Categories: Virtual Experience Series
By: David Summers
Executive Communications, PMI
At the recent PMI Virtual Experience Series: 9 June, attendees engaged members of our Board of Directors on various topics in an "Ask Me Anything" session. Due to time limitations, we could not answer all the questions individually. However, after reviewing the submitted questions we have selected a few topics to highlight in the interest of sharing insights that will help you understand what PMI is doing to address your needs, wants, and aspirations.
Project professionals will always be at the heart of our community, and PMI is committed to continuing to provide the resources, experience, and knowledge they need to support their personal and professional success.
Let’ have a look at some interesting questions - we hope our answers will provide needed insights and perspectives.
Agile vs. Waterfall
In most of the events, we hear a lot of questions from our community on the increasing role of Agile and the road ahead for Waterfall. We continue to believe that agile is evolutionary and embrace it as central to what we do. The key is to understand that the nature of the project, the industry, and the intended outcomes determine the approach that a particular endeavor will require.
PMI’s take: Always remember that not all projects are a good fit for the agile approach. Assess each project with the evaluation criteria and decide based on what works best in the organization's environment. Disciplined Agile (DA) is a great place to start to learn more about choosing the best Way of Working for the project you are tackling.
Demonstrating the Importance of PMO for Senior Leadership
We hear this often: project leaders must be able to clearly articulate the compelling need for an organization to have a Project Management Office (PMO). At PMI, we have taken this thought as a mission and created many assets and thought leadership discussions on the importance of PMO.
PMI’s Take: Strategic PMOs enable strategic change in organizations. PMOs vary widely - some serve to standardize project-related governance processes and facilitate sharing of resources and tools. Others serve as centers of excellence; others align project and program work to corporate strategy across an enterprise.
Please read this paper on A Roadmap to PMO Excellence to gain insights into the impact of a PMO on the organizations.
Questions on Volunteering and How to Enlist?
What do our mentors say? PMI’s Volunteer Relationship Management System (VRMS) makes it easy to search for volunteer opportunities worldwide. To get started, log in or register and visit the VRMS to find volunteer opportunities that interest you. Explore more about volunteering opportunities at https://www.pmi.org/membership/volunteer
The Importance and Relevance of the PMP Certification
Many questions revolved around the career advantage one will get out of having the PMP credential. As disruptive as COVID-19 has been, project management skills and expertise are still heavily in demand. For instance, the 12th edition of Earning Power: Project Management Salary Survey charts the salary landscape for project professionals. Get more insights on this at https://www.pmi.org/learning/careers/project-management-salary-survey
There is also some great information here: Why You Should Get the PMP.
Being a Part of the Board of Directors
We were pleased to see many of our community members evincing close interest in how to join the PMI Board of Directors. You can learn more about how the Board is selected at https://www.pmi.org/about/leadership-governance/board-of-directors/nominations-and-election
Project Management Trends
Our megatrends research is an invaluable resource for getting a grip on the global trends impacting projects. Our Global Megatrends 2022 report analyzes the global forces significantly impacting society and the project management profession today. Global Megatrends 2022 helps project professionals understand the world's rapid transformation and the global context in which they work so they can use tasks to solve complex problems.
In-person and Virtual Events
With the world cautiously and safely continuing to re-open, the excitement among our community is palpable. We saw many questions about the upcoming in-person and virtual events. The PMI.org Events Calendar presents opportunities for project professionals worldwide to network, learn and develop. Events posted on the calendar can be face-to-face or virtual. Event organizers and sponsors include PMI chapters, the online community (ProjectManagement.com), and other nonprofit project management-related organizations with prior review and approval. Find more information about our events at https://www.pmi.org/events/calendar!
It Is Always Great to Connect!
Whether virtual or in-person, what we love about our community is the enthusiasm and the mindset of lifelong learning. We greatly appreciate your questions and have tried our best to address your queries and concerns. These are exciting times for project managers, and we would love to hear from you. Stay connected with us on our social channels, and please attend future AMA sessions at any of our events.
