As part of their Project and Portfolio Management module, master's students on our Project Management MSc recently benefitted from the expertise of Christian Cranfield, an award-winning Project Management Consultant with extensive experience across global industry sectors.
Delivering a presentation entitled "Winning at Project Management: Lessons from Real-World Transformations," Christian shared his career journey and the principles that have shaped his success.
He emphasised how increasing responsibility and risk demand rigorous quality management, particularly in sectors where compliance and safety are paramount.
Drawing on his work in organisational turnaround and optimisation projects, as well as what he described as “the impossible project” during the COVID-19 pandemic, Christian explored key considerations for project success.
These included leadership, managing scope and creep, securing business buy-in, designing new ways of working, ensuring technology performance, and demonstrating measurable outcomes.
Through practical advice, best-practice examples inspired by elite sport, and cautionary tales such as the pitfalls of launching untested technology, Christian brought to life the importance of robust processes and quality project management tools.
Dr Matthew Tickle, Module Leader, commented: “It was great to hear Christian’s industry perspective on the tools and theories we’ve been discussing throughout the module."
"His real-world examples clearly illustrated what effective project management looks like. We’re extremely grateful to Christian for his time and for delivering such an engaging session.”