Amal MansiProjects Control Manager| FreelancerAmman, Jordan
Have you ever applied project management principles to support local communities during crises or emergencies? What challenges did you face, and what advice would you give to others who want to volunteer their PM skills in urgent situations? Saving Changes...
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Luis BrancoCEO| Business Insight, Consultores de Gestão, LdªCarcavelos, Lisboa, Portugal
Amal Mansi This is a timely and powerful question and one that reminds us of the ethical dimension of project management beyond deliverables and deadlines.
Yes, I have applied PM principles in crisis contexts, particularly in humanitarian and community-based initiatives.
One of the biggest challenges is the shift from structure to adaptability: in emergencies, uncertainty is high, resources are constrained, and stakeholder needs evolve by the hour.
Traditional tools may not fully apply but our mindset, leadership, and critical thinking become even more essential.
What helped most was approaching the situation through the lens of regenerative leadership which emphasizes presence, trust, co-creation, and responsible decision-making under pressure.
I applied agile with humility, combining just-enough structure with deep listening and rapid cycles of learning.
Clear roles, a shared sense of purpose, and steady communication routines created an “island of structure” in the middle of chaos.
My advice to others:
- Focus on people first — logistics and planning will follow.
- Co-create with the community — don’t impose solutions.
- Be ready to lead and to follow, depending on the moment.
- Reflect after the crisis — that’s where learning becomes legacy.
In urgent situations, project management is not about control.
It’s about enabling collective action with clarity, compassion, and regenerative intent.
Saving Changes...
Pham Van PhuongProject Manager| FUJI CAC JOINT STOCK COMPANYHo Chi Minh, Viet Nam
Hi Amal Mansi I have seen how project management principles can support local communities in Vietnam during crises such as COVID-19. The challenges in this context are quite specific:
Urgency: There is no time for lengthy meetings or formal processes.
Inconsistent information: Updates from authorities, associations, media, and citizens often contradict each other, making decision-making difficult.
Diverse volunteer base: Some are youth union members, some are business people, others are simply neighbors — which makes it hard to enforce discipline.
Unstable resources: One day you have trucks full of rice, the next day roads are blocked, and the following day there is a fuel shortage. Long-term planning is nearly impossible.
Cultural factor: Vietnamese people have a strong spirit of solidarity — everyone wants to help. But without clear coordination, this sometimes leads to duplication or gaps.
What worked in practice was applying simple but effective PM approaches:
Keep it simple: A handwritten assignment board at the local People’s Committee office worked better than complex tools.
Define a single focal point: A Zalo group was useful, but only when one “station leader” summarized and made decisions.
Clarify roles: Young people managed transport, elders distributed tickets, women ran the community kitchen — role clarity prevented chaos.
Stay flexible: Plans often changed daily; adapting quickly was more important than following rigid schedules.
Care for morale: Volunteers working day and night got exhausted; a hot meal or a simple thank-you was also “people management” in crisis.
My advice for PMs volunteering in urgent situations is to avoid heavy processes. Instead, bring structure, clarity, and empathy. Even small project management practices, if applied with cultural sensitivity, can significantly multiply the effectiveness of community response. Saving Changes...
I deployed with the Air Force for the OAW (Operation allies welcome) and the biggest issue throughout that crisis was communication barrier by far. Along with some soldiers/airmen having a lack of emotional intelligence for the people impacted. Emotional Intelligence is a tool that I have been able to leverage throughout my career to build the trust of my team members and move towards a common goal. I'm not sure that we could've handled the language barrier much better than we already were with the short, unexpected timeline that we were given, but overall it was a successful mission. Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
I did that lot of times. I am living in Argentina, Latin America. Nothing new below the sun. You have to apply the same than you can find in the PMBOK (version 6) just in case you like to apply it. Saving Changes...
