Paul Fisher ChPP FAPM B.Eng (Hons) ARAeS

Principal Consultant, Costain

 I am a Chartered Project Professional (ChPP). I joined Costain as a Principal P3M Consultant in May 2022 following a 32 year career at BAE Systems. I am currently the Senior Project Manager, Commission Lead and Project Controls Lead for the work on Drainage and Lineside area of Network Rail. I also deliver Project Controls training to clients with consistently excellent feedback. Prior to this I worked with Babcock to lead the implementation of the Baseline Change elements of their new Global Project Management Framework. At BAE Systems, I gained 30 years of Project Control, Project Integration and Project Management experience across the BAE Systems Submarines and Military Air portfolio of complex, high value projects. I bring expertise predominantly in Project Controls and Behaviour related to projects. I have acted as a part of the leadership team on a Programme Controls Transformation programme within the Defence sector.

I recognise that people are at the core of Project Management and I am passionate about individuals demonstrating appropriate sense making behaviours in projects that lead to good project performance conversations and good decisions ultimately resulting in a better chance of project success. I have experienced poor mental health personally and I care deeply about supporting people through this, encouraging people to speak to others if they aren’t feeling great. I live in Lancaster and am married with two ‘children’ (19 and 22) both at university (aka I’m skint) and I love contemporary music and poetry.

Session | Burnout in Project Professionals

Burnout, most succinctly defined, is ‘the erosion of a positive state of mind’

The APM’s own report “The wellbeing of project professionals” summarises that project-based work has long been characterised as frenetic, fast-paced and dynamic. Project professionals typically encounter high expectations and severe pressure to deliver projects on time and within budget, and to reconcile changing expectations of scope due to dynamic factors, such as new initiatives from the project sponsor. Therefore, it is not surprising that project professionals work in a stressful environment.

This session will discuss Burnout in Project Professionals, the signs to look out for and some potential ideas to help avoid Burnout. It is proposed that people might like to share their own experiences in the session but individuals should not feel compelled to do so.