Windesheim students save fictitious pizzeria and earn Dutch Project Management Champion title

A Windesheim Honours College student team won the finals of the IPMA Project Management Championship in Den Bosch yesterday. 

The International Project Management Association (IPMA) organized this competition during its annual project management conference, with student teams from various Dutch universities participating. The four Windesheim students will now advance to the European finals in Nuremberg, Germany in June.

Making society more sustainable

The Windesheim team, consisting of Marit Achenbach, Leonie Knoche, Luzie Siegel and Paulina Kamphuis, are students of Global Project and Change Management. This is a programme aimed at increasing society’s sustainability and inclusiveness, with project management as an important instrument for initiating change. The national IPMA competition was therefore an excellent opportunity to test whether the students were able to put their acquired knowledge into practice. Three teams had registered, and after preselection all three made it to the finals.

Pizzeria in trouble

The student teams were instructed to come up with a practical solution for a pizzeria that was facing imminent trouble: turnover fell, as did the number of patrons. The students were asked to come up with a solution, to be presented in a pitch at the end of the day. The jury assessed the teams on teamwork and practical feasibility of their proposed solution.

The winning team had opted to write a handbook for the pizzeria staff, describing in detail how to act with regard to all sorts of operational aspects, ranging from professional conduct to hygiene regulations. The jury appreciated the practical feasibility of this solution, but found that the team excelled most of all in their teamwork.

European finals

In June the team will take part in the European finals in Nuremberg, Germany, to compete against other winning teams from all over Europe. A great international challenge for these students and a valuable enrichment of their study programme.