For bridging creative disciplines with project management to develop well-rounded, future-ready professionals

Senior Lecturer in Project Management at Ravensbourne University | London, United Kingdom

When Vaibhavi Chavan first encountered project management as an elective in her undergraduate studies in 2013, she had no idea it would lead to a thriving career. But it was during her master’s degree, four years later, that the pieces came together. She realized the field allowed her to apply her skills and interests in ways she hadn’t imagined.

Now a senior lecturer in project management at Ravensbourne University in the U.K., Vaibhavi is grateful to have encountered PMI while exploring global project-management standards and best practices.

“PMI’s emphasis on structured methodologies like the PMBOK® Guide immediately resonated with my interest in applying systematic approaches to managing complex projects across industries,” Vaibhavi says.

She credits PMI for giving her access to a global network of project-management professionals and resources. The certifications she’s achieved have deepened her understanding of industry-standard methodologies. “This has strengthened my project execution across diverse sectors, from academia to research and technology,” she says.

Vaibhavi is clear that project management is the right fit for her, allowing her to bring her skills to a wide variety of projects across many industries and disciplines, such as one she did with the Alma Mater Europaea Dance Academy in Slovenia.

The project, titled “Expression of the Artist in Contemporary Media-Digital Skills in the Dance Arts of Creating & Performing” involved successfully building and delivering a project management competence framework to a diverse group of graduate and undergraduate dance students who didn’t have any sort of background in project management.

“I focused on simplifying complex project management concepts, using real-life creative projects and dance performances as case studies,” Vaibhavi explains. “Using sessions on Microsoft Teams not only helped students understand key project management tools, but also how these skills could be applied to their own creative work, making the content more relatable and practical.”

Her framework helped bridge the gap between creative and project management disciplines, which she feels contributed to students’ professional growth and success in both areas. She says they are still using the skills they learned to this day.

Vaibhavi’s ability to influence others is one of the most satisfying parts of her job.

“What I love most about being a senior lecturer in project management and a researcher is the opportunity to teach, inspire and shape the next generation of project leaders. Guiding students through practical, real-world challenges and seeing them grow in their confidence and abilities is incredibly rewarding,” Vaibhavi says.

She also enjoys feeding her own knowledge with “the continuous learning and innovation that comes with research,” she says. Not only does this improve her own skills, says Vaibhavi, but “it’s a way I can contribute to advancing the field while exploring new technologies, methodologies, and trends that can have a lasting impact on both academia and industry.”

Some projects can be challenging, especially when there are a wide variety of stakeholders to manage who have competing objectives, needs, and even regulatory bodies. But Vaibhavi is not easily daunted.

To overcome such challenges, Vaibhavi strives to create an open culture where team members feel safe to share creative ideas and challenge existing processes without hesitation. She makes time for experimentation—and thus makes room for failure—and she promotes collaboration among people on her teams, to name a few strategies.

Ultimately, she is guided by some crucial advice she received in her career journey: to “embrace adaptability.” She explains that “in both project management and research, challenges and uncertainties are inevitable.” For her, that means success comes from “staying flexible, open to new ideas, and continuously upskilling.”