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PMI® Case Study The 2005 CANADA GAMES: A Case for PMI’s Volunteer Driven Project Management Model

The character of the Canada Games has changed little since the first torch was lit in 1967. Theevent itself, however, has changed significantly, and has grown in size, scope, complexity and cost. With 16 sports on the program, the August 2005 games in Regina, Saskatchewan, proved to be thebiggest yet, with close to 12,000 visitors. There is a great deal at stake in organizing a successful event; organizers must negotiate three levels of government funding, marketing contracts andstakeholder relationships. In addition, organizers must coordinate:
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long-term capital projects; multiple budgets; venue retrofits; and accommodations for more than 4,500 athletes and staffBecause of this, 2005 Canada Games organizers knew it was time for them to reach out to the professionals. Background Since their inception in 1967, the Games have had a proud legacy of volunteerrecruitment. Organizers in many of the previous host communities have successfully recruited thousands of willing volunteers to lend their time and expertise to help plan and share the host role. In 2003, inkeeping with the volunteer tradition, organizers approached the Regina/South Saskatchewan PMI Chapter and asked for help. The chapter reached out to its membership to gauge interest in volunteering as aproject manager for the games and received an overwhelming response. Challenges A central challenge for the games’ organizers and their project managers was that traditional project management couldnot be applied due to the volunteer nature of the games. A new model allowing for varying levels of formal project management practices among the volunteers would have to be created. This new modelwould have to provide a simple methodology, which could easily be applied by volunteer project managers in each of the games’ 16 operating divisions while maintaining strict project management best...