PMI UK North West Branch Event: Building the Future together. Join the PMI Community followed by the Presentation “Rethinking project management’s responsibilities”. 2nd December 2025
This event will be taking place at BS 1.25 (N Atrium), Lecture Theatre, The Business School, Manchester Metropolitan University, Oxford Road, Manchester, M15 6BH
Building the Future together. Join the PMI Community with Assadullah Memon
The session will introduce the Project Management Institute (PMI), the world’s leading professional association for project managers. It will outline the Institute’s global mission, key functions, and the range of internationally recognised certifications it offers to support professional development in project management. The session will also describe the advantages of PMI membership, including access to a global professional community, networking opportunities, and learning resources. In addition, it will present the PMI UK Chapter, its activities, and its strategic objective to strengthen collaboration with universities and support students and young professionals in developing their project management skills and career prospects.
Speaker
Assad is a PMP, ITIL certified project management professional and Fellow of High Education Academy and aspiring academic, with around 20 years of international experience leading business transformation and operational experience initiatives across diverse sectors. Currently pursuing a PhD in Project Management at the University of Manchester.
Rethinking project management’s responsibilities with Dr Nicholas Lambrou, Emeritus Fellow at the University of Westminster
Project managers often complain that they are constrained by the terms of reference of the project assigned to them, stating that they were not part of the decision that defined the project scope in the first place. This is an odd but persistent argument that somehow absolves these project managers from correcting flaws in the conception of their projects, as the big decisions have been taken ‘pre-project’.
In this talk we will argue that there is therefore an inherent flaw in the classical definition of project management, if it allows flawed projects to continue. After all, if we shift the blame of flawed projects to the programme manager, say, are we not just kicking the can upwards by essentially stating that the programme manager is not a project manager?
Project management is responsible for everything manmade. Everything! Is it not time it acts responsibly?
In the talk we will try and redefine the main tenets of our profession in a way that will allow us to take the right decisions whenever these are called for. Key words include strategy, leadership, ethics, sustainable development goals, and responsible project management.
If everything manmade is the result of a project, then we are all project managers.
Speaker
Nick is Emeritus Fellow at the University of Westminster. He stumbled into project management through IT and has been an educator all his life. Among others, he has managed responsible projects to set up universities in the Sultanate of Oman, India and Uzbekistan, which, needless to say, were not all successful, but they were all worth it. Nick believes that everything humans have done was once a project, however small or big.
In addition, most organisations increasingly turn to project managers for answers, advice and ideas. This means that project managers have power to influence the environment we live in, and that with power comes responsibility. In the past, Nick has imported Greek wine into the UK and exported personal computers (remember them?) and peripherals; now and then he wonders where these once glorious machines have been laid to rest.
Agenda
- 5:00 pm Venue open, refreshments and networking
- 5:30 pm Introduction to the PMI by Assadullah Memon
- 6:00 pm Presentation by Dr Nicholas Lambrou
- 6:45 pm Q&A Session and wrap up
- 7:00 pm Close