Emergence of Project Managers

Project Management through time

“Project management is the application of processes, methods, skills, knowledge and experience to achieve specific project objectives according to the project acceptance criteria within agreed parameters.” (APM, 2019). To the best of our knowledge, project management has been around since people have. This is evident through the many marvels of the ancient edifecs like the Pyramids of Egypt and the Great Wall of China. These structures consist of elaborate blueprints, utilization of the labour force, effective time management, and economical resource allocation for the successful construction. However, the concept of ‘project management’ only came into popularity by the 20th century. In light of this, Henry Gantt and Henri Fayol - the forefathers of modern project management came up with instruments and techniques to make managing easier. Some of the popular tools include the Gantt chart, Scrum, the publication of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), SaaS - and in the age of smartphones, mobile apps now make project management easier to handle.

Pivotal Role of Project Managers

With the surge of opportunities in the development sector, project managers hold a key role in regards to the planning, implementing and finalizing the activities of a specific project. A lot of people might assume that being a project manager is easy, but on the contrary they need to have a wide scope of essential skills that include having a good grasp of the business as well as people management skills.

According to Project Management Institute, there’s a high demand for practitioners that have a combination of technical and leadership skills, strategic and business management - also known as the PMI Talent Triangle.

In terms of the process, A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) dictates that best practices involve a very specific series of process groups that should be performed.

These include:

Initiating - to set a clear vision to be accomplished;

Planning - to establish the total scope with greater detail;

Executing - to simply do the work;

Monitoring and Controlling - the “processes required to track, review and regulate the progress and performance of the project; identify any areas in which changes to the plan are required; and initiate the corresponding changes” (PMBOK® Guide);

and Closing.

These essential groups may not be easy to implement, but doing so the projects with ease and efficacy.

Enhancing Project Management Skills
Now knowing what goes into the work of the project manager, there are various ways that project managers can better themselves and hone their skills to ensure the success of the project. Many core institutions like the Project Management Academy, Association for Project Management and the Project Management Institute offers a comprehensivengo management course, and Project Management Professional certification to improve the overall performance and knowledge.

Bright opportunities up ahead

Today, organizations especially NGOs recognize the importance and appeal of having competent workers whether the project is big, small, regional or global. With the rise of bigger and more complex projects that project managers will face.The course of project management will undoubtedly change and progress. According to the Project Management Job Growth and Talent Gap 2017–2027, a report conducted for PMI by the Anderson Economic Group (AEG); there would be newly created positions in project management-oriented industries each year. The project-related job growth is expected to be 33 percent collectively in the following countries: China, India, United States, Brazil, Japan, United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Canada, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Looking ahead, there is a significant demand for project talent, especially in rapidly developing economies such as China and India. According to the report, “India will require 70 lakh new project managers in next 10 years. India will emerge as the fastest growing country in the world for project management-oriented employment,"With this projection of project management-oriented industries it is undeniable that there will be a sudden surge of funds for ngo in India and China for the following years.

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