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Excitement, Dynamic Growth Reflected in Latin America Congress View a gallery of congress images. Project management practitioners from Mexico to Argentina and many other points came to share in the excitement of the growing Latin America region at PMI Global Congress 2007—Latin America.
Attendance levels continue to grow at the congress, now in its third year. At least 33 countries were represented at this year’s events, held in Cancún, Mexico. Angelo del Carpio of the Dominican Republic, echoing many attendees’ sentiments, said “I made new friends, learned new concepts and consolidated the ones I knew.” Following a short performance by the dance group Ballet Folklorica de Mexico, PMI CEO Gregory Balestrero spoke on several trends, including the pervasive sense of urgency among project managers to achieve success quickly, and the shortage of qualified and experienced project managers in the world. “In Latin America, there is great opportunity because the average age in the region is 25 years old,” Mr. Balestrero said, noting average ages of 36 in the United States and over 40 in Europe. “Professionals in the region are young, bright and motivated. This is a region with great values and character. There is a great quality of life. And a great amount of natural resources.” To illustrate the final point, he told of a very recent discovery of oil by the Brazilian company Petrobras that moved the company from 20th in world reserves to sixth. Ruben Navarrette Jr. gave the keynote speech. An author and commentator who has been named among the most influential Hispanics in the United States, Mr. Navarrette reaffirmed the potential of the region. “Latin America is exploding with enormous potential. Country borders are disappearing,” he said. Mr. Navarrette added that companies are starting to do business in other countries within the region as well as coming to the United States, partially to take advantage of $800 billion (US) spent by Hispanics. Ing. Pedro Morales Porras, PMP, of Costa Rica, reflected on the growth of the profession in his country, noting that companies advertising for project managers are more and more seeking Project Management Professional (PMP®) credential holders. “The companies are starting to see that project management is important,” Mr. Porras noted.
A very popular session focused on tools and techniques for effective consulting. Still others provided takeaways on leadership skills, providing feedback to team members, launching a project management office and discussing the benefits of project management with senior management. Many presentations were given in Spanish, some in Portuguese and some in English. In the two largest rooms, wireless headsets were provided for simultaneous interpretation of the three languages. Lunches and receptions were used to network and share best practices. These gatherings were a highlight for attendees from Mexico to Argentina who were eager to learn more about the cultural differences and professional similarities of fellow project managers in the region.
The congress’s beautiful resort setting of Cancun reinforced the pleasant and cooperative mood of the attendees. A closing session incorporated remarks in all three languages of the congress. Attendees were invited to next year’s event, which will be in São Paulo, Brazil. As with all of PMI’s global congresses, other important events took place around the main conference. The Research Program Working Session featured a panel of practitioners from Latin America discussing issues that arise when project management is introduced in small and medium enterprises. Attendees in this full session participated in an exercise outlining practical solutions for these companies, and discussed expectations and needs of organizations in the region.
A breakfast for PMI’s Registered Education Providers (R.E.P.s) attracted 40 percent of the R.E.P.s from Latin America to exchange ideas and learn about the new Program Management Professional (PgMP)SM credential from a course-development standpoint. PMI thanks Congress Project Action Team (CoPAT) members Marianela Aguerre Pereiro, PMP; Ing. Gonzalo Noya, PMP; Roberto Cadena, PMP, MCI; Marco Anrtonio Kappel Ribeiro; and Gerardo G. Sierra, C., PMP, for helping to make the event a great success. Our thanks also to event sponsors Alpha Consultoria, Cadence Management Corporation, IBM, and the International Institute for Learning, Inc. For more about the Latin America congress, view blog.iaap.com.ar, a blog written in Spanish by José D. Esterkin, director general of Instituto Argentino de Administración de Proyectos, and PMI R.E.P. |
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The educational sessions focused on practical takeaways that the attendees could use on their jobs immediately. A session on creative thinking by project teams used a simulation to teach how to brainstorm and then employ the nominal group technique to vote on and prioritize responses. 
At a Standards Program Working Session, attendees broke out into two rooms to brainstorm on future standards for PMI and help develop the Practice Standard for Project Estimation. |
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