PARADIGM SHIFT THE AIPM DIGITAL MAGAZINE
FORWARD WITH PURPOSE
AUTUMN 2022
PRINCIPAL PARTNER
NIGEL COLLIN
MASTER OF CEREMONIES
SHADE ZAHRAI
AWARD-WINNING LEADERSHIP STRATEGIST & GLOBAL PEAK PERFORMANCE CONSULTANT TO FORTUNE 500'S
ASSOC. PROF REMI AYOKO
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF MANAGEMENT, UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND BUSINESS SCHOOL (UQBS).
REGISTER NOW FOR DAY TWO
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CONTENTS MESSAGE FROM THE CEO . . . . . . . . . 4 IN THE NEWS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 INNOVATIONS AND INSIGHTS THE CASE FOR A CHIEF PROJECT OFFICER IN THE C-SUITE . . . . . . . . . . 8 INCREASING PRODUCTIVITY THROUGH WORKFLOW AUTOMATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 THE GREAT RESIGNATION: WHAT CAN LEADERS DO TO RETAIN THEIR TEAMS? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 PROJECTS IN THE SPOTLIGHT PENRITH CITY COUNCIL’S INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO A PMO. . 22 HOLLYWOOD PRIVATE HOSPITAL: A RELATIONSHIPBASED APPROACH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 RESEARCH MANAGING FINANCIAL RISKS IN CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS. . . . . . .32 Cover image: Celebrating a topping out milestone at Hollywood Private Hospital (source: Georgiou)
FELLOWS FORUM THE MOST CRITICAL SKILL OF 2022: BEING ARTFULLY ADAPTABLE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 LEARN AND CONNECT WHAT EVENTS ARE COMING UP?. . . 40
Paradigm Shift is published quarterly. Calls for articles for the next edition will be made approximately 45 days before publication. Please see the back page for more details on how you can feature in our next edition. 3
MESSAGE FROM THE CEO SID GOKANI
As we reach an inflection point in early 2022, when we can plan beyond the pandemic, the theme of Forward with purpose reflects the mindset adopted by many of our business and project leaders during this challenging time. They have been forging ahead and accelerating change, while also being prepared for the inevitable surprises that lie ahead. We are very excited about the second day of our virtual AIPM National Conference 2022 scheduled for Thursday, 24 March. Those attending can expect to be refuelled and reenergised with knowledge and ideas from the inspiring presentations on the agenda. There is still some time to secure your ticket if you haven’t already. Ticket sales are open until the start of the conference. 4
Meanwhile, our brand, website and member experience are undergoing huge transformations behind the scenes. The team at the national office are working with specialists to reinvigorate these things, which will really showcase how the Australian Institute of Project Management brings people and ideas together for project success. Watch this space for some big changes. We are also re-establishing our Editorial Committee to raise the quality and impact of content being distributed to members, and will have a new committee established very soon. We look forward to having them on board and providing you with increasingly thought-provoking content. We hope you enjoy the Autumn 2022 edition of Paradigm Shift. Enjoy reading, Sid Gokani MBA GAICD CEO Australian Institute of Project Management
IN THE NEWS
they were well deserved, and a result of the winners’ hard work and commitment. Project of the Year • Jemena-Kendall Bay Remediation Project – Jemena
WINNERS OF THE PMAAS ANNOUNCED The winners of our National Project Management Achievement Awards (PMAAs) were announced on 28 February after an inspiring day of the conference. The awards symbolise excellence in project management, and recognise, honour and promote outstanding achievements in program and project leadership. Talented individuals and teams who work across varying sectors of the project profession were acknowledged at this event. Congratulations to all the winners:
Individual Awards 1. Senior Project Professional – Trevor Cooper 2. Project Professional – Luke Osland 3. Future Project Leader (under 35 years) – Tarini Pathak Project Awards • Construction/Engineering: Collins Place – Repositioning – Turner & Townsend • Government: BuyICT.gov.au – Digital Transformation Agency • ICT/Telecommunications: Westpac Branch Network Transformation – Westpac Group
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• Transformation: Transforming the Portfolio Management Capability Within Unitywater – Unity • Small Projects: Western Sydney Green Gas Project – Jemena Pty Ltd and Zinfra Pty Ltd • Regional Projects: Mater Private Hospital Townsville – Mercy Centre – Resource Co-ordination Partnership Pty Ltd (RCP) • Community Service and/ or Community Development: Melbourne City Mission – Hester Hornbrook Academy – Turner & Townsend and Melbourne City Mission • Sustainable Projects: JemenaKendall Bay Remediation Project – Jemena • Professional Services: Services Australia 500 Site Network Refresh – Telstra Purple • Project Management Office (PMO): Inland Rail Program Management Office (IR PMO) – Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC), Turner & Townsend and SNC Lavalin
DAY TWO OF THE 2022 NATIONAL CONFERENCE 2022 National Conference tickets for day two are selling fast. Our National Conference is one of the highlights of the AIPM calendar, and is the leading event for Australian project professionals. After a fantastic day one back in February, this is your last chance to experience the engaging program with a day of industry 6
experts, panellists, key project themes, and concurrent streams. With a flexible virtual format, you can have it playing at your desk while you listen in between other important tasks. Book today to secure your place.
PROJECT SPONSOR CERTIFICATION AND MASTERCLASS With a strong correlation between the performance of the project sponsor and the success of the project, it’s critical that executive teams have the skills needed to be a great project sponsor. The AIPM has created a certification level that validates the effectiveness of a project sponsor as a driver of business and project success, Certified Practising Project Sponsor (CPPS). Learn more. We have also created a fourhour interactive Project Sponsor Masterclass to improve the success rate of your projects and ensure benefit realisation as projects progress to BAU. The sponsor masterclass will also ensure you fully understand your role and responsibilities as a sponsor, and increase your confidence to improve relationships with community and customers through a better delivery of projects. The masterclass will be delivered in-house, and can be virtual or face-to-face. Download the information kit.
NEW MASTERCLASS LAUNCHED
Project Sponsor Masterclass Maximise your sponsor performance and actualise project success.
LEARN MORE
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INNOVATIONS AND INSIGHTS
THE CASE FOR A CHIEF PROJECT OFFICER IN THE C-SUITE ROB MCMARTIN IS CONCERNED THAT PROJECT MANAGEMENT HAS EVOLVED, YET THE REPORTING FUNCTION HASN’T. ISN’T PROJECT MANAGEMENT IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO HAVE THE FULL ATTENTION OF THE BOARD?
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The 2021 AIPM/KPMG Project Management Survey Report told us that ‘’71% of respondents reported that project complexity is increasing”. Where once there were simple projects, now there are complicated projects, complex projects, and ‘megaprojects’, all of which can be entwined with wicked problems. No longer is a copy of the PMBoK Guide and a willing attitude enough to manage a project (not that it ever really was). This has led to the development of new project management styles; new types, new methodologies, new technologies and new techniques, but the one thing that hasn’t changed is the attitudes of most organisations to project management. While the project management profession has noticed the changes, most organisations have not. Even though most organisations are now involved in projects of some form, whether they are internally, or externally delivered products or services, the ongoing march to the ‘projectification’ (Projectification of the Western World, Andreas Wald, IRNOP Conference, 2017) of the world continues.
PROJECT DELIVERY ISSUES While projects and project management has been evolving and learning new techniques and adapting to the new types of projects, the business practices have remained in a steady state. Revisiting the AIPM/KPMG Project Management Survey Report, we find the following: • 73% of projects completed “on time” • 73% of projects completed “on budget” • 81% of projects “in line with original goals and business intent” • 82% of projects completed “with stakeholder satisfaction”. Businesses accept that out of 100 projects, 27 of them will be over budget and late. 19 of these projects will fail to deliver the reason for their creation, while 18 of these projects will not meet stakeholder satisfaction. According to the survey, only 36% of the respondents say that their organisation does enough to improve project management skills and capability. More companies are doing projects, projects are gaining complexity, projects are failing, yet companies don’t see a need to provide training to deal with the changes. 9
Nearly all businesses involved in project delivery will have a director of projects role (guidance) and possibly a PMO (governance), and expect the projects to be delivered. But when the guidance and governance fail to improve project delivery, and the organisations have created centralised and decentralised, PMO and EPMOs, and every other new trend (Agile) spouted by ‘advisors and consultants’ and still nothing is improved, where does the problem actually lay?
WHERE DO PROJECTS FIT IN THE ORGANISATIONAL HIERARCHY? Depending on the size of the organisation, the director of projects may report to a managing director, or they may report to a board of directors. In looking at boards only, we see a major disconnect. This failure of alignment of project delivery and management in an organisation, rests with the board of directors (often referred to the C-Suite), who are responsible for the long-term strategy and direction of the organisation. The most common examples of C-Suite members include: • chief executive officer (CEO) • chief operating officer (COO) • chief financial officer (CFO) • chief technology officer (CTO) • chief information officer (CIO). 10
So where does project management sit within the C-Suite? It doesn’t. Very few organisations have a chief project officer. Project management often sits under another function such as operations, engineering, marketing, information technology, finance or even administration. These executives are experts in their field, but very few of them have recent project experience, or any project management experience. If they do, it will be in an advisory capacity through an independent, or non-executive director.
PROJECT EXPERTISE IN THE C-SUITE A board is made up of people with a broad mix of skills, knowledge, and experience often with different skills and backgrounds, the goal is to ensure that board members have a range of skills that can work as a well-rounded team that can lead and direct the longterm needs and strategy of the organisation. Project management is becoming too important not to have the full attention of the board. Projects that are a part of another business function and have the wrong person responsible for project management and delivery will always be destined to have a continued high failure rate.
Each year the requirements to manage projects increases with the creep of complexity, or with more projects bordering megaproject status. Where once a project worth a billion dollars were few and far between, they are now becoming more frequent, with almost an inverse proportion of skills to manage them. The days of a one size fits all management approach have long passed. The need for informed decisions and aligned strategies with regards to project management within organisations is now greater than any time in history. It is now necessary to align business direction and strategy from the highest level with the governance, and guidance. It is not just direction and strategy; it is ensuring that the voice of the projects is heard at the highest level, that when project directors, PMO managers and project
managers are calling out for training or additional resources, or improved risk management techniques that the organisation can act quickly. Look within your own organisations; how much of the business is derived from projects? Can your company cope with 73% on time and on budget, or only 81% of projects delivering on original goals and intent, or worse 18% of your customers unhappy doing business with you? Ask the question “Where does project management sit within your organisation?”. Author: Rob McMartin MAIPM is an experienced PMO and program manager with expertise in program, project, general, facilities and contract management across a variety of projects from aviation, finance, utilities, property, events, logistics, public transport, environment, software development, defence and aerospace industries. Rob is also Co-Chair of the International Centre for Complex Project Management (ICCPM), Managing Risk in Complexity (MRC), and Special Interest Group (SIG). 11
INNOVATIONS AND INSIGHTS
INCREASING PRODUCTIVITY THROUGH WORKFLOW AUTOMATION WORKFLOW AUTOMATION IS NO NEWS IN MANY INDUSTRIES, BUT WHAT ABOUT PROJECT MANAGEMENT? RONALD TONG DISCUSSES WHETHER IT’S POSSIBLE TO AUTOMATE OUR WORK FOR BETTER PRODUCTIVITY.
Project managers are constantly bogged down by repetitive administrative tasks. While these activities are necessary to lead to management decisions, in current practice considerable amount of time is spent in the manual process, obstructing project managers from utilising outcome of these activities.
WHAT IS PROJECT MANAGEMENT AUTOMATION? In the old days, we used to do manual copy and hand calculations. These are now replaced by electronic documents and spreadsheets. When we 12
look back to ourselves in the future, the way we work today will again be replaced by another wave of automation. For the context of this article, automation means eliminating repetitive administrative tasks that requires little professional judgement. Typical examples like files processing, manual read up or internet browsing.
WHY AUTOMATION ATTRACTS LITTLE ATTENTION IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT Unlike engineering disciplines, project management puts much more emphasis on soft skills, or behavioural skills. Works cannot simply be carried out behind a computer, and management
styles vary across individuals. Works cannot be easily standardised and there is no onesize-fit-all management approach. As a result, relying on technology is usually not the first resort to solve problems. It is a common misperception that resolutions by technology require a complete shift of profession into IT. If we look back to the days when we first started using computers in our daily work, we may have thought the same thing, but we know now that it doesn’t mean we all have to be software engineers. It takes time to demonstrate how to work differently from ‘current
best practice’ as technology continues to evolve.
HOW TO AUTOMATE PROJECT MANAGEMENT Since discovering the computer programming language Python, it has changed the way I work. I don’t have any affiliation with it; I simply recommend it because it has a low entry barrier, solves many issues, and is free. Yes, writing scripts with Python is a new skill to learn, but I believe it’s very much worth it, and it should be on your list for 2022 if it isn’t already.
PYTHON There is a vast spectrum of libraries created by the Python community that virtually covers 13
any repetitive administrative tasks performed on a computer. Although individual tasks may differ, below are some examples that illustrate how automation can be achieved in project management through Python. Example 1: Document lookup Proper document control means files are stored in a clear hierarchy of folders. However, it is not easy to search for content of a certain document that contains multiple pages and is hidden within layers of folders, or if the text desired is in the form of scanned copies or photos that is not searchable by conventional methods. Utilising Python’s text recognition library, directories and documents can be opened, scanned, and search results returned all in a matter of seconds. Example 2: Browser scraping Project managers often need to harvest information from fixed sources of folders, servers, or the internet. The repeated steps of acquiring documents, with the same mouse clicks and keyboard strokes, are time consuming and add no value to the management process. By building the retrieval workflow once, details can be automatically returned from any locations at any intervals, allowing project managers focus 14
on using the information for nextstep decisions. Example 3: Document control As part of document control such as drawings vetting, invoice processing or Primavera update, files need to be downloaded, read and details logged. The manual approach is time consuming and requires little professional judgement, let alone it is prone to human errors. By mapping the source and destination, Python can repeat and automate the data update process. Benchmarks can even be built in to highlight items that require project management intervention. Example 4: File manipulation It is not uncommon to see monthly project reports start off with wellthought commentaries and fancy graphics, that gradually deteriorate to just another check-box exercise due to the time consumed to update the report itself, and content of the report is not used to make informed decisions. By designing an update routine on the quantitative part of the report, project managers can focus on qualitative aspects such as prioritising areas that need attention. Example 5: Enhance performance of incumbent tools Data visualisation is a powerful tool for storytelling, especially in large-scale projects. However, using conventional software like Excel, Power BI or Tableau to build up visualisations from large
amount of data is slow, mainly due to their heavy computational user interface. In comparison, light-weight Python can carry out data processing much faster, and combining it with incumbent project management tools, benefits can be achieved from both worlds of high-speed data manipulation and sophisticated visualisation options.
WHERE WILL PROJECT MANAGEMENT AUTOMATION TAKE US? What we have seen so far is the automation of tasks that are standardised and modular in nature. Python tools need to be adjusted if there are abnormalities not built into the automation workflow. Moreover, today’s technology is still not mature enough to make experienced-based professional judgements. Nonetheless, we already see promising trends under development. In the future, professional writings can be automatically generated based on circumstances and individuals’ writing style: • Project managers only need to cast a final review before sending off correspondences, e.g., conversations generated by chatbots will become more intellectually advanced based on project information available. • Instead of spending hours combing through lengthy
documents, basic reading comprehension such as summarisation, information extraction can be automated, reserving time to make management decisions, e.g., natural language processing is catching up on human performance as seen in the XTREME linguistic benchmarks. • Site walks and progress checks can be carried out by robotics, capturing images and identifying areas that requires further attention, e.g., visually impaired are able to ‘see’ with the aid of smart glasses translating images to text. All these achievements do not mean project managers will lose their jobs or require total shift in their professional focus. Instead, artificial intelligence (with a backbone algorithm written in Python) will augment project managers in our works, and new roles will emerge who translate technology into domain-specific needs, in this case project management. As access barrier to automation continues to lower, embracing new ways of working in project management will allow us to rethink how the ‘best practice’ of future will look like. Author: Ronald Tong is a Principal Project Manager with Mott MacDonald Group. He has 15 years’ experience in the building industry across transport, healthcare, and industrial sectors. He is a chartered engineer and delivers Coding Club in Mott MacDonald, advocating project delivery with automation, computational design and coding. 15
INNOVATIONS AND INSIGHTS
THE GREAT RESIGNATION: WHAT CAN LEADERS DO TO RETAIN THEIR TEAMS?
WHILE MANY ARE STILL DEBATING WHETHER THE ‘GREAT RESIGNATION’ WILL EVER FULLY REACH AUSTRALIAN SHORES, THERE IS ONE WORRYING TRUTH EMERGING FROM OUR WORKFORCE: EMPLOYEES ARE BURNT OUT AND IT IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST REASONS FOR THEIR RESIGNATION. LAITH ADEL UNCOVERS WHAT CAN BE DONE.
Flexible work hours and inclusive benefits have become a staple feature to entice employees, but is it enough and are we attracting employees by addressing the right issues? What can project leaders do to help retain and sustain their teams? 16
THE GREAT RESIGNATION IN AUSTRALIA: DIFFERENT OR DELAYED? The Great Resignation, a term coined in early 2021 to describe the wave of employee resignation in the United States, may not be as visible in Australia, but research shows we may be facing a shift of our own. While the unmet labour demand in Australian retail, hospitality, and construction industries has
contributed to lower aggregate job mobility and resignation statistics, white-collar employees are facing a different reality. Research from LinkedIn – a platform focused on more white-collar industries – Jobs on the Rise in 2021, shows that employees are not stepping away from jobs completely like in the United States, but transitioning into other jobs with job status changes rising by 26% on the platform compared to October 2020. In fact, the Great Resignation may simply have been delayed due to Australia’s repeated lockdowns with a PwC research study, What Workers Want, discovering that 38% of Australian employees were looking to leave their current employer within the next 12 months. Behavioural scientist Aaron McEwan from Gartner predicts, “that when we hit March of 2022, we will see the Great Resignation in Australia. It will be a movement of talent that I think we are unprepared for.” It is most definitely difficult to prepare for something if we cannot properly identify its underlying cause.
WHY IT’S HAPPENING While there is a combination of factors contributing to employee resignation, a survey from Limeade, Workplaces in Crisis: Employee Care Still Missing the Mark, reveals that one in three Australian-based employees cited burnout from the last 18 months
of remote working as the primary reason for resignation. A global study by Adecco, Resetting Normal: Defining the New Era of Work shows that Australian employees were the most burnt out of all nationalities in the last 12 months. Here are some statistics on burnout in Australian employees from the last 12 months. • 53% of employees suffered from burnout. • 36% of employees worked more than 40 hours a week. • 16% feel their sense of morale and team culture has deteriorated. • 13% experienced worsened job motivation. • 12% of employees believe their workload has worsened. Key reasons for burnout Remote working may have brought about many benefits to both employees and employers, but there have also been several issues such as increased workload, lack of work-life balance and lack of connection. The 2021 Global Workplace Burnout Study by Infinite Potential found the following key causes of burnout: • unreasonable time pressure and unmanageable workloads • lack of managerial support and leadership 17
• outdated models of working • chronic structural under-resourcing • value-mismatch. The changing values of employees Burnout has left employees reconsidering their priorities and values. The PwC study shows that while remuneration and rewards are still the highest priority, employees are valuing wellbeing as a close second, with workplace culture and experience following right behind. Mental health and wellbeing have become such prominent factors for employees that Atlassian research, Return on Action, discovered two in three employees would consider turning down a promotion to protect their mental health and wellbeing.
RETAINING EMPLOYEES AS A TOP STRATEGIC FOCUS The Great Resignation may be delayed but it is a prominent issue global companies are taking seriously. Research from Gartner shows that company boards and senior management consider the challenge of retaining their workforce as one of their top strategic priorities, experiencing an 81% increase from 2020. High employee turnover also poses several risks to projects as it can result in the disruption of routine, reduction in productivity, and 18
diminishing team morale leading to further resignations. However, retaining talented employees requires more than simply offering higher pay and benefits. Employees are looking for organisations that are better aligned with their more recent focus on mental health, wellbeing, and culture. While many organisations are already offering different remuneration and benefits packages, many are missing the mark and still failing to retain their people. The issue lies in the critical mismatch between employee value priorities and employer perceptions of those employee priorities. McKinsey studies show that employers believed lack of compensation, work-life balance and poor physical and mental health were the biggest factors contributing to resignation. While those issues did matter, they simply did not matter as much as they thought. The lack of feeling valued by the organisation (54%), by their manager (52%), as well as the lack of sense of belonging (51%) were found to be the top three reasons why employees resign. This should come as no surprise as these feelings can be directly attributed to the above-mentioned causes of burnout, with a deeper look into those causes revealing an underlying problem in organisational
structure and culture. This has further highlighted the importance of project manager leadership skills and the necessity for their skills to expand beyond the typical resultsbased approach to a more holistic, socio-cultural approach. The way forward to retaining employees cannot be limited to remedial packages alone, they must start with deep-rooted structural and cultural changes that address the two core priorities: feeling a lack of value and sense of belonging.
WHAT CAN PROJECT LEADERS AND EXECUTIVES DO? 1. Making people feel valued While renumeration packages are still a significant motivator for employees, they want to know they are valued for more than simply being a cog in a machine. Showing your team that their leaders and the organisation cares about their lives, careers and wellbeing can be done through employee development and learning, clear
career progression, and work-life balance measures. Surveys by The Harris Group show that 70% of employees are open to leaving their current job for an organisation that is known to invest in employee development and learning. Yet, work-related training has been steadily declining in recent years and the burden of upskilling has been pushed onto the employees. Investing in employee development, alongside providing clear career progression, shows employees that the organisation cares about their career growth and see long-term value in maintaining the relationship. If an organisation preaches that they care about employee mental health and wellbeing, work-life balance measures are necessary. Some measures include offering: 1. wellness days 2. flexible hours 3. establishing off-hour communication expectations 4. encouraging autonomy. 19
However, an employer’s duty of care can no longer end the moment an employee clocks off. The PwC study shows that 37% of employees depend on their employers as their primary provider of mental health care services. Investing in employee mental health care is not only a dutiful act for responsible employers but also brings financial benefits to organisations. The same research revealed that every dollar spent on successful mental health programs can return organisations more than double ($2.30) on average. While these measures can easily be introduced, establishing the right culture and environment that will enable these measures to be fully adopted and encouraged is the biggest challenge organisations face. Too often benefits and programs are made available, yet the underlying issues of work overload and overtime is never fully addressed. A critical responsibility for project managers and leaders will be spending time to analyse and evaluate pre-existing culture and practices within both the organisation and their projects to help build value inducing environments for their teams. 20
2. Building a sense of belonging It has been a long-established fact that a sense of belonging is an intrinsic human need. In the work setting, having a sense of belonging can give employees getter confidence in their work and can improve performance by up to 56% based on BetterUp’s report, The Value of Belonging at Work: Investing in Workplace Inclusion. While initiatives targeted at building belonging are often traditionally physical, the recent shift towards virtual remote work means that organisations need to implement new ways of engaging with employees. Some examples of initiatives that can be implemented virtually include: • introducing employee-led communities • implementing new collaborative technologies • inviting input with feedback evaluation and implementation systems • introducing inclusive targeted benefits. Inclusive benefits such as additional childcare benefits, not only let employees know they are valued, but according to the research from Gartner, it can also increase feelings on inclusion by 38%.
Organisations like pmo365 have even started tapping into new platforms like Discord for its fluid chat room and channel system to bring a better sense of virtual ‘togetherness’ and collaboration within its remote teams. There are many tools and technologies emerging that can help reduce the relational and cultural barriers that come with remote teams. However, a true commitment to building a sense of belonging must be embedded into the everyday practices and culture of an organisation and its projects. A terrific way of evaluating an organisation’s practices and culture is by applying the DEIB framework. DEIB, an acronym for diversity, equality, inclusions, and belonging, encourages employers to ask four critical questions. 1. Who gets to sit at the table? 2. Whose voice gets heard at the table? 3. Whether everyone has equal access to the table. 4. Whether employees are enabled to perform at their best by being themselves. By applying this framework to new initiatives and programs, organisations and project managers can build a greater sense of holistic and impactful belonging.
CARING FOR YOUR EMPLOYEES Caring for your employees is no revolutionary concept, but as the demands of our increasingly fast-
paced and complex lives grow, so must the way organisations care for their employees. The pandemic has radically changed the way we work, potentially marking the end of corporate culture as we once knew it to welcome in a more human-centric approach. Project management, as a result, needs to also become broader as a discipline. It can no longer simply remain in the realm of project controls and managing processes. It needs to actively consider the many emerging factors, overwhelmingly human factors, that can impact project performance. Social responsibility can no longer merely be an add on but needs to be brought to the forefront of project practices and methodologies is we are to sustain healthy project teams and secure project success. While the flexible work hours and inclusive benefits might seem unprecedented to us, we might have simply returned to valuing that which makes us human and, in the process, discovered that enabling people to be themselves is the best thing we can do for them, our companies and our society. Author: Laith Adel is a principal consultant and general manager of pmo365, with 15+ years’ experience in PMO and project portfolio management. Formally a civil engineer, then a consultant with Microsoft Consulting Services. Laith specialises in helping businesses globally guarantee visibility and control over all projects with pmo365 as a Gold Microsoft Partner and Preferred Solution. 21
PROJECT IN THE SPOTLIGHT
PENRITH CITY COUNCIL’S INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO A PMO PENRITH CITY COUNCIL IN NSW IS ONE OF A HANDFUL OF AUSTRALIAN COUNCILS TO ESTABLISH A SPECIALIST PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT. ‘PROJECT LIFECYCLE’ WAS ESSENTIAL FOR DELIVERY OF THE COUNCIL’S STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES, SAYS PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, NATHAN RITCHIE.
The project management office (PMO) known as ‘Project Lifecycle’ was developed for the department to build new commercial and industrial developments to revitalise Penrith City, as well as diversify the council’s commercial revenue stream to deliver greater community benefit. Establishing a tailored system of management for a unique department was a challenge, which resulted in many valuable insights and learnings, but also a triumph as it has now become an award winning PMO. 22
LEVERAGING AN OPPORTUNITY A once in a generation change is underway to transform Penrith into a world-class city that is well connected by public transport, with plenty of choices for recreation activities and employment opportunities close to home. The council’s unique position of owning a significant amount of land in the city centre meant we could lead a lot of this growth for our city. To drive this transformation, we took an innovative approach through our internal property development department. While operating separately to the council, the department was tasked with using the strategic property portfolio to deliver innovative solutions for each site that would
deliver a community benefit and financial return. It was decided that revenue generated was invested into service delivery and renewal projects across the city, boosting the council’s own revenue source and helping meet financial sustainability targets set by the Office of Local Government. The council is leading major revitalisation projects such as developing new A-grade commercial office buildings, an industrial employment hub, residential land development, heritage refurbishments, retail and more.
consistency and rigour in decision making, highlighting both efficient project delivery and financial return. The PMO was underpinned by a department specific People Plan, which ensured team members were supported to grow within the project management framework. It engaged them along the journey, training and upskilling where necessary, to implement the new way of working. While not traditionally part of a PMO, the People Plan was essential because it recognised that introducing a new way of working is only as good as the team championing it.
ESTABLISHING THE PMO As a unique department we needed to look beyond the council’s current systems of management to create a tailored solution and approach to achieving our strategic objectives. This journey began with a business process improvement project, which developed a whole-of-department approach to operational efficiencies across strategy, finance, project management, and people and culture. As a result, the Project Lifecycle (the name of the PMO) was created to increase the department’s operational efficiency and improve the council’s commercial revenue to deliver greater community benefit. The PMO aligns with the council’s seven strategic objectives by providing a framework for
A team workshop for the People Plan (Source: Penrith City Council)
How it works The PMO was implemented using an initial ‘three-gate process’, focusing on high-level strategy, identification, and then investment, including: • An opportunity analysis: determines the potential of an idea to deliver a financial return, create sustainable assets and contribute non-financial benefits. • The high-level business case: focuses on delivery options, financial implications, extent 23
and nature of the non-financial benefit and any assumptions or dependencies for project success. • The final detailed business case: focuses on efficiently delivering the tactical elements of the project in terms of time, people and cost. Ongoing review is built into the PMO along with a further twogate process, which includes a project implementing phase and project close-out review. These processes focus around the ‘lessons learned’ register, where ideas are documented for real-time process improvement that can be implemented immediately or incorporated into future projects. Overcoming challenges Before the PMO, the department had a limited ability to measure data and results to analyse the success of our projects. It was clear that the team needed a PMO to capture analytics in a quantifiable way. To resolve this challenge, the team defined our strategic planning objectives for the property function by establishing a clear set of strategic outcomes. We also developed an overarching property strategy to drive our planning framework and aspirations. With an agreed vision for the future, led by key personnel champions of the PMO, the team embarked on a targeted business process improvement project, stimulating new thinking around how to adapt to changing expectations, the 24
emergence of new technologies and our competition. As a result, the department introduced Smartsheet, a project management platform to establish time and resource parameters for project tasks and manage human resources more accurately. Promapp was also implemented to develop and map procedures to support task implementation while working remotely. The team achieved enormous improvements using both systems, which allowed us to track the number of tasks, time, and resources to compare projects in real-time.
SUCCESS AND LEARNINGS The department has commenced five projects since the PMO was introduced, creating a pipeline worth $245 million. Despite the PMO being relatively young, it has already demonstrated enormous success through continuous improvement. Our first project under the PMO is the development of a multistorey car park with commercial office space and a green façade, named Soper Place. Learnings from the initial phases of this project have been applied to subsequent projects, including the proposed development of a commercial building at 131 Henry Street. The lessons learned from the Soper Place design process resulted in a three-month reduction (or 175% improvement) in the same process for 131 Henry Street.
An artist’s impression of Soper Place (source: Penrith City Council)
being a world-class liveable city. Penrith City Council’s Property Department Project Lifecycle PMO won the AIPM 2021 Project Management Achievement Award (PMAA) in NSW in the PMO category. This was due to the positive results it has achieved for the department which has led to benefits for the council and the Penrith community.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
An artist’s impression of 131 Henry Street (source: Penrith City Council)
During the Open Space Urban Reinvestment Project, the team conducted extensive community consultation to gather feedback on potential upgrades to Erskine Park. Improvements to the consultation process were also identified which led to the development of a stakeholder engagement procedure to identify external stakeholders and quantify their respective influence. The lessons learnt from this project led to the improvement of the council’s organisationwide stakeholder and community engagement framework, realising a benefit on a much bigger scale. The PMO also allows the department to consider the community benefit of our projects beyond an income stream to support the council’s objectives of
Through this process we gained valuable insights into establishing a department PMO including the importance of: 1. Establishing a People Plan to ensure the PMO is implemented by the right people with the right skills. We involved the department’s staff in the development of the PMO and the definition of the vision and values to give staff ownership of the new direction. 2. Conducting frequent project reviews and refine processes in line with key learnings, to improve projects and processes in real-time. Author: Nathan Ritchie is the Property Development Manager at Penrith City Council and has over 18 years’ experience as a planner, urban designer and development manager in the property industry. He has a Master of Business Administration from the University of Western Australia, a Master of Science, Environmental Science from Murdoch University and numerous qualifications in leadership, real estate and business management. 25
PROJECT IN THE SPOTLIGHT
HOLLYWOOD PRIVATE HOSPITAL: A RELATIONSHIPBASED APPROACH A RECENT PROJECT BRIDGE42 LED IN THE HEALTH SECTOR USED A RELATIONSHIP-BASED, EARLY CONTRACTOR INVOLVEMENT (ECI) APPROACH. PROJECT DIRECTOR MIKE YATES EXPLAINS JUST WHY IT WAS SO SUCCESSFUL.
Celebrating a topping out milestone at Hollywood Private Hospital (source: Georgiou)
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The Bridge42 team is no stranger to the risks and challenges faced by our clients in the health sector. Delivering hospital and health care facilities are highly complex and often undertaken in live operating environments, so these projects must be handled with as much care and attention as the services health care providers deliver to their patients. We know that project values are significant, but funding and budgets are stretched to cover diverse and competing needs. Health and safety are paramount, however, exacerbated by a highly sensitive and 24/7 environment that prioritises the welfare of patients and carers. Shareholders and stakeholders alike demand transparency and results. And time is of the essence, as always, to meet the ever-increasing health and wellbeing needs of growing and ageing communities. A recent project Bridge42 led in the health sector was the new $64 million Hollywood Consulting Centre and Mental Health Unit (an expansion of the Ramsay Clinic Hollywood) was delivered for global health care provider, Ramsay
Health Care. Hollywood Private Hospital is the largest hospital in Western Australia and the largest private hospital in Australia, caring for more than 70,000 patients per year. This much-needed redevelopment was to provide care and treatment for more patients while effectively addressing the growing demand for medical specialists and mental health services within the local community and surrounding areas.
PROCUREMENT STRATEGY Bridge42 was engaged by Ramsay Health Care as project manager and superintendent in 2018 to project manage the entire redevelopment. An early contractor involvement (ECI) methodology was selected as the procurement approach, instead of the traditional ‘construct only’ or ‘design and construct’ options, which saw us working in partnership with the client, contractor, consultants and clinical stakeholder groups throughout the project. The table on the next page illustrates in which stages of a project lifecycle the responsibility lies for various procurement options. 27
Unfortunately, clients are often biased towards a familiar procurement approach which can be completely unrelated to their business drivers. We gave careful consideration to the contractor procurement methodology to match the risk profile of the client and ensure best-for-project outcomes. While the traditional approaches have been tried and tested, they have not always proven to be the best fit for every client and their respective projects. Some of the shortcomings of traditional options are that they: • are driven heavily from a legal perspective – ‘tough’ contracts which are too reliant on a contract to secure favourable outcomes
• transfer disproportionate risk – typically based upon passing more risk to the contractor which promotes poor outcomes • push up prices unnecessarily due to contractors covering for their risk and the unknowns • increase the risk of projects running late and over budget • create an adversarial project environment – stifling innovation and knowledge transfer, and offering limited relationship and collaboration opportunities. The range of evidence confirming the complex and challenging nature of construction projects is startling: • While the overall volume of construction disputes globally remains the same in 2020 as in 2019, the average value of disputes has increased significantly in the same period
Procurement methodologies and apportionment of responsibility and risk in the construction project lifecycle (source: Bridge42)
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from US$30.7 million to US$54.26 million (2021 Global Construction Disputes Report from Arcadis). • Construction, engineering and infrastructure accounted for almost 50% of domestic and international arbitration cases across Australia in 2020, comprising 48% (AU$154 million) of the total amount in dispute (2020 Australian Arbitration Report from ACICA). • Risk allocation was the most commonly nominated issue affecting the Australian construction industry, with both risk allocation and collaborative contracting as the most mentioned items identified as having the potential to improve the industry (The Health of the Australian Construction Industry from The University of Melbourne).
The risks at stake are clear and, hence, it is unsurprising that project stakeholders from all perspectives seek to find better, fairer, and more cohesive ways to work together. A collaborative procurement approach can mitigate a range of project risks by offering benefits such as more equitable apportioning of responsibility; encouraging combined efforts for enhanced teamwork, issues identification and problemsolving; and an overall faster, more streamlined programme. At Bridge42, we believe in a ‘mutual endeavour’ whereby we measure our success by the strength of our relationships. We create potent partnerships to deliver on our clients’ visions and realise transformative outcomes. From the outset, the ECI approach fostered an open and transparent ‘one team’ culture among all stakeholders and suppliers which enabled overcoming complex challenges and facilitated exceptional outcomes for the client and end users. Fortunately, industry agrees with the ECI strategy as a way forward. We have seen an increasing appetite and upward trend for ECI procurement which is gaining traction as it becomes 29
perceived more as mainstream and less as the alternative.
HIGH-QUALITY OUTCOMES The implementation of this collaborative, relationship-based ECI procurement strategy generated $1 million of savings. This was returned to the budget contingency and a large portion was subsequently reallocated to further enhance the patient experience in the state-of-the-art Endoscopy Suite. The tangible benefits and highquality outcomes realised in this project included: • budget savings, excellent value for money and value adds • impeccable safety record • no trade disputes • strong relationships between all stakeholders • fast-tracked delivery with practical completion ahead of schedule • a smooth transition to operations. Completed in March 2020, the five-storey Hollywood Consulting Centre comprises: • state-of-the-art Endoscopy Suite with four procedure rooms, 17 recovery bays and 14 discharge pods • cancer imaging specialist • radiation oncology and radiology services • 33 strata-titled medical consulting suites • 280-bay multi-storey car park. 30
The two-storey mental health day hospital was completed in April 2020 and increases the total number of inpatient mental health beds available to 101, making Ramsay Clinic Hollywood one of the largest private mental health facilities in Western Australia.
AWARD-WINNING SUCCESS The project went on to win an AIPM WA Project Management Achievement Award (PMAA) in 2021 for the Construction/ Engineering Project of the Year for demonstrating outstanding achievement, excellence, leadership and/or innovation in the application of project management.
The new Mental Health Unit at Hollywood Consulting Centre, Hollywood Private
The success of this project underscores the importance of selecting a procurement strategy that is right for the client, right for the project, and aligns with the client’s business drivers. Furthermore, this case study illustrates the significant and positive impact that collaborative contracting can have on guiding all project partners toward a common vision – forming a cohesive, bestfor-project team. It ensures buyin and accountability from the beginning through to completion; it encourages transparency, communication, and innovation; and it creates a supportive environment for all stakeholders
to share knowledge and cocreate solutions. A relationship-based approach – particularly in a human-centred sector such as health – can deliver an incredibly positive ‘one team, one dream’ experience. It builds strong bonds and breeds goodwill that lasts long after a project has finished and even into the next. But the biggest benefit of all, ultimately, are the superior outcomes that can be realised for the client and end users. Author: Mike Yates is a Project Director at Bridge42. He has extensive technical and stakeholder knowledge and is passionate about fostering collaborative team environments to ensure only the best possible outcomes for every project.
One of the four procedure rooms in the Endoscopy Suite (source: Georgiou)
Hospital (source: Georgiou)
The patient discharge lounge in the Endoscopy Suite offers 14 private pods (source: Georgiou)
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RESEARCH
MANAGING FINANCIAL RISKS IN CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS ARE EXPERIENCING CATASTROPHIC CONSEQUENCES FROM THE COVID-19 OUTBREAK, WITH A SURGE IN FINANCIAL RISKS. A RESEARCH TEAM FROM WESTERN SYDNEY UNIVERSITY PROVIDES RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ADDRESSING THE RISKS AND FUTURE PLANNING.
With compulsory lockdowns and temporary closure directives, the costs of hiring labour are skyrocketing due to a shortage of construction workers coupled with rising interest charges on contractual loans, additional construction 32
cost overruns, and health and safety expenditure. Furthermore, the pandemic has risen the possibility of projects missing deadlines, exacerbating the fear that banks and private investors will lose their capital investments if the project fails. So, what are project financial risks? According to Project Management Institute (PMI), the financial risks of a project
KEY FINANCIAL RISKS Among all the key financial risks recorded during the pandemic, two of them stand out in observational research and project reports. 1. High overall project costs The costs of constructing projects have increased astronomically during the pandemic with the compulsory closure of projects and missing of deadlines. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the delta outbreak of COVID-19 added $500 million to the cost of building major infrastructures across the state of New South Wales.
extends beyond the construction material costs, it comprises all the potential financial losses recorded throughout the lifecycle of a project such as: • project design expenses • low revenue • operation and maintenance charges • demolition and waste management costs.
This cost is due to construction materials skyrocketing due to inflation from the COVID recession and shortage of labour. In addition, the expenses at construction sites have increased because workers must be provided with COVIDSafe work tools and protective gadgets to limit the spread of the virus. These events have triggered a projection from Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB), a global construction and property consultancy, that the construction costs in Australia have seen the sharpest increase since 2005 due to the COVID-19 outbreak. 33
2. Default of interest and loan repayments According to Australian Constructors Association, the mandatory lockdowns, restrictions and stay-home orders implemented during the height of the pandemic denied many project managers the opportunity to operate and recoup the invested capital into projects. These restrictions negatively affected revenue mobilisation from such projects, with some projects recording low or negative net revenue. With this outcome, project managers are struggling to service the loan facility contracted to build projects. Research from Norton Rose Fulbright, a global law firm, indicates that interest payments went up while the principal of contracted loans for construction projects during the pandemic plunged many projects into insolvency and abrupt termination of construction contracts.
RECOMMENDATIONS TO ADDRESS THE RISKS How do project managers manoeuvre to tackle these and many other financial risks now and once we’re through the pandemic? Here are four recommendations from our extensive research. 1. Identify critical project finance risks The first major step to tackle project financial risks is to identify 34
what they are and what causes the risk. According to McKinsey & Company, there is uniqueness of project financial risks to every project because of the different underlying capital structures. It is imperative that project managers examine project reports, loan agreement documents, payrolls and cost cards to identify what specific financial risks could threaten the financial success of the project. Moreover, it is relevant to identify the sources (or the causative agents) of the financial risk factors in the pandemic. Is it from construction materials, the supply chain, provision of personal protective equipment (PPE), architectural design or payment of few skilled workers? Make a list of all the financial risks, rank them according to their severity and frequency of occurrence, and address them. 2. Build resilient financial risk management models In order not to be taken by surprise by the emerging variants of the virus and its associated financial threats, projects must not only rely on current conventional financial risk models. It is essential that new, resilient and inclusive financial risk models are built to respond to the financial fallouts from the pandemic.
Research from Araya (2021) shows that modelling resilient risk models must include human-centred healthcare and performance of construction workers. It is essential that project managers rethink and redesign the evaluation, monitoring and management of financial risks with a sound contingency plan into the future. Such models must be broadbased encompassing the holistic views of stakeholders together with well-digitised tools to monitor credits and usage of project funds. 3. Share the financial burden with others It is necessary for project managers to liaise with the other entities, whether they are private or public, to gain financial support for projects in these difficult times. Public private partnership (PPP) financing is an ideal model for this cause, as it can bring funds as well as technical support to manage financial risks associated with a capital project. The technical support will be granted freely or at low costs to save projects from total collapse. It is also important to be open to government support when the opportunity is granted. Through stimulus packages, construction industries in most OECD countries have received enormous support during the COVID-19 chaos. For instance, data from the Australian government shows that in June 2020, $1.5
billion was rolled out to support the construction industry together with a $1,500 fortnightly payment to lockdown construction workers.
4. Choose alternative green financing facilities Green finance packages such as green bonds are being touted to have lower interest charges for construction firms that can integrate sustainable practices into projects. According to the World Green Building Council, green finance is a game changer to reduce the overall costs of building and operating projects because it has set its eyes on achieving a net zero carbon emission target in the construction industry by 2050. Therefore, project managers are encouraged to take advantage of this package and cut down the expenditure of loan repayments. Authors: Isaac Akomea-Frimpong is a doctoral researcher at School of Engineering, Design and Built Environment, Western Sydney University. His research topic is about financial risk management in public-private partnership projects. Associate Professor Xiaohua (Sean) Jin and Doctor Robert Osei-Kyei are the Director of Project Management Programs and Advisor of Construction Management Program, respectively, at Western Sydney University. They are both experts in risk management in construction projects and have extensive research experience in this domain.
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FELLOWS FORUM
THE MOST CRITICAL SKILL OF 2022: BEING ARTFULLY ADAPTABLE
HOW CAN PROJECT TEAMS SUCCEED IN THE CHALLENGING, VOLATILE ENVIRONMENT OF 2022? ACCORDING TO ELEMENTAL PROJECTS CEO KESTREL STONE, IT’S ALL DOWN TO ADAPTABILITY.
Kestrel Stone (source: Elemental Projects)
The never-ending pandemic, supply disruptions, inflation, fluid teams, more transformational and complex projects than ever… 36
There’s no doubt the current environment is tough. With strictly waterfall approaches too inflexible, and strictly agile approaches not robust enough, Kestrel Stone explains how project managers must gracefully weave together
tools and techniques from both worlds to achieve project success.
Is best practice thinking evolving for this new world?
Adaptability seems to be the talk of the town – what does adaptability in project management mean to you? Kestrel: Put simply, adaptability is the ability to adjust to change, but it’s more than that for project managers and their organisations. It’s pre-empting change, responding appropriately and being able to pivot and thrive no matter what.
Kestrel: The adaptability needed by project managers is certainly reflected in leading global standards, including the ICB4 (the international standard on competence for project, program and portfolio managers), which points to complex problem solving (resourcefulness), dealing with major issues (conflict and crisis), and grit (results orientation). The recently released seventh edition of the PMBoK® Guide (from PMI) is a dramatic departure from previous editions, reframing ‘risk’ as ‘uncertainty’, suggesting the use of models for responding to complexity, and calling out guiding principles around systems thinking, collaboration, and adaptability.
What’s driven the increasing focus on adaptability in project management? Kestrel: The main drivers have been rising project complexity and unprecedented macro forces. In the past, it was possible to successfully run a project in a linear fashion, but the pace of change and the inherent complexity in projects today means project managers must embrace the right blend of traditional and agile techniques to deliver their projects successfully. Throw in a pandemic that turned the world upside down, the rise of IT, global supply chain disruptions, climate change and political unrest, and we’ve had the perfect storm.
This global trend is visible here in Australia, too, with the AIPM standard for senior project managers (Certified Practising Senior Project Manager or CPSPM) focusing on critical leadership skills, such as engagement and influence, over technical project management skills. What about stakeholder expectations? Are they driving the need for adaptability? Kestrel: Definitely. Clients and sponsors used to expect their projects to be delivered on time, on budget, and to a specification 37
that could be clearly documented in a contract scope of work. Now, clients expect the delivery team to flexibly partner with them and respond without exorbitant variations to regular scope changes as the landscape around them shifts and their stakeholders’ needs evolve in response to those macro forces. They expect delivery partners to anticipate and respond to CLEAR GOALS UNCLEAR WATER PROJECTS METHODS ADAPTIVE – ITERATIVE
UNCLEAR GOALS AIR PROJECTS HYBRID
We know what we want but we don’t know how to get it
We don’t know what we want, and we don’t know how to get it
• Suits new product development and innovation projects
• Suits complex problems like environmental, health, justice, organisational change
• Use adaptive-iterative approaches like Lean to evolve the product over multiple iterations
• Use a hybrid/program-based approach, drawing from both ends of the delivery spectrum
CLEAR EARTH PROJECTS METHODS PREDICTIVE
FIRE PROJECTS ADAPTIVE – INCREMENTAL
We know what we want, and we know how to get it
We don’t know what we want but we do know how to get it
• Suits construction, engineering, and repeat projects
• Suits IT projects where requirements can’t be predicted upfront
• Use predictive, traditional approaches focusing on scope, time, cost, quality
• Use adaptive-incremental approaches like Scrum to deliver different components of the product over multiple iterations
Project delivery matrix (source: Elemental Projects)
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the complexity they’ll face, transparently sharing in the pain and gain of risks, issues, and opportunities along the way. Time, cost and quality have become hygiene factors. With additional competing constraints such as transparency, wellbeing, and sustainability, the iron triangle is looking more like an octagon.
So how can project managers choose the optimal delivery approach? Kestrel: This is a difficult question to answer. The next generation of successful project managers will need the savviness to select the right development approach to suit their project. They’ll need to artfully combine the best tools and techniques from all approaches to dodge the crunch zones, like when fixed-price contracts (requiring scope definition upfront) meet agile product development methodologies (requiring iterative scope definition throughout). The model on the left might help project managers identify the appropriate delivery type based on their project and sector. Are hybrid delivery approaches the way of the future? Kestrel: It depends on the project or work package. Complex projects and programs will increasingly adopt a hybrid delivery approach where predictive and adaptive methodologies are both used to their best advantage. For example, a major hospital upgrade might use a predictive delivery approach involving work breakdown structures, Gantt charts, and other traditional tools and techniques for the construction of buildings, roads, fit-outs, and other physical infrastructure. But for software development, change management, process architecture, and community consultation, they’ll draw on adaptive (Agile) delivery approaches, which
enable stakeholder feedback and adaptation of the plan with each iteration. What’s the best way to build adaptability or encourage it in your team? Kestrel: Developing adaptable project managers takes a safe environment that exposes them to the challenges and opportunities they’ll face in their role. Project management simulations are a powerful way to develop these skills. They challenge thinking while testing resilience and leadership skills under pressure. People learn through failure. The trick is to make that process fun, safe and non-career-limiting. In our training programs, we take a layered approach to developing adaptable project managers. We start with a simulation, then introduce new skills through group work on a case study project, then transfer those skills to real, work-based projects using work-based tools and templates. Personal and peer coaching are also powerful levers for the development of emotional intelligence and leadership capability. Author: Kestrel Stone FAIPM is the CEO of Elemental Projects, who partner with students and businesses to develop methodology-agnostic, artfully adaptable project managers. She’s also a Board Member of the Global Alliance for the Project Professions (GAPPS), a Project Management Lecturer (University of Sydney) and a former AIPM NSW Chapter Councillor. 39
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CONTRIBUTE TO THE NEXT ISSUE OF PARADIGM SHIFT
Please visit www.aipm.com.au for project resources, industry updates, upcoming events and membership inquiries.
Do you have a project that you would like our community to know about? Is there a project insight you believe needs to be shared? Our next theme is ACHIEVING SUCCESS and we would love to hear your article ideas. Visit the magazine page on the AIPM website to submit your article idea before Thursday, 14 April 2022. Our next issue will be out in June 2022.
