AUT CISRC Hosts Industry Panel on Pathways into Project Management

The AUT Computer and Information Sciences Research Centre recently hosted a well-attended industry event exploring pathways into careers in project management on 19 May. Organised in collaboration with The Project Community New Zealand, the evening brought together students, graduates, academics, and industry practitioners to discuss the evolving capabilities required for project leadership in increasingly complex and technology-driven environments.

The panel featured presentations from AUT Senior Lecturer Stephen Thorpe, Neil Joshua Coutinho from Fisher & Paykel Healthcare and an AUT Alumnus (2024), and Adam Roi from Walker Smith. The session included Q&A and an open networking opportunity for attendees interested in project management careers.

In his keynote presentation, Dr Thorpe challenged conventional perceptions of project management as primarily a technical or procedural discipline. Drawing on recent research conducted with former AUT Master’s student Livia Krstić, he argued that effective project management increasingly depends on the integration of technical understanding, interpersonal capability, and leadership within complex socio-technical environments. The presentation highlighted findings from their recent peer-reviewed publication, Beyond the Generalist: The Overlooked Importance of Technical Expertise in IT Project Management, published in the International Journal of Information Technology Project Management. The research examined perceptions of technical expertise among IT project managers and identified the importance of combining domain knowledge with communication, relationship-building, and sense-making capabilities in project environments characterised by uncertainty and rapid technological change. The article can be accessed here:

https://www.igi-global.com/gateway/article/398627

Dr Thorpe’s presentation explored five capability domains for emerging project professionals: communication as translation across knowledge domains, technical credibility, relationship-building and trust, sense-making in complexity, and leadership within human–AI environments. The talk emphasised that while certifications and methodologies remain important, project management is fundamentally about enabling collaboration and guiding people through uncertainty toward shared outcomes.

Attendees reflected positively on the event across LinkedIn, noting the practical career advice and real-world insights shared by the panel. Discussions highlighted the growing importance of transferable skills, communication, leadership, and the role of artificial intelligence in reshaping project work. Industry speakers also reinforced the value of domain knowledge and experiential learning in developing effective project professionals.

The event reflects the Research Centre’s ongoing engagement with industry and its commitment to preparing graduates for leadership in digitally enabled and interdisciplinary project environments.