International Correspondent Regional Reports - October 2006
- Argentina Today - We Are Learning Project Management.
But, Are We Applying What We Learn
by Ana Maria Rodriguez - Project Management in Brazil Today -
Understanding the Past, We Can Now Look to the Future
by Alcides Santopietro - PM in Australia Today - PM Awards & Conference Season in Australia
by Robert Posener
Argentina Today - We Are Learning Project Management.
But, Are We Applying What We Learn?
by Ana Maria Rodriguez
During the present year, I have found on several occasions in the main newspapers of Argentina articles about the growth of Project Management (PM) as a profession. Most of the articles explain the scope of the project management job; some of them refer to projects executed successfully thanks to PM. The sudden attention to project management appears reasonable, considering that thousands of projects are being implemented in Argentina. As the economy is growing, projects are growing, and the need for successful projects is almost an obsession for many investors who have decided to benefit from current opportunities in Argentina. Therefore, it seems this is the perfect time to be interested on PM.
As a PM educator, I found myself especially interested in one of the newspaper articles, in which the broad offer for project management courses in Buenos Aires was reported. The article testified the experience of professionals from all industries (lawyers, software developers, advertisers, insurance agents), who have attended a broad variety of courses (1). The conclusions from the article were so positive that I decided to do some research about these courses, trying to get some good ideas for my own courses. I was surprised about my findings: There are almost 20 institutions in Buenos Aires offering PM courses, much more than a few years ago; the offer outside Buenos Aires is much more limited (no more than ten courses in all the other provinces), but also growing very fast. You may take a two-days PM basic courses, or spend all your Fridays and Saturdays during a whole year studying PM. Courses are offered by the Schools of Engineering or the Schools of Business at the main universities of Argentina. Educational institutions with strong experience in PM are teaching a broad variety of PM courses. “In-company” PM courses are being offered by well-known Argentinean companies. What really surprised me was to find out that a few courses are offered by low-profile institutions where, for instance, you may also learn how to use Microsoft Office, speak in public, or prepare a professional resume. It seems that these days in Argentina you may find a PM course according to your time, budget and needs.
Read the full text of Argentina Today - We Are Learning Project Management.
But, Are We Applying What We Learn?
About the Author:
Ana Maria Rodriguez
International Correspondent Argentina
Based in Rosario
Ms. Rodriguez also manages CDS Project a division of NETCDS, a leading IT, project and business services company in Argentina, and is an adjunct professor of project management at the Universidad Nacional de Rosario, the largest university in Argentina outside of Buenos Aires. Colombian by birth, Ms. Rodriguez graduated with a Civil Engineering Degree from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogota and from the University of Texas at Austin, USA with a Graduate Degree in Construction and Project Management. She is actively engaged in practicing, teaching and promoting project management best practices in Argentina.
Ms. Rodriguez can be contacted at
arodriguez@netcds.com.ar
More information can be found about NETCDS at
www.netcds.com.ar
Project Management in Brazil Today -
Understanding the Past,
We Can Now Look to the Future
by Alcides Santopietro
Brazil, the biggest country in South America, is a place always recognized for the beauty of its natural resources. However, Brazil gives the world much more than that, in many different aspects: the most populous country in Latin America, with over 180 millions inhabitants, produces a Gross Domestic Product reaching US$ 1.5 trillion, placing it at the 9th position in the world (2005). This economic activity comes from many different industries.
Maintaining a rich and variable set of cultural elements derived from its origins in history and its geographic extension, Brazil has always given the world a valuable and unique combination of music, food, dance and other artistic and folkloric ways of expression. Samba and Bossa-nova are two typical rhythms that easily arise in our minds when talking about Brazil.
Brazil’s territory is enormous, and the consequence of that is the existence of many cultures in one only country: in South Region we can find immigrants from Germany and Poland that may speak their language of origin instead of Portuguese, the official language in Brazil. Beautiful beaches and a European-like climate keep the charm of this region.
Read the full text of:
Project Management in Brazil Today -
Understanding the Past, We Can Now Look to the Future
About the Author:
Alcides Santopietro
International Correspondent Brazil
Based in Sao Paulo
Mr. Santopietro is founder and managing partner for Proage, a project management consulting and training company based in São Paulo. An Industrial Engineer and PMP, with post-graduate diplomas in Marketing and Project Management, he conceived and currently directs the development of a winning PM software product named GP3, in use in Latin America and Europe. Alcides is an active volunteer leader in the PM profession in Brazil, a member of the Project Management Institute’s (PMI®) Leadership Institute Masters Class of 2007, a member of PMI’s OPM3 Update Project, and a member of the project team for PMI Sao Paulo’s annual International PM Seminar.
Mr. Santopietro can be contacted at
alcides.santopietro@gmail.com
More information about Proage can be found at
www.proage.com.br.
PM in Australia Today - PM Awards & Conference Season in Australia
by Rob Posener
It's the awards season in Sydney, Australia! This month has seen both the AIPM and the PMI select their projects and project managers of the year awards.
Read the full text of:
Project Management in Australia Today - PM Awards & Conference Season in Australiia
About the Author:
Robert Posener
International Correspondent Australia
Based in Sydney
Mr. Posener is also founder and Managing Director of PMComplete Pty Ltd, a project management professional services company in Australia. A Project Manager for over 30 years, Robert has managed information technology and business projects and programmes for computer hardware, software and consulting companies in Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Hong Kong and USA. He is an active member of PMI’s Sydney Chapter and College of Scheduling, and is a Fellow of the International Council for Project Management Advancement (ICPMA).
Mr. Posener can be contacted at
robert.posener@pmcomplete.com.au.
More information about PMComplete Pty Ltd
can be found at www.pmcomplete.com.
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