PMI Global Insights

None of us are strangers to the virtual workplace and its challenges after the year we’ve had. Keeping our teams motivated. Finding new ways to connect and learn from our peers. And of course, prioritizing which virtual content out there will provide us with the most value to help us work smarter, and be most worthy of our time. 

When PMI launched the Virtual Experience Series last spring, our goals were simple. We wanted to provide our global community with moments of inspiration and hope, with tools of the trade that could be implemented during a disruptive time, and with organic and meaningful ways to make connections with each other. 

We did that — and we won awards for it! So now, the task is to build on our success and continue to serve you with what you need from PMI, now.

Our purpose with this year’s virtual events? Deliver our global network of project professionals (that’s all of you) with a roadmap for the future of your work — creating tangible opportunities to network, learn and develop as leaders in today’s multicultural workplace as we move forward into 2021 and beyond. It’s that simple.

You can participate in our next installment of the PMI Virtual Experience Series on 2 June, and build your power skills, hone your business acumen, and master new ways of working. 

Here’s what we’ve got planned:  

• An ambitious future-focused program featuring more than 30 speakers that crosses several global time zones with live closed captioning for sessions in six languages: Spanish, Portuguese, German, French, Russian and English.
• A Mainstage featuring a bombshell lineup including TIME Magazine’s Kid of the Year Gitanjali Rao, tech entrepreneur Nora Bavey, humanitarian Derreck Kayongo, wicked problem solver Tom Wujec, author Porter Braswell, and more!
• 18 breakout sessions taking you inside today’s megatrends, sharing essential strategies for organizational agility and transformation, and driving innovation, diversity, and real progress, both inside your orgs, and out.
• A ton of networking. We’re curating industry—and topical—chats fostering opportunities for you to find each other and connect on a professional and personal level.
• And if you happen to be new to the world of project management, we have a whole suite of content created for rising leaders. Check it out.

We are so excited for this powerful virtual event, because we know how much magic happens when our incredible community comes together from around the world to share these experiences. We’ve had past attendees tell us they’ve never felt more connected virtually — and that is something we are truly proud of and will continue to strive for.

Join us. Register Now and we look forward to seeing you there!

Stay tuned for details on more 2021 Virtual Experience Series events coming up in October and December.

I just returned home after a fulfilling three days at the Global Conference in Philadelphia. Having had the opportunity to attend the 50th anniversary event made it that much more special, especially as it was the venue in which the new PMI brand was launched.

Having been invited to provide some early feedback on the new brand a couple of months ago, it was not a surprise to me, but what was surprising was how much I saw it with fresh eyes upon seeing the logo and positioning statements everywhere - on posters, screens, clothing, you name it!

Another outcome I will remember for a long time was the opportunity to re-connect with members of my extended PMI family whom I had met over the years as well as the chance to finally shake the hands of or hug the active participants in this community whom I have communicated frequently with over the past couple of years but never met.

The keynote sessions were thought provoking and a number of the track sessions were well designed and presented. What struck me most was just how much agile has been woven into the fabric of the offerings - it shows that PMI's commitment to tackling delivery complexity through agility (and maybe in the future anti-fragility) is not superficial.

But what I cherish the most was the chance to work with a team of talented, like-minded, highly supportive experts to share our experience and ideas with the many (brave!?!) attendees who took the time to book sessions with us or who dropped by to ask us questions ranging from career development to challenging organizational blockers.

Dave, Dave, Lori, Lorelie and Andrew, we were a heck of a squadron with excellent ground support provided by Marjorie, Kimberly and Laura.

"I'll be your wingman, anytime!"

As I write this, I look back over the first day of PMI's Global Conference and have a hard time believing how much I've learned and experienced within a single day!

The day kicked off with an energizing, humorous and candid session by Adam Grant on how to better champion new ideas.

During our "Ask an Expert" sessions I had the privilege to meet with a couple of our community members, Jennifer & Ed, to discuss a couple of topics near and dear to my heart - PMOs and personal development. It was a wonderful opportunity to share some of the hard lessons I've learned from leading PMOs and the (sometimes random) path I've taken through my career. 

I was also delighted to meet a number of folks who I have interacted with virtually through this community, the PMI LinkedIn discussion group and other online networks which only reinforced my support for the sixth principle of the Manifesto for Agile Software Development.

Throughout the day, I was impressed by the impact of the new PMI brand - it has really grown on me!

If this was day one, I can't wait to see what day two brings!

When Laura contacted me in mid-August to invite me to join the Ask the Expert team for the 2019 PMI Global Conference, I experienced a wide range of emotions.

Happiness at the chance to (re)connect with PMI staff & fellow practitioners whom I have only interacted with briefly in person in the past.

I've been involved with PMI since 1999, and while I had many in-person interactions in my first few years when I served as a director on the board of the PMI Lakeshore Chapter and helped contribute to the PMP exam in three exam item writing sessions, over the past few years it has been virtual with my work on some of PMI's standards and practice guides and my engagement in this community.

Pride that I was one of the folks selected out of all the great contributors to the Projectmanagement.com community. It reinforces my belief that if you pursue recognition it will escape you, but if you try to help out and do the "right thing", it will be a natural outcome.

As is the case with most social media, interaction in this community are low risk. At worst, someone will criticize a blog post or take exception to a discussion thread response. Being part of a team of "experts" almost paints the target on your back to be challenged in person. Well, in the immortal words of Barney Stinson: Challenge accepted!

I look forward to seeing you at the 2019 PMI Global Conference!

It's been a week since PMIEMEA19 and since I've been back at work, I've had the chance to really let the conference sink in. I think it's really important that after any conference or intense knowledge gathering, that you allow yourself time to process all of the knowledge that you've received and see what what you can learn from in your daily life.

I've been really fortunate to be part of a great group of correspondents who really have shown such different sides to the conference which I really hope the online audience has found useful.

Here are some of my key takeaways from the conference.

1. Everyone is a potential ally. The first session with Pat Lucey and Norma Lynch gave me some of the biggest takeaways from the conference with regards to influencing potential stakeholders. Since the conference, I've been trying to see how I can really influence those around me and in what ways would be the most beneficial to my projects. The slight shift in mentality has really affected how I talk to people and look at them from a more positive mindset.
2. Seize every opportunity when it happens: This was something that came up during both the TEDTalks but also the offsite experience at the Teeling Whiskey Distillery. During the TEDTalks we were inspired with tales of human perseverence and endurance, whereas The Teeling Distillery we learned about utilising the opportunities that appear in your industry. For me, this has really hit home about changing my outlook towards any opportunity that could appear (both positive and negative!).
3. Understand the impact of your network: There are great things that can be achieved with utilising and understanding your network and it's capabilities. After listening to some of the talks and attending the different networking events that were available, it's really made me appreciate how valuable the contacts are in my network and who I could really call on for advice/support. During one of the lunches, we were having a discussion about issue resolution and it was a 'live' coaching session with some of the most experienced Project Managers I know. You couldn't buy this sort of knowledge! It also highlighted to me that there are networking opportunities available everywhere! During lunch, at the coffee machine, walking to the bus etc. You can really use this to your advantage in furthering my first point: Everyone is a potential ally.
4. What can you do to simplify your life? On the last day, Dan Lefsky presented his topic on which technology we can use as Project Managers to reduce down the complexity of our communications and to make our lives easier.

Since the Conference, this has really been on my mind and I've been talking to my colleagues about how we can be more effective and efficient in our communications both externally and internally. This has started some really positive discussions and I'm really pleased that I'm working in a team where this behaviour is encouraged.

If you've not already had a look, I can recommend the videos that I have uploaded sharing my perspective of the conference. Please comment below if they are the sort of videos that you like to see or if you'd like to see anything else.

Perhaps the most important thing for me coming from this conference was just how inspiring a profession I am a member of! This was made very clear during the closing keynote when we were told that PMI has surpassed the initial plan of 50,000 hours of volunteering. If you want to read more about the Global Celebration of Service - please check out this website and see how you can contribute.

What's next?

This conference has given me a new appreciation to share ideas and experiences that we have in our projects and daily lives. Since the conference, I've already looked at the 1% of change that I can make to become a better Project Manager.

If you're looking for a similar development opportunity, then I can highly recommend the PMI Global Conference. This conference will not only build on the great networking opportunities but also fantastic knowledge sessions that you can participate in to develop your skills as a Project Management Professional. This year's conference is being held in the home of the Project Management Institute; Philadelphia. Make sure that you're there to take part in the networking, knowledge and support over the three days.

Signing off from an amazing 3 days and a wonderful experience!