Future 50
A New Generation of Leaders Has Arrived

For improving government transparency in Brazil

Government isn’t exactly known for its bleeding-edge innovation. Tiago Chaves Oliveira is out to help change that in Brazil. As the project management officer responsible for monitoring and evaluating government audits, he’s sowing an inventive mindset across state-run teams. 

“Considering the complexity of today, creativity makes it possible to propose solutions to achieve institutional objectives,” he says.

His strategy? Nudge teams out of their comfort zone to bring government closer to its people. Since joining the government in 2010, he has used this user-driven perspective to fuel his work on initiatives to improve public management, combat corruption and increase government transparency. “By focusing on the experience of their people, governments must redesign the provision of public services,” he says. 

Oliveira’s efforts go beyond the traditional bureaucracy. As director of special projects for his local PMI chapter, Oliveira has a direct pipeline to next-gen work innovations. And as a teacher at National School of Public Administration, he’s training tomorrow’s government leaders to go all in on new ideas.

 

Q&A: Tiago Chaves Oliveira on creativity, complexity and Leonardo da Vinci

What project most influenced you personally?

For sure, my wedding. I got married at 25 and planned everything in the smallest details. As a result, I now have a beautiful family, with two beautiful children.

What’s the most influential project you've worked on?

It was the development of a project management approach for public projects in Brazil. This was very relevant on two levels: It helped other project managers to improve the way they plan. And it opened several doors and opportunities for me.

How are young people changing the world of projects?

Young leaders adapt their way of managing to guarantee project success, such as knowing when to use waterfall, agile or hybrid.

What’s the one must-have skill to succeed in The Project Economy?

Creativity. Considering the complexity of today, creativity makes it possible to propose solutions to achieve institutional objectives. In the future, the ability to analyze data will be the great differentiator. Consuming more data from a variety of sources will increase the ability to make better decisions.

What’s one way managing projects will have changed by 2030?

We’ll have to develop new ways of managing complexity.

What famous or historic person would you want on your project team?

Leonardo da Vinci. I consider him one of the most creative people in the world.