PM Network

Do you know about banking or financial services? Are you lacking technical expertise but willing to learn? Companies in the financial arena are looking for you. As an article in July PM Network reports, there is a shortage of project talent in fintech, or financial technology. Banks are willing to train people who know their industry. Some financial services organizations will indoctrinate those with strong IT skills to the world of finance. And while traditionally, banks have a reputation for being a formal and “stuffy” work atmosphere, fintech culture is more like software development culture—more casual and flexible. So get those résumés ready!

If you are involved in fintech, please use the comments to tell us your experiences with a talent shortage.

You may have noticed some gaps in shopping malls lately. Brick-and-mortar stores are taking a beating as more and more consumers turn to online shopping. Store chains are not throwing in the towel, however. Many are using next-generation technology to appeal to shoppers, and that means projects. The July PM Network takes a look at what’s in store for retailers, including virtual reality, augmented reality and artificial intelligence. Communication with stakeholders, especially store employees, is essential for these projects to succeed. Filip Fischier, strategic initiative portfolio manager with Ikea Group, explains in an interview how his organization, with 340 stores in 28 countries, is integrating technology such as consumer-designed kitchens across its global footprint.

Do you think agile approaches are a bad fit in an outsourcing environment? A column in June PM Network by Priya Patra, PMP, shows you how to make agile work even in projects with multiple teams from different organizations—often in different time zones.

Priya managed a 25-member team whose members came from North America, Europe and Asia. The project aimed to build an accounts receivables platform. Three organizations were involved: a large multinational, a service provider and a quality assurance contractor.

Her advice? Travel to the customer’s location to learn about the client’s business philosophy, company culture and goals. Make sure stakeholders can collaborate 30 minutes per day via phone, videoconferencing and instant message.

The result of Priya’s project was a launch of a first minimum viable product in two months, 10 percent under budget and satisfactory to end users.

What’s your agile outsourcing story? Please share in the comments.

When you are building into the sky where no building has gone before, you have to be creative with planning and problem-solving. Super-tall buildings are all the rage now, with the kilometer height milestone set to be broken in Saudi Arabia in 2022. The first mile-high tower is being proposed for Tokyo, Japan.

June PM Network puts you in the project manager’s hot seat, showing you the challenges you might face erecting these Herculean structures. The key risks to mitigate are logistics (moving so much material in and out on schedule), worker safety and the effects of wind.

Are projects in your industry pushing the envelope? How, as project managers, do you deal with that? Please discuss in the comment section below.

We are in a disruptive era. A new era calls for new leaders—leaders who are fast, informed and decisive. Are you one of those leaders, or do you aspire to be? June’s PM Network, with its amazing superhero cover, dives deep into the leadership transformation necessary to tackle the volatile business environment and come out ahead of your competition.

Leadership is still about integrity, passion and vision. But now it is also about delivering value to the organization by inspiring your team, quickly solving problems and securing stakeholder support. Do you know what the future holds for your industry? That’s part of being a strategic leader today.

This special section provides hints of what to do—and what not to do—to increase your leadership skills. Are you ready to be a Super Leader?

Please share your experiences in the comments. What have you done to become a leader for today? What are your recommendations for others aiming to lead?