Management Solutions Goes Global

Note from the CEO

For more than two decades, Management Solutions has partnered with government and commercial clients to deliver project management excellence. Throughout that time, we have steadfastly maintained our commitment to help our clients manage and mitigate the risks associated with the uncertainties that accompany project implementation.

During 2020 we doubled down on our efforts by introducing our new skills assessment and training subsidiary that is a direct response to help solve the dramatic shortage of project management and project controls talent. The Project Management Institute’s forecast projects the global need for 87.7 million project management and controls professionals by 2027.

Contributing to much of this increased demand is the enormous potential for project management and controls to drive global economic growth. The projected GDP output of global project-oriented industries is forecast to reach $20.2 trillion over the next decade. Unfortunately, the lack of qualified talent could erode potential industry profits by billions of dollars. Additional factors impacting the rapid growth in demand:

In Asia, the demand for project managers is increasing rapidly with construction, healthcare, and IT industries leading the way. The demand by 2027 in China (46 million) and India (21.7 million) will account for 76 percent of the total global demand of 88 million project professionals.

In Europe, where only 48 percent of projects are completed on time and only 55 percent on budget, countries are relying on project management and controls to execute strategic projects to improve the bottom line and reverse poor project performance. The membership of the Project Management Institute includes 600,000 members from 177 different countries.

According to Project Management Institute during the period from 2010—2020, 10 countries (Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Japan, UAE, United Kingdom, China, and India) collectively saw project management roles increase by over 13.4 million to over 41.5 million.

In response to all of these factors, I am very proud to announce that Management Solutions is taking its first step toward global expansion by opening an office in London, England to serve the European market. The London office will offer all of Management Solutions' performance management and consulting capabilities as well as the skills assessment and training services available from our new subsidiary. To head our London office, we are welcoming Christine McLean who joins us from Jacobs, where she served as head of project controls, nuclear. Christine is recognized as a global technical expert in project controls. You can read more about her and this new initiative below.

All of us at Management Solutions are very excited about new growth opportunities around the world and look forward to a successful 2021. We wish you and your organization all the best for a healthy and successful year ahead.

Misty Mayes, CEO

Management Solutions Expands into European Market

Appoints Global Project Controls Expert Christine McLean to head London Office

We are excited to announce our expansion into the European marketplace. Recognized global technical expert in cost, planning, estimating and risk, Christine McLean will serve as the Managing Director and Director of Project Controls training for our new, London-based office. The move to expand into new international markets will allow Management Solutions to further address the worldwide shortage of skilled project managers and project controllers.

“The global economy as a whole has become more project-oriented and the demand for advanced project management and controls skills now extends beyond traditional sectors giving rise to a distinct increase in the number of jobs requiring advanced project-oriented skills,” said CEO, Misty Mayes. “Christine is a highly skilled practitioner having served with some of the world’s largest technical engineering firms. Her passion to expand the industry and advocate for continuous professional development to develop the skills of new and existing project controllers aligns fully with our mission and makes her a tremendous asset to our team.”

Prior to joining Management Solutions, McLean led a 200-person team with Jacobs, with the responsibility for planning, cost, risk and post contract estimating both in the UK and abroad. Additionally, she led change management initiatives to improve project control-wide objectives for the firm. As a seasoned, veteran project controls specialist, she has championed many successful project controls initiatives over nearly two decades having also served in leadership roles for Wood’s oil and gas division in the UK.

“Europe is no different from the rest of the world. There is a global shortage of project managers and project controllers and with every year that passes that this is not addressed, more people are retiring and that knowledge is being lost from all industries,” said McLean. “Individuals can now study project management at the university level, but the same cannot be said for project controls. People tend to ‘fall’ into project controls rather than opt for it as a career choice from school. I am thrilled to join Management Solutions as I share the same vision and mission with Misty to provide global expert training to as many individuals, companies and countries as I can.”

The Need for Advanced Project Controllers in Demand Globally

Organizations around the globe are facing a major project management skills gap: a deficit between their project needs and the capacity of their staff to bring those projects to fruition. The Project Management Institute estimates that the talent gap could result in a potential loss of some $207.9 billion in GDP through 2027. No single industry or region is immune. As the global talent shortage looms over the industry, project management professionals wanting to keep pace will need to develop new skills and embrace transformation.

The global demand for more advanced project management and project controls skills has been recognized by those already working in the industry. Last summer, the Project Controls Academy hosted its first-ever Project Controls Virtual Summit, with nearly 1000 people attending from around the world. Management Solutions was a top tier sponsor of the event and CEO Misty Mayes was a featured speaker for multiple sessions. The summit’s 7-week program offered nearly 40 hours of continuing education credits to attendees. Of the nearly 1000 attendees, only 30 percent were from the United States. There were over 70 countries represented in total. The top ten non-US countries represented were Canada, United Kingdom, India, UAE, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Qatar, Nigeria, and Australia. Industries represented were just as diverse.

There were 17 different sessions offered, but the most highly attended sessions were those that offered project technology training and tools as well as communications and methods for handling crises.