PMI Community POST  

International Project Management Day — A constellation of events marked a special day on 3 November.

International Project Management Day was officially proclaimed for 3 November 2005 by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg following a petition by the International Institute for Learning (IIL). Intended as a day of recognition for the accomplishments of project managers and their teams, the idea evolved from a list of suggestions to recognize project managers locally into a global event. The day was spent celebrating and recognizing the work of project managers with both formal and informal events in New York City and across the globe that were inspired and organized by volunteers.

The PMI New York City Chapter (PMINYC) hosted events at the prestigious Ritz-Carlton Central Park Hotel. PMI COO Mark Langley spoke about the state of project management and the excitement surrounding its growth over the last 10 years, while participants enjoyed refreshments sponsored by PMI. Related events took place around the world as well as chapters from Europe, Russia and North America presented radio programs, conferences, receptions and Webinars discussing and celebrating the project management profession and its accomplished practitioners.

Lori Milhaven, IIL executive vice president, led the program at the Ritz Carlton. Frank P. Saladis, PMP, PMINYC president, shared his experiences bringing this special project to fruition and recognized the work of project managers and volunteers. Mr. Langley discussed the introduction of project management and its growing importance and application in organizations. He shared statistics on the growth of project management and how PMI is positioned to support individuals and organizations in their adoption of project management based on increased global collaboration. Janet Burns, director of the project management office at MTV, shared valuable insight on implementing project management in organizations and translating its value in terms that all in an organization can embrace.

More than 700 people, principally project managers, participated in a Webinar produced and sponsored by IIL to celebrate and emphasize the value of project management internationally and discuss how project managers make a difference. Many more expressed interest in the event and will access the archived version. Presenters included PMI Board member Karen Tate, PMP, and Ron Kempf, PMP, director of project management competency and certification, HP Services. Participant feedback was extraordinarily enthusiastic. Judy Umlas, IIL executive director, said, “People came away from the Webinar proud to be in project management and excited about the future.”

Mr. Saladis and IIL President and CEO E. LaVerne Johnson were instrumental in developing the event. Mr. Saladis estimated that many thousands of individuals were touched by International Project Management Day and a few hundred organizations got involved in ways large and small. Companies and organizations recognized project managers formally through internal events and informally at coffee breaks and through notes of thanks. “Literally thousands of people and teams from around the world decided to do something to recognize project managers," he said. "All work was done on a volunteer basis and through word of mouth. As a result of the event, we saw project management become more prominent in the business world.”

The PMINYC Web site states that the goal of the day was “worldwide recognition of the many project managers and project teams in every industry, including nonprofit organizations and healthcare, who contribute their time, energy, creativity, innovation and countless hours to deliver products, services and facilities, and provide emergency and disaster recovery services in every city and community around the world.” International Project Management Day was an extraordinary way to celebrate the work of project managers and could become a blueprint for future celebrations.