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Project Management for the 21st Century What is a project ?

A project is an organized method for reaching specific goals within a target schedule and specified budget. Project management methodology provides organizations with powerful tools that improve its ability to plan, implement, and control its activities. Use of project Management as a means of achieving organizations objectives, grew rapidly during the past several decades. What organizations achieve using project management methodology today would demand greater efforts and time if they are to be achieved in traditional ways. Evolution of Project Management Projects have been carried out since the beginning of the civilization. But only in the last 50/30 years the term has become widely used. Till mid 90s PM was seen as a methodology that might be nice to have, but not one that was mandatory for the competitiveness of the organization. Project Management Today Today the business landscape is fast-paced and competitive, and product life cycles are shorter. Product development and launch times are also shortening. The demand for rapid change and innovation is increasing. Therefore the traditional structures must be replaced by organic project management structures. Today the nature of work in organizations demands use of multidisciplinary teams which are capable of handling dynamic and complex problems. Project management methodology is adaptable to such complex situations. Routine work can be automated. Firms need project management systems for internal improvements or to serve customers that creates new value. Therefore, there is a demand for all organizations achieve some degree of excellence in Project Management.

Scalable Methodology The traditional PM was restricted to only construction and military projects but now all sectors consider it as indispensable for their sustainable growth. Today the methodology is being applied in such diverse industries and organizations as pharmaceutical, chemical, banking, insurance, real estate, entertainment, healthcare and hospitals, marketing, and state. For examples; business activities such as a hospital providing a corporate healthcare solution to a corporate client, a bank servicing a request for a corporate loan, an insurance company providing corporate insurance solution, a manufacturing company developing and launching a new product are undertaken as projects. They are initiated, planned, implemented and monitored using project management tools and techniques. A project manger is assigned to manage such tasks. Demand to become a project driven organization Almost all companies in the developed world use projects as the preferred way of accomplishing almost everything they undertake. They emphasize on multiple projects. They share resources across projects by managing them as programs. These organizations now use project management methodology as a means of implementing strategy. They have a separate management systems in place to facilitate project management. Such organizations are known as project based organizations. Some of the leading companies which are considered to have achieved excellence in

project management are; 3M, Compaq, Ericsson, General Electric, General motors, Hewlett- Packard, Motorola, and Xerox. Project Management Skills and Career Advancement Today Project management skills are mandatory for any profession, discipline or field. May it be, Marketing, HRM, Finance, IT, Manufacturing, Services or Government, we are undertaking more and more projects. Our career advancement and National development greatly depends on how successfully we complete these projects

Duminda Weeraratne MBA (Sri J), PMP Project Management Consultant Project Management Solutions (Pvt) ltd

Project Management Solutions, The Leader in Project Management Training


Project Management Solutions (PMS), established in 2006, a global registered education provider with Project Management Institute (PMI) USA, currently offers six training programs on project management with the view of enhancing Project Management capability of Sri Lankans. The philosophy of the company is to Making Project Management Indispensable in Nation Building.

According to Mr Duminda Weeraratne, Director Training of PMS, Project Management is the fastest growing profession in the world today. Project Management tools and techniques help us to optimize resource utilization and to do things faster, with greater degree of flexibility. These skills are mandatory for any profession, discipline or field. May it be, Marketing, HRM, Finance, IT, Manufacturing, Services or Government, most of the things we undertake in these fields are projects. Career advancement and National development greatly depends on how successfully we complete these projects. The PMSs primary responsibility is to ensure that its graduates are capable of handling projects effectively and efficiently when they get back to their work places. Project Management Institute (PMI) USA is the global association for the project management profession. It has over half a million members and credential holders over 170 countries. Project Management Solutions has been reviewed and approved as a provider of project management training by the PMI. All the Project Management Training programs conducted by PMS are approved by PMI USA. The participants of these programs range from school leavers to senior executives of Blue Chip companies and Multinationals. The PMS students records the highest passing rate at PMI certification exams. PMS prepare students for two global certifications; Project Management Professional (PMP) and Certified Associate in project management (CAPM) which are administered by PMI USA. Advanced Strategic Project Management is an advanced level program for those who have completed above certifications. Foundation in Project Management is for school leavers and those awaiting A/L results. This is the first such program in Sri Lanka which aims to create young project managers who will be capable of managing small projects independently. Diploma in Project Management is a long term program meant for people with experience or a foundation qualification. Those who complete the Diploma, earn required contact training requirement to proceed to CAPM or PMP certifications. The participants of above programs at PMS are awarded with a globally recognized certificate endorsed by Project Management Institute USA. Since most of us are going to be migrant workers we need globally recognized certifications to compete effectively in the international job market. The faculty of the PMS consists of Certified Project Management Professionals with Masters Qualifications. They count over 20 years of experience in National and International project management. More details about PMS can be obtained form www.pms.lk

recently introduced two new learning solutions with the view of expanding project management knowledge and skills of our youth and professionals. The first one, CAPM(Certified associate in project management) is a fundamental level certification offered by project management institute USA. This is the worlds most recognized fundamental level PM certification available for youth and young professionals.

The second learning solution, Advanced strategic project management is a advanced level, 21 hour, PMI approved training program aims to impart knowledge and skills required to manage projects at strategic level. This program is targeted at graduates, PMP certificants, Diploma or Certificate holders in project management, and experienced project managers. The program discusses some important topics related to advanced project management; portfolio management, program management, opm3, project management office, project management methodologies, etc. Both the programs are conducted by Duminda Weeraratne, a leading Project Management trainer in Sri Lanka. For more details; Contact Malintha at 0602186017 or visit www.pms.lk

Project Management Solutions has been reviewed and approved as a provider of Project Management training by the PMI. As a PMI Registered Education Provider, PMS has agreed to abide by PMI established quality assurance criteria.

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