LAN Management Development Service: Managing Projects to Deliver Promises

LAN Management Development Service

Consumers always love a great product or service. But seldom do they all appreciate all that goes behind the scenes. A product or service as we see it is the result of multiple steps, collaborations, quality checks and more which are essential for the final outcome. Will a great dish, be great if someone missed putting salt in it? That is why each and every step counts.
Organizing the Services
In the late 1980s, new methodologies and sophisticated way of working were introduced and the need for a structure to organize and coordinate activities was felt. This structure was identified as Project Management, a discipline which specializes in the areas of activity to be effective and suitably diverse. Recognizing this opportunity to cater to the needs of the corporate sector; both private and public, LAN Management Development Service later named LAN Management Development Service (Pvt) Ltd. (LANMDS) was established in 1991 in Sri Lanka. Since then, LANMDS has developed into an organization that has effectively served these sectors as well as foreign investors in the capacity of a Project Manager as well as a Consultant for Architecture, Engineering, Project Feasibility, Resource Management and allocation, Contract Administration, Project Performance Monitoring, Post Contract Administration, Land Development, Human Resource Development & Management, Institutional Development, and other related specializations.
Laying Foundation
LANMDS was established by late Eng. (Dr.) Group Capt. P. Mervyn Gunasekera, a well-respected professional engineer. He graduated with honors from the University of Ceylon in Civil Engineering in 1975 with a B.Sc. (Eng.) Hon. Subsequently he obtained a Master’s degree from Loughborough University UK and followed up by obtaining a Ph.D in Project Management from the Post Graduate Institute of Management Sri Lanka. He was first employed with Walker and Greig Limited as an Assistant Construction Engineer and then joined the Sri Lanka Air Force in 1978 as the Officer in charge of the Work Services Unit with the rank of Flight Lieutenant and was in charge of all maintenance work of the Katunayake Air Base, as a Volunteer Officer attached to the Directorate of Civil Engineering Air Fields Construction Regiment. He was accorded the rank of Group Captain, being the first professionally qualified Volunteer Officer to be so honored in the Air Force. In 1980 he took up an appointment in Saudi Arabia as a Civil Engineer where within six months he was promoted to Lead Engineer of the Support and Secondary Industry Parks Management of Jubail Industrial City; one of the largest such projects not only in Saudi Arabia, but in the whole world. On returning to Sri Lanka after serving as a deputy Director with the Institute for Construction Training and Development (ICTAD) in the year 1991 he commenced his entrepreneurial activities as the Managing Director of LANMDS. Considered as a pioneer in establishing Project Management as a professional discipline, he also devoted a considerable proportion of his time as a visiting lecturer in many Universities and Institutions imparting knowledge and sharing his professional experience.
Eng. Gunasekera was the first Sri Lankan to be elected the President of The Federation of Engineering Institutions of South & Central Asia (FEISCA). During his tenure as the President of the FEISCA he initiated and completed a number of programmes in the region.

Bringing Change
The first challenge that LANMDS had to face was that of the mindset. Project Management’s concept was new and considered relatively unimportant by the Consultants and Contractors as and perceived by the clients as an unwanted and wasteful expense. The company, through its persistent efforts, was able to demonstrate the cohesion and order that could be achieved through the process of design, estimation, procurement and implementation ensuring conformity to budgets and time constraints to a skeptical audience. These efforts have enabled investors to view the discipline as an important step in safeguarding their interests.
LANMDS uses a step-wise approach to provide services to its clients. The first step is a thorough review of the client’s requirement in order to set the project’s parameters and ensure that it will fulfill the business objectives. Next step is to pro-actively manage the project through all stages of strategy, design, procurement, construction and commissioning, to final handover of the project. Adopting clear lines of communication and a non-adversarial approach, is the key to delivering projects that go beyond the clients’ expectations of cost, quality and time. The company also provides services like project Monitoring, Reviewing and carrying out feasibility studies on behalf of Investors and project stakeholders.

Dependable Services
LANDMDS boasts of a varied clientele. It has emerged as a dedicated and dependable service provider over different industry sectors such as:

Hotels and Resorts like Colombo Hilton Refurbishment, Anantara Resort & Spa, etc.
Educational Institutes like National Nanotechnology Park, Higher Education for the Twenty-first Century (HETC) Project (A World Bank funded Project), etc.

Warehouse and Factory Complexes like Extension of Factory Complex for De La Rue Lanka Currency & Security Print (Pvt) Ltd. United Motors Logistics Center, Warehouses for Unilever Ceylon, etc.
Commercial Office Complexes like Bank of Ceylon Merchant Tower, Brandix Head Office etc.
Charity and Disaster Relief Projects like AYATI Hospital for Disable Children, Children and Environment Friendly Village at Yayawatte, Women’s and Children’s Hospital etc.
Project Monitoring and Feasibility Studies like Lenders Engineer of Alt Air Apartments for Axis Bank, Monitoring Flour Mill Project for National Development Bank etc.

LANMDS’s success is proof to effective Project Management being critical in ensuring that a project is completed to programme, within budget and to the required quality standards. Its project management skills have enabled it to create a proven track record of delivering projects beyond the client’s expectations, regardless of magnitude or complexity. The company, where appropriate, uses strong dedicated computer programmes for planning, programming, monitoring, database management, and communication for project management activities. Hence the firm has been able to develop capacities for delivering project management services with IT applications as well as in the classical format.

Future Perspective
Being a pioneer in the project management field, LANMDS advices budding entrepreneurs to provide dedicated and dependable service to investors in the capacity engaged in, and assist in other related specializations to deliver a comprehensive product.

As for its own future path the company aims to be one of the leading Project Management Consultancy in the region. The management and employees are committed to continuously position LANMDS as the leading Project Management Consultant in the region by providing and sustaining the best and the most comprehensive, consistent, effective and highly professional Consultancy service.
Source :-The 10 Most Admired Companies in Sri Lanka 2018

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