We'd love to hear that.