Welcome to the launch issue of The Project Manager, the magazine for project managers and other project people.

In our lead article, Project Management South Africa (PMSA) chief executive officer Taryn van Olden takes a look at what constitutes a mature project management environment, and presents a compelling case for the importance of project management in keeping the bottom line in good shape.

Next, former PMSA CEO Elmar Roberg examines the role of the project manager and delves into the nuances of project, programme and portfolio management from the perspective of the Project Management Institute (PMI).

Following on from this assessment, the University of Pretoria's Dr Yvonne du Plessis focuses on a too often neglected aspect of project management: the skill of managing human resources.

Dennis Comninos of the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business offers strategic insights that no project manager can ignore.

Although one may tend to associate project management with gigantic construction sites and armies of hard-hatted workers, our piece on Reggie Brown, project management professional and CEO of PM4Africa, shows that sound project management methodology is essential if companies wish to deliver on sustainable community projects.

This is further proof that project management is much more than a nice-to-have.

The PMSA pages section provides an introduction to PMSA and what the organisation does to represent the project managers of South Africa as well as insightful pieces on the project management profession at a skills development, accreditation / certification, training and education level; opportunities for peer networking and special interest groups; and a calendar of forthcoming events from July to September.

"Tendering 101" clears up the confusion surrounding the tendering process, frequently a stumbling block to acquiring contracts.

David Ullman and Harvey Levine then walk us through five decisions that could have a decisive impact on one's project management style, with a significant nod to portfolio optimisation.

Green building has become something of a buzzword in recent times. In this issue we take a look at a case study that seeks to dispel the common perception that green means more expensive.

This is followed by a cool appraisal of the green building phenomenon by Dr Kelvin Clemm and Professor Chris Cloete, and rounded off by a reference section containing useful information for potential green project managers.

There follows a short, but vital piece on boutique project financing, which may prove the antidote to commercial banks' unwillingness to oblige with project funding.

A review of Professor Herman Steyn's book Project Management: a multi-disciplinary approach and an interview with the author himself round off this inaugural issue of The Project Manager.

Consider it a foretaste of things to come, with the promise that it will grow just as the project management profession is growing in South Africa, across Africa and around the world.

I look forward to receiving your views, comments and suggestions; please send them to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Until next time,

Greg Penfold

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