While the rapid growth of project management associations like PMI and APM have been widely reported, a more informal network has been quietly taking root to meet the needs of executives in project management. Two such networks, in Sydney, Australia, and Southwest Ohio, USA, are now well-established, and executives in other cities have expressed an interest in forming similar groups.

The concept originated in Sydney, where a group of executives meet approximately six times a year as the International Council for Project Management Advancement (ICPMA). It is a pay-as-you-go, by-invitation-only network of executives that get together for dinner to discuss topics of mutual interest, such as the professionalization of project management, measuring client satisfaction, and project management in charities.

Recognizing the value ICPMA members see in their participation, a group of executives in Southwest Ohio, the cities of Cincinnati and Dayton, formed a similar network, simply called the Southwest Ohio PM Executive Forum. They also adopted a pay-as-you-go, by-invitation-only format and meet approximately once every two months. Recent topics at Southwest Ohio PM Executive Forum meetings include roles and responsibilities, speed and agility, and project management at the Procter & Gamble Company.

Not surprisingly, the real value of both groups is not in discussing the scheduled topic, but in the opportunity to build a network of executives in similar roles and facing similar problems. The meetings in both cities tend to be characterized by one-on-one discussions resolving specific problems the participants have encountered in their respective business activities.