MODERN PROJECT MANAGEMENT has been an international profession for many years. Major corporations in various industries have been involved in developing or implementing projects in foreign cultures and locations, with international partners, customers and suppliers. Within the professional community, many international conferences, exchanges of information, joint activities and other international activities have occurred. This is especially true in Europe, where the International project Management Association (IPMA, formerly INTERNET) was founded in 1967, where over 20 national project management associations now exist, and where a World congress on project management has been held every two years for the last two decades.
only in the last few years, however, has the concept of project management as a truly “global” profession been discussed. Such issues as global cooperation among the world's project management professional associations, global standards, a global body of knowledge, and global recognition of the profession have now been formally discussed by project management leaders at major conferences in Europe, Canada, the United States, and elsewhere. It is now widely recognized that there is a “window of opportunity” to take major strides forward in this regard.
What are the major global issues facing the project management profession? What are the opportunities? What are the options? What are the potential benefits, roadblocks and strategies related to the “way forward,” as we move toward the 21st century? just as important, what are the global issues, opportunities and possibilities facing PMI?
Editor's Note: As PMI's membership has continued to expand outside of North America, more and more international and global aspects of project management are of interest to our readers. In addition, more and more companies are involved in international or multinational projects, joint ventures and business activities. PMI is beginning to address the needs of members and stakeholders in various countries around the world. Beginning with this issue, we will feature this Global Issues column, with David pells as the contributing editor. He will provide articles on global issues in the months ahead and call on colleagues and PMI leaders from around the world to contribute to this critical topic. please send David your comments and suggestions related to global issues that affect the project management profession or your job as a project management professional, care of [email protected].
Identifying the Issues. As a member of PMI's Board of Directors, I have been involved in many globalization discussions over the past three years, both here in the USA and abroad. In some cases, discussions have been narrowly focused on issues such as global standards, cooperation and meetings (for example, the Global Project Management Forums). At the same time, the number and scope of related issues continues to expand. For instance, in South Africa, where a PMI chapter has spawned a new national association, which in turn is establishing strong relations with local industry and government leaders, the profession itself is expanding in the context of the national “Reconstruction and Development Programme” (RDP), initiated by the African National Congress in 1994.
In many parts of the world, and especially in developing economies, the project management profession, major industrial organizations, and economic development are closely intertwined. Even in the United States, we are recognizing the importance and benefits of gaining greater government recognition of the project management profession, professional standards, certification and cooperation, especially in such industries as defense, aerospace, energy, construction and education. These issues may be even more important in such areas as telecommunications and information technologies, where projects have broad and significant impacts.
In the past two years, I have seen global issues fall within two broad categories: global issues facing the project management profession, and global issues facing PMI.
While most PMI leaders believe that what is good for the profession is good for PMI and vice versa, the issues faced by the PMI Board of Directors, for instance, generally fall within the context of the second category. We would hope that global issues can be raised and discussions joined that will benefit both the profession and the Institute. However, only by raising and clarifying the various issues, in the proper context, can the profession move forward on a global basis.
If the PMBOK Guide and/or PMP Certification Program is embraced by the U.S. government, then major government contractors might standardize such approaches on projects worldwide, affecting other organizations, subcontractors, and even governments.
Global Issues Facing the Profession. The issues that we have been discussing and addressing in recent years are global project management standards and certification, a global project management body of knowledge, relationships between associations/global federations, global cooperation and communication within the profession, relations of the profession with governments and industry, and professional ethics.
Global Expansion. Modern Project Management (MPM) is being embraced by more and more organizations worldwide, as the project-oriented nature of business increases and as the benefits of project management approaches and methods are recognized everywhere. This is reflected in the tremendous growth in membership in PMI, IPMA, and other professional organizations around the world. Global issues include the implementation of project management in global organizations, on more multinational projects, on projects involving multinational/multicultural teams of organizations and individuals from various nations and backgrounds. How do our current standards, bodies of knowledge, publications, activities and organizations satisfy the needs of industrial organizations and projects with such global characteristics?
Growth of Management-By-Projects. Organizations themselves are changing in nature, as more and more business is accomplished via projects. Management-By-Projects (MBP) has been discussed for years within the profession. Industries such as engineering, construction, aerospace, and defense have long been project-oriented. Now, however, we see organizations in such industries as pharmaceuticals, medicine, telecommunications, software development, systems development, energy, manufacturing, education and services organizing by projects and programs. How is the project management profession positioned to respond to the growing needs of these organizations? Is there a need for an organizational MBP certification? What about the internal communication and reporting infrastructure needs of a global organization with multiple projects in various countries?
The Global Village. The global economy is a reality. The globalization of information and communications is well under way. Global cooperation in the political and social spheres continues to increase. What does this mean to the project management profession? Perhaps the profession is more interrelated with society than any of us realize. For instance, what is the impact of PMI's cooperation and partnering with the U.S. Department of Energy or Department of Defense in Washington, D.C.? If PMI's Guide to the PMBOK and/or PMP Certification Program is embraced by the U.S. government, then such major government contractors as AT&T, Boeing, IBM, Lockheed Martin, and Motorola might standardize such approaches on projects worldwide, affecting other organizations, subcontractors, and even governments.
Global Economic Development. How can modern professional project management methods and practices be transferred to developing economics and nations, where thousands of projects will be implemented and billions of dollars invested over the coming decades? What can or should PMI and other professional societies do? How should various project management approaches or methodologies be adapted or implemented in these environments and conditions? What about education and research related to project management in developing economies? What about project finance? Should the profession be “partnering” with the World Bank and other multinational financing and development agencies? What are the related issues?
Global Issues Facing PMI. In the months ahead, PMI leaders must address a number of key issues related to globalization, both within the context of the global profession as well as within the context of PMI's internal vision, mission, objectives, opportunities and constraints.
PMI Organizational Issues. With members in over 100 countries, chapters in 13 countries, and requests to charter chapters in another 21 countries, PMI itself is already a global organization. Do we need to make structural changes in the organization, however, to better administer and service our global membership? Should PMI be organized by region, by country units, by groups of chapters or other global communities of interest? The PMI Board is currently struggling with these issues.
PMI Operational Issues. What changes or enhancements are needed by PMI to respond to our growing membership outside of North America? How can PMI better deliver products and services? How can we make better use of leading-edge and new technologies such as the World Wide Web to improve quality and efficiencies? What infrastructure changes are needed at PMI's Executive office, just to keep up with our global growth?
Globalization of PMI Standards and Certification. As PMI's Guide to the PMBOK and PMP Certification Program are embraced and adapted by more organizations around the world, issues related to terminology, translations and adaptability of concepts have been raised. More multinational and multicultural aspects and concepts need to be incorporated into future updates of the PMBOK Guide. Global issues related to qualification and administration of the PMP Certification Program need to be addressed. Many other issues are surfacing in this context.
Globalization of PMI Activities. PMI has previously co-sponsored symposia, seminars and activities in various countries, a process which will increase in 1997 with our participation in events in Canada, Finland, Russia and South Africa. Should PMI start or plan regional symposia in the Asia-Pacific region, Latin America or Europe? Should we take our regional seminars overseas? What else can or should we do to respond to the needs and requests that PMI now receives from stakeholders around the world?
PMI Relations With Other Organizations. PMI has a long history of cooperation with other professional associations around the world for the purpose of advancing and promoting the profession. How can these relationships be better structured and utilized? Should there be a global federation of project management associations, as there is in other professions? How should PMI chapters in countries where national associations exist cooperate and interact with those other organization? How should PMI cooperate, interact and relate to other educational, professional, industrial and governmental organizations?
A Way Forward. To build a truly global project management profession, multiple ways and means are necessary. Some of these have been recognized and initiated, but still need attention and progress. We might consider improving our relations with government and industry leaders on a global basis, continuing to improve our project management information, products, services and methodologies, agreeing on a common project management lexicon (terminology and concepts), establishing an initial global framework for standards and certifications, and cooperating in promoting the discipline.
The professional community can continue to establish communications among project management organizations, establish regular opportunities for meeting personally and organizationally, and mechanisms for more cooperative activities and consensus building.
One Major Step. Perhaps the most important recent step forward in globalization efforts has been the creation of Global Project Management Forums, held in New Orleans in 1995, and in Paris and Boston in 1996. The first Global Forum brought together representatives of 30 project management associations from around the world for discussions on international standards, certification, cooperation and communications. A result of that first Global Forum was the publication of The Global Status of the Project Management Profession (PMI, 1996), which included country reports submitted by professional associations around the world as well as the speeches and other results of the Forum itself. In addition, an attempt was made to form “global working groups” on selected subjects such as standards, certification and education.
The Global Forum initiative was continued in Paris in June 1996, with a Forum organized and hosted by IPMA. Approximately 25 countries were represented in discussions on standards, certification and global relations among project management associations. A third Global Forum was held at PMI ’96 in Boston this past October, with 40 countries participating. Each Forum attracts representatives from new countries that have never before been represented in globalization discussions, including nations from Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America. At the Boston Global Forum, not only were more countries represented, but the subjects of discussion expanded to include global cooperation in the areas of project management in national defense, education, and research. As a result, a Global Forum World Wide Web-based network has been established (http://synapse.net/~loday/PMForum), and an updated book, The Global Status of the Project Management Profession, is being released by PMI this month.
PMI as Global Leader. With over 25,000 members worldwide, PMI is the world's largest and most active professional project management association. As our membership, chapters and Specific Interest Groups continue to grow and expand globally, our role as global leader in the profession also continues to increase. PMI's global leadership, however, does not mean “North Americanization” of the profession. To the contrary, it means assuming a greater responsibility for the needs of our global members and stakeholders. And our stakeholders also include those national and regional project management societies that are also responding to the needs of their members and the profession in their parts of the world. Only by working together can we properly advance the profession.
Global leadership requires both global vision and global action. We must not only know where we want to go, but also take steps to get there. PMI and other professional project management associations have a leadership opportunity, and a global responsibility, to set a global direction and to lead the way forward. From my perspective, the way forward is to advance “globally” the state of the art and the state of the profession of project management. In future issues of PM Network, this column will attempt to contribute to that important process. ■