PM Network

First, I’d like to thank those who commented on my previous post for their good words about the magazine. We try to make PM Network an excellent read with information you could use in your jobs and perhaps even in your lives. After all, project management is in everything we do.

We started our tour of the magazine with the Edge section. Moving right along, let’s check out the Voices section. Voices is where experts share their advice and practitioners tell of their experience on a variety of subjects.

Each month, Voices begins with “Project Toolkit,” a roundup of practitioner takes on a common question. In October, we ask “How do you ensure attendance and full engagement at project meetings?”

Next up is “Inside Track.” This is an interview with a project executive such as a PMO director, often explaining the executive’s organization’s path to organizing and empowering a PMO, and the value a PMO brings. This month, Sonja Prinsloo of the real-estate development company Arcadis discusses her leadership in rolling out standardized project management processes and governance, helping clients deliver their portfolio plans.

Next comes a variety of columnists, including the very popular “Career Q&A.” Six times a year, Lindsay Scott, a recruitment director at Arras People, London, answers readers’ questions on getting ahead in the world of project, program and portfolio management. Other popular columnists include Jesse Fewell (writing about agile), Priya Patra (IT) and Abid Mustafa (PMOs).

Finally, Voices features your voice. The columns labeled “Getting It Done” are written by practitioners eager to share the “how-tos” that might help your job as well. The current PM Network features “Getting It Done” articles by an associate director of the U.S. Census Bureau on the massive every-10-year count of the U.S. population, and by a team of project leaders from Thales Alenia Space, Rome, on using Monte Carlo analysis to go beyond risk management.

I’ll complete the tour in the next post. Before we move on, are there any questions/comments?

I’m a little biased, but I think PM Network is a great read from the Table of Contents on page 1 all the way to the “Closing Thoughts” interview on page 72. The feature articles, including this month’s story on telecoms transforming to keep up with skyrocketing data consumption, are great. But in this post, I’m going to focus on the Edge section.

Edge provides quick reads on some of the most interesting projects coming in the near future, as well as important trends you need to know about. The October PM Network Edge section starts with a rendering and description of Beijing’s forthcoming civic center. It’s not many cities that put a sledding hill on top of their new buildings.

From there, Edge goes to the brain, and projects to link thoughts with digital devices. Previously, brain-computer interface projects focused on ways to restore sight, hearing and mobility. New projects will deal with self-driving vehicles and security applications such as passwords. But will computers be able to read your mind?

Edge goes around the world to point out projects in the booming medical tourism space. It then zeroes in on Nigeria, where financial technology (fintech) projects are expected to ramp up. And it reports on growth in the freight railroad sector and innovation in designing and producing clothing for disabled people.

What insights did you get from this month’s Edge? Please share in the comments.

Start-ups are upsetting the proverbial apple cart and upstaging old-timer organizations by being able to respond more quickly to market trends. What do you do?

This month’s PM Network has some ideas. Many organizations are implementing agile approaches. A survey shows that a top benefit of adopting agile is an increased ability to manage changing priorities. Increased project delivery speed is another advantage of going the agile way.

The article “Built for Speed” follows Australian telecommunications company Telstra as its IT and digital solutions team rolls out frequent releases for its products and supporting software. Another example shown in the article is the data engine Zoomdata, which sped up its product deliveries by transitioning to agile and giving ownership to its product teams.

Agile approaches can be used outside of IT as well. The article offers a five-step process of introducing agile. The results can be transformative for customers interacting with your organization.

First of the month, and that means it’s time for a new issue of PM Network. Want to “speed-read” the highlights in 40 seconds? Check out our monthly teaser video. Once you’ve been “teased,” slowly flip through articles of interest in the digipub or the print version, if you receive the magazine that way.

This month brings articles on maturing chatbot platforms, India’s conversion from cash to digital payment and trends in education construction projects. Read views of our columnists on subjects including agile and the internet of things, resolving conflict and the importance of partnerships between the CIO and other executives.

I won’t be a spoiler and tell you what’s in PM Network’s “feature well” this month. You’ll have to find that out yourself. I’ll just mention the cover story, since the cover image adjoins this blog post. Renewable energy may have found its moment, as ROI on wind and solar projects is starting to exceed some hydrocarbon-fueled projects. Major oil and gas companies are projected to invest US$90 billion in renewable initiatives by 2035.

If you are in the energy industry, please share your experience and forecast for renewables in the comments below.

Now here’s a project for you to propose to your executives. How about developing a plan for when things do go wrong—a risk management approach. In a “Getting It Done” column in August PM Network, Alexander Strazmesterov, PMP, takes readers through seven steps to help you develop a risk management blueprint and implement it successfully—as a project.

1. Form a knowledgeable team, develop a charter and agree on roles and responsibilities, including how to involve decision makers.
2. Establish a phased approach, allowing upper management to give feedback at specific times.
3. Analyze the current situation. Be honest and thorough when examining your organization’s risk management, risk attitude and behaviors.
4. Tailor your approach according to the size of projects.
5. Take a test drive via pilot projects on which elements of the new risk management approach can be tested.
6. Develop a training program that’s practical and suited to various stakeholder groups.
7. Ensure a facilitated implementation, once the approach has been verified through pilot applications.

A thorough update of organization-wide risk management processes, says the author, can benefit every project executed by your employer now and into the future.