Volume X - Issue VII - July 2008
PM Industry News
URS Corporation Selected to Manage DOE Hanford Site in USA Reported by Marc Zocher in Washington State URS Corporation has announced that a team led by the Company has been awarded the contract to manage the remediation of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) radioactive and hazardous underground waste tanks located on the Hanford Site in southeastern Washington state. The performance based, cost-plus award-fee contract, valued by the DOE at approximately $7.1 billion, covers a five-year base performance period and an additional five-year option.  "We are delighted to have been selected as Hanford's Tank Operations contractor," said Tom Zarges (pictured), President of URS' Washington Division. "URS and all of our team partners have a long history of supporting the DOE in environmental management and nuclear operations, including many successful projects both past and present at the Hanford Site. We look forward to validating the trust placed in us by the DOE through this selection by delivering safe, quality, results-oriented performance on this project." New Survey suggests increased Transparency A newly released survey has found consensus among leading AEC principals, counsel and professional liability insurers that many of the industry's current practices, despite being designed to shield architecture and engineering firms from risk exposure, are, in fact, increasing the likelihood of project failure. The research is available in a white paper, "Mitigating Risk in AEC Project Execution: Perspectives from Principals, Counsel and Insurers," by Spar Point Research. Newforma, Inc., a New Hampshire-based software developer, commissioned Spar Point to conduct the research based on Spar Point's success with a previous Newforma white paper, "Improving AEC Project Execution: Lessons from 11 Industry Leaders." This time the focus of the survey was to investigate the challenge of risk mitigation in project delivery. The participating executives agreed that more frequent and deeper information sharing across the entire project team can improve the team's clarity of understanding, reduce the likelihood and severity of problems, and increase control over a project's outcome. However, opinions on how best to achieve the transparency and knowledge-exchange necessary for this type of "informed control" were divided between the newly-emerging data-centric design and construction processes supported by BIM (building information modeling) and a more people-oriented investment in developing and supporting high-level project management methods and skills. Spar Point President of Research Bruce Jenkins attributes this duality to the underlying process intensity of AEC projects. "While BIM technology offers unquestionable improvement in clarity around the design, the processes required to manage the project 'outside' the model are still being defined," said Jenkins. "At transitional times like these, the need for experienced project managers with the necessary skills to identify gaps or anticipate new work processes is even more accentuated." Several interviewees were hopeful for new technologies, or extensions to current BIM technology, that would also improve the process and clarity of project communications outside the building model in order to prevent other risks to project success -- like an unexpectedly large invoice at the end of the job or an overlooked customer expectation -- that can result from project complexity, overwhelming volumes of information and increased work load. "What's surprising is the degree to which the industry has recognized software technology as an accepted, if not expected, path to improvement in communicating design intent, but is still in the early stages of investigating technology for challenges such as poor management of client expectations, inadequate project risk assessment, non-standard practices, and other sources of project risk identified in this study." Firms interviewed for the study include Ames & Gough, Barry B. LePatner & Associates LLP, Burns & McDonnell, Hanson Bridgett LLP, HOK, NBBJ, Perkins+Will, Noble & Wickersham LLP, Victor O. Schinnerer & Company, Walter P Moore, and XL Specialty Insurance Company. The full research paper, which includes detailed quotations from interviewees on every area of risk mitigation, is available from the Newforma website, www.newforma.com. Spar Point Research LLC, based in Danvers, Massachusetts, USA, investigates new technologies that improve the productivity, quality and safety of work process for creating, modifying and managing engineered products and constructed assets. Its publications, industry conferences and custom consulting help practitioners maximize the business impact of technology. Spar Point hosts the SPAR Conference, an annual conference on advanced dimensional control work processes and 3D imaging technologies. For more information, visit www.sparllc.com.  Newforma is a software company serving architecture, engineering, construction and owner/operator (AECO) organizations worldwide. Its mission is to develop and market software solutions which significantly improve the productivity of the building project team by streamlining work processes, reducing exposure from errors and omissions, improving coordination and communication, and enabling greater repeatability of project success. Newforma® Project Center, Newforma's flagship product, creates a more productive environment for project managers and the project team by organizing project information, facilitating information sharing, and enabling more effective project process. Newforma Project Center is currently implemented on over 50,000 projects in industry-leading AECO firms. For more information about Newforma, visit www.newforma.com. Jacobs awarded PM Contract for construction of Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. has announced a contract from Intesa Sanpaolo S.p.A. to provide project and construction management services for a new head office building in Turin, Italy. The Intesa Sanpaolo banking group, which was formed by the merger between Banca Intesa and Sanpaolo IMI, has clear leadership in the Italian market and a strong international presence. The contract value was not disclosed, but the project investment value is approximately 300 million Euros. The new building, designed by world-famous architect Renzo Piano, will be 167 meters high and comprise 37 floors aboveground and 6 levels underground. A 350-seat auditorium will be hung four stories above ground level. The building is designed to accommodate about 2,500 employees and provide large public spaces at both the top and street levels.  Jacobs is providing project management and design validation from its Milan office, and will provide assistance to the Bank for subcontracting, construction management, and supervision of final and acceptance testing. A specific area of focus during design and construction will be environmental sustainability. This will be achieved through low power consumption, use of renewable energies, green architecture, building automation, and other modern design approaches. The new building will be the tallest in Turin and one of the tallest buildings in Italy. It will characterize Turin as a rapidly evolving modern city and represent one of the most impressive structures in Europe. Intesa Sanpaolo noted, "The project will contribute towards the Group's targets of excellence through competence, effectiveness, and work quality." In making the announcement, Jacobs Group Vice President Robert Matha said, "We are proud to be selected by Intesa Sanpaolo, which has an expanding role in the international market, to support their investment in this prestigious and challenging project." Jacobs, based in the USA, with over 55,000 employees worldwide and annual revenues exceeding $9.0 billion, provides construction and project technical, professional and management services globally. AMEC signs global support agreement with BP Reported by Miles Shepherd in the UK AMEC, the international engineering and project management company, has announced in London that it has entered into an agreement with BP International Limited to provide engineering and project management services for BP's offshore developments around the world. AMEC is one of three companies selected by BP for this long-term agreement, which sets out the principles of collaborative working for the next four years with an option to extend. It will enable BP's project management teams to access AMEC's international resources when and where required. BP has a substantial programme of offshore development projects planned for the next 10 years, primarily across the seven strategic areas of Angola, Asia-Pacific, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Gulf of Mexico, the North Sea and Trinidad. As they look to access new areas, further developments may result.  "BP is one of the world's great companies and we are delighted that they have chosen us to be one of their strategic partners as they seek to grow their business," said Neil Bruce (pictured), Chief Operating Officer for AMEC's Natural Resources division. "This excellent agreement reflects our leading position in engineering and project management services and our ability to support customers wherever needed." This agreement follows the recent announcement by AMEC of a five-year Engineering Modification Services (EMS) contract for BP in Azerbaijan, estimated to be worth approximately US$500 million (£250 million) over the five years. Under the contract, which is an extension of an existing eight-year contract, AMEC will provide engineering and construction management services to enhance and extend the life of all of BP's offshore installations in the Azeri sector of the Caspian Sea, which represents around 20 per cent of BP's global production. AMEC plc is a focused supplier of high-value consultancy, engineering and project management services to the world's energy, power and process industries. With annual revenues of over £2.3 billion, AMEC designs, delivers and maintains strategic and complex assets for its customers. AMEC's Natural Resources, Power and Process and Earth and Environmental businesses employ approximately 22,000 people in more than 30 countries globally. AMEC shares are traded on the London Stock Exchange where the company is listed in the Oil Equipment and Services sector (LSE: AMEC.L). www.amec.com BP is one of the world's largest oil and gas companies, serving millions of customers every day in more than 100 countries across six continents. BP's business segments are Exploration and Production; Refining and Marketing; and Alternative Energy, its low-carbon energy business. Through these activities, BP provides fuel for transportation; energy for heat and light; retail services; and petrochemicals products for textiles and packaging. New Survey results: Complex Service Work Requires Oversight, Precision, Advanced Technologies & Schedule Performance New research from Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company in the USA, finds that Best-in-Class service firms are turning to scheduling solutions, Business Intelligence (BI), and field-ready mobile devices to improve their management of long-duration, resource intensive, and dependency rich service projects. According to their recent press release, Aberdeen’s recent benchmark survey of more than 125 companies identified the top pressure faced by companies engaged in complex work as the need to complete projects on time. However, 35% of these same companies did not know or did not measure compliance with stated deadlines. As well, many low performing companies reported significant financial penalties for project slippage -- paying out over 30 times more in fees than leading companies. These and other related findings are published in a report entitled "Complex Service Work: Scheduling Technicians, Crews, and Physical Resources." The report finds that leading service firms are twice as likely as all other firms to centralize the function of scheduling across the entire organization.
"This report, the first to cover the topic of complex work, provides a benchmark against which firms can measure themselves," stated Jack McAvoy, Research Director, Aberdeen Group. "The sheer number of moving parts, people, and processes -- as well as a hierarchy of dependencies -- can make complex work projects overwhelming without proper oversight and automation. Better managing these long-duration, resource intensive projects has become a required best practice for leading service organizations to meet regulatory requirements, financial valuations, and customer satisfaction metrics. The adoption of scheduling software, coupled with BI, project management, parts management, and smart field devices can make organizations' financial and operational goals a reality." A complimentary copy of this report is being made available due in part by the following underwriters: Aspective, ClickSoftware, Hitachi Consulting, and ViryaNet. To obtain a complimentary copy of the report, visit: Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company, is a leading provider of fact-based research and market intelligence that delivers demonstrable results. Having benchmarked more than 30,000 companies in the past two years, Aberdeen is uniquely positioned to educate users to action: driving market awareness, creating demand, enabling sales, and delivering meaningful return-on-investment analysis. As the trusted advisor to the global technology markets, corporations turn to Aberdeen™ for insights that drive decisions. For additional information, visit Aberdeen http://www.aberdeen.com, or to learn more about Harte-Hanks, go to History of Bechtel available online
 On the occasion of its centennial in 1998, Bechtel Corporation published "Building a Century," which chronicled the people and projects that had combined to make the company a global leader in engineering and construction. To celebrate the company’s 110th anniversary, Bechtel has put the book online, along with a new chapter updating the company’s work and projects during the past decade. The online version includes profiles of four generations of family leadership, links to project profiles, and more than 200 photos in easy-to-view galleries. To see the online history of Bechtel, visit http://www.bechtel.com/BAC-110.html.  Bechtel is one of the world's premier engineering, construction, and project management companies. Since its founding in 1898, Bechtel has worked on more than 22,000 projects in 140 countries. Today, our 42,500 employees are teamed with customers, partners, and suppliers on hundreds of projects in nearly 50 countries. For more information about Bechtel visit www.bechtel.com. Alstom allegedly paid bribes for Brazil project Reported by Peter Mello in Brazil French engineering group Alstom allegedly paid nearly a million dollars in bribes in connection with a Brazilian energy plant. The statement from a Brazilian businessman, Luiz Geraldo Costa, was given to the newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo. The money was paid to Petrobras, Brazil's state-run oil company which has a 50-percent stake in the TermoRio thermo-electric plant to which Alstom supplied turbines. Alstom's vice-president between 1999 and 2004, Jose Reis, was named as having asked Tourinho Costa to make his Uruguay account available for the transfer in return for a five-percent commission on the amount.  Brazilian federal authorities announced earlier this month they were investigating Alstom for suspected tax avoidance and money laundering. That probe adds to others in France and Switzerland into suspected bribe payments made by the French company to secure tenders in Latin America and in Asia between 1995 and 2003. More information: (AFP, May 29, 2008) Hill International to Manage Renovation of New York City Hall Reported by Larry Suda in New York City Hill International, a US-based global construction project management company, has been awarded a contract by the New York City Department of Design and Construction to provide construction management services during the $80 million renovation of New York City Hall. The three-year contract has a value to Hill of approximately $5.3 million.  The oldest city hall in the nation that still houses its original governmental functions, New York City Hall is considered one of the finest architectural achievements of its period. Constructed from 1803 to 1812, New York City Hall is a designated New York City landmark and its rotunda is a designated interior landmark as well. The building will undergo renovations throughout the structure including exterior and roofing renovations; steps refinishing; new electrical, fire, AV and HVAC systems; elevator modernization; and complete renovation of all interior spaces. "We are honored and privileged to be managing the restoration of New York City Hall," said Hill International has 2,000 employees in 70 offices worldwide providing program management, project management, construction management and construction claims services. Engineering News-Record magazine recently ranked Hill as the 10th largest construction management firm in the United States. For more information on Hill, please visit our website at www.hillintl.com. Exhibition & Sponsorship Opportunities still available for 2nd Annual UT Dallas Project Management Symposium in Texas August 18 & 19  Opportunities for exhibitors and sponsors remain available for The 2nd Annual UT Dallas Project Management Symposium being held during 18-19 August 2008 at The University of Texas at Dallas in Richardson, Texas, USA. The 2 Day PM Symposium will focus on topics important to organizations and industries in North Texas and will include professional presentations and discussions on a variety of topics. The Conference will include an Opening Ceremony with two keynote speakers, breaks in the vendors’ exhibition area, a Monday evening networking reception, opening and closing keynote addresses on day two, and several panel discussions. To see the program schedule, keynote speakers and other information, visit http://pmsymposium.utdallas.edu/. The Vendor Exhibition that will accompany the August symposium will be an opportunity for companies to showcase their project management solutions. Suppliers of program and project management products, services and technologies are invited to participate in this major project management event, expected to be the largest in North Texas this year. It will also be one of the only such events held on a major university campus in the United States. Exhibitor opportunities include the following:
Symposium organizers have also incorporated a "PM Tools & Technology" track for symposium exhibitors and sponsors to present product demonstrations, technology overviews or presentations about their products and services. This is an opportunity for companies to have the undivided attention of an audience. Track spaces and times can be reserved upon signup. Companies interested in exhibition opportunities should contact pmsymposium@utdallas.edu or visit http://pmsymposium.utdallas.edu/. On-Demand PPM Vendor Innotas raises $6 Million in Financing On-Demand PPM vendor Innotas announced on 9 June 2008 that it has completed its series C venture financing totaling $6 million. The round was driven by ArrowPath Venture Partners, Velocity Interactive Group, and several strategic investors.  According to the news release, Innotas, which reported 400% growth in 2007, will use the funds to fuel expansion of its sales and marketing efforts, infrastructure to support customer growth projections, and product development, including significant expansion of its engineering organization. "We continue to be impressed with the remarkable and rapid growth performance demonstrated by Innotas, its management team, and the customer traction it has gained with both the mid-sized as well as enterprise markets," said Tom Bevilacqua, managing partner, ArrowPath Venture Partners. According to Gartner in a May 6, 2007 press release entitled, Gartner Says Service Providers Must Prepare Now for the Software as a Service Wave, the Software-as-a-Service market is positioned for continued growth, reaching $6.3 billion in 2006, and it projects that it may hit $19.3 billion by 2011. On-demand PPM (software-as-a-service) applications are changing the way organizations approve, plan and deliver projects inside and outside the enterprise, and are significantly increasing ROI on project investments.  "Innotas On-Demand PPM is cost effective, easy to implement, and scales to meet the needs of any size organization. For example, one of our customers is Hamilton Beach which has a 30-seat deployment, while another customer, UST Global has more than 5000Innotas users," said Keith Carlson (pictured), president and CEO, Innotas. Ahmed Mokhtar named International Correspondent Ahmed Saleh Mokhtar, PMP, MSE, a Certified Consulting Engineer and senior Project Management consultant and trainer based in Cairo, has been named an International Correspondent in Egypt for PMForum and PM World Today. Mr. Mokhtar is also the Consultancy Director for Promastar. Mr. Mokhtar is a Senior Project Management Consultant and certified Project Management Professional (PMP) with a 23-year service record providing project management consultancy and training to public and private sector organizations in Egypt, Germany, Saudi Arabia and the UA Emirates.  He is currently, and since 2004, the Consultancy Director at Promastar, responsible for all project management consulting projects starting from PM maturity assessment, proposal preparation, resource allocation, setup and development of PM methodology, directing and managing the project execution and closing the projects. He had a main role in building the PMO in Saudi Telecom, Municipality of Jeddah, Al-Zakary Real-estate in Riyadh, Alssad Contracting in Jeddah and other organizations. His previous experience includes working as Director of Project Management Division in EPM Consultancy in Cairo from 1998-2003. Between 1989 and 1998 he worked in the project management division of Architectural Office Faulenbach in Germany. From 1983 to 1989 he was working as project engineer in Egypt. Ahmed is thoroughly experienced in complete project management including project management control systems, project/program management office (PMO) setup and development, computerized project control software, claims analysis and prevention, risk analysis and management (contingency planning), and business development. Ahmed has provided more than 100 PMP training courses in the region, and has been a visiting lecturer for project management in the Graduate School for Management, Arab Academy for Science and Technology, and at the 6 October University in Egypt. He has provided PM training courses with well known organizations in Egypt and the Middle East such as the American University in Cairo (AUC), AMIDEAST, Promastar, PMI-MENA-Chapter, RITI, Huawei Telecom Company, USA Corps of Engineers in Cairo, Washington Group, Saudi Telecom Company, Alcatel, Boeing-funded PMP-training, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, and the Municipality of Jeddah. Mr. Mokhtar gained his B. Sc. Degree in Engineering 1983 from Assuit University in Egypt and a Master degree in Construction Project Management 1991 from Hochschule Hidesheim/Holzminden University in Germany. In 1999, He received his PMP certification which has been renewed twice till 2008. He is a Charter member of the Egyptian Project Management Society (EPMS). He is also a current member of the Project Management Institute (PMI), USA, and served from 2005 to 2007 as member of Board of Directors and VP of PMI’s Middle East / North Africa (PMI-MENA) Chapter. He is also a Member of the Management Engineering Society (MES), the local national member of the International Project Management Association (IPMA), Switzerland. Ahmed Mohktar has been selected as a member of several national committees in Egypt, including the committee for issuing a new code of practice for construction project management in Egypt (2007-2008) and the ministerial committee for evaluating and negotiating the Greater Cairo Waste Treatment Project - with a budget of one billion USD.  According to Wikepedia, Cairo is the capital and largest city in Egypt and Africa's most populous city. Cairo was founded by the Fatimid caliphs as a royal enclosure in 969 A.D., ruled by the Ottomans from 1517 to 1798, and briefly occupied by Napoleon. Muhammad Ali of Egypt made Cairo the capital of his independent empire from 1805 to 1882, after which the British took control until Egypt attained independence in 1952. Cairo has a population of about 7.7 million people, with a metropolitan area population of about 17.3 million people. It is the sixteenth most populous metropolitan area in the world and the most populous in Africa. Today, Greater Cairo combines historic towns and modern districts in one of the most historic cities in the world. Famous historic features include the Pyramids, Saladin's Citadel, the Virgin Mary's Tree, the Sphinx, and Heliopolis, to Al-Azhar, the Mosque of Amr ibn al-A'as, Saqqara, the Hanging Church, and the Cairo Tower. It is the Capital of Egypt and its history is intertwined with that of the country. Cairo is located on the banks and islands of the Nile River in the north of Egypt, immediately south of the point where the river leaves its desert-bound valley and breaks into two branches into the low-lying Nile Delta region. Cairo is the center of Egypt, as it has been almost since its founding. 20% of all Egyptians live there. The majority of the nation's commerce is generated there, or passes through the city. The great majority of publishing houses and media outlets and nearly all film studios are there, as are half of the nation's hospitals and universities. This has fueled rapid construction in the city—one building in five is less than 15 years old. Egypt, officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country in North Africa. The Sinai Peninsula is part of northeastern Egypt, which also forms a land bridge to Asia. Covering an area of about 1,001,450 square kilometers (386,660 sq mi), Egypt borders Libya to the west, Sudan to the south and the Gaza Strip and Israel to the east. The northern coast borders the Mediterranean Sea; the eastern coast borders the Red Sea.  Egypt is one of the most populous countries in Africa and the Middle East. The great majority of its estimated 80,300,000 people live near the banks of the Nile River in an area of about 40,000 square kilometers (15,000 sq mi), where the only arable agricultural land is found. The large areas of the Sahara Desert are sparsely inhabited. About half of Egypt's residents live in urban areas, with the majority spread across the densely-populated centres of greater Cairo, Alexandria and other major cities in the Nile Delta. Egypt is famous for its ancient civilizations and some of the world's most famous monuments, including the Giza pyramid complex and its Great Sphinx (pictured at right below). The southern city of Luxor contains numerous ancient artifacts, such as the Karnak Temple and the Valley of the Kings. Egypt is widely regarded as an important political and cultural nation of the Middle East.  The Egyptian Nile Valley is home to one of the oldest cultures in the world, spanning three thousand years of continuous history. On 18 June 1953, the Egyptian Republic was formed, with General Muhammad Naguib as the first President of the Republic. Naguib was forced to resign in 1954 by Gamal Abdel Nasser, who assumed power as President and declared the full independence of Egypt from the United Kingdom on June 18, 1956. President Mohamed Hosni Mubarak has been the President of the Republic since October 14, 1981, following the assassination of former-President Mohammed Anwar El-Sadat. Mubarak is currently serving his fifth term in office. He is the leader of the ruling National Democratic Party. Egypt is the world's 38th-largest country, twice the size of France, four times the size of the UK, and more than half the size of the US state of Alaska. Nevertheless, due to the aridity of Egypt's climate, population centres are concentrated along the narrow Nile Valley and Delta, meaning approximately 99% of the population uses only about 5.5% of the total land area.  Economic conditions have improved considerably after adoption of more liberal economic policies by the government, as well as increased revenues from tourism and a booming stock market. In its annual report, the IMF has rated Egypt as one of the top countries in the world undertaking economic reforms. Some major economic reforms taken by the new government since 2003 include a dramatic slashing of customs and tariffs. A new taxation law implemented in 2005 decreased corporate taxes from 40% to the current 20%, resulting in a stated 100% increase in tax revenue by the year 2006. FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) into Egypt has increased considerably in the past few years due to the recent economic liberalization measures taken by minister of investment Mahmoud Mohieddin, exceeding $6 billion in 2006. Egypt is slated to overcome South Africa as the highest earner of FDI on the African continent in 2007. Information above about Egypt and Cairo, courtesy of Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egypt.  Established in 1995, www.pmforum.org was the world’s first website devoted to professional project management and continues to be one of the world’s most popular sources of project management news and information. PMForum also produces the monthly PM World Today eJournal where articles, papers, stories and viewpoints by leading PM authorities from around the world can be found; free subscriptions are available at www.pmworldtoday.net. PMForum’s global network of correspondents provides news and information from around the world of project management. More information about this program can be found at http://www.pmforum.org/pm%20forum%20team/index.htm#5. TPG The Project Group turns Ten - announces global strategy TPG The Project Group GmbH, one of the world's leading providers of products for Microsoft Project based in Munich, is celebrating its tenth anniversary this month. Founded in 1998, TPG's first mission was to enable its customers to integrate Microsoft Project with SAP. Today, TPG's offering encompasses a range of products that expand Microsoft Project's functionality, facilitate its use enterprise-wide, and support multi-project management; and consulting and implementation for Microsoft Enterprise Project Management (EPM); and training for users, administrators and developers. TPG's goals for the future include strengthening its international market leadership in software products for Microsoft Project. The company also plans to establish an international partner network to support and expand global product distribution.  Stavros Georgantzis (pictured at right), founder and managing director of TPG, has been working with Microsoft Project ever since its first version appeared in 1989. He founded TPG a little less than ten years later in July 1998, having noticed that there was an urgent customer need for a reliable integration of Project with SAP. “The demand was huge and there was an obvious and very promising gap in the market for this type of product,” says Georgantzis. “So we rolled up our sleeves and went for it. Developing a new type of product is always fraught with risks and unexpected challenges, and this product was no exception. But we stuck to our guns – and we’re really glad we did.” Today, TPG PSLink® is the world’s leading product for integrating Microsoft Project with SAP.  In 2000, Johann Strasser (left) joined TPG as joint managing director. He brought additional technical expertise to TPG and now heads up development and product strategy. Under his leadership, TPG has launched a portfolio of tools that expand the functionality of Microsoft Project and support multi-project management as well as enterprise-wide resource planning. Commenting on one element of the company’s product strategy, Strasser says: “We always put a strong focus on including a high level of configurability in all our products. This enables fast implementation and makes it much easier for customers to adapt our products to their existing processes.”
TPG’s management team was completed in 2003 with the arrival of “Our staff are very highly qualified because we continually invest in systematic training and development for them,” explains Henkelmann (pictured right). “We wouldn’t be able to achieve this if we were only focused on short-term profits. With this approach and with Microsoft as a strong partner behind us, we can offer our customers long-term protection of their investments.”  The majority of TPG’s customers are multinational corporations. Two years ago, TPG’s management noticed such a strong increase in demand from US-based companies wanting to integrate Microsoft Project with SAP that opening a subsidiary there became imperative. As a result, TPGAmerica was founded in Jamison, PA, USA, in May 2007 (www.tpgamerica.com). With Paul Szyarto as CEO, the company has had an extremely successful first year with several prestigious customer wins, including Bentley Systems, Harman International, AOL, LSI, Varian, and Alcoa. TPG The Project Group’s goals for the future include strengthening its international market leadership in software products for Microsoft Project. The company also plans to establish an international partner network to support and expand global product distribution. TPG The Project Group GmbH, based in Munich, Germany, with a US office in Jamison, PA, is a team of internationally recognized experts in IT solutions for enterprise-wide project management. TPG is the leading developer of Microsoft Project add-in products and offers implementation services for Microsoft Enterprise Project Management (EPM) solutions to large and mid-sized enterprises. TPG places particular emphasis on the integration of EPM in the financial controlling area as well as on IT support for Project Management Offices (PMO). TPG also provides seminars for Microsoft Project users and developers, as well as preparation for PMI’s Project Management Professional certification exam.  TPG The Project Group is a Microsoft Gold Partner and one of the top Microsoft Premier Project Partners in Europe. The company’s experience with Microsoft Project dates back to Version 1 Beta in 1989. The Project Group is a member of the Partner Advisory Council, which counts only twenty members worldwide. The Partner Advisory Council is an international advisory committee for the US-based Microsoft Project development team. The Project Group’s customer base includes global enterprises like Agip, AOL, ATLAS, Audi, Bayerischer Rundfunk, Bentley Systems, Bosch, British Aerospace, Cognis, Daimler, EON, General Electric, Harman International, Infineon, Irish Rail, Israel Aircraft Industries, Keiper-Recaro, LSI, MAN, MBDA, Microsoft, Miele, SAP, Schukra, Siemens, Texas Instruments and many others. For further information, please visit www.theprojectgroup.com/index_e.html or contact Mr. Achim Schmidt-Sibeth at AchimS@theprojectgroup.de. August Project & Programme Management Conference announced in Wellington, New Zealand The first ever New Zealand PRINCE2, Managing Successful Programmes (MSP) and Gateway conference has been announced in Wellington by CC Consulting. To be held on 11 August 2008 at the Duxton Hotel, the one day conference will focus on how these methods are being implemented and used in practice, plus how they will change in the future.
The conference will feature leading UK consultant practitioners Rod Sowden and Andy Murray, lead authors of the official OGC manuals for PRINCE2 and MSP and experts in the PRINCE2 Maturity Model (P2MM) and Portfolio, Programme and Project Management Maturity Model (P3M3).
Rod Sowden, PRINCE2, MSP, P2MM, P3M3, ITIL, has consulted to the UK Government, the National Health Service, the Victorian State Government in Australia, UK local government, HSBC, the BBC, transportation and retail clients. Rod has been involved in Managing Successful Programmes since it was launched in 1999, and he was the lead author of the 2007 edition of the MSP manual. Rod is also an expert in P3M3, the OGC's project portfolio and programme management maturity model which is used by UK government departments, Sun Microsystems and the United Nations Development Programme. Andy Murray, PRINCE2, MSP, P3M3 has implemented PRINCE2 and MSP with clients across thirteen countries in Europe, Asia, North America, Africa and the Middle East over the last twelve years. He has consulted to high technology clients such as EADS Astrium, Sun Microsystems and Vodafone as well as government, healthcare, utilities and transportation clients.
Andy gained recognition from the OGC for leading the team that developed a local government Project Management Handbook – which has since been rolled out by many local authorities in the United Kingdom. Andy's publication on how to use P3M3 for performance improvement led to a role as a guest author to the OGC publication Get Best Practice. Andy is currently leading a team of authors and industry professionals to completely rewrite the PRINCE2 manual (due for publication early in 2009). Questions the conference is intended to address include:
The agenda will include New Zealand case studies and an open forum. Additional workshops on PRINCE2 and MSP will also be available during the week. For more information, visit the conference website at: or CONTACT NBI-WRPMP invites interested firms and joint ventures Reported by Getachew Teklemariam Alemu in Addis Ababa The Nile Basin Initiative's water resource planning and management project, which functions in nine countries: Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda, has invited interested consulting firms/joint ventures to provide project planning and management training. NBI with a grant received from the African Development Fund (ADF) has intentions to train staffs of NBI countries so as to enhance their professional capacities with regard to preparing and implementing trans-boundary projects. Accordingly, the consultant firm/venture shall;
It is required for the training to be organized in nine topics with participants from 9 NBI countries; training on each topic will take place in one of the aforementioned countries, covering the Nile Basin as a whole. The NBI, the executing agent for the project, thus, invites consulting firms to indicate their interest in providing the services. The firms/ventures shall provide a statement of capability and experience showing their qualification to perform the services. The application is open to consulting firms/joint ventures from eligible source countries as defined in AfDB rules of procedures for use of consultants(2000 Edition). It is understood that the deadline of application is july17,2008 For more information contact Dr. Hesham Ghany at (251)116467011 or hghany@nilebasin.org Invitation to Exhibitors for APM 2008 National Project Management Conference in October Reported by Miles Shepherd in the UK The Association for Project Management (APM) is inviting companies with project management products and services to participate in the exhibition to be held during their 2008 Project Management Conference, "Success Through Projects". The 2008 conference will be held again this year at the historic Brewery Conference Centre in London during 29-30 October 2008. The 2008 conference will follow on the highly successful 1st National Project Management Conference held last October, with some of the themes also continuing. According to Scott Walkinshaw, APM Head of Marketing, “Participants and exhibitors are signing up somewhat earlier this year, so we already expect a higher turnout. Last year the exhibition was sold out by end of August; it should be something similar this year.” Exhibitors that have already signed on include the following companies:
If you are interested in exhibiting at the APM Project Management Conference 2008, or sponsoring an activity or award, please download the exhibitors pack on the conference website at http://www.apm.org.uk/exhibitors.asp, or contact Jo Asher on jo@impact-now.co.uk. Programme and project managers from around the UK and abroad will take part in the October Conference, helping develop the national and international project management agenda through presentations, panel discussions and debate. For details about the conference visit www.apm.org.uk/conference.asp or contact conference@apm.org.uk.
The Association for Project Management (APM) is the UK’s national body for professional project management. With over 16,500 individual and 500 corporate members throughout the UK and abroad, APM is one of the largest organisations of its kind in Europe. The organisation develops and promotes project management across all sectors of industry and beyond. APM's published mission is: "To develop and promote the professional disciplines of project and programme management for the public benefit." APM is the UK member of the International Project Management Association (IPMA). With headquarters in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, APM has twelve regional branches throughout the UK and one in Hong Kong. Additional information can be found at www.apm.org.uk. Come to Rome for Project Management & Business! Exhibition opportunities still remain open for suppliers of project and program management products, services and technology at the 22nd IPMA World Congress on Project Management, ROMA 2008 – Project Management to Run – scheduled for November 9-11, 2008. The 22nd IPMA World Congress, which will also include one of the largest Project Management Exhibitions in the world this year, will be held at the Palazzo dei Congressi near the heart of downtown Rome.  Exhibitors will have an opportunity to showcase their products and services to over 1,000 delegates from more than 80 countries. An additional 2,500 are expected to visit the trade exhibition. Covering more than 4,000 sqm of space, the Exhibition will be the must-see event of the year for those shopping for project management products or resources. Main areas for the Exhibition will include the following:
The 22nd IPMA World Congress and Exhibition in Rome will provide a highly flexible environment in which a wide range of sales and marketing objectives can be achieved, from generating sales leads to launching new products, building brand image, and maintaining customer relations. Exhibitors will also be allowed to directly sell their products and services to visitors. Show Dates and Hours Sunday, November 9 Monday, November 10 Tuesday, November 11 Exhibit space starts at 9 square meters, with raw space priced at €300 per sqm. To see the exhibition area, visit www.ipmaroma2008.it . For more information about exhibiting, contact Fabio Casiraghi at exhibition@ipmaroma2008.it. The 22nd IPMA World Congress also represents an important opportunity for sponsors who wish to present themselves to an audience of global experts and leaders in the fields of industrial plant, energy and infrastructure works as well as in the fields of financing, information and communications technology, organization development, research, health and consulting. Certainly project management leaders from across Europe and around the world will be there. In lieu of the central location, a large number of participants from Mediterranean countries are also expected. Join such organizations as Ansaldo Energia, GOGEL, FOSTER WHEELER, LPL Projects & Logistics, MAIRE TECNIMONT, SIEMENS, ASTALDI, GE OIL& GAS, TECHINT, Technip, PENSOTTI, OICE, etc. as Congress Sponsors. For more information on sponsorship opportunities, please contact committee@ipmaroma2008.it. The local host organizations for the ROMA 2008 World Congress in Rome, Italy are the Italian Project Management Academy and the Italian National Association of Industrial Plant Engineering (ANIMP). The President of ANIMP is Mr. Fabrizio Di Amato; the President of the Italian PM Academy is Roberto Mori; the Congress Chairman is Luigi Iperti; and the Project Manager for IPMA 2008 is PierMarco Romagnoli. For registration, schedule and other information, visit the conference website at www.ipmaroma2008.it.  Founded in 1967 and registered in Switzerland, the International Project Management Association (IPMA) is an international federation of more than 40 national PM societies in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas. Local societies serve each country in its national language. IPMA provides an umbrella organization at the international level. IPMA’s internationally acclaimed 4 Level PM Certification Programme continues to grow worldwide. The IPMA annually presents awards to teams that achieve great feats in project management. IPMA maintains its continuous presence in the global PM arena through regular International Symposia, Expert Seminars and its Annual World Congress. The president of IPMA for 2008 is Veikko Valila. Additional information is available at www.ipma.ch. Microsoft Worldwide Partners Conference to be in Houston The big annual conference for Microsoft partners, to be held during 7-10 July 2008 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas, USA., is expected to have over 7,000 participants from more than 145 countries. According to the website, the Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) provides an online and in-person forum to learn more about business growth opportunities and product innovation from Microsoft executives. It offers a unique opportunity for participants to expand their business potential by connecting with thousands of other Microsoft partners.  Main features of the conference are expected to include: Information. Hear about Microsoft vision and strategies from CEO Steve Ballmer, COO Kevin Turner, and others. Innovation booths and Hands-On Labs will be available for attendees to get a first look—or to test drive—new Microsoft technologies and demos. Get connected. This year’s conference will have a record number of attendees—and a record number of opportunities to exchange knowledge, share best practices, and build new relationships. Connect with other Microsoft partners and hear what regional keynote speakers have to say about emerging business opportunities in local markets. Regional speakers will be featured from the following regions: 
Exhibition. Where sponsors and Microsoft partners will showcase, network, educate, and discuss top-level business decisions and strategies with thousands of global business decision makers, industry leaders, and Microsoft team members. For more information, visit the WPC website at https://partner.microsoft.com/global/trainingevents/wwpartnerconference. Project Management with Scrum is discussed during event Reported by Peter Mello in Brazil UNICAMP, one of the largest State Universities in Brazil, was home to an event regarding Project Management and the use of Agile Development Techniques with the iterative process SCRUM.
The main presentation was given by Juan Esteban Bernabó - Agile Practice Leader from Teamware/Brazil. Contacts can be made to eventos@dextra-sw.com and the meeting was held on June 20th. The entry fee to the event was the donation of food that will later be distributed to a non-profit organization that helps fighting against cancer Scrum is an iterative incremental process of software development commonly used with Agile software development. Although Scrum was intended to be for management of software development projects, it can be used in running software maintenance teams, or as a program management approach. Scrum is a process skeleton that includes a set of practices and predefined roles. The main roles in scrum are the ScrumMaster who maintains the processes and works similar to a project manager, the Product Owner who represents the stakeholders, and the Team which includes the developers. More information can be found at: New Qualification for senior programme and project managers launched at The Best Practice Showcase in London A major new qualification for senior programme and project managers was launched on 24 June at the Best Practice Showcase which took place at the QEII Conference Centre in Westminster, London, UK. Sir David Normington, Permanent Secretary, The UK's Home Office, presented the first graduates of the new Programme & Project Sponsorship qualification with their certificates.
Sir David (pictured at right) said: “I want to congratulate everyone who has been awarded the new Programme and Project Sponsorship qualification which has been developed by the APM Group, based on the Home Office approach to training our Senior Responsible Owners. It is very important that senior managers understand their sponsor role and are able to adopt an appropriate approach. In the Home Office we currently have many important projects, so it is extremely important that we professionalise the role of Senior Responsible Owner. I recognise the value of effective project management and will be encouraging our project sponsors to take this qualification.” The new qualification certifies that senior level staff involved with Programme and Projects – known as Sponsors or Senior Responsible Owners (SROs) - are equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to lead successful delivery of a policy or initiative. The first candidates to successfully pass the examination were from the UK Home Office, UK Borders Agency, the National School for Government and the Atomic Weapons Establishment: Jonathan Braim – Home Office Candidate No.1, Jonathan Braim, is a member of the senior management team responsible for delivering accommodation services across the Home Office and for the Ministry of Justice. Receiving his certificate from Sir David he said: “The Home Office recognises the importance of having skilled Senior Responsible Owners (SROs) working on its major programmes and projects. Being an SRO is frequently a very tough and demanding job with a huge amount of responsibility for delivering real change and results. In the past, SRO skills have been learnt vocationally but the new qualification and the training that supports staff to achieve it, reinforces the critical success factors in delivering the role.” The Chief Examiner, Ian Santry recognised the part played by the first candidates to sit the exam “I’d like to thank the candidates who put themselves forward to test the examination. They have made a major contribution to the development of this qualification which, along with the associated training, represents a significant step towards equipping business managers for the SRO role” The APMG Programme & Project Sponsorship qualification consists of four modules: |
