#PMIcon17 - Day 2

 

Today has been a really hectic day but it's been a really exciting day of listening to some great Project Managers and coaching them to a solution. One the best things about being part of the "Ask the Expert" group is being able to see so many different personalities and with such a different array of problems that they need help with. Here's a quick summary from today:

• Dan: He's working in a government environment that has very limited project management skills and wants to help his organization implement better project management processes. We spoke about how he could sell this to his stakeholders and some pitfalls that he needed to be aware of. He's the only PMP in his organization and is trying to make the case for having his colleagues become PMP certified.
• Sally: She was a technical project manager who was trying to transition into a Scrum Master. She was getting her certification but just didn't know where to start! How do you start being agile when you're struggling to see where to begin! We went through the initial processes that she could start with and additionally what she needed to NOT do. We then spoke about some of the issues that she's having in transitioning and what she's able to control in her transition.
• Thomas: Thomas needed some career advice. He's a highly academic individual who works in a company that will not allow him to progress or develop. There's limited opportunity for him to develop and despite repeated requests to his managers, there's been no support or acknowledgement. We went through his options and how he can make himself more employable. We also discussed the various opportunities that networking with his local PMI chapter could provide.
• Ruth: I spent an hour talking with Ruth about what she can do to 'find the love' in Project Management. She's been a job that isn't ideal for the past 5 years and the company is fine, the job is fine, but she's not enjoying it. We discussed what she enjoys doing and what she can do moving forward to improve her current situation and working environment. It was great to be able to leave Ruth with a list and plan of things that she can actively do moving forward.
• Miguel: Miguel was struggling with his agile transformation and has been trying to go through the agile change with his traditional organization. We discussed the steps that he can do to help with the change management that he needs to do.

We've also had a few 'drop ins' on the couch as well which has been really fun to work together in a group and do some group coaching with people. We've spoken about: Closed industries and what you can do to break through, communication issues between cultures, working in a corrupt environment and how to talk to Senior Management.

We're going to be around tomorrow in case you want to drop by!