We have begun Season 3 of our highly popular Common Ground series of webinars. These events are now being held once a month. In this issue, we are capturing the highlights of the two episodes we have concluded so far.

Episode 1: Citizen Development: Join the Citizen Revolution

Citizen development (CD) has created a buzz in the industry, with increased interest among practitioners to understand how they can leverage the concept for their organization or learn how to become a part of the movement themselves.

Shubhro Pal, who is an avid propagator of the low code and no code approach, explained why the demand for CD is slated to grow, and debunked some of the common myths surrounding it. Quoting IDC, he said that half a billion new applications a re going to be built in the next few years. It shows that the demand for software developers and app developers is going to grow exponentially, thus creating a space for citizen developers.

He highlighted some of the big issues that organizations must address to make the most of CD. He rated data security and IT governance as the most critical challenges. He believes that PMI and the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) have a big role to play in helping organizations develop a safe and effective environment to promote CD.

KEY TAKEAWAYS
● CD is not new; think of it as shadow IT but with standard guidelines, and on an industrial scale.
● CD will not kill the software engineering industry, but enrich it.
● Data security and IT governance are critical challenges that need to be addressed before adopting CD.
● Key skills needed: logical thinking, domain knowledge, and methodology focus.
● PMI can help in not just publishing best practices guides and case studies but also war stories that bring out the dark side.

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Episode 2: Future Trends in Project Management 


The panellists shared their views on the way forward for the pr oject management profession. They discussed the relevance of project professionals in the face of technological disruptions, how to adapt to change, reasons to upskill, and the need to build resilience.

Ms. Mukherjee feels that the role of project managers is becoming more demanding, with increased responsibilities, a changing environment, and evolving customer expectations. She urged project managers to focus on continuous learning. Additional certifications help, since day-to-day activities require project professionals to move into program and portfolio management. She emphasized the need to develop long-term coping capabilities, build a network of support, and anticipate setbacks to build resilience.

“Projects such as the construction of the pyramids in Egypt have been going on since ancient times,” said Mr. Metar. Every generation has solved challenges and going forward, project managers will embrace technology disruptions and continue to remain relevant. Real-time problem-solving is an important skill to learn, in order to adapt. His advice to project managers is to look out for opportunities to improve - attend webinars, connect with people, and utilize online avenues.

Mr. Chandra reiterated that bots will not take over the role of project managers as it is all about the human touch. However, the learning curve will change as skills and competencies evolve. Project managers must monitor their organizational objectives and upskill for career progression. They need to increase the speed of delivery and evolve from being good to great. He said that PMI’s Program Management (PgMP)® certification is a good option to consider for career progression. He said that change is possible only when the employee as well as the organization are willing to adapt.

   
KEY TAKEAWAYS
● The role of project managers will not become redundant, as the human touch will always be needed.
● Analytical people will have to become creative, and the other way around.
● Project management professionals have to build resilience by accepting that every role will have challenges.
● They have to anticipate setbacks and prepare for them.