| |SEPTEMBER 20169Consultants ReviewIt is envisaged that 2025, construction industry would require between 4.6 ­ 5.2 million professional which is around four times of existing available professionals and many of the fast track projects in India are suffering due to the dearth in competent and experienced project managers. One of the primary reasons for this could be the lack of institutions, which render courses on Project Management in India. As per one of the reports published in 2010 India had less than 10 universities for courses in Project Management as against more than 100 in China during the same time.As we move forward to launch the initiatives of `Make in India' it is more critical to build the project management capabilities. Project management office (PMO) professionals are the key people who can help businesses align with this vision and they have a pivotal role in ensuring business objectives are successfully met. One of the most significant problems businesses have in implementing project management initiatives is the breakdown between the corporate strategy and the project teams. It can no longer be the old saying `It will be done when it's done'. To have a successful alignment between the corporate and project team some of the key levers that can help create successful projects are: Tracking of the Key Variables The team must keep a close watch not just on milestones but also on factors that have a direct impact on the business. Other than the productivity one also must track materials costs, change orders and the contractor's progress. Trouble in any of these areas can throw a project out of control and it's important to track them on a weekly basis. Keep your stakeholders informed With MIS and data in place on regular intervals, potential trouble spots surface quickly. PMO has to bring out the issue to the attention of all their internal team and the stakeholders. The Five Focus Points While there is a continuous effort to improve the project management practices there should be a lens on the five focus points i,e, leadership focus, process focus, strategy focus, people focus and learning focus. What is required at the moment is to create a `skilled ecosystem' with partnerships between industry players, training organizations and the government to ensure mutual support and enhancement of collective benefits.So by having proper stakeholder engagement and imparting formal training on project management most of the projects in India will have a success story to say. With a diverse country like ours where there is an immense potential bringing together the technocrats and professionals, it's just a matter of time when the art of managing projects would be something that we as a country would be proud of. One of the most significant problems businesses have in implementing project management initiatives is the breakdown between the corporate strategy and the project teams
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