Interview with the expert: Project Office

Operating throughout the country, Stecla Engenharia has increasingly invested in a PMO (Project Management Office) in order to optimize project management, increase efficiency and guarantee the success of its initiatives. Known as a project office, this is an organizational structure that centralizes and standardizes project management processes.

Boticário Group project office

Engineer Francisco Chagas, a specialist in project management and product project management development, who has been with Stecla since January 2023, was responsible for setting up the project office in Bahia to handle projects to expand the Boticário Group's Beauty Center at the plant in Camaçari, in the metropolitan region of Salvador. "It took a year and ten months of very satisfactory planning, with extremely positive results for our client," says Francisco.

Stecla's project office in Bahia took part in the PMI Bahia Award, an award organized by the Project Management Institute Bahia (PMI-BA) that recognizes managers and companies. "We were one of the three finalists in the state, with the O Boticário Camaçari unit. We were among the three best in project management and among the three best project management offices in Bahia. Very significant results for this undertaking of almost two years here," he celebrates.

"Those who aren't involved in project management may not realize how great this award is. In Brazil, we have approximately 16,000 certified project managers. This means that, within the state of Bahia, of all the projects managed, the Boticário Group is among the three best. Here we have companies from the medical, petrochemical and automotive sectors that could be competing. The next step, for 2025, is for every state in which Stecla participates in a relevant project, and in which our clients are interested, to support this initiative of entering awards. It's in our interest to demonstrate our quality with awards and certifications like this, especially from a reputable body like PMI, with global relevance," he says.

PMO and remote working

Francisco believes that the global Covid-19 pandemic has taught him a number of lessons, including that it is possible to work remotely with quality and professionalism. "There was obvious prejudice and a fear of what the reactions would be. I particularly support the hybrid system, as I believe there is a lot of value in interpersonal relationships, and the flexibility of having part of the work done remotely leverages results. Having this balance between face-to-face and remote work, in my opinion, was extremely productive," he explains.

Setting up project offices far from Stecla's headquarters and, in some cases, even from the client itself, was only made possible by this hybrid approach. Remotely, it is possible to rely on extremely skilled professionals to support more complex projects, using a workforce that is much better suited to the complexity of the challenge. "In many cases, when this remote option didn't exist, competence was limited to geography. With the advent of the hybrid, we have been able to take our team's expertise anywhere in Brazil," says Fernando, who also argues that human resources have overcome geographical barriers to such an extent that we can now truly reach any expert just by scheduling a videoconference.

Qualification is key

In order to bring greater relevance to project management, as well as adopting best practices, Stecla has moved closer to global certifications, including the main project certification, the Project Management Professional (PMP). "With the PMP we have global relevance, we give our opinion on where project management is going, how to develop best practices, as well as taking part in the main debates and forums on how to conduct project management in an assertive and predictable way," explains Francisco.

"Stecla has a really harmonious, collaborative environment. We see the suitability of our leadership and the access we have within the organization as a whole. Of course, we have organized hierarchies to guarantee a flow of communication, but this does not limit or hinder any initiative for mutual support in the municipalities where we operate. This harmony is the key to good results. That's why it's really satisfying to work for Stecla Engenharia," Francisco concludes.