HYDERABAD, INDIA: Project management, which is picking up momentum in all the companies, plays an important role from the start to end of a project. A responsible project manager will play a vital role in executing the project within the specified dateline with timely co-ordination with the team members. 

In Indian culture, one of the best examples of project management would be the Indian marriages, where the pundit will set a time eight months in advance and at the same time groom ties the knot without any delay with timely co-ordination with all the family members.

India needs one million PM professionals

To address the needs of project management and to create awareness about project management for every organization, PMI recently organized a three-day project management conference at Hyderabad.

In an interaction with Abhigna N G from CIOL, Raj Kalady, managing director, Project Management Institute said, Project Management provides organizations benefits both in a boom time and downturn.

In a downturn there is a pressure on resources and a skilled project manager is sensitive to the fact and is able to deliver results. In a boom time there is pressure to introduce new products and services, each of which is a project in itself.  Excerpts:

CIOL: What's the motive behind organising a project management conference in India?

Raj Kalady: In its first year, the PMI India Project Management Congress aimed at drawing  together business leaders and project managers from a broad spectrum of industries (automotive,  industrial, IT and ITES  and more).

The Congress provided end users and the PM community a forum to interact and share experiences relating to the implementation of project management as a science. It will be our annual opportunity to hear about the latest success stories in the industry, and expand the network and customer base.

Therefore, in a nutshell, project management as a management discipline is evolving constantly. The conference thus provided a platform for the practitioner to learn, network and earn important professional development units to maintain the credential.

CIOL: How do you share the importance of project management as a philosophy for strategic and operational excellence?

RK: In 2008 PMI published the results of a 3 year, USD 2.5 million research on the “Value of Project Management”. This research covered 60 organizations across industries, government and countries. The findings clearly state that:

• 95 per cent of the 60 companies reported achieving value
• Revenue Increases
• Cost Savings
• Increased Customer Retention
• Increased Customer Share
• Attainment of Strategic Objectives
• More Efficient Human Resources
• Improved Overall Management
• Improved Corporate Culture
• Improved Reputation