Twenty years ago, a group of passionate professionals laid the foundation for the Project Management Institute (PMI) Colombo, Sri Lanka Chapter, with a shared vision: to promote world-class project management practices in our nation. As a founding member and the first chairman, I look back with pride at how far we’ve come but I also look ahead with concern and urgency.

I recognized the critical importance of project management skills in Sri Lanka during a pivotal period in my career. In 2002, I was involved in advising on the project management of SLT’s new billing and Operations support system (OSS) system.

Same year, following the acquisition of Mobitel by SLT, I led a major transformation initiative as CEO/ of Mobitel transitioning the mobile network from TDMA to GSM, implementing large-scale IT modernization, and relaunching the Mobitel brand with a completely new infrastructure.

Through these experiences, it became clear to me that Sri Lanka faced a severe shortage of qualified project management professionals. With this realization, I engaged with several like-minded professionals to establish the PMI Colombo, Sri Lanka Chapter, with the aim of promoting world-class project management practices.

PMI certification has made significant contributions to Sri Lanka’s professional landscape. Today, the country boasts over 1,400 certified PMPs, many of whom hold leadership positions in top private sector organizations.

Over the past two decades, several universities and higher education institutions in Sri Lanka have acknowledged the value of PMI standards by introducing project management as a core subject within their academic curricula. As a result, more than 5,000 Sri Lankan professionals have earned PMP® certification, with many now serving in high demand roles across the globe. Of these, around 1,400 PMPcertified professionals continue to contribute within Sri Lanka.

However, despite this impressive growth in certifications, the persistent rate of project failures and inefficiencies indicates that project management best practices are still not being fully embraced, particularly in the management of projects and programs. There is a clear gap between certification and effective application highlighting the need for organizations, especially in the public sector, to embed project management principles into their organizational culture to ensure successful outcomes.

Sri Lanka’s poor portfolio, program, and project management has led to consequences that are wide-ranging, deeply damaging, and longlasting. Below are some of the key effects: 1. Massive Waste of Public Funds

• Projects exceed budgets or are abandoned midway.

• Billions in taxpayer money are lost with little or no return on investment.

• Resources are misallocated to low-priority or politically motivated initiatives.

2. Failure to Deliver Essential Services

• Infrastructure like hospitals, schools, roads, and utilities are delayed or built below standard.

• Citizens are deprived of critical services, worsening inequality and public frustration.

3. Increased Corruption and Fraud

• Weak systems are exploited through bribery, inflated contracts, and unqualified vendors.

• Procurement becomes a major area of leakage and malpractice.

4. Economic Instability and Low Investor Confidence

• Unreliable execution of national development plans discourages foreign direct investment (FDI).

• Projects don’t generate the expected economic returns or job opportunities.

5. Strategic Misalignment and Policy Failure

• Projects are launched without alignment to national goals or sectoral needs.

• Governments fail to deliver long-term outcomes like sustainability, digital transformation, or inclusive growth.

6. Poor International Reputation

• Repeated portfolio management and project failures attract negative attention from donors, lenders, and rating agencies.

• Difficulty securing grants, loans, or international partnerships.

7. No Culture of Learning

• Without structured portfolio and program oversight, lessons are not captured or applied.

• Mistakes are repeated across decades and sectors.

8. Frequent Project Resets and Abandonment

Projects are halted or re-scoped with each political cycle, wasting prior investments.

• Lack of continuity undermines public trust in institutions.

9.. Erosion of Public Trust

• Citizens lose faith in the government’s ability to deliver promises.

• Leads to political instability, social unrest, or apathy toward public engagement.

Despite advancements in education and access to global frameworks, Sri Lanka continues to witness a disturbingly high rate of project failure in the public sector. My view is that nearly 80% of government-funded projects fall drastically in terms of cost, time, scope, quality, and public benefits.

This 20th anniversary is more than a milestone, it is a moment of reflection. It invites us to look back not only at our achievements, but also at the lessons learned, the opportunities missed, and the values we may have compromised along the way. It is a time to renew our commitment with a focus on increasing project success, maximizing benefit realization, and upholding greater integrity so that the next chapter is shaped by wisdom, accountability, and meaningful progress.

The Harsh Realities: What’s Going Wrong?

1. Project Failure and Waste

Many public projects fail due to poor Business case, planning, unrealistic budgeting, and weak execution. We see massive cost overruns, extended delays, and unsatisfactory outcomes, which ultimately result in public frustration and economic stagnation.

2. Corruption, Bribery, and Fraud

The leakage of public funds due to corrupt procurement and other Project Management practices, bribery, and non-transparent contractor relationships is a systemic issue. These failures drain national resources and damage public trust.

3. Output Over Outcome

Projects are often measured by physical completion, a road, a bridge, a building rather than the real value delivered to citizens, such as usability, accessibility, economic stimulation, or improved well-being.

Most Sri Lankan project managers tend to focus narrowly on delivery deadlines and budgeting, often overlooking the full spectrum of key project management knowledge areas. This limited focus can lead to poor stakeholder engagement, unmanaged risks, scope creep, and quality compromises. Globally recognized frameworks such as those outlined in the PMBOK® Guide highlight the importance of integrating all essential knowledge areas including scope, schedule, cost, quality, resource, communication, risk, procurement, stakeholder, and integration management. Each of these areas plays a critical role in ensuring not just delivery, but sustainable success and long-term value. In today’s complex and dynamic environments, mastering these interconnected disciplines is vital for driving project benefits.

4. Lack of Monitoring and Post-Project Review Most projects lack rigorous post-implementation reviews to assess benefit realization. Public accountability ends with ribbon-cutting, not with long-term results.

In recent years, government audits and COPE (Committee on Public Enterprises) inquiries have consistently revealed that inefficiencies, corruption, and poor project performance are often rooted in weak project management practices. The root causes typically include poorly developed business cases, flawed procurement processes, inadequate project planning, weak execution, insufficient monitoring and control, and the absence of structured project closure.

However, it is unfortunate that government agencies continue to overlook the root causes of project failures namely, professional competence, the lack of ethics and capacity in project and program management.

As we mark two decades of the PMI Colombo Chapter, I make a strong and respectful appeal to the Government of Sri Lanka, as project management is key to national transformation:

To be Continued

By Lalith de Silva