"PMI CEO Gregory Balestrero Gave Keynote Speech at European Commission Conference

On 2 October, the European Commission Directorate General of Informatics (DIGIT) held its annual conference in Brussels on the e-commission project, entitled Making e-Commission Projects Succeed. PMI CEO Gregory Balestrero delivered the keynote speech, Enhancing the Efficiency of EU Programmes: The Contribution of Project Management.

Mr Balestrero explained how project management methodologies can help IT projects to succeed in delivering successful e-government services for public administrations.


PMI CEO Gregory BalestreroPMI’s invitation to the conference was an honour, since the speaker slots are usually reserved for internal speakers from the member states and the institutions of the European Union. Since his presentation slot followed the Vice-President of the European Commission, Mr Balestrero was able to set the scene for the event.

Chaired by the Director General of DIGIT, Francisco Garcia Moran, the conference was launched by the vice-president of the European Commission, Siim Kallas. The conference hosted, as speakers, representatives of international organizations, including PMI and managers of national e-government projects from the member states of the European Union.

The conference gathered more than 200 senior managers from the European Commission and other EU institutions."

Source: PMI E-link October.

I wonder why people choose to spread false information in the name of marketing You told us that PMI is not known outside USA? na wa O. Do you know that most of PMI Awards 2007 went to European projects? Please, please, stop. I would not want to be involved in contest for institutional superiority because I am almost sure you know the truth.

If you dont desist, then know that you are advertising your ignorance. No hard feelings please.

@apokonwa, I sent you a mail.

Cheers all.

oh dear Kashif,

I was not expecting you to result to abuses or insults because your opinion differs from mine. Infact, I read your last entry with alot of shock, slight amusement and wonder. I thought we were all professionals and can have arguments or different opinions and still give the rest of the readers an enriched intellectual experience.

If anyone is offended by my opinions, then I am sorry. My comments are not just a propaganda to highlight the upcoming training in Lagos in November, which by the way is not just project management, but it includes Six Sigma ( www.utmostconsulting.com).

I will not doubt your extras from a website, highlighting some awards recognition, but I am sure I can find another 1,000 extras from the web, showing the profile of Prince 2 or the other.

By the way, I am also PMI certified and from my experience in EUROPE and UK only, I know which ones companies ask for, and puts money in my wallet every month.

Kashif, I don't doubt your opinion, they just differ from mine. THERE IS NO NEED FOR THE HOSTILITY, INAPPROPRIATE COMMENTS OR RUDENESS, we are all professionals here.

I am sure enjoying my banter, I hope the rest of the readers are also doing so. Back to project management, anyone else has any questions. I will be happy to help!

I missed out something, Kashif, I did not say PMI is not recognised outside the US, I said " it is not widely recognised outside the US". They are very two separate meanings.

I can explain with a simpler analogy. In the US, the only accepted entry to universities is SAT, it is a known standard, because of the many number of universities in the US and their profiles on the world league table. The the UK, it is A'Levels, This does not mean that a minority of universities will not accept SAT results, but A'Levels is the supreme. In the rest of Europe ( 'cos of the European union), A' levels also rules. Some will always accept SAT, there is no doubt about that.

Back to PMi and PRINCE 2, they aim to achieve the same objectives, in terms of Project management, but there are just two separate methodology, e.g Darwin's evolution vs all the religious creationism, ALL OF THEM NA THE SAME. HUMAN LIFE BEGAN SOMEWHERE.

Dear readers, Kashif and I seem be taking the floor on this subject, lets have some more inputs!!!!!!!!!!!

@kashif,
Pls, pls & pls, i am still waiting for the prince2 material.
pls can u send it to me. I have waited so long.
my email is udokasy@yahoo.com
Thanks.

Those anyone in the house deploy eproject PPM6 in there organisation?

Dear All,

this is a professional forum and i guess the best approach to discussion is to have a robust mind.  i know somebody who did his PMP recently infact i was like a mentor to the guy. he works in shell and guess what i once asked him how he is planning to earning his PDUs. he said he is even trying to get IPMA. certification because shell said they recognised IPMA. now IPMA is a dutch project managemnt association and shell is a dutch company. this is the situation. a US company will definately go for a PMP and a UK company will go for Prince 2. and the truth is that EUROPE tends to tilt towards UK certification. now what do we do.


I think to be a global player in this profession you need both. i am of the strong opinion that a global PM should have both. i am getting my prince 2 this year by his grace. and not only that i am seeing the profession hearding towards a specialist thing. ie we may start having telecom PM, IT pm, Construction PM. OD. PM etc. as such what i recomend is to get a core subject area expertise and you becoming a known PM on that field. eg you can decide to be an ERP- Project manager that means you need to get SAP, and Oracle certification. or you might decide to be a construction PM then you need to belong to such bodies like COREN, AACE etc. or may be an Investment PM then you need to have your ACCA, ACA or CFA. or an IT PM then you need such stuffs like MSCE, CCNP CCIE etc.

secondly as you chose your subject area matter you need to also get the work experience in your chosen field not just certification this call for sacrifeces. the truth for you to excel you need a lot of hard work. your drive at the earliest stage of once career should not be money but carving a niche for yourself in your chosen field.

so conclusively if you ask me i will say get both PMI and prince 2. and never you forget to get your Application knowledge area certification or industry certification.

modus,
send me an email on this six sigma stuff the various belt. i have being looking for how to get these certification ( my email ezeuloho@yahoo.com) since my PMP.




thanks

Well said. I rest my case.

as per the six sigma, I am not an expert in this area, I only have the basic, because my background is manufacturing engineering; but my parter will be in Nigeria next week, a black belt holder, and if you complete the registration form, with your contact details, I will ask her to get in contact and give you all the downlow.

it is basically a process improvement approach to delivering business value, I believe it originated from manufacturing, unlike PRINCE 2 or PMI, which are from IT based projects/Industry. There are 3 levels, Yellow, Green and Black Belt, in this order. Our training, will train to Green Belt certification. I must say, the 5 days are intensive, I mean; we would require attendees to put in at least 20-30hrs extra reading time, outside the 5 days. All the training resources, including text book, software, templates and workbook will be available in advance of the training, upon registration.


Unfortunately, there are no up-to-date manuals or materials on the web. It is always down to the training companies. I guess the other reason why it is not readily available is 'cos most black belt holders are strategic decision makers, at very senior levels, usually a job below board seats.

I will get her the black belt consultant to call, it requires a conversation. In the meantime, look at the website for a quick explanation of what it details - www.utmostconsulting.com

The latest opinions shared so far are indeed welcome. It is more soothing to hear more objective analysis from Modu. I guess there was communication gap earlier. My apologies to anybody that might have felt offended. Truely, there is a regional bias towards the more acceptable/recognised methodology.

In my opinion, a seasoned PM does not need to be a SME. He should seek expert knowledge using the various techniques available. Being a SME PM is very cool but it is more advantageous if you are able to manage projects outside your domain. Can you imagine the beauty of taking up a massive telecommunication project after you have SUCCESSFULLY completed a nationwide process feasibility/acceptability project worth millions of naira? PM's are not trained to man a mono industry projects but, to adapt their PM skills to any form of project. PM is not a one-size-fits-all thing. A nurse who receives proper training in PM should be able to handle construction projects. It involves wide consultation so, I beg to disagree that a certified PM should be known only in his field. Many projects fail because of many things.

I quiet agree with the idea that more recognition follows certification in both PMI and Prince2.

On 6 sigma, it is very good and my little understanding tells me it will go well with SAP and PM. It involves a lot of statistics and precision. Just like Modu said, it is yellow belt, green belt, black belt, master blackbelt, champion, etc. Rigorous.

I have enjoyed you guys' contributions so far. Please keep it flowing. Cheers all

I am with Kashif on this one.

You don't necessary need to specialise as a project manager in any industry or field. In my experience, I have been a PM in manufacturing, telco, communications, media, even government. delivering websites, corporate responsibility strategy, implementing production improvements, quality systems, new processes, new IT systems, moving offices etc.

But on the other hand, I work in a developed society, maybe in developing countries like Nigeria, employers will be more biased to PM that are specialist in a particular industry. It makes no difference to the work itself anyway, if you are a fast learner and you have a solid understanding of what your role is " Implementing the process to delivering the product or end result".

PMs are not suppose to be doing the work itself, they should be managing the wholistic process of getting the job done.

On the subject of having both qualifications, PMI & PRINCE 2; I am still not convinced on the value.

@ Modu,
please give me the full financial estimate of your Course, I am so interested,
I was to start a CAPM course, but i think i'll pass for this.
After completion of your intensive course and hours of self reading can I write the PRINCE2 exams?

Hi Mystikal,

I have sent you an email with the cost details from a separate email.

I will advise anyone interested to complete the online registration form
(www.utmostconsulting.com) and you will receive an auto response with cost, venue and the contact details of our Nigerian partner running the registration.

We are considering running a CV building session, as an add on, due to popular demand, but nothing is set in stone yet. We have had some good interest from senior managers in construction and the banking industry, so it might be a good chance to network.

it will be great to put faces to some of the names in this forum, Have a good week everyone.

8 weeks to xmas!!!

hi kashif, ulohomuno, modu
i just graduated from uni with discintiction elect engr. and am interseted in pm. i want to do a masters fisrt in telco. then get a certification in pm afterward
i still want to major in eng but from a pm view. what do u guys think. how best shud i go about it

hi Shawl,

Well done on your achievements - it is not easy to get a distinction in Engineering. I am not sure what you mean by a masters in Tel co - telecoms engineering? Don't you think that is too restrictive, in terms of your engineering specialisation. Also, you need to think about what your long term ambitions are. Do you want to remain an engineer or aspire for a managerial role, maybe in an engineering/related company? Being a PM is not restricted to engineering at all. You can be a PM, applying your skills in all other areas, food manufacturing, brand,marketing , sales, corporate responsibility, NO, government etc.

Here is what I will advise, for your first job, 2-3 yrs after graduation, if you can get a job in engineering, go for it. Also get involve in project management, which takes you to managerial role, but in the long term, if the opportunity arises for you to go into other areas, even HR, then go for it.

Let me give you an example, the current MD of Mobil Nigeria - Mr Olu Onakoya is a chemical engineering graduate from Leeds university, then he went to work for Mobil, straight after graduation, he spent all his years, working across different departments, Head of HR, maintenance, production etc and I am certain that because of the broad skills acquired working in different areas, he went off to head Mobil Ghana, Zimbabwe and now Nigeria.

Take me for example, not a prestigious as the example above, I am a manufacturing engineering and left school to work for food manufacturing company, delivering quality management systems, I have since worked in consulting, delivering strategies, through to government, delivering IT projects, in Tel co, delivering varying projects from websites, IT projects, corporate responsibility strategies, content policies and frameworks.

I guess what I am saying is that you can become a PM in engineering, but there is alot more you can do outside engineering with your PM skills and analytical skills from being an engineering.

I hope this is useful. Good luck.

Well said.

thanks for replying. my long term goal is somewhat like the mobil guy u talked about. i am contemplating a masters in signal processing and communications. i want to go into ICT. start as an engineer actually implementing and managing projects rising through the ranks to the very top. like i said i also love project management. am thinking on getting certifications in PM as i gather experience on the job rather than actually doing project or engineering management for a masters. in other words i would love to specialize in the two. ultimately my long term goal would be the managerial role. doont know if u understand me. and i dint say the same thing over again. i pretty get ur advice please i would like to hear again want you think thank u

This has been deleted

A leading project management training institute is organising a series of FREE project management seminars from November for 500 participants only. All participants must have had experience working on projects for their organisations. Working in the operations department of your organisation is a plus.

Participants stand the a chance to win a scholarship and discounts on the Project Management Training required to become a PMP (Project Management Professional) or CAPM (Certified Assistant Project Manager).

Each seminar has a maximum of 50 participants for a total of 10 classes. Only one of these classes (50 participants) would be open to nairalanders and i suppose it is scheduled for Saturday,24th of November 2007.

Prospective participants would be screened as this seminar is not for everyone. Send an email to knzguru@yahoo.com for more details

You may also view this topic post
https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-89007.0.html#msg1677967

i am highly impressed by you contribution to the thread,Modu. I will also like to share my experience. I am a project/facility manager with about 3years experience.My strategy to attain top management position is to obtain a PMI and a MBA even though i have an engineering background.i think that blend will give the neccessary experince, professional certification and paper qualification to get to the top in project management.what do you think?

hey Kashif,
i just got into the project management gig, and i'm soooo intrested, i have downloaded lots of prince 2 materials online, and taken some form of formal training. i'm looking to take the foundation exam asap, heard one can do that at the brittish council, how? plus i'd realllllllllly appreciate a copy of the prince2 manual, or like to know how i can get one and the PMBOK also, how can one pay for that, pls hola back man. 1

those who say they ready for prince2 might wanna take a look at some of the prep questions online, here's a link to one attached

hello,

i am really impressed with what everyone in this forum is doing or have done. but i do need your help, can somebody please send me any material on prince 2 please. i am preparing for the foundation exam and i will really appreciate if someone can be helpful. thank you.

adebesinolaide@yahoo.co.uk

laide

gypsy,

I have not been on the net for some time hence, the delayed response.

I don't really know much about PRINCE2 so, I might not be able to advise you. There are folks on the forum who should be able to advise you. You did not drop your email address

my email addy's ceo_atbaysolutions@yahoo.com or powergypsy@hotmail.com. pls i'd appreciate any resource u've got. thanx man

Hey people,

I have been away too long and missed this very intellectually, stimulating and interesting forum. Thanks adelinks. You are definately in the right direction.

Just to let you know that our recent PM & Six Sigma training in Nov. went really well. We are also fully booked for January. We have had alot of people on the course say alot of people are still not aware of the benefits of these training and many mentioned that a 3weekend course will probably work best 'cos people find it difficult to take time off work during the week. Some people also mentioned reducing the cost. Anyways, all points have be duly taken into consideration. To action one of the suggestions, my colleague (Six sigma expert) will be running an awareness/information session in the new year. If you are interested, please register your interest at enquiries@utmostconsulting.com. We may make available some training materials for sale on that day, just to get you all started on taking the PRINCE 2 exams.

In the meantime, the next training will now be in Feb or March '08. Also I will be updating our website(www.utmostconsulting.com) with some free training materials, to get you all going.

I met with someone form this forum online a while ago, he is studying in the UK and we went through alot of things he can do to get himself ready for the Uk and Europe job market next year. So guys, let me know if you have any questions. lets keep the discussion in this forum going.

Anyone know what is happening in the corporate social responsibility market in Nigeria? I am interested in getting my teeth into one of these projects. I am not necessarily looking to be paid. I want to either observe or offer free consulting expertise. Guy, I no be fake oh!, I just believe in giving back to the community.

Adelinks,

On the PMI & MBA question. Funny enough I went to IMD - switzerland to attend a friend's MBA graduation on friday and I found it very inspirational. One thing I will advise you is that make sure you go to a top school if you can afford it, make sure you have at least 6-7yrs experience, 'cos MBA mean many things to many people and you will meet people, with a wealth of experience, accomplished in their fields and to stand up to them, you need to be very good at what you do, which comes with experience. This is my personal view, of 'cos you have people with 2-3yrs experience in MBA schools and doing well.

Professional qualifications are good. PRINCE 2 or/and PMI.

Another good thing is to make sure you work on is varying projects. Don't just stick to one sector/type. You can work on HR projects, procurement, contructions etc. all in the same company.

@kashif

U are the bomb, always to the rescue.
Really, looking at going for the PMP certification training and for starters, I would also appreciate a copy of the manual.
U could send it to iyke_amadi at yahoo dot com.

Resident in Lagos, where can I get good training on the certification course at average costs.

Thanks in anticipation for saving a soul.

How can I get good training to equip me for PMP certification in Port harcourt? It seems everything is happening in Lagos. Nobody has plans for developing folks in the Niger Delta?

Dear All,

I just want to steer the discussion to some meaningful and helpful practicall project management tips.

In one of my ( free-to-read) publishe article in ESI Horizons Newsletter, i did share some of my practical knowledge on how to manage the ptoject triple constraints with your WBS.

The WBS is the most popular project management acronyms and it is a tool that weave together every other aspect of project management. in that article i did explain how to create an effective WBS which is the successful foundation to managing your project triple constraint, I went further to explain how to manage the triple constraint with the WBS.

http://www.esi-intl.com/public/library/html/200703HorizonsArticle1.asp

it is in pdf format. and was published in there March 2007 edition of there newsletter.

i do hope we enjoy reading it and share more light on it ( ie the topic; managing your project triple constraint)

thx.

I work for a company that is organising 8 events of PRINCE 2 in Nigeria in 2008, 4 at Lagos sites and 4 at Port harcourt.

If you are interested contact: info@professionalcomputercollege.co.uk

@ulohomuno,

Your article is great and super-compressed. Only PMs will mostly appreciate/comprehend the message. Nice one!

Integrated Change Control is always referencing the WBS and Activity Sequencing. Keep the flag flying. I am trying to develep a write up on the link between poor activity sequencing and poor budgeting.

More greese to your elbow!

Hey Ulo & Kashif,

Very good article. But can I throw a spanner in the works here?

Is it not true that the constraints of the project: time , cost and budget must be prioritised by the project sponsor/board, in order of importance.? Sometimes, I find that prioritisation must be given to one or two these constraints, 'because the challenge of delivering all constraints can be almost impossible. This is usually with very big and complex projects. e.g. Beijing Olympics or 2010 London Olympics infrastructures. China/ UK will say that  it is important that the infrastructures are delivered on time, at the expense of cost and maybe sometimes quality (don't forget that quality, weather defined or agreed at the start, is a relative entity based on when, who and what is measured against) is not delivered to agreed specifications. They will rather have a stadium for the track games, even though it was delivered more expensive and in a lesser quality.

I find that these 3 constraints are usually best/easily best achieved in smaller projects.

Just on Kashif's comments on budget. Budget is such a loose term, that it means what it says “budget”, it will keep changing. The complexity of the projects, especially projects that have never being delivered before, makes the term "budget" very loose.

Another thought: I know PM methodologies portray a perfect/ideal work environment, but what effect does culture/work ethics have on delivering a project using PM methodology? E.g. I can deliver a project in Mobil easily, but when I try to deliver the same project in Agege Local government, it is almost impossible to deliver within the same constraints.

Urgent response needed, been reading all thru this topic.
i m a final yr student of computer sci,
seems all my colleagues are going for oracle , Cisco and i dont get fascinated by that, want to get different and determination can help me.
Please i need the scratch point of Project management,
i m leaving for Luxemburg after my exmas for IT (ATTACHMENT).
please need points on this , where do i start,
Thanks

Modu,

Good analysis. The triple constraint is treated with equal importance unless otherwise stated in the Project Charter. That is the first document that comes from the project sponsor (maybe project board as PRINCE calls it). The project objectives and goals must be set and stated; it should be a benchmark for deciding those changes you can even consider for impact. That delicate balance required to bring these constraints at par must be struck. It is very necessary to reduce distractions and scope creeping to the barest minimum. IT IS NOT MANDATORY TO ORDER A PREFERENCE WITHIN THE TRIPLE CONSTRAINT.

You see, if you do your WBS thoroughly and take all others up from there, I don't see any reason you should not be able to come up with an achievable time and cost management plan. If you miss any task then, your plan must face stormy weather. Know also that you CANNOT come up with the real project budget until after you have done your risk analysis. What this means is that you must have factored in all the known unknowns in your contingency reserve. That way, you will not have to go back to the project sponsor for additional spend. If your scope planning contains only those tasks required to complete the project and there were no marginal changes, time and cost should not be much problem.

We know that contingency reserve is calculated for two of the constraints - time and cost; and these two cannot be arrived at without a WBS! WBS comes after scope definition/planning so, my point is this - do your WBS thoroughly and others fall into shape.

On quality, I want to point out that in as much as quality could be relative, there must be set acceptance criteria. If there is none, then what are you looking out for during inspection and audit?Quality control fail if there is no yardstick!

On budget Modu, there is what we call Control Account. That sums the cost of the tasks under it. On top of the control accounts is the Project cost. If you add contingency to the project cost, you get the Project Cost Baseline. If you now add the management reserve (cost for the unknown unknowns), you arrive at the Cost Budget. Though the management reserve is part of the budget, it is not used during Earned Value calculations.

So with these, you will agree with me that "budget" is not loose and should not keep changing if you are a good PM. How many times has Nigeria's fiscal year's budget changed? You at worst get a supplementary and that is only when it has become unavoidable. In projects, there must be approval for the change that would warrant additional spend.

There is what PMI calls Enterprise Environmental Factors. You should always have it in mind when planning your project. Things like organisational politics, market environment, alliances, structures, area boys, etc, you should always factor in.

Peace to all bros. I love this thread!