MANAMA, 23 August 2007 — Project Management, a key to business growth and development across the globe, is still a naive concept in the Middle East where only 30 to 40 percent of companies are aware about the benefits of this basic business tool compared with 95 percent in the US, an expert said recently.
Syed Ali Hassan, senior consultant with Collaboration Management and Control Solutions (CMCS), believed that cost effectiveness, efficiency and productivity are directly linked to project management.
Project management, he said, is a culture and it has to be inculcated at all layers of management command in any entity to maximize the benefits of the latest approach based on a scientific approach.
Syed, who was in Bahrain as part of the GCC-wide roadshow aimed at creating awareness about the CMCS global product called Primavera, said that project management played a crucial role in growth and development in petrochemical, telecom, big corporate businesses, etc.
Dubai-based CMCS is targeting all GCC countries to enhance the base of Primavera as a basic tool for enhancing the benefits in all types of businesses from small to large entities.
“ Project management is still a new concept in this part of the world and gradually things are moving in the right direction as more and more organizations, including the public sector, are implementing the latest tools like Primavera.
Senior and mid-level management of public and private sector entities attended the roadshow in Bahrain and learned more about project portfolio and risk management techniques during a one-day interactive session.
CMCS is one of the leading providers of project, portfolio information management in the Middle East.
Syed, who conducted the roadshow in Bahrain, offered an insight into information system solutions for engineering and construction, power, energy and process, IT and telecommunications and government sectors in the Middle East.
The roadshows and interactive seminars are the best source to share the business practices with senior and mid-level executives on how to achieve project successes with key knowledge areas of project management body of knowledge (PMBOK).
PMBOK is an internationally recognized standard that provides the fundamentals of project management applicable to a wide range of projects, including construction, software, engineering, automotive, and not just IT- related projects.
CMCS, the authorized partner for Primavera in the Middle East, which follows Primavera’s global training methodology, also adopts the PMBOK standard.
Syed also shed a light on how to handle business constraints, giving a live demonstration to participants to learn about the most vital aspects of business sustainability.
“Today, project management is not just an IT problem but a part of a business process on how they plan, execute and monitor their performance. Organizations today face stiff competition and are under constant pressure to deliver quality outputs while minimizing costs and projecting profits. With Primavera’s industry specific solution, this is achievable. The participants were introduced to the latest solutions available to overcome business challenges successfully.”
Primavera is a project, portfolio and risk management tool that allows users to plan and control projects with a high degree of accuracy, keeping them on time and under budget through the capture and reuse of best practices.
It can be handled by unlimited number of users and projects; it is also perfectly suited for single-user or small group installations. In addition to the discussion, the interactive demonstrations highlighted tools and methodologies to help organizations (large and small) in addressing critical project risks to maintain constant growth.
