PMFORUM Breaking News
Breaking News in the Project Management World
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Irwin José Franco named International Correspondent for PMForum in Ecuador
Mr. Irwin José Franco, MS, PMP has been named an International Correspondent for PMForum in Ecuador. Irwin Franco is also a Project Manager at Image Tech, a leading web and multimedia solutions company based in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Irwin José Franco has a B.A. in Visual Communications from Universidad San Francisco de Quito in Quito, Ecuador, and a Masters degree in Project Management (Specialization in Information Technology) from Universidad La Salle in Madrid, Spain. Mr. Franco has been a producer of video documentaries and news programs, developer of graphics interfaces and 2D/3D animations for TV programs, and a student of animation, video production, documentary film production, sound and lighting. He has also graduated from the Management Skills Program offered by STVDIUM n Professional Foundation, and Process Design and Optimization Program by The Bottom Line Consulting Group, both in Guayaquil.
Since 2000, Irwin has been a Project Coordinator, Project Manager and Portfolio Manager with Image Tech corporation in Guayaquil, Ecuador. He has developed and managed more than 40 IT projects, including E-commerce and E-banking portals, mobile solutions, content management systems, corporate software projects and multimedia products. He has developed solutions for the telecommunications, mass media, tourism and financial sectors. Recently he has been responsible for deployment of Microsoft’s Enterprise Project Management (EPM) solution and framework, and for establishing project management best practices with Risk and Earned Value Management.
Irwin was previously a producer of multimedia products for Producrear and a Graphics Director for Moviola, both in Quito, Ecuador. For these firms, he produced and managed projects and teams related to multimedia products, animations, corporate presentations and other audio/visual productions.
Mr. Franco is an active member of the Project Management Institute (PMI®) and a member of the startup team for an Ecuador chapter of PMI. He has received his Project Management Professional (PMP®) certificate from PMI. He is also a member of the Software Ecuadorian Association (AESOFT) and of the Sectorial Commission of Software Developers for the Chamber of Commerce of Guayaquil. He provides services to PYMES and ONGs on Information Technology Implementation and Project Development, and produces weekly articles and news about project management in his personal blog at www.elcafedejoe.com in the Spanish language.
According to Wikipedia, Santiago de Guayaquil, or just Guayaquil, is the largest and the most populous city in Ecuador, as well as that nation's main port. Guayaquil is on the west margin of the Guayas River, which flows into the Gulf of Guayaquil in the Pacific Ocean. Guayaquil is about 250 km south-southwest of the capital of Ecuador, Quito.
According to the most recent census (2001), its estimated metropolitan population was 2,908,338. Guayaquil is the capital of the Ecuadorian province of Guayas and the seat of the namesake canton. The city is the center of Ecuador's fishing and manufacturing industries.
Founded on July 25, 1538, Guayaquil is currently upgrading its image. Guayaquil is primarily visited by business executives or travelers on their way to the coastal waters along the Pacific Ocean or a brief stop prior to Galapagos Islands tours and cruises. Guayaquil is in a transition mode. Traditionally a port city, Guayaquil is now focusing on upholding its nickname as "Perla del Pacifico". The city's surroundings have one of the most important tourist potentials in the nation, seen through a wide span of tourist attractions that range from historic or archeological ruins that can be appreciated in museums, to reserves or locations for fascinating ecotourism.
Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic of 13.5 million people in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, by Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean on the west. The country also includes the Galápagos Islands in the Pacific, about 965 kilometers (600 miles) west of the mainland. Ecuador straddles the equator, from which it takes its name, and has an area of 256,370 square kilometers (98,985 mi²). Its capital city is Quito; its largest city is Guayaquil. Ecuador has been an independent country since 1830.
Ecuador has three main geographic regions, plus an insular region in the Pacific Ocean:
Ecuador is one of seventeen mega-diverse countries in the world according to Conservation International. There are 1600 bird species (some 15% of the world's known bird species) in the continental area, and 38 more endemic to the Galápagos. There are also 25,000 species of plants recorded in Ecuador, along with 106 endemic reptiles, 138 endemic amphibians, and 6,000 species of butterflies. The Galápagos Islands are very well known as a region of distinct fauna, famous as the place of birth of Darwin's Theory of Evolution, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Ecuador has substantial petroleum resources and rich agricultural areas. Because the country exports primary products such as oil, bananas, flowers and shrimp, fluctuations in world market prices can have a substantial domestic impact. Industry is largely oriented to servicing the domestic market, and some exports to the Andean Common market.
In 2000, the federal government adopted the U.S. dollar as the official currency of Ecuador to address an ongoing economic crisis. The government also entered into negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), culminating in the negotiation of a stand-by arrangement with the Fund. Additional policy initiatives included efforts to reduce the government's fiscal deficit, implement structural reforms to strengthen the banking system and regain access to private capital markets. In April 2007, after winning a referendum on Constitutional reform, President Correa announced that he no longer intended to make repayments to the IMF or deal with the World Bank.
Irwin José Franco is currently working to promote the Project Management profession in his country. He lives in Guayaquil and can be contacted at irwinfranco@yahoo.es. We at PMForum want to welcome him as an International Correspondent for PMForum and PM World Today
In August 2006, PMForum announced the formation of a global network of International Correspondents to provide news and information from around the world of project management. PMF now has correspondents in over 15 countries. More information about this program and about other international correspondents can be found at http://www.pmforum.org/pm%20forum%20team/index.htm#5.
Established in 1995, www.pmforum.org was the world’s first website devoted to professional project management and continues to be one of the world’s most popular sources of project management news and information. PMForum is a company formed to operate and administer the pmforum.org website. PMForum also produces the monthly online PM World Today eJournal where articles, case studies, papers and viewpoints by leading PM authorities from around the world can be found; free subscriptions are available at www.pmworldtoday.net
Since 2000, Irwin has been a Project Coordinator, Project Manager and Portfolio Manager with Image Tech corporation in Guayaquil, Ecuador. He has developed and managed more than 40 IT projects, including E-commerce and E-banking portals, mobile solutions, content management systems, corporate software projects and multimedia products. He has developed solutions for the telecommunications, mass media, tourism and financial sectors. Recently he has been responsible for deployment of Microsoft’s Enterprise Project Management (EPM) solution and framework, and for establishing project management best practices with Risk and Earned Value Management.
Irwin was previously a producer of multimedia products for Producrear and a Graphics Director for Moviola, both in Quito, Ecuador. For these firms, he produced and managed projects and teams related to multimedia products, animations, corporate presentations and other audio/visual productions.
According to Wikipedia, Santiago de Guayaquil, or just Guayaquil, is the largest and the most populous city in Ecuador, as well as that nation's main port. Guayaquil is on the west margin of the Guayas River, which flows into the Gulf of Guayaquil in the Pacific Ocean. Guayaquil is about 250 km south-southwest of the capital of Ecuador, Quito.
According to the most recent census (2001), its estimated metropolitan population was 2,908,338. Guayaquil is the capital of the Ecuadorian province of Guayas and the seat of the namesake canton. The city is the center of Ecuador's fishing and manufacturing industries.
Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic of 13.5 million people in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, by Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean on the west. The country also includes the Galápagos Islands in the Pacific, about 965 kilometers (600 miles) west of the mainland. Ecuador straddles the equator, from which it takes its name, and has an area of 256,370 square kilometers (98,985 mi²). Its capital city is Quito; its largest city is Guayaquil. Ecuador has been an independent country since 1830.
- La Costa, or the coast, comprises the low-lying littoral in the western part of the country, including the Pacific coastline.
- La Sierra ("the highlands") is the high-altitude belt running north to south along the center of the country, its mountainous terrain dominated by the Andes mountain range.
- El Oriente ("the east") comprises the Amazon rainforest areas in the eastern part of the country, accounting for just under half of the country's total surface area, though populated by under 5% of the population.
- The Región Insular is the region comprising the Galápagos Islands, some 1,000 kilometers (620 mi) west of the mainland in the Pacific Ocean.
Ecuador is one of seventeen mega-diverse countries in the world according to Conservation International. There are 1600 bird species (some 15% of the world's known bird species) in the continental area, and 38 more endemic to the Galápagos. There are also 25,000 species of plants recorded in Ecuador, along with 106 endemic reptiles, 138 endemic amphibians, and 6,000 species of butterflies. The Galápagos Islands are very well known as a region of distinct fauna, famous as the place of birth of Darwin's Theory of Evolution, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Ecuador has substantial petroleum resources and rich agricultural areas. Because the country exports primary products such as oil, bananas, flowers and shrimp, fluctuations in world market prices can have a substantial domestic impact. Industry is largely oriented to servicing the domestic market, and some exports to the Andean Common market.
Irwin José Franco is currently working to promote the Project Management profession in his country. He lives in Guayaquil and can be contacted at irwinfranco@yahoo.es. We at PMForum want to welcome him as an International Correspondent for PMForum and PM World Today
In August 2006, PMForum announced the formation of a global network of International Correspondents to provide news and information from around the world of project management. PMF now has correspondents in over 15 countries. More information about this program and about other international correspondents can be found at http://www.pmforum.org/pm%20forum%20team/index.htm#5.
Established in 1995, www.pmforum.org was the world’s first website devoted to professional project management and continues to be one of the world’s most popular sources of project management news and information. PMForum is a company formed to operate and administer the pmforum.org website. PMForum also produces the monthly online PM World Today eJournal where articles, case studies, papers and viewpoints by leading PM authorities from around the world can be found; free subscriptions are available at www.pmworldtoday.net
