This study introduces a new approach for the competence development of the socio-technical aspect. The curriculum of the Project Management (PM) course taught in degree programs concentrates largely on imparting technical knowledge. Current research seeks to direct the attention of the PM curriculum towards Personal Competencies as well. PM studies not only require a project to be carried out successfully but also expect students to demonstrate certain personal competencies, behaviors, and traits to effectively lead the project team. This research seeks to inform action and yield pertinent knowledge and instructional material around the desired personal competence. This study adopts an exploratory and (educational) action research approach with a quantitative mode of inquiry. The first of the four phases of this study comprises an action-based approach to find out which Personal Competence is essential for PM students. The second phase is of further follow-ups with the research subjects that indicate their lack of understanding of the PM personal competencies. The next phase employs a second survey showing that the Communication Skills of research subjects need work. The last phase offers a comprehensive training plan around the required competence, a training evaluation tool, a competence assessment exam, and tools for training and trainer feedback. The findings of this research bear immense implications for PM competence building and curriculum. The practical contribution of the study offers a way to prepare the graduates for ready employability.

Projects are at the core of organizations that undertake them for various reasons including revenue generation. The IT sector projects in Pakistan are no exception. Due to several reasons such as technological advancements, and organizational and environmental factors, the projects have evolved into complex projects. The increasing complexity associated with the projects has also increased the risk associated with the failure of projects. This study is divided into phases. The first phase deals with the understanding of complexity elements that exist in Pakistan's IT sector projects. The second phase deals with the competences associated with the complexity elements identified in the first phase. In the third phase, mapping has been built correlating the elements of project complexity and the project manager's competences. The implications of this study shall help project managers to focus on the elements which contribute to the complexity in projects of the IT sector in Pakistan. Moreover, it will help them to keep their attention on the competences that will be helpful to deal with project complexities.