Project management in ICT is very different from that in any other sector.  Its special aspects are shaped by the way that business is done in the field.

The choice of people to manage an IT project is always the key to success. If you have too senior people, or more time is used up because your people are too junior, or you are just short of people, your costs will increase unexpectedly by the end of the project - and the project will be delayed. So says Balint Vojnits, owner and founder of Human Value International, an ICT specialist headhunting company in the region that opened its Bulgarian branch in Sofia in 2006. 

A good project manager must know this. When it comes to the appointment of a project manager, there is no room to compromise. A shortage of resources will force you to change your priorities during the lifespan of the project. It is better, at the beginning of the project, to accept a compromise regarding the administration or support staff. At a later stage, during testing at the close of the implementation stage, your time management can be secured, Vojnits says.

“Many ICT companies win tenders without knowing who will support the project,” Vojnits says. “So just after budgeting the application for the tender – without being familiar with the human resources available on the market and their salary requirements - they start looking for people immediately because of deadlines. Because the people taken on are cheap but too junior, the result is no success: the project delayed, and money lost.”

This is why Vojnits advises ICT companies to put time and money in advance into adequate preparation, averting potential loss of money.

A good working environment and relevant project management software support are also essential for success, Vojnits says. “Good project management comes with good working conditions, which would improve not only effectiveness but workers’ motivation too. Offering the opportunity to achieve successes every day is very important to motivate people,” he says. However, he finds – unfortunately - that working conditions in most ICT companies in Bulgaria are off-peak. “Companies who put an effort into finding the best candidates can win their loyalty which, in the end, will drive the company to success.”    

Market trends are very important indicators in terms of future career development strategies, especially for engineers and developers, taking into consideration geographical location. To remain competitive in your area of specialisation, you must always study new technologies. This is a further argument to hunt for the best on the market. One of the most significant trends in the ICT market is the development of IP and mobile technologies. For example, to set up a 3G mobile network, you need engineers with special qualifications. But when the network is completed, their role might diminish. So what happens to the people who built a network after it is completed? They might become dispensable.

Vojnits can compare Bulgaria’s ICT specialists to their foreign colleagues, from the vantage point of a Hungarian citizen and head of an international head-hunting company.

Bulgaria’s top ranking in mathematics education and the above-average English proficiency of ICT specialists were among the reasons why Vojnits chose Bulgaria for opening a new branch. “Bulgaria, with its good location, is very suitable for covering Serbia, Macedonia and Romania, which are developing really fast,“ he says.

“The motivation of Bulgarian ICT specialists in their approach to work is also a recognisable advantage compared to Western countries,” he says. “The main reason is simply the history of the culture. Everyone here wants to be better and the best. This applies to the whole region as well, and I like that.”

Everyone is short of people because the market is growing significantly, and at a fast pace. Another reason arises from a local phenomenon - many Bulgarians left the country in recent years to work for Western companies. “That is why we are researching Bulgarian colonies abroad, and we try to offer them competitive opportunities in Bulgaria to come back to work in Bulgaria. These candidates today have strong international experience, which is very useful for management positions at newcomer companies,” Vojnits says.

At the same time, the return of Bulgarian-born ICT specialists to their homeland can only happen if Bulgaria attracts large international companies to open offices in the country. “Bulgaria needs a better lobby, which Romania has, for example,” he says. “That is why, for instance, Microsoft put its operations there instead of Bulgaria. What Bulgaria can do is to offer foreign companies more tempting business conditions, such as tax exemption for a couple of years. This happened in Hungary when we joined the EU and we were ready when the EU labour market was opened to us,” Vojnits says.

Finally, it must be acknowledged that finding the right candidates for a specific project is really the key - and this needs a lot of time and a more and more sophisticated approach. Given that this task is probably not the core competence of an IT company, it might be worthwhile to outsource this step to professionals!