Project managers face pressure to build business, leadership skills

Project managers must go beyond technical skills as leadership and business acumen become essential for career growth. [iStockphoto]

Project professionals are being pushed beyond technical project management skills as employers demand stronger business, leadership and strategic capabilities.

The shift is forcing project managers to understand how their work contributes to wider organisational goals, while also developing skills in areas such as finance, technology and leadership.

Only 18 per cent of project professionals demonstrate high business acumen, according to the Project Management Institute’s Pulse of the Profession: Boosting Business Acumen 2025 report.

The skills gap has prompted a new partnership between the PMI Kenya Chapter and Unicaf that will offer eligible members scholarships of up to 80 per cent for selected university programmes.

The three-year agreement will give PMI Kenya Chapter members, including students, access to scholarships for selected bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programmes offered through Unicaf and its partner institutions.

The PMI report found that project professionals with strong business acumen perform better in meeting business goals, keeping projects on schedule and managing budgets.

“The career of a project professional does not stand still. Professional certifications such as the PMP provide a strong foundation for building and demonstrating project management capability, and as professionals progress in their careers, they are increasingly called upon to understand the wider business, contribute to strategic conversations, lead people and transformation, and connect project delivery to organisational value,” said PMI Kenya Chapter President Maureen Mbithi Ochang.

Ochang said the partnership would allow members to build on their project management expertise through further education. “This partnership gives our members another opportunity to build on their existing expertise and develop complementary knowledge in areas such as business, leadership, finance and technology,” she noted.

The scholarship will also cover students and early-career professionals who are members of the PMI Kenya Chapter, giving them access to further education as they develop careers in project management.

The programmes covered by the agreement include those offered through the University of East London, the University of Suffolk, the University of California, Riverside Extension, and Unicaf University.

The programmes will be delivered online, allowing working professionals to study without relocating or interrupting their careers. The benefit will also extend to members’ immediate families, including spouses and children.

Ochang said younger professionals must continue developing their skills as workplace demands change. “Kenya has an ambitious generation of young people entering a world of work that will continue to evolve throughout their careers. We want them to see learning as something that continues throughout their professional journey,” she observed.

The partnership forms part of PMI’s focus on continuous professional development through certification, formal education, practical experience and professional networks.

The PMI Global Summit Series Cape Town will take place September 14-15 and bring together project professionals from Africa and beyond to exchange knowledge and examine emerging challenges facing the profession.