April 2018

THE PROJECT MANAGERNewsletter of the Society of Project Managers, Singapore www.sprojm.org.sg MCI (P) 153/08/2014

PROJECT "MANAGEMENT AT THE CUTTING EDGE"SPM Project Management Conference 2017

MEET DESMOND SPM’s FIRST ACCREDITED PPM

When our Editorial team first heard about Desmond Low, a PM from a contractor company had become the first project manager formally accredited and certified as a Professional Project Manager (PPM) under the SPM Accreditation of Project Managers (APM) scheme, we wasted no time to catch up with him for an interview.

Desmond is a Project Director with Koon Seng Construction Pte Ltd, an A1 graded construction company under the BCA Contractor Registration System. He has been in construction since graduating from the Nanyang Technological University in 2001, working with Koon Seng Construction for 17 years. Last May with two partners, Desmond, started a consultancy firm, Safeguard Consultancy Pte Ltd to provide DfSP and PM consultancy services.

The Project Manager (TPM): Congratulations for being accredited the PPM. What motivated you to apply for APM?

“Project managers must keep up with digital knowledge and cutting-edge technologies to ride the waves and thrive in change.” This was the call made by Mr Heng Chee How, National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) Deputy Secretary-General and Senior Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, when he addressed the participants of SPM’s inaugural Project Management Conference on 9 November 2017. The conference involved distinguished PM practitioners from both public and private sectors as well as those from overseas too.”

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16th China International Construction Project Management Summit Meeting

SPM Annual Dinner

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GAPPS Forum #39

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HIGHLIGHTS

More than 130 construction professionals and PM practitioners in the conference heard the guest-of-honour, Mr Heng shared that we could expect more of the labour intensive, on site work to give way to methods that utilise digital and cutting-edge technology and techniques. the journey toward greater excellence, higher standards and increased productivity and competitiveness of PM practitioners continues. He noted that the Construction Industry Transformation Map (ITM) envisioned “an advanced and integrated sector with widespread adoption of leading technologies, led by progressive and collaborative firms well-poised to

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capture business opportunities, and supported by a skilled and competent workforce”. He rallied all stakeholders in the construction sector to work with unions, U Associates and the Government to encourage SPM to embrace digitalisation and improve the quality of project management practice, and the productivity and efficiency of the industry.

In SPM’s welcoming address, 2nd Vice President Yip Kim Seng shared that one key focus of the Construction ITM was to cultivate and encourage an environment for cooperation and collaboration among the various players in the industry and project delivery chain – to develop progressive and collaborative firms. Project Managers would play the important role of project leader and team builder in project delivery for the developer and the contractor. PMs are in a good position to engender and encourage collaboration.

He shared that through conferences like this, and other seminars and forums, SPM wanted to share and propagate the latest knowledge and good practices and experiences that were so needed by project managers to navigate the changing and demanding project landscape that was peppered with innovations and new technologies. SPM wants to enhance and raise professionalism in Project Management in Singapore. Anchoring this key objective is our APM Scheme.

Mr Heng Chee How addressing the Conference participants.

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President's Message

We launched the Accreditation of Project Managers (APM) scheme on 6 June 2017 with strong support from government entities, developers, consultants and contractors.

This scheme is meant for everyone in the built environment and construction value chain. We are not just including project managers from developers, consultants and contractors. We are also including project managers in facilities management as well.

As of now we have twenty accredited Professional Project Managers (PPM) and the numbers will increase in the months to come.

Project managers will be playing a pivotal role in the construction industry transformation map initiatives. It is now clearly recognized that for well managed projects with good safety records, experienced project managers are crucial to play the coordination and integration role for the various stakeholders involved.

As we move forward with great expectations to this new year, we want to wish all a wonderful year ahead.

Stay healthy and stay safe.

Warm regards

Dr. Ting Seng KiongPresident (11th Council)Society of Project Managers

2017 has been a landmark year for SPM.

Welcome! New SPM MembersWe extend warm welcome to the following new members into SPM :

S/N Name Membership Place of Practice1 Antonio Diaz Ordinary Member PM Link Pte Ltd

2 Doraisingam Sivakumar Ordinary Member Jurong Port Pte Ltd

3 Elaina Olivia Chong Ordinary Member Real Kaiten Consultancy & Investment Pte Ltd

4 Goh Tiong Ming Ordinary Member Koon Seng Construction PL

5 Hon Lip Yung Ordinary Member Samwoh Corporation Pte Ltd

6 Ken Chan Ordinary Member SIPM Consultants Pte Ltd

7 Koh Tien Beng Ordinary Member KTB Architects

8 Law Kong Hoi Ordinary Member Surbana Jurong Consultants Pte Ltd

9 Lee Mun Hoe Ordinary Member 3PA Pte Ltd

10 Lim Eng Boon Ordinary Member Hwa Seng Builder Pte Ltd

11 Ong Mei Yuen Ordinary Member SIPM Consultants Pte Ltd

12 Seh Chong Peng Ordinary Member Kiso - Jiban Consultants Co Ltd, Singapore Branch

13 Tan Cheow Fong Ordinary Member Surbana Jurong Pte Ltd

14 Tee Boon Chong Alex Ordinary Member Capitaland Limited

15 Yeo Eu Jin Eugene Ordinary Member SIPM Consultants Pte Ltd

16 Cheng Gek Choo Sharon Associate Member EM Services Pte Ltd

17 Chiu Yong Gui Associate Member People's Association

18 Jee Xang Xiong Melvin Associate Member PM Link Pte Ltd

19 Low Jun He Chester Associate Member SIPM Consultants Pte Ltd

20 Ngo Wei Quan Associate Member PM Link Pte Ltd

21 Poh Ho Heng Associate Member CBM Pte Ltd/Integrated Facilities Management

22 Rochelle Hung Associate Member PM Link Pte Ltd

23 Sylvia Francis Associate Member Tyco Integrated Fire & Security

24 Koe Wei Loong Student Member -

02 THE PROJECTMANAGER

T4 opened for operations successfully on 31 Oct 2017. Designed as a premium terminal with a boutique interior décor style, Changi Airport Terminal 4 (T4) is home to several airlines comprising a mix of both full service carriers and low cost carriers. Cathay Pacific, Korean Air, Vietnam Airlines and Air Asia Group (comprising Air Asia Berhad, Indonesian Air Asia, Thai Air Asia and Philippines Air Asia), relocated from the existing terminals to T4. With 225,000Sqm gross floor area, T4 adds 16mppa capacity to Changi Airport, bringing the total capacity to 82mppa. The terminal comes with aerobridges, connected to 21 contact stands, comprising 17 narrow-body and 4 wide-body stands.

Passengers can experience in different ways of Rethinking Travel at T4 and can look forward to the start of their journeys in a fun, vibrant and positively surprising way. T4 is designed as a flagship terminal for innovation, featuring several new technologies that will enhance passenger experience and improve operational efficiency and manpower productivity. Fast and Seamless Travel (FAST), a suite of self-service options leveraging facial recognition technology to fully automate check-in, departure immigration clearance and

boarding, lowers staff manning requirements for airlines and reduce queuing time for passengers. Security screening

for passengers and their luggage can also be carried out with state-of-the-art technologies

to enhance manpower productivity and security outcome.

Passengers can enjoy several new retail and F&B concepts. Featuring an Integrated Duty Free Area for Liquor, Tobacco, Perfume and Cosmetic products and Double-Volume shops for both international and local premium brands, passengers can enjoy a high quality shopping and dining experience. With a total of 15,000sqm of space dedicated to more than 80 international and local brands, passengers can indulge themselves in a wide spectrum of retail and F&B options. A Heritage Zone featuring shophouse façade depicting architecture evolving over a century, as well as home-grown retail and F&B brands, will evoke nostalgia amongst the locals and a refreshing perspective of Singapore amongst the passengers from overseas.

Passengers can also relax amidst the lush greenery around and inside T4, comprising many new species from several continents. Throughout their journey in T4, passengers will be greeted by several specially commissioned art sculptures that will add colour and fun to their Changi experience.

Written By: Ms Poh Li San

The Global Alliance for the Project Professionals (GAPPS) forum made its round in Singapore in 2017. SPM hosted the 39th GAPPS Thought Leadership Forum (TLF) on 10 and 11 November. It was co-organised with the GAPPS Secretariat and the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS). SUSS graciously provided the facilities for meetings.

The forum had 11 participants. 5 of them came from overseas – Australia, Austria and Indonesia. SPM were represented by 6 persons led by our Vice President Yip Kim Seng, who is also a member of the GAPPS Board.

In the plenary sessions, project management and environmental sustainability and complex project management were discussed. There were two work streams where the participants were in different workgroups – development of the Controls Standards and Mapping.

Progress was made and the team look forward to the next forum which will be held in Vienna Austria on 23 and 24 February 2018, hosted by IPMA and Vienna University.

GAPPS Forum #39

j j j j j j Changi Airport Terminal 4 j j j j j j

Contributed by Mr. Yip Kim Seng.

Ms Poh Li San was the Vice President for Terminal 4 Programme Management Office, Changi Airport Group. She provided an insight to the strategic considerations for the design philosophy of Changi Airport Terminal 4. She discussed on the programme management approach to incorporate innovative ideas and new technology in planning, design development, procurement, construction and stakeholder engagement.”

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SPM ANNUAL DINNER 2017

The SPM Annual Dinner was held on 22 September 2017 at the Shangri-La Hotel. The 22nd anniversary celebration’s atmosphere inside the hotel ballroom was very inviting and friendly. It was uplifting to see about 600 guests, old friends and acquaintances renewed their connections once again while celebrating together the 22nd anniversary of the Society of Project Managers.

In his welcome speech, our President, Dr Ting Seng Kiong, informed that the Society had launched the SPM accreditation scheme for project managers and encouraged members to go for the accreditation scheme and upgrade themselves to enhance their recognition and professionalism. He added that the accreditation scheme had gained very strong supports from the government agencies, developers, consultants and contractors.

Ms Indranee Rajah, Senior Minister of State for Law and Finance was the Guest-of-Honour. Her key message to the members was to seize the opportunities in infrastructure projects, not only in Singapore but in the Asia region. She added that from 2017 to 2030, Asia is expected to need US$20 trillion of additional infrastructure investments. She also commended SPM’s efforts in developing the accreditation scheme for project managers, as it would help to set the benchmarks for those who aspire to become project managers in the built environment sector and to raise the standards and professionalism of project managers.

SPM Council Members.

Welcome speech by SPM President. Guest-of-Honour, Ms Indranee Rajah.

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Desmond (DL): Thank you for the opportunity of this interview. At the launch of the APM in early June last year, I heard Mr Yip Kim Seng wonderfully expounded the need for accreditation of project managers in Singapore. I quickly put in my application for SPM membership and the APM application to try out the accreditation process to see if I could meet the competency level the SPM has set. I also hoped to be part of the process to raise the professionalism and profile of Project Managers.

TPM: You were pretty prompt and decisive in throwing in the APM application which turned out to be the first SPM received. How long did you take to fill up the APM application forms?

DL: I took about three days.

TPM: Looking at the assessment criteria of the APM scheme, did you find it difficult, particularly for PMs working in contractor companies?

DL: Not if the PMs have the relevant experiences. I thought I had sufficient experience to pass (fingers crossed). The application process has two parts, the application forms to be submitted and followed by an interview by two assessors who are very experienced professionals in the industry. I was worried that the application forms could not paint the full picture of my experience, but the kind assessors gave me the opportunity at the assessment interview to supplement with more details.

TPM: What would be a word of encouragement to your fellow project managers in construction companies in regard to being accredited?

DL: The APM scheme will sieve out the good and more capable PMs, even from the contractor firms. By getting yourself certified means there is recognition from your company and the industry of your quality and competence from the hard work and sacrifices over the years. By joining the "APM club", you can also contribute in raising the professionalism of project management practice.

TPM: Has application process helped you in identifying areas of personal professional development to become a more effective PM?

DL: In order to fill up the application forms, I was compelled to review and consolidate my work experiences and the projects I had handled in detail. I am looking forward to the courses and seminars of SPM on development in technology and methodology to improve productivity and sharing of Project Management experiences.

TPM: Thank you Desmond for this conversation. We wish you a happy learning journey in Project Management.

< < ...from page 01MEET DESMOND SPM’s FIRST ACCREDITED PPM

The evening saw SPM handed out 3 awards to the best students for their outstanding performance in their respective courses of studies; Miss Sun Lu - Master in International Construction Management Program in NTU, Ms Elaina Olivia Chong - Master of Science in Project Management program in NUS and Mr Wee Keng Boon - Bachelor of Building & Project Management program in SUSS. SPM would certainly be looking forward to their contributions in the field of project management in the near future.

Keeping to our tradition of giving and as part of the SPM’s corporate social responsibility, SPM made a donation of $10,000 to the Singapore Children’s Society.

Throughout the dinner, members and guests were entertained by the band which belted out familiar favourites and Mr Nique Tan, the Mentalist Mind Reader. Music, games, good food and great company created a pleasant and enjoyable atmosphere for the evening. Amidst the celebratory mood of the evening, it was also an opportune time to catch up with fellow professionals in the industry. Old friendships were rekindled and new contacts were made as members and guests mingled among each other. As always, good time flies and as the good byes were said, it was time to look forward to the next SPM dinner in 2018.

From L-R: Fang Yea Saen, Mak Yew Cheong, Yew Boon Cheat, Desmond Low, Lye Kuan Loy, Dr Ting Seng Kiong (President, SPM), Chow Kok Fong (Chairman, APM Board), Gasper Wong, Jonathan Shek & Lim Hock Soon.

Apart from Desmond, seven other applicants were successfully assessed and awarded the PPM certification. They come from diverse segments of the BE&CI. These eight PPMs have received their PPM Certificates from the APM Board Chairman on 1 March 2018.

Best student awards recipients.

Past presidents and council members of SPM with GOH

SPM's donation to Singapore Children's Society.

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PresentationsRunning under the theme “Project Management at the Cutting Edge”, the conference packaged together interesting topics delivered by experienced speakers who themselves are established PM practitioners.

Professor Lynn Crawford, Director of the Project Management Programme, University of Sydney and Director of GAPPS, spoke on the Global Collaboration for the Project Professions. Her presentation provided background and current information about the Global Alliance for the Project Professions (GAPPS) which is a volunteer driven initiative that provides a platform for global collaboration in advancing project management.

Ms Poh Li San, Vice President (Terminal 4 Program Management Office), Changi Airport Group presented on the Design Philosophy and Programme Management for Innovation. – The Journey behind Changi Airport Terminal 4. She discussed on the programme management approach to incorporate innovative ideas and new technology in planning, design development, procurement, construction and stakeholder engagement of the newly opened Terminal 4 building. She also shared that Project Managers had to stay open-minded towards new concepts and technology and yet plan for flexibility with a robust risk management strategy at the same time. Nimbleness was necessary in responding to project challenges.

Dr Jeremy Wu, Corporate Development Director of BBR Holdings (S) Ltd then spoke at length on Advancing Project Management: Leveraging Innovation & Technology. He shared about how through “rethinking and rationalising the way we build” and innovating with technologies (like VDC+BIM, PPVC/DfMA and QAQC process re-engineering) they had given rise to a different approach to managing projects, and expounded on the challenges encountered and positive outcomes derived.

Mr Teo Tiong Yong, Director, Public Projects Division, JTC Corporation shared his experience in managing the Jurong Rock Caverns (JRC) project. The South East Asia’s first commercial underground rock cavern facility for liquid hydrocarbons storage was developed on (in fact in) a land area of only 716 km2. He highlighted the key considerations and challenges in the development planning, project management, and physical implementation of JRC.

Mr Tony Simmonds, President Director of Interlink Technology Indonesia and Director GAPPS partnered

Q&A ForumThe one day conference was capped off with an engaging Q&A forum with questions posted to almost all the seven speakers who responded with additional injection of their understanding and experience of the subject they spoke on. There was even one question directed to the forum moderator Mr Yip Kim Seng from a participant about what makes a good and effective PM. This is addressed in a separate article.

Most of the participants felt that they had picked up good PM practice pointers and also update on innovative approach to project delivery.

“Construction is a team sport – it involves many parties at different stages of a project, and good coordination is critical in preventing unnecessary reworks along the way. As projects get larger in scale and become more complex, the discipline and function of project management become even more important and critical… SPM has taken a step forward by launching the APM Scheme to raise the professional standard and the quality of Project Managers... to push the standard of project management practice to greater heights and help the Built Environment & Construction Industry (BE&CI) to achieve better project outcomes in productivity, workplace safety and health as well as environmental sustainability.”

~ Mr Heng Chee How.

with Ms Maria R. Nindita Radyati (Founder and Director of Centre for Entrepreneurship Change & Third Sector, Trisakti University) delivered an interesting presentation on Achieving Sustainability through Social Responsibility, Enterprise Risk Management and Project Management. It focused on the need to integrate several concepts that are required should the goal of sustainability be achieved.

Anchoring the suite of speakers, Mr Kenneth Ng, Vice President, Mandai Parks Development shared his PM experience in managing the complexities of the new Mediacorp broadcast building project at one-north. He shared that Project Managers acting as the important “bridge” to facilitate multiple stakeholders must be able to use change management to address the dynamic nature of the project, internal process and procedures must be set up and time compression adopted when necessary to fast pace the project.

< < ...from page 01SPM PROJECT MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE 2017Project Management at the Cutting Edge

SPM Project Management Conference 2017, held on 9 Nov 2017 at Concorde Hotel.

VP Yip Kim Seng welcoming the participants.

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Leadership

Construction projects are delivered by professionals from different disciplines. Be they consultants, designers or builders, contractors or suppliers, they need to interact and work together, in a team. For a team to function, leadership in a

team is of paramount importance. The project manager is expected and must take the role of team leader. His leadership is important to chart direction. He will set the project plan and the pace for the team. He will ensure that the project objectives and team’s goals are communicated clearly to all. When there are differences between members, his leadership is needed to bring the parties together to seek alignment to the common agreed objectives. He will encourage the strong and look out and provide support for the weak,

The leader has to be involved with the team and walk the talk. He models and shows how it is done. Leadership is action, not position. The PM has to get his hands and feet dirty with his men. He faces the client or customer to account for the team’s performance.

Ownership

While he does not physically or financially have ownership of the project or development, a PM needs to have a deep sense of ownership of the project that he is managing. He owns the vision and mission of the project. He knows the purpose clearly.

With this, comes the passion to drive the project, the dedication and energy to see to its success. His passion and energy will motivate his team and can influence the other stakeholders of the project.

With ownership, there is love for the project. He will ensure that the project gets the best attention. There is pride in getting the project completed on time and work well for its purpose. He will motivate his team to deliver a quality product.

Partnership

Project disciplines must not work in silos. An architect cannot deliver the project alone, neither can a builder without the designer. Teamwork is key. Every discipline needs the other disciplines. With modern technology and specialization,

the interdependency between and among disciplines and specialists has never been more acute and critical.

The skills of the PM, as the leader, in facilitating and forging the partnership spirit in the consultants, contractors and client is critical. Partnership is essentially teamwork. Getting collaboration amongst professionals of different disciplines (and sometimes of different countries or culture) to work is a challenge, but certainly necessary and critical. Partnership and collaboration is both across horizontally across silos and vertically across organizational hierarchy.

The Project Manager will face many storms in his project delivery journey. Sailing the three ships well will get him and his project team to their destination successfully.

Yip Kim Seng

2VP, SPMAssociate Faculty, SUSS

When moderating at the Q&A forum of the PM Conference on 9 November 2017, I was asked by a participant, “Mr Yip, in your opinion, what are the qualities of a good and effective Project Manager?” This is an elaboration of my off-the-cuff reply.

To be a good and effective project manager, the PM must constantly sail 3 ships – Leadership, Ownership and Partnership.

The 3 Ships of a Successful PM

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Practice Professor KC Chan PhD MBA MSc BSc (Hons) CEng SCPM PMP PMC President of TWAN

Why make project management the school for leadership?A leader is a person (manager). Leadership is the process of influencing a team towards accomplishing strategic goals, objectives, and business targets. Hence, the ability of a leader can be measured using different size and complexity of projects. Project is people, process and technology driven. For example, a light-weight project has a cross-functional team and takes a few months to complete and stay within the range of a certain budget. Six Sigma improvement project is also classified as light-weight project. A medium-weight project can be a turnkey project manage by a multinational cross-functional (diversity) team from different vendors, contractors and suppliers and has a higher budget which draws the attention of senior management. This type of project can take up to three years to complete. For example, construction of condominium, public facilities, implementation of a new and improved education system, etc.

A heavy-weight project comes in many shapes and sizes of complexity, e.g. crisis turnaround, mass rapid transportation line. For example, an Indonesian conglomerate was in debt worth USD 14 billion and needs a turnaround strategy to show that the projects being carried out can finance the loan and eventually generate adequate cash flow to rejuvenate and grow the current business. Other heavy-weight projects are like the construction

Introduction

There are three types of work that take place in Industry 4.0:

1. Digital Work occurs when business decision making is optimized through the use of Digital Information Technology that is becoming more powerful and less expensive – artificial intelligence.

2. Routine Work occurs when profit is enhanced through Lean Six Sigma System.

- eventually replace by smart robots/factories and internet-of-systems, e.g. fintech, edutech, etc.

3. Project Work occurs when business thrives through successful execution of a coherent strategy – strategic, business and operations strategy are unified to achieve the 5 customers winning order factors (on-cost, on-schedule, on-quality, on-scope with 100% compliance with safety standard, and on-risk minimization).

To remain sustainable in this era of new work, leaders and managers need to “invent and reinvent through relearning the right core competence” for themselves in the workplace to stay relevant and to continuously add business value to the organizational capability to adapt with the ever-changing forces of globalization impacting on business. These relentless forces of globalization and technological advancement have accelerated the severe nature of an already brutal competition, known as the VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) economy.

World-class organizations are able to innovate, integrate, and implement to strive and thrive in the hyper-competitive business landscape. They are reliant on the leaders and managers to transform the future. The future of work depends on:

1. Innovation by transforming expensive and complex products/services into simple and affordable ones (better, faster, and smarter)

2. Integration of people, process, and technology to achieve synergy by increasing capacity through optimization and maximization of resources (productivity of money, manpower, machines, materials, methods) to increase capacity of team performance and execution capability of organization (one project manager can effectively and successfully manage 5 projects at the same time)

3. Implementation of strategy through portfolios of prioritized programs and projects in a new paradigm shift (the way we think and work) of providing faster, better and smarter solutions for total customer experience. Indeed, projects are the ultimate Investments. No projects = No investments = No jobs/work.

Project Management as Common Language for Work

Why project management should be one of the core competence of every manager?

Work can be divided into routine and non-routine work. Routine work is of lower value-add to business. Routine work is repetitive and can be outsourced to other organizations or countries that can produce cheaper, faster or better. With the advent of new technology, routine work can be automated or replaced.

Project Management as the Core Competence in Industry 4.0 Non-routine work is considered as project work. Project involves a team in solving problems, implementing changes, executing strategies, etc. The value-add to business is measurable, e.g. increased in productivity, higher profit margin, savings from better cost and time management without scope creep, enhanced customer satisfaction leading to repeat orders. The overall effect is sustaining competitive advantage. As new experience is gained in managing projects the outcome is accelerating human capital development because of action learning (learning by doing) which bridge the gap between theory and practice; such tacit knowledge gained (lessons learnt) leads to accumulating of organizational assets.

Synergy is attained by investing in project management which improve three types of future skills set, i.e. holistic thinking for clarity in planning, systems thinking for effective control, critical thinking for quality decision-making. Thus, project management should become the common language for work in doing business internationally and globally. In a similar vein, English is the common language for international communications; MBA for doing business. See Figure 1 on the business value chain effect of project management in developing competence for individual, increasing capacity for team, and improving execution capability for organization.

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Figure 1. Value Chain Effect for Improving Total Productivity.

Competence = Capable individual for talent retention

Capacity = Team synergy for higher productivity

Capability = Organization culture for supreme performance

Value Chain Effect for Project Management

of MRT transportation system which takes 25 years to complete. Such projects are high profile projects which draw the attention of top management, investors, regulators, etc. which demand adept stakeholders’ expectations management. Therefore, different complexities and diversity of projects can reflect on the types and quality of leadership which is a salient indicator of a business leader and/or entrepreneur.

Why execution capability of an organization is crucial?Every organization needs to strategize to come out with an implementable strategy. A pragmatic approach is to convert the strategy into projects to be executed by the right people using the right process and enhancing totally productivity (machines, manpower, materials, methods, money) with the right tools/technologies to achieve the best unit cost of operations (inclusive of the supply chain). Thus, the execution capability of an organization will determine whether it is able to sustain its competitive advantage. The competence of integration and coordination of people, process, and technology in managing projects to achieve investor ROI targets, i.e. on-budget, on-time, and on-quality outcome. This will lead to more foreign direct investments (FDIs) pouring into a country whereby its organizations accomplish excellence in execution capability unparalleled by any other nations. This will happen because the nation has adopted project management as a common language for work, i.e. project-driven nation.

Why project management enhances three clarion future competences?Thinking skills provide the impetus to other abilities. Holistic thinking for effective planning through integration of ideas, concepts, processes, people, and technologies. Systems thinking for effective control through converting strategies into portfolio of programs and projects for successful implementation to secure supreme ROI (Return-On-Investment). Critical thinking for effective decision-making through disruption innovation (how to transform complex and expensive products/services into simple and affordable ones). These three types of thinking will result in synergistic effect, i.e. accelerated learning. See Figure 2 for accelerated learning through project management.

Project Management as the Core Competence in Industry 4.0

Why project management fits the 80/20 rule?The 80/20 rule emphasize the importance of focusing on the 20% of the key activities which has an impact on 80% of the business revenue. This concept has been proven to be relevant to many different kinds of situations. When apply to the project environment, it has multiple advantageous. For example, a project manager focuses

Practice Professor K C Chan

Dr KC Chan is the President of TWAN Pte Ltd and an advisor to Pradita Institute of Science and Technology. He holds MSc (Industrial Engineering) and BSc (Production Management) degrees from the Cranfield University (England), an MBA (Strategic Management) and PhD (International Business) from the University of

on 20% of the critical activities (activities on the critical path) whilst empowering the balanced 80% of the non-critical activities to be delegated to the project team; as such, the project manager can be in charge of up to five projects of similar size and complexities. The outcome is the project manager’s total productivity performance has been significantly improved. When the 80/20 rule is applied to products, it is apparent that two soft drinks producer (Coke and Pepsi) capture over 80% of the world’s market sales revenue for non-alcoholic drinks.

The benefits of Project Management (PM) are summarized as follows:• PM (when adopted as a common language for work) ensure the

alignment of strategic with business objectives by prioritizing investments/resources and converting strategy into projects for implementation (by operations). This is attained through facilitated workshops where all stakeholders are present to plan together to achieve clarity in planning and get commitment of process ownership for each process.

• PM results in significant improvements in total productivity (manpower, money, machines, materials, methods). Individual competence has limited effect on total productivity. Teamwork will result in increased in capacity but impact on total productivity is still insignificant. Concerted organizational behavior (organizational culture) collectively will have a synergistic effect on the total productivity because of its execution capability. For example, some enterprise can only carry out light-weight projects. Others can manage up to medium-weight projects. The supreme company can drive heavy-weight projects and outsource the medium and light weight projects to their contractors, i.e. execution capability. This is due to the unique competitive advantage they possess, i.e. adept in PM throughout the whole organization and industry.

• PM should not only be limited to companies. It should permeate the whole education system (starting from primary to tertiary education system, and to organization eco-system). If the nation becomes result-driven through PM as a common language for work, the impact will become a nuclear effect.

PM integrate strategic-business-operations plan and convert into project plan for sustainable competitive competence. It fulfils three criteria; it is unique; it is scalable; it is difficult to emulate. Anything less, the foundation is still “Not Yet Competent”.

Strathclyde (Scotland). He also holds three doctorate degrees in project-based action learning. He is visiting professor to five leading universities in Asia. He has published 7 books, i.e. strategic project management, agile leadership, technopreneurship, design thinking in enterprise risk management, and disruptive thinking for Olympic innovation. He has also published over 100 articles in international journals and business magazines.

09THE PROJECTMANAGER

Figure 2. The Four Is of Project Management Competences.

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Note: No part of this newsletter shall be reproduced without the written permission of the Publisher, Society of Project Managers. The views of the writers expressed in the newsletter may not necessarily represent the corporate views of the Society and no liability is accepted in relation thereof.

Dear Readers,We invite you to contribute articles of Project Management

interest so that this can be shared with the project management fraternity.

We also invite you and your esteemed company toplace an advertorial under our sponsorship scheme. The cost of sponsorship is $3,000 for one full page or $2,000 for a half page. Your advertorial can be in the form of a feature article such as a write-up on a project or projects undertaken by the sponsor or on any subject of project management

interest and practice.You can convey your interest to

societyofprojectmanagers@gmail.comWe sincerely looking forward to your

contributions and support.

Editorial Team

Calling for feature Articles and Sponsorship!

Award For Outstanding Project Manager 2018(OPM18)

ANNOUNCEMENTBCA'S revised Price Quality Method (PQM) and Quality Price Method (QFM) frameworks came into effect on 31 January 2018. Please refer to BCA's website at https://www.bca.gov.sg/PQM/pqm.html and https://www.bca.gov.sg/QFM/qfm.html for these revised frameworks.

19 July 2018 Annual General MeetingTBC Workshop for APM Applicants

28 Sept 2018 Annual Dinner

The Editorial TeamMr Teoh Wooi Sin (Chairman)Mr Yip Kim Seng (Advisor)Mr Tan Kok Siong (Advisor)Mr Carlson NgMr David CheongMr Lee Kok BoonMr Manish BangaMr Shaun Yeo

11THE PROJECTMANAGER

The Society is planning to launch the Outstanding Project Manager 2018 Award which aims to highlight the multi-faceted leadership role of a Project Manager.

Apart from meeting the many project objectives of the client, the Project Manager has to be knowledgeable in design and construction matters and uphold a high standard of professionalism to earn the respect of all parties in a project.

A proficient Project Manager is a valuable asset to the organization and the construction industry, and should be encouraged with due recognition for the contribution towards realising our built environment. Through this award, the Society hopes to inspire the growing pool of Project Managers in Singapore to raise their level of professional practice and provide even better service in their work with consultants, client and contractor.

This award is aimed at recognizing a Project Manager's significant achievements in the construction industry over the past years. These achievements could be in any one or a combination of the following aspects:

(a) exceptional level of service provided for projects undertaken;

(b) special project management expertise employed for projects which have a significant impact on the built environment in Singapore;

(c) professional project management practices in dealings with other parties of project team;

(d) Innovative project management approaches or ideas, which contribute to the advancement for the profession or the industry.

The OPM18 awards are in two categories, namely Senior and Young Project Managers. Nominations for the Outstanding Project Manager Award are invited from fellows and members of the Society and organizations under the Construction Industry Joint Committee, Government agencies, Statutory Boards and private entities for construction-related works.

Details of Announcement and Nomination form will be uploaded in the Society's website.

Announcement of results and presentation of Award will be made at the Society's Annual Dinner, scheduled in September 2018.

Contributed by:

Tan Kok Siong

Calendar of 2018 Events

The 16th China International Construction Project Management Summit Meeting, organized by the China Construction Industry Association (CCIA), was held from 23 to 25 September 2017 in Beijing, China.

The theme for this Summit Meeting was “New engine for the development of the construction industry and practice exploration of the PPP mode”. The Summit was well attended by more than 700 project management professionals from all over China, many of them were the winners of this year’s National Outstanding Project Manager Award.

SPM’s delegation was led by our past President, Er. Chang Meng Teng. On behalf of SPM, our past 2nd Vice-President Er. Tan Joo Chuah delivered a keynote paper at the Summit Meeting, entitled “Housing a nation – Success story of Singapore’s public housing”. He shared with the Summit participants the various factors contributed to the success of the Singapore’s public housing. The keynote address was impactful and very well received, with many participants approaching him to seek further details and clarifications after his address.

As part of the program of the Summit Meeting, the participants were brought to visit the new Beijing International airport which is under construction. The new airport is located 46 km south of Beijing’s city center and will cover an area of 2,680 hectares (6,600 acres). It is expected to serve Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei when completed. It would consist of 7 runways, 6 for civilian use and one for military purpose. It is expected to be completed in September 2019 with a capacity of handling 75 million passengers by 2025.

The Summit participants were also treated to a high standard cultural performance at the end of the Summit.

16th China International Construction Project Management Summit Meeting

Er. Tan Joo Chuah delivering his keynote address at the Summit

Reinforcing friendship between CCIA and SPM. Secretary General of CCIA Mr. Wu Tao (left) and Er. Tan Joo Chuah from SPM (right)

Contributed by:Tan Joo Chuah,Former VP of SPM12 THE PROJECT

MANAGER