That this year, a branch of the Project Management Institute (PMI Azerbaijan Chapter) will start its operation in Azerbaijan. Project Management Institute is a non-profit organization with the aim to provide international experience, knowledge and skills in project management. It plans to develop professionals in this direction through such certification programs as CAPM, PMP and PgMP.
Axar.az reports the main body, which is the American Project Management Institute was founded in 1969 by a group of like-minded people, including John King, J. Gordon Davis, Susan Galahar, Eric Janet, James Steder and Ned Engman. The Institute was initially established as a non-profit organization, but later, in 1981, it received the status of a business league. Another important date for PMI is 1984, when the first certification exam was held at the annual seminar/symposium in Philadelphia. That was a moment when a new era of PMI began. PMI has developed and actively promotes the well-known project management standard The Guide to the PMBOK (Project Management Body Of Knowledge). The standard, originally adopted as the American National Standard (ANS) by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), has now gained a worldwide recognition. Approximately every 4 years, PMI updates its version of PMBOK standard, and one of the most common versions were published in 2000. The current version of the standard is The Guide to the PMBOK 6-th Edition, which was released in the fourth quarter of 2017. In addition, in 2004 the Institute issued a standard for assessing capabilities of the project management organization OPM3 (Organization Project Management Maturity Mode) which is the methodology to determine the status of project management in the organization. For several decades, PMI has been promoting and developing project management practices in different countries. PMI develops project management standards and upgrades the skills of specialists through the training events in local offices (Chapters) around the world. With the help of registered education providers (R.E.P PMI), the quality of the training programs remains consistently high, as they are checked against project management standards and Code of Ethics for Project Managers. Currently, there are about 700,000 PMI members in more than 200 countries. At the present, there are about 100 certified professionals in Azerbaijan, who are potential members of the Azerbaijan Chapter of Project Management Institute. Mr. Emil Ismayilkhanov, Chairman of PMI Azerbaijan Chapter, Leading Specialist of Customer Engagement at Azercell Telecom, discusses the objectives of PMI Azerbaijan Chapter.
- Why didn’t, in your opinion, PMI Azerbaijan Chapter start its activities in Azerbaijan several years ago? We know that, for example, Moscow branch has been operating for 20 years now.
- The process for the establishment of PMI chapter is actually quite hard and time-consuming. It took us two years to complete all the documentation and negotiations with PMI. The institute requires a detailed business plan for the period of three years. But if you go back to study our relations with the PMI, you will find out that it is actually third request to the PMI since 2010 to authorize the establishment of PMI Azerbaijan Chapter. Previous attempts failed, as the Azerbaijani community of project managers could not fulfill a number of PMI requirements, for example, having at least 25 PMP-certified members. The third attempt was made in 2016, which I and 5 more members of the PMI Azerbaijan Chapter Board, including such professionals as Nargiz Ismayilova, Irada Suleymanova, Nigar Jafarova, Elchin Mammadov and Vugar Namazov, managed to bring to a conclusion. The contract with PMI was signed in May 4, 2018 in Berlin which gave our country an official status of PMI Azerbaijan Potential Chapter. Now we only have to complete the registration.
- What will PMI Azerbaijan Chapter bring to a local market?
- This status will allow the specialists in the field of project management to obtain certification directly in Azerbaijan. At the same time, we plan to develop a community of project managers, promote this area by introducing best practices to the local market, sharing information, and conducting various thematic conferences and seminars. For example, we have already started joint activities in this direction with WoWoman Azerbaijan, where participants already attend training events on project management conducted by Nargiz Ismayilova, Board member of the PMI Azerbaijan Chapter. This initiative is aimed to attract female professionals to project management and improve their knowledge and skills. After all, so far most of the specialists engaged in project management in Azerbaijan are self-educated, who do not plan to pass certification exams. Also, we aim to increase the number of PMP certificate holders in Azerbaijan, since officially there are only 100 certified people in the country today, more than 30 of which are foreigners, while 30 of our compatriots have already moved abroad. Moreover, this summer we plan to launch a project called Project Management in Schools. PMI has a foundation, supporting educational projects and various materials for training are developed and provided to local representations on a free basis within the framework of this fund. We plan to start introducing the basics of project management from primary classes to the children, and if possible, in the future we will create a syllabus for lessons on project management for schools, since similar programs already operate in the world, for example, in Turkey. We intend to develop this program with the PMI Turkey Chapter. The lessons are very interesting and contain gaming elements, as a result of which children are better at absorbing other subjects by 50% and, accordingly, the students' performance is increasing. PMI Azerbaijan Chapter has long-term plans, for example, supporting the application of a special supplement to the Government Extension to the PMBOK standards, which gives clear instructions on project management at the state level. This approach is now used in many countries around the world, and significantly saves budget funds, properly redistributing resources and increasing the loyalty of the population to state reforms. In addition, we are very concerned about the lack of literature in the field of project management in the native language. Unfortunately, there is no such literature yet. Furthermore, there is no standardized terminology in this field. We have already started discussions with the PMI about the translation of their publications, and currently we are clarifying the budgets. It is a very time-consuming and hard work, and I think that if not this year, then in 2019, together with the community and with the support of sponsors, we will certainly begin to realize this idea.
- How difficult is obtaining PMP certificate?
- To obtain a PMP certificate, you need to be engaged in project management for 7500 hours. The graduate level is very welcome, thanks to which the requirement for the number of hours is reduced to 4500. You must answer 200 questions in the exam, lasting for 4 hours. This is a quite challenging exam, and the requirements are increasing every year, but if you are an expert in your field, then this will be a huge advantage in the exam. You are offered four answer options, but not always there is only one correct answer among them. Sometimes you need to choose the best option from two or three correct answers. There are a lot of practical questions, so taking an exam with no real work experience will be very, very difficult. During the year you are offered three attempts to pass the exam, but, in my opinion, it is better to pass it on the first try. The PMP certificate is valid for three years and is automatically extended for another 3 years. If during this time you will be able to earn 60 or more PDUs (hours of professional development conducted in a planned and structured learning process or activity to maintain PMP credentials) which means improving qualification through reading new books on project management, attending and speaking at training sessions and seminars and interacting with the community. For example, participants of the annual PMI Global Congress receive the opportunity to earn 16 to 30 or more PDUs. You are required to have a set of skills, particularly in the areas of interaction with people, because 90% of the work of the project manager is communication. The professional should know the financial issues because he has to manage the budget, the HR functions, since he has to select people for the implementation of the project and motivate them, the IT part, the procurement etc. Almost the entire work cycle must be controlled and managed, you should have a vision of the overall picture in any project. Of course, he/she should not be, for example, a professional lawyer or financial expert, but need to have minimum knowledge in these areas.
Let me explain how it usually works all over the world. For example, university students can start by obtaining a CAPM certificate. This initial certificate is intended for professionals who provide project management services, but do not yet have sufficient practical experience. Local PMI Chapter, subject to prior arrangement with a university, conducts free preparatory courses for exams, and universities pay for the examination. As a result, students become holders of this prestigious certificate. For employers, this is perceived as the first level of a project manager. This means that the certificate holder has basic knowledge of project management, he can easily be Involved in management of some small projects or he can provide expert assistance to the holder of the PMP certificate. In this dynamic, a professional project manager can be raised from this person, who, after three years of work in this field, will be eligible to pass PMP certification. By the way, we have already met with the management of a number of universities and discussed possible cooperation. All the parties expressed a clear interest in this initiative, and also offered to participate in the PMBOK translation into the Azerbaijani language. Our team of professionals is ready to support everyone who wants to join the knowledge provided by PMI. For any questions and suggestions, you can contact us by e-mail at [email protected].
- The average annual salary of PMP certificate holder, for example, in the US, exceeds USD 100,000. What is the case here in Azerbaijan?
- PMI annually conducts a survey around the world and provides detailed information for each country. Professionals who are members of the institute have access to this information. Unfortunately, there is no such information about Azerbaijan yet. We are witnessing serious global changes now and our companies are beginning to evaluate the inputs of the project managers professionally, so I do not rule out that similar salaries may be offered in our country.
- In which industries in Azerbaijan do you expect significant increase of interest to project management?
- Well, I think that in all industries without exception. Today it is particularly required in the telecommunications sector. For example, Project Management Office in Azercell Telecom currently manages nearly 100 projects, and they decide which projects to prioritize and which ones to postpone until favorable times. Such projects include various campaigns of the operator, provision of new services to subscribers, development of new software, etc. All projects within the company are managed in accordance with the standards set by PMBOK, which allows to significantly save time, human resources and budget of the company. In addition, project management trainings for Azercell Telecom employees are regularly held since 2013, and similar courses for employees of other companies are organized at Azercell Academy.
Project Management Offices have been also established in other companies, but they need to be empowered in project management issues, apply Agile methodology which are widely used in Azercell Telecom. Companies should transform amid a decline in interest in oil and the widespread transition to alternative sources of energy. And in order to survive in such conditions it will be necessary to introduce new technologies and approaches to their operations. I think that in Azerbaijan the ratio of certified project managers to other specialists should be at least 1: 1000, so that we see the results of the business transformation process. Therefore, all activities of PMI Azerbaijan Chapter will primarily be aimed at strengthening ties within the community, involving new members in the community, giving it a new progressive impulse. I am very glad that today we are strongly supported in these matters by specialists of ASAN Service, SOCAR, PASHA Bank and many other companies.
