For Bulla, no project is too big to manage

Dar es Salaam. Bulla Boma is the co-founder and director of HEBO Group Company Limited, which trades as ‘HEBO Consult.’ She is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP®) as a Disciplined Agile Senior Scrum Master (DASSM) both credentials issued by the Project Management Institute.

With over 16 years of project management experience in different industries like banking, tech, real estate and telecommunications, her experience evolves from managing mega projects like Satellite Cities, coordinating corporate mergers, as well as setting up Project Management Offices and project governance frameworks.

HEBO is a project management training and consulting firm founded two years ago. Bulla is passionate, with the aim of imparting the knowledge she has on others.

HEBO learned of the gap in project management - and just as soon applied for authorization by PMI, a Global Project Management Institute headquartered is in the US which issues global credentials for project management.

HEBO are consultants who also offer training on project management best practices.

“I’m a firm believer that knowledge is power. We have a lot of development projects going on, and the government and investors are pouring in funds. But the question is: do we have the right professionals who are equipped with the right skills and are able to ensure the that projects succeed in terms of delivery, quality - and of funds utilization?” Bulla rhetorizes.

Working in telecommunications helped her to grow technically - especially in terms of project management as she supervised projects regarding the development of platforms - and the development of different products configured within those platforms.

This helped her build her technical skills. But she also wanted diversity and do more in terms and exploring the world of projects management from both the technical and business side.

She says there was a Project Management vacancy in the commercial department of the organization she was already working in. But, although she did not have much experience in project management, she was nonetheless interested in creating a product - and then seeing it benefit its users in the long run. In the event, She applied for the position and got it!

It was a promotion of sorts for her, from a mere planning leader to a project manager - an opportunity for her to add value in the services that customers already had.

Bulla worked with different stakeholders and she was able to see the business side because the creation of services in any business is not only about creating products, but also about selling them to consumers, thereby generate good income for the company.

“I saw how project management adds value in the business. The Professional Certification helped to elevate my profile and skills to global quality standards: global practices which paved my way to project management,” she recalls.

She says key highlights of programmes at HEBO Consult for this year are the Future Project Professional. This is a youth empowerment programme geared to provide university graduates with the necessary set of skills that make one stand out in the jobs market. Another is ‘Mentorship’ to empower them with the confidence to succeed in their careers.

These programmes that kicked off this year will create well-rounded young professionals who are ready to deliver exceptional performance in project teams across diverse industries.

Another programme is on Professional Certifications that up-skill and re-skill project managers across industries. These global accreditations - include the PMP® (Project Management Professional), PBA® (Project Business Analyst, CAPM® (Certified Associate in Project Management), Wicked Problem Solving (Design Thinking) for solving complex problems and Disciplined Agile certifications.

The third programme is DIY Workshops for Project Management Skills. This is structured for women entrepreneurs and small business owners, to equip them with basic project management skills that they can use to plan and organize their businesses so that they can increase returns on their investments. The skills include writing proposals; creating budgets, and planning schedules.

Commenting on the challenges she went through when climbing the ladder to her success, Ms Bulla Boma says she went through plenty of challenges and opportunities as well.

Project Management is about coordinating, as well as setting up a good structure and frame work in order to achieve the results being sought. The challenges include the aspects of navigating and dealing with different stakeholders. And, if you are new to the industry, people would judge you on what you do know... Or whether you are not qualified enough to be able to deliver.

For Bulla, whenever she gets a project, it is an opportunity for her to grow - and she really immerses herself in it. The investment she has made in learning the challenges has never bothered her because she knows her abilities well - and her global certification bolsters her confidence in whatever she is doing.

“The key thing is to deliver. Regardless of what people are thinking, just deliver - and, thus, prove them wrong. Show them it is actually doable,” she stresses.

Being in a male-dominated field, Bulla had the feeling that being a woman was the reason she was being misjudged and not readily accepted. “But that never adversely affected me because of the strong foundation I got from my parents.

“My parents have always been very supportive, and all my siblings are girls. So we grew up in an environment where our parents made sure we were enabled in almost everything, and, since I never grew up with boys at home I never had that feeling that men could do better than women. What matters to me are the skills we have as human beings and what we can bring to the table. Hence, my ability to deliver in projects started early,” she says.

Commenting on the lack of qualified project management experts - and the dangers a nation is likely to face as a result, Bulla says Tanzania has not more than 150 Project Management Professionals (PMPs). “Globally over 1.5 million PMPs are undertaking projects globally.

But it Tanzania our numbers are still very small - because of different reasons, including lack of awareness and understanding of the relevance of global certifications.

The challenge is that the government and its developing partners are sometimes pouring funds into some projects that are not well-managed, with no returns on investments. That is why global certifications are important to up-skill the professionals in the country.

PMP certification focuses on three main areas which are technical skills, leadership skills and business skills. “

Being asked why is she volunteering at the PMI Tanzania chapter and why is it important for people to volunteer she says, her roles is creating volunteership programs at the PMI Tanzania and it gives her an opportunity to work with different youths and extends her network and engage with diverse group of professionals who are members and none members of the Chapter.

It is important because to advocate for these global practices to be identified.

“It is a good opportunity to learn and we are all long life leaners. The dynamics in every industry are changing we are now a digital world. Volunteering gets you to meet with other professionals. It is a good networking and knowledge sharing opportunity,” she adds.

Her leadership style is diverse. She works a lot with younger and older professionals. Her style shifts depending on the situation she is in by using emotional intelligence skills.

When dealing with younger professionals who mostly needs to be nurtured and guided I apply that. And when dealing with older professionals it is more of being authoritative and more directive when dealing with older professionals.

Commenting on why about 80 percent of staff at HEBO are women she says,as a female cofounder of HEBOsheknows the importance of uplifting other women as well. The culture at HEBO is all about equality. But the 80 percent is not by chance but also somehow it is (while smiling).

“We prefer more women because women are nurtures and embraces creativity. We don’t leave the men and we hire based on skills and qualifications, she adds.

Advice for the wants to be leaders and have refused to grow over the years in their careers she says, women have a lot of challenges but there is no choice but to choose growth.

She insists on getting out of their own heads. Sometimes women hold themselves back and it is very comfortable at the comfort zone but nothing grows there.

“Women have to avoid the fear of unknown, failing and not being accepted holds women back. It is important they look for new challenges, take the first step and equip themselves with skills in the area they want to venture into to be able to deliver when you are into that new positions. They should apply for the jobs and think beyond our limitation and it will work out,” adds Bulla.