Project, program and portfolio managers fulfill an essential role.

A spirit of celebration marked the grand opening of PMI newest office, based in Mumbai, India.

Gregory Balestrero, PMI CEO, honored Dr. E. Sreedharan, managing director of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, for his outstanding contribution to India and to the project management profession. From left: Mr. Balestrero, Mr. Diab, Dr. Sreedharan, Mr. Kalady.

Leaders from government and industry joined PMI Chair Philip R. Diab, MBA, PMP, and PMI CEO Gregory Balestrero in New Delhi on 24 March to express PMI’s commitment to the people of India and the role of project management in helping the nation to achieve its goals.

Joy and optimism mixed with humble recognition of the important work that lies ahead to build and improve India’s infrastructure, commercial success and quality of life.

The mature practice of project management is among the most needed competencies to advance this great nation.

“Trained and credentialed project managers can help India unlock its obvious potential as they bring projects in on time and within budget, and make project management indispensable for predictable and positive business results that create value for an organization and its stakeholders,” said Mr. Balestrero. “Mature project management practices close the gap between strategy and results.”

Figures from India’s Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation showed that of 866 current government projects, 297 were behind schedule and more than Rs 24,000 crore (US$ 6 billion) will be spent additionally as a result.

“Now more than ever, we believe PMI must have a fully operational office in India given the huge infrastructure investment being made in India,” said Mr. Diab, who is from Amman, Jordan.

“We must connect with organizations in both the public and private sectors and work with them to adopt superior project management practices and utilize the experience, expertise and talent of professional project managers.”

Celebration of the new PMI India office culminated in a lamp lighting ceremony. Symbolically, darkness is replaced by light, and ignorance is replaced by the virtue of gaining knowledge.

A highlight of the ceremony occurred as Mr. Balestrero honored Dr. E. Sreedharan, who is revered as the father of project management in India.

Dr. Sreedharan, who holds a PhD, is managing director of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation. He conducted outstanding work on the Calcutta Metro, the Cochin Shipyard and the challenging Konkan Railway, which reduced by almost two-thirds the travel time between Mangalore and Mumbai.

The railway project required dealing with hundreds of contractors and 40,000 landowners yet still was completed without notable cost or time overruns.

Already known to many who attended the celebration, Raj Kalady was introduced as the managing director of the new office.

Mr. Kalady and his team will reach out across industries and organizations to advance the global principles and good practices of project management. They will improve the awareness and use of skills, tools and techniques, and will foster leadership development and certification of project practitioners.

India has the third largest PMI membership after the United States and Canada, with more than 11,000 PMI members and seven chapters. A service centre for PMI members and customers in India opened last year in New Delhi.

The new office is a milestone in PMI’s development that adds to our presence in India. Best of all, it is a means to support the practitioners and organizations that have helped propel India to greatness, and will help it achieve an even greater tomorrow.