Ninth International Forum on Project Management: In the Pandemic's New Normal, Enterprises Need to Go Beyond Agility

SHENZHEN, China, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On April 24, 2021, the Ninth International Forum on Project Management (hereinafter referred to as "the Forum") was held in Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Center. The Forum was hosted by the China International Talent Exchange Foundation (CITEF) and supported by PMI. The Forum aims to gather Chinese and foreign guests, and project management professionals to share the academic frontier and latest developments on international project management. Since 2011, the forum has become an important sub-forum of the China International Talent Exchange Conference, which is a national activity in international science and technology innovation and talent exchange in China.

The Forum, themed "Turning Crisis into Opportunities, Steadily Going Forward" invited experts and scholars from home and abroad to share their insights on how organizations can cope with the external environment changes caused by the pandemic, and other factors, and how to implement innovation management models, accelerate transformation through successful projects, achieve high-quality and sustainable development.

Sunil Prashara, President and CEO of PMI, said in his remarks "Despite all the unique challenges of operating in a pandemic, we found unexpected benefits as many organizations implemented incredibly complex projects with surprising efficiency. Nearly 3/4 of organizations, or 73%, met their business goals compared to 69% the year before. And projects were more likely to be delivered on budget and on time."

Sunil Prashara concluded, "In a world of constant change, organizations need to go even farther than agility and become what we called 'gymnastic' – capable of pivoting and making rapid changes and embracing a wide variety of project approaches to meet the challenge. We recognize that today's professionals need broader skillsets and tools to become changemakers to address the toughest challenges their organizations are facing with. In the future, China will continue to be a top priority of PMI's global development, and we will continue to expand offerings to better serve China's project professionals and organizations, empowering them to turn more ideas into reality in the Project Economy."

Chen Yongtao, Managing Director of PMI (China) pointed out, "The pandemic accelerated evolution of ways of working and value delivery. As the world continues to reopen, project professionals are becoming increasingly important to drive change and world recovery through effective project management. Chinese talents drive Chinese projects, and Chinese projects shape the future of China, even the world."

Globally, 2021 Pulse of the Profession^® shows that organizations with a higher proportion of PMP^® (Project Management Professionals) certificants had significantly better performance and a greater capacity for change. According to the survey PMI did in China in 2020, 90% of the respondents reported that their project success rate had been improved after they obtained the PMP certification, and 24% of the PMP's project success rate had been increased by more than 20%.

Chen Yongtao also said, "By the end of 2021, the number of Chinese mainland PMI certification holders is expected to exceed 500,000, accounting for 1/3 of the world's total number. They and China's young generation will become the core of the global response to the COVID-19 and more unexpected challenges. I hope Chinese project management professionals can continue to learn and embrace new ways of working. At the same time, I also expect more organizations can empower their employees to work smarter and act as true changemakers, armed with power skills and business acumen to support their organizations to find new opportunities in the great changes."

About Project Management Institute

Project Management Institute (PMI) is the world's leading professional association for a growing community of millions of project professionals and changemakers worldwide.

As the world's leading authority on project management, PMI empowers people to make ideas a reality. Through global advocacy, networking, collaboration, research, and education, PMI prepares organizations and individuals to work smarter in an ever-changing and dynamic world. 

Building on a proud legacy dating to 1969, PMI is a "for-purpose" organization working in nearly every country around the world to advance careers, strengthen organizational success, and enable changemakers with new skills and ways of working to maximize their impact. PMI offerings include globally recognized standards, certifications, online courses, thought leadership, tools, digital publications, and communities.

Visit us at www.pmi.org/, www.projectmanagement.com, www.linkedin.com/company/pminstitute, www.facebook.com/PMInstitute, and on Twitter.

Contact: Flora Chen, +86-010-84299191-107, Flora.Chen@pmi.org