Dear Editor,
Lately, I have seen a lot written in the Guyana newspapers about President Irfaan Ali’s early morning meeting regarding late construction projects. During my career, I attended several of these types of meetings with executive leadership. That meeting was mild compared to some of the ones I attended; the beat down was usually brutal, but it usually ended on a good note with everyone committing to working together to fix the problems and get back on track. I have spent close to fifty years of my professional career on project related work, and based on my vast experience and expertise with managing Engineering and Information Technology projects, and I have encountered a myriad of reasons why projects fail outright, or fall short of the expected outcomes.
Projects fail all over the world, even in the developed economies, U.S.A, Canada, U.K, Australia, France, etc. to the tune of billions of dollars. I have done a lot of research on failed projects in these countries, and looked at the audit reports, and the conclusion in most cases is lack of expertise, rigor and discipline in managing these projects; referring to the failures as incomprehensible, or a master class in incompetence. While there are factors that are outside the control of the PM such as resource constraints, technology misfit, supply chain issues, stakeholder’s poorly defined scope and deliverables, etc. there are steps the PM can take to mitigate these risks, but they need the experience and the expertise to accomplish this.
I have mentored and coached many Project Managers and saw firsthand the gaps in their expertise and ability to manage projects, but with the right coaching and training they were able to improve their capabilities to achieve successful project execution and completion. I was also mentored by some of the best programme and project managers, who successfully managed large complex global ICT systems integration projects.
I have managed projects in countries in North and South America, Europe, and Asia Pacific for some of the largest global companies. The industries I worked in include Automotive, High Tech, Financial Services, Insurance, Retail and Investment Banking, Aerospace and Defense, Semiconductor, and Electric Utility. My domains of expertise include Technology Infrastructure, Cybersecurity, Software development, and Data Center transformation.
For Guyana to develop into an advanced economy, it has to get serious about developing PM expertise to be able to successfully manage large-scale complex projects. This has to be a national strategic priority. Guyana needs to identify some of its best and brightest with the mindset and temperament, and the willingness to learn and develop into expert Project Managers.
Now, I am happily retired with no intention of going back to work, but there is one thing I can do is to share my almost 50 years of knowledge and expertise with those in Guyana who aspire to become expert PM’s. So, I am offering to set up a Zoom training programme to start, and maybe later set up some workshops in Guyana. Those who are interested, please send me an email at krsingh22@gmailcom so that I can send you the Zoom meeting information. This Zoom training will be totally free of charge, we will meet for an hour each week to start.
If you are wondering why I am doing this, it is because I think it will be a great opportunity for the young people, who want to jump start their career, and experienced PM, who want to grow their PM expertise to be able to successfully contribute to the development of Guyana. It can also benefit senior government officials, who want to provide more effective oversight and project governance.
My goal is to develop a Master Class in Project Management to provide real-world practical knowledge. I am confident of my ability to do this and to teach it effectively. In addition to my almost 50-year experience in PM, I taught high school in Guyana for 4 years, and as an Engineering Manager in the U.S., I recruited and trained many young engineering and computer science majors.
If you want to master a skill, then you have to train with a master professional with a proven track record. For example, I want to learn to trade stock options, so I signed up for training with the Head Options Trader for a Proprietary Trading firm in Manhattan, where we have group training for one hour each week. Personalized training is also available, but it is expensive. I also signed up for a gym membership, but I have no clue how to use a lot of the equipment, and how to plan and execute an effective fitness training programme, so I signed up with a fitness coach with 25 years of experience.
This is a great once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so take advantage of it to grow your professional career and your earning potential, while contributing to the development of Guyana. Also, I want to extend this invitation to Guyanese Diaspora, who want to participate in this endeavour.
Sincerely,
Krishundyal Singh