PMI Global Insights

By: Tam Abaku, PMP

In April, I presented at the PMI Europe Global Summit Series in Barcelona. This was a great event with featured speakers, exhibits, and networking activities.

My presentation, Session 305: Public Sector Digital Projects as Social Impact Engines, focused on addressing why public sector digital projects often fail to deliver inclusive social impact and providing solutions to overcome these challenges. Successful public sector digital projects are not just those with modern technology or robust infrastructure, but rather those that begin by embedding user-centric cultural values to create inclusive social impact.

For instance, Ukraine's Prozorro transformed public procurement to include diverse business contractors, reflecting values of transparency, cost efficiency, and fairness. This system has saved billions of UAH while becoming a global exemplar of open government data.

UNESCO's Bangladesh CapEd – radiotech eLearning – program successfully reached the entire target student population, in contrast to the government's initial television-based approach that excluded 44% of them.

The mobiletech-powered M-Pesa has achieved unprecedented financial inclusion within and beyond Kenya's borders — serving populations largely ignored by conventional banks that reached only 19% of the country's 38 million citizens. According to the UN, this innovation addresses 12 of the 17 SDGs.

My research reveals that Estonia's eResidency program drives global economic inclusion through its robust digital infrastructure and user-centric design principles, creating substantial social impact across borders. By empowering eEntrepreneurs globally, it satisfies SDG 9 while reflecting values of the PMI — being welcoming and openness-by-design — which essentially fulfils the requirements of SDG 10.

At the end, participants left with a framework for social impact assessment, methods for creating inclusive project environments, and actionable steps to translate PMI Culture values into tangible outcomes.

Q&A Session Follow-up

During my presentation, I received a lot of great questions that we didn't get a chance to cover. Here are responses to some of the questions:

Question: What do you have to say about data privacy and data security with the increased adoption of emerging technologies like AI technology in the public space?
Answer: Government transparency is crucial. A comprehensive AI strategy must clearly outline ethical algorithmic boundaries, data protection protocols, and citizen redress procedures for potential breaches. Additionally, training both staff and citizens on AI capabilities is essential for meaningful engagement and building public trust.

Question: How come it is not so easy for some countries to be as open as Estonia?
Answer: It is not impossible! Openness requires governments to embrace accountability. Estonia (e-Estonia) is open by design. If the political will is there, any nation can adopt Open Government principles, transparency and accountability, regardless of their starting point.

Question: Why did you interview only 13 or 14 people for this important research?
Answer: This is qualitative research that seeks to gain insights from people's lived experiences of a real-world phenomenon. According to Guest et al. (2006), 6–12 interviews are enough for one qualitative research project.

Closing

I asked participants to reflect on the one thing they could do to stand out when managing public sector digital projects. As a next step, I encouraged them to consider applying these inclusive design principles to similar initiatives in their work.

I had a great time presenting, and the full presentation will be on demand through 30 January 2026. Visit Global Summit Series Europe 2025 for more details.