Projections are that Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP) will increase fivefold from 2000 to 2019, supported by key transport, energy and communications infrastructure projects, and South Africa is expected to play a significant role.

South Africa has committed to substantial infrastructure investments spanning multiple industries that are critical to the nation’s economic growth and long-term development. With R84.3-billion already having been spent on such projects and some of them already behind schedule, it is critical that measures be taken to increase the likelihood that these projects will deliver on their objectives and do so within scope, on deadline, and within budget.

South Africa, like many countries, is experiencing a shortage of qualified project and programme managers, whose skills are integral to maximising the return on investments in key areas, such as the ones South Africa is making in Eskom power stations. A recent study showed that there will be 1.57-million new project management jobs globally each year between now and 2020, with a dearth of qualified people to fill that pipeline.

While this is a situation that is set to worsen globally, South Africa may be positioned to weather the situation better than many other countries. An increasing number of tertiary institutions – such as Stellenbosch University – are offering project management curricula. As a result of the profession’s maturation across the continent, the Project Management Institute (PMI) currently represents more than 10 000 project managers in Africa.

The institute has offices throughout the world and has seen other positive industry trends elsewhere. About ten years ago, in China, there were fewer than five project management degree programmes offered by the country’s institutions of higher learning. China began investing in this area and, within a year, there were more than 90 degree programmes focusing on project management training and education. Further, the Chinese government began creating genuine career paths for people entering into project management.

But talent is only one of several issues South Africa and the other countries in the Brics bloc – Brazil, Russia, India and China – must address to improve returns on investments. The PMI conducted a global study with the Economist Intelligence Unit in 2013 on organisations’ strategy and implementation. Specifically, we asked executives: “How many of you think that strategy implementation is important?” Eighty-eight per cent responded that they thought it was important, yet a significant majority also acknowledged that they struggled to bridge the gap between strategy formulation and its day-to-day implementation. Since all strategic change happens through projects and programmes, it is easy to see why many organisations fail to deliver value to their stakeholders – and why only 54% of an organisation’s strategic initiatives meet their goals.

The bottom-line consequences of this performance rate are considerable. In Africa, organisations report wasting the equivalent of R88-million for every R1-billion invested in projects owing to poor project performance. The PMI is committed to raising awareness about the amount of money that is wasted as a result of poor project management and the inability to implement strategic initiatives, and to provide insights on how the best-performing organisations waste less money and deliver more successful projects.

From the outset, project management needs to take into account the full life cycle of the project – not just the elements of production or the final delivery. This is necessary so that the downstream costs of maintenance are not overlooked. An example here would be a lack of maintenance leading to downtime on a power station, resulting in the inability to achieve the desired 800 MW output. Another example of incomplete or immature planning could be the building of coal-powered stations when long-term planning calls for the prioritisation of gas-powered stations.

Regardless of the type of project, a key success factor in project management is the presence of an engaged executive sponsor – a member of senior management who makes the business case for a project, champions its value and obtains the necessary organisational resources to make the project viable. Where a project or programme manager leads, the sponsor operates at the highest evel of an organisation’s management structure to lay out the requirements and to hold others to account. The sponsor initiates and signs off on the project, promoting the change and benefits. When this engaged executive involvement is absent, projects fail because there is no one with a full understanding across and up the organisation, and navigating, and advocating for, changes throughout the organisation.

The governance of a project is a complicated process, involving the management of risk, access to capital and numerous other factors. Organisational leaders need to understand this and drive the way forward. With focus and energy, a clear understanding of what needs to be done and a desire to achieve established goals, there is no doubt that South Africa can take a position as a leader in driving tremendous GDP growth across the entire continent in the years ahead.