By 2022, India will need 20,000 certified project managers at level C. Given the time constrain, there is an urgent need to incoporate project management as a part of the core curriculum in MBA and engineering colleges, says ADESH JAIN
India produces thousands of doctors, engineers, lawyers and management graduates every year that feed into different streams of the economy. However, when it comes to certified and qualified project managers, the country draws a blank. Why this callous attitude towards a segment that defines the way our projects — big and small — are planned and implementedIJ
India remains a country with a low success rate when it comes to project management. There are some great success stories, no doubt, but in generic terms, we need to create a project mindset to ensure excellence as a part of our culture. Be it public or private sector, we depend upon a trading mindset — keeping a short term horizon in view by implementing parts without defining the whole in terms of risk assessment and managing uncertainties.
Then to top it, we tout our famous jugaad skills that come in handy when traditional planning fails. Jugaad is an innovative way of finding a temporary solution to a problem but not solving a problem with permanency in mind. This will always create chaos later.
It is pertinent to ask that if we need professional qualifications and competencies for every professional why don’t we realise that project managers also need professional qualificationsIJ It is not good enough to identify a domain expert, give them a laptop loaded with MS Project and expect excellent results. Over and above technical knowledge, the soft dimension of managing teams is increasingly becoming the centrestage in managing projects.
Unfortunately, professionals at all levels are seldom exposed to formal project management. They lack the skills and competence to manage uncertainties, generally set unrealistic deadlines and fail to plan in detail. This leads to crisis management instead of a planned management of the project. They do not plan to fail but fail to plan.
It is time we wake up to the need for creating qualified project professionals who will in turn instill the much-needed project mindset in every sphere. The exam-based certification euphoria must be under played. It is the competency assessment with the emphasis on behavioural component that holds the master key.
Project leaders should feel free to take decisions rather than being forced to play safe in every decision they take. No one can take risk free decisions. Projects are for the future. How can we be certain about the future — it is impossible. The job as a project leader is to involve project teams and stakeholders to improve the probability of success and minimise the probability of failure. Playing safe and making sure that nothing, no adverse comments can ever be passed on to decision makers, will destroy the courage to move forward. However, the process of taking decisions should be scientific, rational and based on lessons learned.
No project can ever fructify to achieve excellence, until we have trust amongst all the players. Contractors, clients and consultants must work together to achieve the targets. In 1999 coined the term IC3 was coined — Integrate customer, Consultant and Contractor for success.
International Project Management Association (IPMA) is the world’s leading body that provides a four level competence-based certification to project professionals, starting from level D to level A, the highest level through its member bodies across the globe. The standard of these certifications has the same standing across all the continents therefore providing homogeneity. It is estimated that we have 50,000 certified project professionals in India, most of whom have been certified based on passing an exam. This is a good first step but we need to move up.
For example, after getting a driving license unless we apply the knowledge of driving we will never develop the confidence to be a competent driver in busy roads and highways. Having an exam-based certification must get transformed to competence assessment in managing projects.
Here, India lags dismally from global benchmark leading to problems and issues. We just have 114 certified project managers (level C), 17 certified senior project managers (level B) and 12 certified project directors (level A).
Today, China has maximum number of competency-based qualified project professionals globally with 18,368 IPMA level C certified persons, against our 114. In 2001 they were behind India in IPMA certification statistics. Today, they have emerged as the winner. It is this determination which has made China excel in managing projects and programmes.
India has the potential of becoming a force to reckon with. If we provide competency development to our hard working and brilliant project professionals they will do wonders. According to an estimate, for India to become a success story that can nurture superpower dreams by 2022 we need at least 200 certified projects directors (level A), at least 2,000 certified senior project managers (level B) and at least 20,000 certified project managers (level C). This is a tremendous challenge and need every stakeholder, be it the Government, ordinary citizens, corporations, contractors and financiers in creating a project orinted India.
In the present scenario most of our projects — big or small, are ill-implemented due to lack of detailed planning and little attention to minimising uncertainties, resulting in tremendous cost overruns and repeated failures in meeting deadlines. In today’s scenario of an unprecedented rate of change, managing uncertainties proactively is crucial for project success. Minimising uncertainties before there is a crisis is the most significant aspect for a project to be successful. We should be realistic in estimating our time and cost elements.
Given limited resources, and with costs, time, scope and quality being ever-changing realities in an era of globalisation and e-technology, a management degree is not enough to helm projects. We need specialised skills. Behavioural and contextual sills are essential to lead and motivate team members.
Given the requirements of the time, project management must become part of the core curriculum in MBA and engineering colleges. We also believe that we should have a BS and an MS degree in project management as is common in other countries. This will go a long way in ensuring that our future as a country is not hampered by the lack of skilled project professionals.
(The writer is honorary national president of Project Management Associates, India)