Valuing our differences by building on our diverse backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives to support a positive environment and promote integrated development on the continent of Africa.

• Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable
• Paying attention to discrimination and addressing it within project teams
• Making social equity principles and processes inherent in project decisions, actions, and opportunities
• Encouraging members of project teams to promote and further social equity by integrating strategies that address identified social and economic needs and disparities

Objectives:

• Understanding of how the construction industry can foster sustainable development
• Understanding of frugal innovation, and how it relates with modular construction
• Knowledge of the advantage of modular construction over conventional construction as a sustainable construction method

Modular construction (MC) is characterized as frugal innovation (FI). Project-level case studies showed MC costs between 48% and 63% of conventional methods. The total construction cost (TCC) obtained is based on the sustainability triple-bottom-line. The results show that MC has a significant cost advantage over conventional construction. Concept of “co-diffusion-chasm” for MC and FI was introduced. A clear link between modular construction and frugal innovation was created. Abstract: Sustainable development borders on creating a world where everyone can have a decent and affordable quality of life while respecting life support systems and resources. As the construction industry plays a key role in achieving sustainable development, the cost of realizing urban infrastructure is critical, considering resource-constraints. Modular construction (MC) is pitched as a solution for improving cost-performance in construction, but there is limited research that quantifies the cost-advantage of MC, and how it can foster sustainability in urban development. With the triple bottom line (TBL) overarching concept, the advantage of MC over conventional methods is analyzed. The environmental bottom line of construction energy-use and generated wastes are evaluated. Direct economic bottom line of material and labor, and the indirect economic bottom line of schedule duration are also assessed. Finally, the social bottom line of workers’ injury risks are evaluated. Project-level cases on small and medium scale buildings are studied. The results show that MC can provide housing and key infrastructure at a substantially reduced cost in a safer and more environmentally friendlier way.  Contribution was made to literature by establishing an unambiguous link between frugal innovation and modular construction, while underscoring their roles in fostering sustainable urban development.

Empowering young entrepreneurs and make them fit and ready as Project Managers of the future. The preparation starts now.

Key points to be addressed:

• Addressing the knowledge gap: Training and are-training;
• Mentorship
• Funding

Face à l’accélération de la «VUCALISATION » du monde et à une impressionnante montée en puissance des forces et tendances telles que l’intelligence artificielle, la transformation numérique, le changement climatique, l’inclusion et la diversité, la profession de gestion de projet est amenée à se remodeler et à s’adapter pour ne pas devenir obsolète. À ce propos d’après une étude : 85% des emplois qui existeront en 2030 n’existent pas encore aujourd’hui.¹.

Ainsi, la profession de gestion de projet devrait donc pouvoir tirer son épingle du jeu.  Comment faire de ces forces et tendances deviennent une opportunité pour rendre la profession de gestion de projet plus impérieuse pour les organisations ? Nous allons appréhender leurs impacts sur la profession en matière de :

Défis :

Transition écologique

L’enjeu multiculturel

Adaptation permanente

Et d’opportunités :

Télétravail et travail à distance

Apprentissage continu

Créativité humaine, mais pour combien de temps ?

Every project should incrementally lead an organization towards its new “working right or just right” future. But the question which often eludes project sponsors and business leaders is how do we know for sure that the business value has been realized with the project deliverable that gets signed off?

Too many tech project investments in Africa have struggled to realize their intended value proposition.

Metrics for the delivery of value which combine desired business outcomes and related benefits (positive consequences of the outcomes) isn’t clearly captured in the business case.

What is needed to define, deliver and sustain value ?

Organizations increasingly seek to evolve their PMOs as drivers of overall project success. But this shift requires a focus on rethinking measures of project success to include innovative metrics (captured through increased use of technology) that align with organizational strategy and demonstrate value beyond basic measures of quality.

Sarina Arcari of the PMI Board of Directors will lead this roundtable discussion on how participants can elevate the value of the PMO at their organizations.

Potential questions and topics to explore will include:

• Do you struggle with negative perceptions of project success or the value of the PMO or of project management?
• Does your PMO and/or project teams consider organizational strategy in the planning of projects/programs?
• Does your PMO have a roadmap or work plan that outlines priorities and/or indicators of success?
• Do you involve your organization’s PMO when selecting and defining success measures?

In the 1970s, was anyone able to envision the Internet reality of today? Changemakers from all sectors will define and develop what Metaverse will become.  Will it enable a global ESG community to collaborate on ways to rid the ocean of plastics and formulate solutions?  Will it help train new surgeons and doctors to perform operations using virtual or augmented reality?  Will it connect a community of creators to design a sustainable community garden in virtual space that is later implemented? Will it be a platform to practice project management skills and upskill our capabilities?

Join LuAnn Piccard for a discussion on how Metaverse holds an opportunity to envision and create the future, and how project managers, changemakers, and creators will imagine, co-create, deliver, and utilize this environment to make Metaverse ideas reality.

• Impact of Metaverse and how value will be imagined, developed and delivered to stakeholders
• Opportunities for changemakers to collaborate and envision, create, and deliver value through Metaverse
• Skill building in the Metaverse environment

Women are dynamic leaders and an asset to any career. How can we boost the role of women in the decision-making and include women at all levels of the decision-making process? What concerted efforts can be taken to support women and value their input?

• Understanding the difference women bring
• Managing work-life balance
• Mentoring junior-level women

The emerging awareness of ‘Agile Methodologies’ necessitates the essence of integrating ‘Agile’ practices into the usual ‘Predictive’ methodology for managing projects, thereby positing the ‘Hybrid’ Approach. While adopting organization-wide Hybrid project management is becoming more desirable, the need for systematic readiness becomes more evident. This round table will border on the following discussion questions:

• What is the essence of organization-wide Hybrid project management?
• How can an organization be assessed for Hybrid Organizational Project Management?
• Which of the readiness questions can be asked to prepare the organization?

Participants will gain insights on the attributes of a desktop OPM Readiness Assessment and how to establish a roadmap for enthroning Hybrid Organizational Project Management (HOPM).

Le géant mondial des réseaux sociaux Facebook a annoncé il y’a quelques mois sa volonté d’investir afin de créer une doublure du monde physique entendez par là le métavers. Dans ce nouveau monde, il sera possible à des personnes situées à des milliers de kilomètres de travailler et de se divertir virtuellement. Du point de vue du management de projet, le métavers est susceptible d’avoir des répercussions sur les façons de livrer. Cette table ronde a donc pour objectifs de comprendre les conséquences du métavers sur le management de projet à travers les questions ci-dessous :

• Qu’est-ce que le métavers ? Le métavers : paradis ou enfer virtuel ?
• Quelles sont les caractéristiques d’un projet dans le métavers ?
• Quelles sont les implications du métavers pour les chefs de projets ?
• Quelles approches de management de projet pour livrer efficacement les projets dans le métavers ?
• Comment créer de la valeur avec le management de projet dans le métavers ?
• Quel wow pour livrer les projets dans le métavers ?
• Comment aborder la gestion des parties prenantes des projets dans le métavers ?
• Quelle approche pour l’analyse commerciale (Business Analysis) des projets dans le métavers ?
• Comment gérer les coûts du projet dans le métavers ?
• Comment communiquer efficacement du projet dans le métavers
• Comment gérer la qualité du projet du métavers ?
• Comment définir le périmètre du projet dans le métavers ?
• Comment planifier des projets dans le métavers ?
• Quelles sont les spécificités de la gestion de l’échéancier des projets dans le métavers ?

The challenge of today’s project practitioners in the project economy is to find and deliver the right mix, like a great chef, having the right ingredients does not guarantee a great meal! Lets discuss with our panel. Bon appetite!

What will drive the success of your digital transformation project on the continent?

• Best in class Technologies?
• Strong governance?
• User adoption?
• The right people mix?
• Reality on the ground?
• What else?
• All the above?

Project Managers are the differentiating factor for successful implementation of ICT4D initiatives. They are responsible for designing solutions using HCD approaches; gathering requirements to meet end-user needs; implementing, iterating and monitoring the solutions to ensure optimal usage of technology; and gathering insights through reporting that support SDGs to make informed decisions backed with data. Project managers contain all the skills needed to successfully design and implement ICT4D projects for sustainable development. Spend some time with us diving into how PMs and technology are playing a crucial role in sustainable development in Africa and what challenges are still left to overcome!

As young project managers embark on their career, they need support to learn the ropes and ascend their career ladders. Oftentimes this includes getting certified with the goal of obtaining the prestige and career recognition as a PMP. However, climbing the ladder can be a slow arduous process. In this roundtable, we will discuss key challenges, opportunities, and concepts that could help young project managers in Africa ascend to new career heights. Specifically, we will discuss the role of a mentor as well as how apprenticeships or supervised learning on the job can help assure competency growth and readiness to lead projects.

The current pace of the VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity) global landscape is at a momentum never experienced before.  This requires every industry, organisation and role to evolve in order to remain ahead and for each to maintain their competitive advantage.  One measure of this profitability is in the organisations ROCE (Return on Capital Employed).  This is where participants who are in the project management profession can identify opportunities to harness the wider forces and trends by developing an understanding of them.

Join Nirvanna Rampersad for a conversation on identifying, understanding and leveraging opportunities in the VUCA world.

• How digital transformation impacts our Way of Working (WoW)
• Climate Change and Pandemics impacts on Project Success
• Breaking the barriers by embracing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I)

Project professionals remain key actors in the success of Business Transformation. In this roundtable, we will discuss the role that project managers play in business transformation. We will share tips on how to empower project professionals to become champions in a world in perpetual transformation.

Il semblerait que les femmes dirigent des actions efficaces et  prennent de meilleures décisions à en croire l’éloge que la presse a faite à propos du leadership des femmes en 2021.   Elles sont chefs d’État et de gouvernement de seulement 21 pays du monde et elles ont fait preuve d’une plus grande efficacité dans la gestion de la crise sanitaire du COVID-19 selon la presse. Nous pouvons également trouver des exemples dans d’autres sphères.

Cependant, elles demeurent sous-représentées aux niveaux les plus élevés du processus de décision tout domaine d’activités confondu. Elles sont entre entre 20-30 % dans la direction de projets.

Selon vous:

• Pourquoi sont-elles encore sous-représentées dans de nombreuses tribunes de prise de décision?
• Quels sont les principaux freins?
• Quels sont les leviers d’action pour renforcer leur rôle  dans le processus décisionnel?

Nous explorerons ces questions dans notre atelier.

Nous avons besoin de travailler tous ensemble (Chapitres, personnes, Académie, Entreprises, Organisations…) pour l’Afrique que nous souhaitons; venez partager vos idées qui alimenterons la feuille de route de la Communauté Francophone!

We currently have 7 generations – The greatest generation (1908-1927) to the Gen Alpha (2011 -2025) – living on earth, largely disunited in a world that is rapidly becoming too fast to understand across every sphere of life.

We will be sharing ways and strategies in which all these largely disconnected generations can work and learn from each other.

TBC

TBC

A two-year graduate program is not going to turn you into a project manager. It is going to be the experience you get delivering projects as well as some formal learning and a strong support network. There is no one way to become a project manager. And although that means you will have many options as you embark on your project manager journey, it can make deciding what to do next a little confusing. Plus, what options do you have after you’ve been a project manager for several years?

This career is in high demand. The Project Management Institute (PMI) estimates that the global economy will need 25 million new project professionals by 2030 in order to keep up with demand.

A strong foundation is very important for future career progression.

The importance of the social sector in terms of providing innovative solutions that address the myriads of unmet social needs in a society, cannot be overemphasized. However, given the constraints of limited human and financial resources often experienced in the sector, it is important for the sector leaders to consider applying the established principles and processes of Project Management when implementing social impact projects. This way, efficiency will be improved, turn around time will be enhanced, and programs will be more professionally implemented so that better outcomes will be achieved and sustainable social impact guaranteed.

We will discuss:

• To what extent should we consider integrating Project Management into the daily operations of social sector organizations?
• Should we consider a customized curriculum (sector specific) for teaching Project Management in the social sector?
• Will the social sector deliver better results, in terms of the quality of the social impact and the time invested in project implementation, if the project management approach was strictly applied?

A discussion with a Young Pan African Leader on matters to do with Policy Influence, Sustainable Growth, Personal Development, Program & Progress Management and Ownership into building and influencing the Africa We want.

• Le PMO, une structure comme une autre dans l’organisation des entreprises?
• Quelles sont les contraintes et exigences de la mise en place d’un PMO ?
• Comment s’assurer de la durabilité et de l’impact du bureau de projet qu’on met en place ?

Africa has the youngest population in the world and by 2030, Africans are projected to make up 40% of the world’s youth and account for 75% of those under 35 in sub-Saharan Africa. Because of this, it’s imperative youth-serving organizations focus on building transferrable, 21^st century skills that enable youth to address continental issues and amplify indigenous expressions of innovation. One of the platforms to do this is project management. Project management is more than a skillset to solve problems, it can be a framework to cultivate transformation. Whether it’s addressing sanitation issues in a rural Congolese community or forging new territories of social entrepreneurship in Senegal; project management is a vehicle to empower Africa’s youth. In this session you will learn more about PMIEF’s collaborative work with its youth serving non-profits while highlighting some of the change agents in Africa. You will also better understand how project management can be a framework to empower Africa’s youth to become champions of change throughout the globe.  

Globally and locally, project management has the power to align leadership and efforts for positive change and to make ideas a reality. Within organisations and across communities, these ideas and social innovations can contribute to social impact. Some are developed and scale through business and social entrepreneurship, or enabled through volunteer leaders, communities, and a culture of Ubuntu; we rise by lifting others.

• What are the unique strengths of Project Management in Africa for creating social good for Africa?
• What approaches and tools should project leaders leverage to realise, deliver or scale social good for stakeholders?
• As a project professional, what opportunities for social do you see in your own organisation/s and for your communities?
• Who could be your greatest partners for social impact initiatives? Who are you already doing great things with/through?
• How might PMI help, locally and globally, to enable your social good initiatives? Do you have good examples of what’s already working well?