Award-Winning Project Can Help Change the World

 

Just a couple of weeks back, PMI bestowed its 2016 Project of the Year Award to a team from the U.S. Department of Energy. Their project, the National Synchrotron Light Source II, is a game-changer for scientists. This month’s PM Network takes a look at this project, which created the world’s most powerful photon microscope.

The device is allowing scientists to develop, understand and manipulate nanoscale materials at a single-atom resolution. The project team took advantage of global advisory committees to help them identify potential design problems and mitigate those risks. Sizable contingency budgets were set aside to cover procurement risks. The initiative closed six months early and delivered additional scope.

Speaking of awards, the 2016 PMO of the Year will be awarded next month at the PMO Symposium. This issue of PM Network previews the three finalists. These PMOs (from BC Hydro, Entel and Parker Aerospace) are relied upon by their organizations to meet their strategic goals.

Airports are the venue for many new IT upgrade projects. Requirements for these initiatives relate to security, reliability and ease of use, as well as ensuring that technology adheres to global safety and technical regulations. Nothing can be shut down for upgrades, even for a day. It’s critical to include all stakeholders, even minor ones such as airport store managers.

Trouble for a project manager can come from a team member’s negative behavior. A PM Network feature describes hotheads (easy to anger), credit hogs, chatterboxes, lone wolves (who hesitate to engage with the team) and minimalists (who only do what is assigned). It offers tips on how to deal with each of these characteristics.

The virtual reality platform has taken off, with sales of VR devices projected to hit US$40 billion by 2020. Software developers are finding agile approaches work best in an environment rife with untested technology and still-in-development hardware. Project managers sometimes have to decide between missing deadlines for the sake of quality or possibly reducing quality to make tight deadlines.

Design thinking is a process for generating creative solutions. It is being used more and more by organizations seeking to innovate while growing into new markets. Integrating design thinking and agile approaches helps organizations find and build the right customer-focused solutions. Those who have integrated the two approaches say design thinking can help passionate, energetic agile teams do what they’ve always wanted to do—create clever and relevant deliverables.

Follow the trends affecting your profession with PM Network’s Edge section. This month, Edge includes reports on governments adopting building information modeling for its construction megaprojects, projects that aim to save coral reefs, and initiatives in the growing waste-to-energy market.

PM Network’s Voice section speaks to you with practical advice from practitioners, subject matter experts and executives. In October, Voices includes the popular “Career Q&A” column, with recruiter Lindsay Scott answering reader questions on increasing experience in project initiation and planning, describing classified projects on a résumé without sharing sensitive information, and getting the most out of PMI membership. Practitioners are “Getting It Done,” sharing with you tips on bringing order to a project in chaos and how to deal with managing more than one project at a time.

Did you know…if your native language is español or Português and you are a member of PMI, we have you covered! You can read the current and recent issues of PM Network in your language.