about me…
How many loves can one have in a lifetime?
Taken from the fourth volume of the vast encyclopedia written by my wife, titled “Too Many Things My Husband Likes to Do,” the quote that best represents me is: “For you, it’s too many!” My wife is a wonderful woman. She has the rare gift of observing with affection and irony my tireless curiosity about the world and my endless desire to do and do and do.
One of my great loves is life in the countryside. I love it because it is made of concrete actions, of seasons that teach patience, and of a thousand things to fix. Well, “fixing”: if I had to sum up my existence in one sentence, I would probably simply say “I have spent my life fixing things.” And I don’t say this with resignation, but with pride. Fixing is giving shape, giving meaning, giving continuity. It is the red thread that connects the olive grove, the garage, the Excel sheet, and the heart of a project.
Among all loves, there is one that has transformed the way I think, work, and live, inspiring a deep need to achieve excellence, or at least to tirelessly pursue it: Project Management.
When order becomes passion
I encountered Project Management about twenty years ago, when I was still a freelancer. I read articles that talked about projects managed by “PMs,” and the combination of those words already sounded good to me. I soon discovered that it was not just a job, but a discipline that brings order to chaos, that transforms energy into direction, and that gives dignity to the process, not just to the result.
In Italy, the Project Manager has only started to emerge strongly in the last decade. Previously, it was a technical role, often confused with the “job site manager,” also frequently called “project leader,” but always identified more as a point of reference than as a true manager. Today, the Project Manager is much more: a strategic director, a bridge between vision, value, and mission. They are the one who knows how to plan, motivate, manage risks, and communicate clearly. They are the guardian of coherence and the guarantor of the objective.
I have dedicated years of study, work, and reflection to this role. Also many “non-working” hours, because when a passion takes hold, it doesn’t ask for permission. Thanks to failures that enrich experience, successes eventually came too, whether small or large, it makes little difference. What enriches you is what you learn. The real satisfaction is knowing that every well-managed project is a piece of the world working better.
A belief that I carry within me
If you want to become a Project Manager, keep this definition in mind, which I have distilled from years of reading, studying, experience, and practice:
The Project Manager is the person who has the exclusive responsibility of achieving the objectives of a project.
Simple, clear, powerful. It is a responsibility that cannot be delegated, improvised, or feigned. It is a call to action, to competence, to leadership.
The culture of Project Management in Italy?
In our Italy, often criticized yet always deeply rich in talent and beauty, I have frequently heard complaints that everything always arrives late. Naturally, this is not true! A good counterpart to the Project Manager in the “rest of the world” version has existed since 1994 in the “Italian” version and is the figure of the RUP – Sole Person Responsible for the Procedure. Today, the RUP is the director of public procurement, with responsibilities ranging from planning to sustainability, from legality to safety. It is a key figure for the proper use of public resources, and as the president of ASSORUP said, it is “the silent referee of a market worth almost 272 billion euros a year.”
The RUP and the Project Manager share a mission: To achieve project goals by doing the right things well. In a world that often runs without direction, this is a form of love. A love for work well done, which gives great value to time well spent, reciprocating the trust placed in you by those who entrust you with a project.
Thanks for your time. See you soon
L.C.
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