Project Management - vital ingredient in economic growth

by Lalin Fernandopulle

Project management is a billion dollar industry with enormous potential for economic growth,said Project Management Institute (PMI) Colombo Chapter President Hugo Wisidagama.

He said that project management is a globally recognised industry with vast economic benefits for countries to accelerate economic growth. Project management in Sri Lanka is in par with global standards and the industry is globally acclaimed.

Project Management Institute (PMI) Colombo Chapter President Hugo Wisidagama exchanges the partnership agreement with General Manager Corporate Planning, Mobitel, Sudarshana Geeganage. Pic: Geeth De Mel

Wisidagama was addressing a gathering to launch the Regional Project Management Conference 2012 which will be held from April 27-29 at the Cinnamon Lakeside Hotel. The National Project Management Excellence (NPME) awards will be held in August under the patronage of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Those who have excelled in project management and contributed to the economy will recognise at the ceremony.The theme of this year's conference is ‘Accelerate National Development through Best Practices of Project Management'.

Wisidagama said that the conference held for the second time in Sri Lanka will help boost professional tourism and the image of the country as a destination for conferences. The first conference was held in 2010 with a large number of participants from across Asia and the world.

“We expect the number of participants to double this year due to the interest shown by various countries on Sri Lanka.

We are keen to show the vast potential of the project management professionals of Sri Lanka and generate revenue for the country”, he said.PMI Colombo Chapter comprises over 560 members with over 700 project management professionals across the world.

Wisidagama said that PMI Sri Lanka will conduct regular regional conferences which will create a platform for greater interaction among professionals in the region.

The origin of project management in Sri Lanka is a result of an increased awareness of the importance of project management due to the vast pace and global demand of the profession.Wisidagama said that there is a misconception that project management is only for engineers, accountants, CEOs and business managers. Project management is essential for all industries to accomplish a task efficiently.PMI is a global association with over 600,000 members in over 180 countries. PMI Colombo Chapter was set up in 2004 and it is affiliated to the PMI USA.

The Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) is the strategic partner while Mobitel is the national communication partner of PMI Colombo Chapter.