EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Gurnet Consulting, a trusted provider of Strategy Development and Project Execution services, today announced The Wireless Classroom Initiative, a project sponsored by the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) and managed by Gurnet Consulting, has been honored by Ocean State Project Management Institute (OSPMI) as the winner of the industry’s highest achievement—the 2015 OSPMI Excellence in Project Management Award.
“Highly complex projects, like this one, require adept management of multiple stakeholders, effective communications, and talented project leaders,” said Shepperd Luce, President of Ocean State Project Management Institute. “By leveraging an integrated set of industry expertise, strong project management practices and technology, Gurnet Consulting successfully executed a mission-critical initiative that drastically improved Rhode Island’s educational landscape. Ocean State Project Management Institute commends Gurnet Consulting and the entire project team for these results. We are honored to name them the 2015 OSPMI Recognition for Excellence in Project Management Award winner.”
At the inception of the project, less than 23 percent of Rhode Island’s classrooms had any kind of wireless network access. Today, over 98 percent of public school classrooms have state-of-the-art wireless access available for teachers and students. The project involved over 350 schools in 57 districts and was finished on schedule and 15 percent under budget.
Leadership, agility, communication, risk mitigation, and the management of complex conditions and requirements are the hallmarks of any mission-critical project. The $20 million Wireless Classroom Initiative was critical for RIDE to execute its educational improvement initiatives and to participate in the Federal Race To The Top program, a $4.35 billion United States Department of Education contest created to spur innovation and reforms in state and local districts’ K-12 education.
The Recognition for Excellence in Project Management Award honors organizations and individuals whose passion, talent and expertise exemplify the project management profession. Eligible projects must demonstrate superior performance in project management practices, exceptional organizational results, and a positive impact on society.
Receiving the Project Recognition for Excellence in Project Management Award is of significant importance to the Rhode Island-based consultancy, since Gurnet Consulting was able to apply its industry-leading FlexPMO service to the project. FlexPMO’s integrated set of on-demand expertise, globally-recognized standards, and best-in-class project portfolio management technology enabled the successful delivery of the initiative.
“The Wireless Classroom Initiative has laid the foundation for future generations of Rhode Islanders to compete in the global economy,” said Martin J. King, Founder and CEO of Gurnet Consulting. “This was a fantastic opportunity to work with great people, on a great project, for a great cause. Special thanks go to our project team and RIDE colleagues. We are deeply honored to receive this award.”
ABOUT GURNET:
Gurnet Consulting specializes in strategy development and execution through superior program and project management services. Since 2008, the firm has led the execution of $650M worth of technology initiatives with a 95 percent client satisfaction rating. Customers range from Fortune 1000 to mid-market industry leaders throughout North America. Industries include Finance, Banking, Healthcare, Retail, Insurance, Hospitality, Manufacturing and Government. To learn more, please visit their website at www.gurnet.com.
ABOUT OCEAN STATE PROJECT MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE:
With more than 2.9 million professionals working in nearly every country in the world, The Project Management Institute (PMI) is the world's leading not-for-profit professional membership association for the project, program and portfolio management profession. PMI’s local chapter, Ocean State PMI, has over 525 members and represents the project management profession in Southeast New England including eastern Connecticut, Rhode Island and Southeast Massachusetts.
