We are pleased to introduce WYG Consulting – the first Green Project Management Accredited Training Partner (ATP) in Croatia. Who are they? Why did they decide to introduce GPM training to their offer? What are their development plans in this regard? We talk about this with Mario Protulipac, the Senior Consultant at WYG Consulting.
What does WYG Consulting do?
WYG Consulting (WYGC) is a project management and technical consultancy company working across Europe. WYGC was established in 2010 with the main office in Zagreb and project offices in Belgrade, Pristina, Podgorica, Skopje and Kyiv. We have successfully delivered over 400 contracts for various customer profiles, ranging from engineering to planning and management services.
WYGC specializes in providing technical assistance services to governments, preparing, and managing strategic projects, preparing feasibility and environmental studies, preliminary and main designs, budget and financial plans, tender documents for services, and works and supply contracts following applicable requirements (EU, national, etc.). Currently, we are managing some of the most important public projects in Croatia in research and development infrastructure, environment, energetics, water management, waste management and transportation. Also, the technical division of our company participates in the project management and supervision of large infrastructure projects financed primarily by EU funds.
Why did you decide to become an Accredited Training Partner of Green Project Management?
Driven by our commitment to client service and underpinned by technical excellence, we help our clients create value, protect value, and manage risk. At WYG, we create and manage strategic assets by engaging with and advising our clients throughout all stages of the project lifecycle. We offer a comprehensive approach to providing support to our clients, exporting our knowledge, and undertaking ambitious development projects that positively impact infrastructure, socio-economic growth, and the environment. What we consider a further evolution step in project management is a stronger implementation of principles that integrate people, planet and profit perspectives, not only on projects’ level but also on the level of programs, portfolios, and business strategy. This is in line with national strategies, EU policies but also with global initiatives which are aimed in changing the way of thinking about the economy, where sustainability, or balance of financial sustainability, care for people, community and environment is becoming a far more significant than it has been so far.
Changes in mindset stem from a real need for sustainability given the overexploitation of natural and human resources, climate change, different standards in human rights protection, economic and social inequality, poverty, and other urgent issues. As an Accredited Training Partner of Green Project Management, we have knowledge and tools to support our clients in organizational changes towards sustainability. Through networking with the GPM community and project managers from over 145 countries, we have an opportunity to share experiences and transfer knowledge to our clients. Croatia and the region, as our main markets, are still behaving relatively conservatively in the business environment in terms of implementing the basic sustainability requirements, so we hope to become leaders in new practices at the national and regional levels.
What is important to you in the project management model developed and promoted by GPM?
In the model presented by GPM, we can single out several important details. The first is that the model is in line with international best practices related to the sustainability approach, i.e. it is aligned with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, Sustainable Accounting Standard Board Standards, Global Reporting Initiative Standards, and several ISO standards. Also, GPM certification is aligned with the knowledge that project managers acquire through other relevant international project management organizations such as IPMA and PMI.
Another detail is related to the fact that GPM approaches sustainability comprehensively, in a way that covers the sphere of project management, program-level management and portfolio, but improves the sustainability segment of the entire organization, helping the organizational transformation. We expect that through tender requirements in the near future, especially for the implementation of projects arising from the European Green Deal, more and more education and experience in the implementation of GPM will be required, for which we at WYG want to be fully prepared.
What are your achievements so far?
WYGC became a partner of GPM in Croatia in July 2021. Three of our experienced project managers obtained a GPM-b certificate and completed the training of trainers. In the part of the projects they are working on, we have already started implementing the P5 standard. We will undoubtedly continue to apply GPM standards to all projects that we’ll develop and implement in the future.
What are your plans for introducing GPM training and certification to your offer?
To implement projects in the field of GPM, WYGC has agreed to cooperate with a leading private educational institution in Croatia, with which it already has a long-standing, very effective cooperation in PM education. The knowledge and experience of WYG’s trainers and infrastructure of the partner educational institution guarantee that a critical mass of project managers in the region will be familiar with the benefits of the GPM approach and recognize the importance of training and implementation in project sustainability. The number of projects implementing the P5 methodology and the positive effects on the project outcomes will be the ultimate measure of our success.
About Mario Protulipac:
Mario Protulipac has 13 years of experience in project management, design, and delivery of HRD, R&D, business support, and local/regional development projects. He managed and developed more than 80 grant projects funded through PHARE, IPA, European structural funds, and other donors such as the World Bank, UNDP, state budget, business sector. Mario worked as an expert on various projects in Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia. He is also the author and co-author of 4 certified project management educational programs, including the first synchronous online education for EU funds management in Croatia.
Contact with WYG Consulting:
Phone: +385 1 3843 684
E-mail: info@wyg-c.eu
Website: www.wyg-c.eu