PM World Journal Project Management Update from Nepal Vol. II, Issue IV – April 2013 Suraj Dahal www.pmworldjournal.net PM Profession Report
Project Management Update from Nepal
By Suraj Dahal Contributing Editor Kathmandu, Nepal
New Team of Nepal Young Crew Management Board Formed
On March 24, 2013, an orientation and formalization program was organized at Nepal College of Travel and Tourism Management (NCTTM) [1] in Kathmandu by Project Management Association of Nepal (PMAN) [2] a member association of the International Project Management Association (IPMA) [3] to formally endorse the formation of the Young Crew for Project Management in Nepal. The Chair of the formal program, Tikajit Rai, Chairperson of PMAN, on his opening remarks extended warm welcome and shared the programs and activities of the association and its relation with the IPMA and Asia Pacific Federation of Project Management (APFPM) [4].
In Nepal, a Young Crew was established in September 2010, spearheaded by Shailesh Nepal, the winner of the IPMA Young Project Manager Award 2010, as one of the take-aways of the Coaching for Development workshop. A need arose to recompose and consolidate its program; hence the members had extensive consultations following the guideline prescribed by IPMA Young Crew (YC) Management Board. The proposal of
PM World Journal Project Management Update from Nepal Vol. II, Issue IV – April 2013 Suraj Dahal www.pmworldjournal.net PM Profession Report
the Young Crew to form a new board for a term of three years was announced in the meeting having eight active members from different professional sectors.
The designation and respective roles and responsibilities of each board member were discussed and agreed on the basis of their personal interest and professional expertise as follows:
Subas Subedi President Mukunda Adhikari Awards and Marketing Yadav Poudel Finance Niraj Bhandari Professional Development Bindu Shrestha Education and Training Rasma Dangol Membership, Publication, and Networking Bipin Acharya National Liaison Manish Bhattarai International Liaison
It has an advisory board as follows:
Shailesh Nepal, Immediate Past President of Young Crew Nepal (Nepal/Haiti) Tikajit Rai, President, PMAN (Nepal) Brigitte Schaden, President, Austrian Project Management Association (Austria) Bill Young, President, APFPM (Australia / China) Daniel Collado-Ruiz, Chairman, IPMA YC Management Board (Spain) Ewa Bednarczyk, IPMA Award Office Manager (Poland) Prabesh Aryal, Assistant Director, FHI (Nepal) Rajan Pradhan, Corporate Affairs, Soaltee Group (Nepal)
PM World Journal Project Management Update from Nepal Vol. II, Issue IV – April 2013 Suraj Dahal www.pmworldjournal.net PM Profession Report
Subas Subedi, winner of the IPMA Young Project Manager Award 2012 [5], shared his journey since he joined PMAN as a YC member in June 2009. He explained how PMAN has helped him to set his career path with education, training, networking, and continuous professional development. He also highlighted his lessons learned by sharing the experience of being a Prize Winner in the mid-size category of the IPMA International Project Excellence Award [6] in 2012 with the project he was leading - Education for Youth: Youth for Peace and Development Project implemented by Underprivileged Children's Educational Programs in partnership with Save the Children International in Nepal. He said, "The fact that being in a professional network of PMAN and international associations like IPMA and APFPM not only helps young members to develop professionally but also plays a vital role in their personality development." The Guest Speaker, Mr. Pranesh Sharma, Founder of NCTTM said, ''Hardship is the second name of Success”. He emphasized that the youth must be willing to work hard and gain knowledge, skills, and develop attitude to succeed. He shared how he learned the value of teamwork, negotiation, and attitude of perfection while working in international project teams here in Nepal.
On the occasion, Chhaya Sharma, Founder Principal of NCTTM and President of the Federation of Women Entrepreneurs' Association of Nepal said, "This College was started with 5 students12 years ago. Today, it is the pioneer in the country with three programs at Bachelors and Masters Levels
PM World Journal Project Management Update from Nepal Vol. II, Issue IV – April 2013 Suraj Dahal www.pmworldjournal.net PM Profession Report
She reflected on the struggle and challenges that were surmounted by her sheer determination to institutionalize a tourism business. She emphasize, "To be successful, focus on the 3 Ds: Determination, Dedication, and Devotion." In addition, Bipin Acharya, a member of the new team, explained how being associated with PMAN has benefitted him to improve the quality of life with right exposure, professional grooming, networking, technical and organization development skills, inter-culture sharing amidst others. He said, "What I have learned in the recent years has helped me to improve efficiency in my work and sharpened my specific competencies in dealing with professional as well as personal affairs."
Towards the closing of the discussion that followed the addresses of the speakers, Tikajit Rai shared news and updates about a number of efforts that the association was engaged in that included revising the curriculum and offering courses on project management at Kathmandu University School of Management and ACE Institute of Management for MBA students; promoting celebration of successes of project management through awards at the national, regional and international levels; preparing for the certification of project managers; and rolling out the education and training activities in the very near future.
The program concluded with formal endorsement of the YC Nepal Board and congratulations. Project Management Association of Nepal (PMAN) [2] is the national member association of International Project Management Association (IPMA), an international umbrella organization incorporated in Switzerland with its head office in The Netherlands. It has more than 430,000 members in 55 national member associations across Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. Regionally, is the founding member of the Asia Pacific Federation of Project Management (APFPM) [4]. Its mission is to advance the knowledge and practice of project management through publication, teaching and training, research, certification, awards, and member services in Nepal across all sectors.
Suraj Dahal, an active advocate of the profession of project management, is a management consultant based in Nepal. He is the founding member and General Secretary of Project Management Association of Nepal (PMAN). He has served on the board and was the chief executive of prominent NGOs in Nepal that implemented projects and programs with government, civil society organizations, corporate sector, and development partners. He is a consortial partner of Systemic Excellence Group (http://www.systemic-excellence-group.com/), a global network of independent think tanks for change management. He can be contacted at: [email protected]
