PMI Annual Regional Conference 2012 a resounding success

By Joanne Kotelawala

The Project Management Institute Annual Regional Conference took place from the 27-29 April at the Cinnamon Lakeside. The annual conference is being hosted in Sri-Lanka for the second time. The theme of the conference this year was “Accelerate National Development through the best practices of project management”.

The Chief Guest at the conference was Deputy Speaker of Parliament Chandima Weerakkody, and the guest of honor was Ajith Nivard Cabraal, Governor of the Central Bank of Sri-Lanka. The project management institute of Sri-Lanka began operations in September 2004, through the leadership efforts of Lalith De Silva, Chief Executive Officer of Mobitel.

The chief Guest Chandima Weerakkody mentioned that in our march towards prosperity after the thirty years of war we need qualified professionals to play a lead role. He also mentioned that as a country we have completed many mega projects successfully and pursuing even bigger tasks which has not been dreamt of just a few years ago.

Addressing the occasion, the Governor of the Central Bank, Cabraal mentioned the importance of project management at this present phase of development in the country. He stated that currently we are engaged in multitude of projects from large scale port constructions down to several small scale projects at village levels. He also stated that teaching of Buddha also contains numerous references to the importance of carrying out of an activity in an orderly and assiduous manner which involves elements of present day project management.  Additionally, in his speech he made special emphasis on importance of proper planning, as well as closure of projects.

Speaking on the significance of the conference and its importance to Sri-Lanka, Lalith De Silva , who was the founder Chairman of PMI Sri Lanka said “In project management one must be engaged in continuous education, even if you have a professional qualification your knowledge base have to be continuously updated as new experience is accumulated  around the world. Through a forum like this we bring together people who have succeeded as well as those who have experienced project failures”. He further added “There are also several streams that will be focussed on and in my opinion even those who have not studied formal project management can gain from the conference and learn from the experiences and costly mistakes these professional have been exposed to. It is also a regional conference; many foreign delegates are present here today, including the former president of Project Management Institute.  I must also add that His Excellency, The President of Sri-Lanka has been very encouraging in introducing these project management practices to Sri-Lanka. This event will place Sri-Lanka on the map and give the country much recognition in the field of project management”.

Ganesh Wijenayake, Treasurer of the Colombo chapter of the Project Management Institute stated that project management knowledge is important for us as a nation in this era of rapid development after independence. “This in turn emphasises the need for professionals to share their knowledge from the project management perspective so that success points can be identified and capitalised on” He also added that the keynote speakers were chosen from their experience and profiles. Some of the speakers they had listened to before also have been chosen to address the conference. Speaking on the success of the event Wijenayake added “we expected 200 participants, but we are glad to say that we have 250 participants at the conference sessions. The participant feedback too is very positive with regards to the conference programs and how useful the content was to the participants”. Speaking on the diversity of participants at the conference Wijenayake added “We had many university students participating at the event as well as individuals from Jaffna, Trincomalee who are also involved in projects in those areas. Present at the event was representatives of the Project management Institute chapters of the United States, India, Singapore, Korea and Pakistan”. The conference sessions were planned such that keynote speakers address the gathering during the morning session with the afternoon sessions focussing on three tracks, namely; track 1- project management, track 2 – program and portfolio management and track 3 – project management tools and case studies. Now with the conclusion of the conference what future plans does the project management institute in Sri-Lanka envision? “There is a possibility that we would be hosting the Asia-Pacific conference of the Project Management Institute. At a community level, we hope to raise awareness amongst the corporate sector on the importance of setting up project management offices, which are responsible for communication of project details to the project steering committee in a clear, concise and uniform manner. For this we need to raise awareness amongst the top management and decision makers of organisations” said Wijenayake.

The key-note speakers took the time to give their comments on the conference and its success

Craig Killough, the Vice-President of Organisation Markets, from the Project Management Institute in the United States said “the conference in general is very impressive. It is extremely remarkable that gentlemen at that height of government and CEO’s in the private sector are aware and supportive of project management and understand its strategic value in helping a nation in its economic development and progress forward. For an organisation like PMI to be successful in promoting the profession of project management it is necessary to have the support of governments. Good project, program and portfolio management allows a government to get the most money out of investment, promote transparency, effective use of funds and helps organisations and government to execute strategic plans to deliver services to the people.” Killough further added the following on the importance of a platform such as the regional conference, “A symposium like this is very important in having the key implementers of projects in the audience in order to exchange ideas. Also to have members of government to be present and commit their support is very gratifying”.

Raj Kalady, Country Director of the Indian chapter of the Project Management Institute, said “there is a tremendous need for project managers globally and more so in a country like Sri-Lanka in a rapid development stage. To sustain the growth it is important that projects are completed on time and within budget, and this brings in to focus the importance of project management. Completing a project on time has a relay affect on services, and people of the community in terms of both time and money. Thus proper management of projects is very important”

Karthik Ramamurthy, Director of the Chennai chapter of the Project Management Institute said “The 250 delegates attending this conference will go back with a very powerful message. We as professionals are capable of delivering the subject knowledge in a very technical sense These participants when they deal with other people in the workforce will carry forth this message in a convincing language. They also have to understand that it is not just about doing their job but they have a role to play in the overall national development”.

Ahsan Mumtaz, President of the Islamabad Pakistan chapter of the Project Management Institute said “Holding a conference like this means that Sri-Lanka has done a good job with improving the infrastructure and prerequisites to hold such conferences”. Speaking on the importance of project management.Mumtaz added “People often think that anyone with technical knowledge can go ahead and be a project manager in that sector. But the resource person has to adapt to the role of a project manager and be familiar with the project management practices. The fact that this conference has attracted a house full of participants is a testament to the desire to gain knowledge  in  project management”.

The Project Management Institute has several regions world-wide; Sri-Lanka is placed in Region 11 alongside Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. Reseena Abdullah, Chapter Administrator for Region 11 of the Project Management Institute said “This conference has exceeded my expectations, and I am very impressed by the efforts put in by the chapter in Sri Lanka. Though the Sri-Lankan chapter is not big in-terms of members, it has grown significantly in the past few years. Project management is an indispensible skill, it is a profession that has to be recognised and it is starting to gain this recognition in the region.”