PMI Africa Virtual Conference 2020, takeaways

The 5th PMI Africa Conference themed Africa in the Age of Project Economy, and attended by at least 18 local chapters progressed well virtually with notable cross industry key speakers and distinguished specialists tackling different relevant topics on projects as economic drivers.

Below are some of the takeaways from the verily successful event.

1. Power skills: Technology is only but an enabler, it's the human skills and values that make all the difference. Technology in the wrong hands can cause chaos e.g. creating a secure website and another's value driven by defacing it. In addition, build your talent triangle i.e. leadership, strategic & business management and technical skills to cope well with project business management in the Project Economy.
2. Opening key note project- Dangote Petroleum Refinery project: It's expected to meet 100% of Nigerian requirements for liquid petroleum products: gasoline, diesel, kerosene, and aviation jet fuel with enough surplus for export. Sitting on about 2600 Ha 70% of which is reclaimed from the swamp, it's billed to be the largest single train petroleum refinery in the world producing 650,000 barrels per day and one of the largest sub-sea pipeline in the world at 1100 Km, with own power plant to generate at least 500 MW. Very exciting details about the heavy machinery importation for construction, own port construction, over 10 sets of applications for the Project Management Information System. Project team in excess of 1500, peaking at about 100,000 and site accommodation of about 50,000 workers. Can you for a minute imagine being in charge of this project's delivery or even just 1% of it? A very suitable showcase for the conference.
3. Transformation compass: Acknowledge that strategy delivery is just as important as strategy design, accept that you're accountable for delivering the strategy you designed, leverage insight on customers and competitors, be bold, stay focused and keep it as simple as possible, develop robust plans but fail fast when missteps occur all the while promoting team engagement and effective cross business cooperation. Remember to celebrate success.
4. Business Agility: The world is changing very fast. Big will not beat small anymore. It will be the fast beating the slow. ~ Rupert Murdoch. A strategic Inflection point is that moment when some combination of technological innovation, market evolution and customer perception requires the company to make a radical shift or DIE. ~Andrew Grove
5. National PMO: The Rwanda PMI Chapter having looked at Government and externally funded projects delivery trend from around 1998 using Central Public Investment & External Finance Bureau (CEPEX) through to 2011 via Single Project Implementation Unit (SPIU), has recommended a National PMO dubbed N-PMO to accelerate project delivery and steer the country in being the Singapore of Africa.
6. Emotional intelligence: In order to lead and influence we've to understand the motivations that drive our reactions and try to smooth the triggers that might result in emotions. Self-awareness (confidence, authenticity), self-control (mindfulness, resilience), empathy, influence and compassion help in leading to achieving project objectives.
7. Lessons learned from shifting Waterfall corporate to Agile: Sometimes we have to slow down to speed up. The more effectively the move to Agile is managed, the more effective the organization when using Agile to deliver projects. Disciplined Agile - moving from frameworks to everything works!
8. 202020: The medium age in Africa in the year 2020 is estimated at 20 years. With the UN estimated Africa population of 1.3 billion, the role of youth in economic development cannot be underestimated. Yet, a good majority can be easily left behind. There is need to provide project management mentor-ship formal or informal to the up-coming professionals navigating the youth-quake. Your success will be visible from how you help lift others in the profession for continuity.
9. The future. Curiosity. Relationships. Look forward to the future, it belongs to those who can handle chaos; chaos if well managed may open up the horizons. Welcome unpleasant news and see if you can use it to address a potential negative risk or an opportunity that would lead to an optimal solution. Build up your curiosity, blending it with suitable professional relationships.
10. Enterprise. Execution. Excellence: the convergence of entrepreneurship and professional project management will see entrepreneurs contribute meaningfully to Africa's prosperity as espoused by The Tony Elumelu Foundation representative leader.

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