LIMA, PERU – Project execution is ceasing to be a function focused on meeting budgets and schedules, becoming a strategic component of organizations, just as Latin America faces the need to materialize investments in infrastructure, technology, mining and other activities that also support the movement of supply chains.
This transformation opens up an ever-increasing space for professionals specializing in project management, particularly in industries such as transport and logistics, where building infrastructure, expanding capabilities, automating operations or implementing new technologies requires coordinating investments, suppliers, talent, risks and business objectives.
Carolina Latorre, executive director for Latin America of the Project Management Institute (PMI) , explained that the organization estimates that by 2035, the region could face a gap of up to 800,000 professionals to meet the demand associated with the projects that will have to be carried out in different industries.
“Our mission and purpose is to increasingly support both professionals so that they can have all the necessary skills to deliver successful projects, and organizations and governments so that they can understand the relevance of project management and the strategic mission that this area has in delivering results that generate long-term value,” he said in an interview with T21.
The scale of the challenge is especially relevant for Latin America. The projected talent shortage coincides with a region that needs to increase and modernize its infrastructure, but also implement digitalization and business transformation processes that directly impact competitiveness.
For transport, logistics and supply chains, this need can be seen in projects ranging from port and railway expansions to distribution centers , warehouse automation, fleet electrification, digital platforms or the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI).
In this context, PMI has a presence in 18 Latin American countries and considers Brazil, Mexico, and Peru strategic markets. Lima was chosen to host the PMI LATAM Conference 2026 , an event that brings together participants from 13 countries and aims to connect professionals, companies, and the public sector around the evolution of project management .
Latorre explained that the change is also occurring in the skills demanded by the market. Technical skills remain essential, but they are beginning to be complemented by business acumen, leadership, and the ability to make decisions in complex situations.
This evolution is particularly relevant in supply chains subjected in recent years to commercial, geopolitical and technological disruptions , where the conditions existing at the start of a project can change before the investment becomes operational.
In addition, artificial intelligence is another force that PMI identifies as reshaping the profession. The organization has developed training programs, certifications, and PMI Infinity , its own AI platform built on the institution’s accumulated knowledge and designed as an assistant for project professionals.
However, according to Latorre, incorporating technological tools does not in itself guarantee better results.
“In the end, artificial intelligence is just a technology, a tool that you are going to use, but what will really make the difference is the judgment that you will have as a project manager,” he said.
PMI’s strategy also aims to enable these professionals to become facilitators of digital transformation processes within companies, a role that is gaining relevance given the speed at which different industries are incorporating AI without necessarily having a comprehensive strategy to do so.
“We understand that project managers can be that unifying force, that conductor of orchestras within organizations, understanding the effective use of artificial intelligence,” he stated.
Technological change, however, is just one part of a larger discussion that PMI began to reframe approximately three years ago: what it really means for a project to be successful.
For decades, the benchmark focused on three variables: budget, schedule, and scope . But research conducted by PMI among CEOs, sponsors, practitioners, and other stakeholders led the organization to broaden that definition.
For capital-intensive sectors, this approach has significant implications. A port terminal may open within budget, a logistics center may be built on schedule, or a technology platform may be implemented as planned, but these results do not necessarily mean that the investments have generated sufficient productivity, capacity, or profits.
“Value goes far beyond those three aspects, and value is really given by the level of delivery you give, which exceeds the effort and cost of the project; that is, if a project generates more value than the effort put in, than the budget put in, it can be considered a successful project ,” Latorre explained.
This vision is leading PMI to seek to close the gap between how the responsible teams execute projects and the expectations that executives, clients, and other stakeholders have about their results.
The challenge is not exclusively technical either. PMI has identified that within the same project there can be different interpretations of what it means to generate value , depending on whether it is viewed from the perspective of company management, the investment sponsor, the client, or the team responsible for executing it.
“We are talking about the same project but the concept of success is different, so project managers have to work with all those perceptions and have a unified vision so that we can all work in alignment,” he said.
In a region like Latin America, which needs to translate investments in infrastructure, technology, and productive capacity into concrete results, this evolution places project management closer to the strategic decisions of organizations. For transportation and logistics, where a project can modify the capacity of a road, port, railway, warehouse, or supply chain for decades, meeting the schedule is becoming only one part of the equation: the challenge will be demonstrating the value that investment actually generates.
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