PMI Global Insights

By: Hilary Kinney, PMP
Project Director
Marriott International

These days, especially amidst the changes brought about by a global pandemic, parents, stepparents, guardians, and caregivers need a set of tools that can be used with children of any age to help them focus on their priorities, get organized, and boost productivity. My presentation, Project Management for Parents: Top Tips to Ride the Pandemic Parenting Rollercoaster, in the PMI Virtual Experience Series: 9 June, offers those tools. Project management is a discipline that is applied across industries from IT to construction, but it can also be applied to day-to-day situations like parenting.

From my presentation, parents and guardians can learn important principles that will transform their approach to any project at home. The presentation will help families strengthen their relationships and reduce stress. Attendees will learn techniques normally used by billion-dollar companies to streamline their busy lives at home.

We will discuss the project management principles of team collaboration, stakeholder engagement, change management, and risk optimization in a new light so they can quickly be applied at home. These project management concepts are simplified with key takeaways, talking points, and practical exercises. Topics covered include:

• How team building is an important first step in any project
• How to set and communicate goals to promote a collaborative family environment
• How to support family members emotionally and functionally as they deal with change.
• How the project management theory of constraints can help families effectively manage their busy schedules when facing both flexible and inflexible constraints, working within these limitations to achieve their goals.

The presentation also explains the concept of risk management, outlining the types of risks that families often face. It provides advice on how to discuss and manage risks as a family, using real-life examples like finding backup child-care and dealing with unexpected expenses.

In summary, Project Management for Parents: Top Tips to Ride the Pandemic Parenting Rollercoaster, clearly explains project management theories that families can immediately implement to experience the power of project management. Attendees will learn how to engage their families and effectively manage challenges, so they have more time to spend on what matters most.

Interested in learning more and furthering the dialogue on how project management can apply to parenting? Join me on Thursday, 9 June, 2022 at the PMI Virtual Experience Series event for this presentation.