PMI Global Insights

Hi everyone, thanks for following me all through the Congress and reading my blogs and Tweets about the Congress. It really has been a privilege to be Community Correspondent for the #PMIEMEA19.

It is a lot of fun, but also hard work. During all sessions you attend, you listen, take notes, tweet and keep your Social Media Updates going. That takes a lot of concentration. Even during the Networking events, you take notes and keep track of who you meet and what you do. Then in the evening when everyone orders their second beer in the Pub of choice for the day, you go back to your hotel room to write a blog about your day.

What an experience! I thoroughly enjoyed it. Especially tweeting on Twitter was a new experience for me. I only opened an account successfully about 1 month ago.

What an eventful few days it has been!

I was privileged to listen to Jamil Qureshi twice, once during the PMI LIMC Alumni Workshop on Sunday and then on Monday again during the Keynote. So much information in such a short time! Then during the Opening Session to hear from Jim Snyder, that his best memories are all about the people. Not the Mega Milestones and achievements, no, the people! Yes his best memories are about you and me. I actually agree with him. Yes in PMI events I have always learned a lot, but the best has always been the people. And you keep meeting again at events. For me they are also the go to Network when I need advice or help.

Meeting Sunil Pashara and seeing him attending sessions, mingling with people and freely networking with delegates was special. Knowing that he is a true citizen of the world, born & raised in Kenya, worked in almost every continent, living in London, working in Philadelphia. When we talk to him, he can relate.

Every session I attended, even then one I felt lost in, since the discussions used a Scrum Vocabulary, that is Greek to me, I took important lessons from. They are all in my notebook, but if I share them all, this will be a book.

So what are my 3 biggest lessons:

1. We need to identify and dismantle belief systems that hold us back. Jamil Qureshi talked about it, but it came up in several other sessions as well. What really hampers innovation and progress is belief systems. Things like “It can not be done”, “It has never been done”, “this is not how we do it here” and “It will never work” to name just a few, is often what holds us back. We need to figure out what our own belief systems are and those in our team. Then we need to identify the rogue monkey, whose urge to succeed is bigger than the belief system and is willing to try. If we work together with the rogue monkey and achieve even only this 1 degree change, we will succeed.

2. The future in Project Management in my eyes lies in hybrid projects and virtual teams. We will all handle be involved in hybrid projects and projects with virtual teams at one point or another. When I reflected on it some time back, I realized a lot of my projects ended up using agile elements due to the unique project needs. Often we had at least one Technical Expert who was not in the country (see the virtual team right there). Volunteering with PMI you often end up in a virtual team.

    For both hybrid projects & virtual teams you need to scale your                        communication up a notch. Hence I will concentrate on improving my communication skills and my EQ skills, both will come in handy for both environments. I want to become a Project Motivator and of course I bought the book by Ruth Pearce during the Congress.

3. There is evidence of successful project management everywhere, just look for it. The seeming side shows of the Congress, like Networking events, including the tours through the host city and off site learning sessions, as well as your own trips exploring the city and surroundings are full of successful projects, with lessons for us to learn.
   1. During Networking Sessions you get to know new people and make new friends. In your exchange with them you hear about their project successes, but also the failures. And you learn right there
   2. Think about the Host Chapter together with the Congress Organizing Team and the PMI Staff involved. Think about how much work they put into the Congress Project. Finding and recruiting the right entertainers, finding and recruiting the right caterers etc, all that are major deliverables in this project. Recruiting and organizing all the volunteers who worked so hard in making us feel welcome, takes a lot of PM skills.

Hat’s off to the Host Chapter, the PMI Ireland Chapter for a job well done.

3. When we were taking the Teeling Distillery Tour and heard how the Teeling Family, after selling off their old distillery, that had moved out of town, worked on building a new – but old style – distillery in Dublin, I was thinking about the enormity of the project they were undertaking. While the guide was telling us about the history, he did touch on a lot of points from their project planning and some of the risks they encountered. What a project!  
4. Dublin is full of successful projects. Look at Christ Church Cathedral, which dates back to the time of the Vikings. Look at Guiness Brewery, but also look at the City’s history, where the different centuries can be seen in the different parts of town. Look at the history of the Irish people – in Epic Center you could find more of it, see where Irish Emigrants settled, what they achieved and you could also trace your family if you have Irish roots. Look at the successful city expansion in Dublin into the docklands & quays – recovering land, that was previously thought of as not inhabitable. Look at the Famine Boats – that helped evacuate thousands of starving Irish people into other countries for a better future. There are museums and statues that remind of it everywhere. Imagine the logistical nightmare. And did you know that Landlords paid for their starving squatters to emigrate? Next time you go through your city look for the historical epic projects and think about the risks and unknown unknowns they faced. That puts your own projects in perspective.

It was also very exciting to see and be inspired by live TED Talks. I am looking forward to seeing more of the new engagement between PMI & TED. Karthik had shared the links to all the original TED Talks, so you can watch them yourself.

This was for me the first time attending the PMI EMEA Congress. I had previously only attended PMI Africa Conferences, the first day of 2 PMI Global Conferences and a host of Leadership Institute Meetings (LIM, RLIM). What they said is true. Each Conference / Congress has its own character. In Africa it is all about Networking and the social events are attended by all, it is like a big carnival with learning sessions. In the US it is more about Business, and the Conference is so big (up to 5000 people), that you are happy to see your Network Friends. However it is fun, and somehow you do meet your friends. The EMEA Congress I had been told is all about the Learning and the PDUs. But in Dublin I saw that the fun counts as well in Europe and the parties were great. I think each has its big positive sites and I will definitely attend any of them again.

See you at the next Congress:

I can't believe the congress is over already. However there is so much we have learned, so much we need to digest.

Today I started my day by attending another session on Virtual Teams. Dr. Mike Oliver brought us the session #603 "Enhancing Virtual Project Leadership Effectiveness". He has worked many years from home and virtual teams have become second nature to him. However globally more and more PMs realize they can work anywhere, anytime. After laying out for us why we are having more and more virtual teams and what the characteristics are of virtual teams are, he helped us think through the challenges of virtual teams. The 3 interactive functions of the Complexity Leadership Theory 

- administrative Leadership

- adaptive Leadership 

- enabling Leadership

need to be balanced and the PM needs to know when to use which and how. 

His practical tips:

1. Communication needs to be much more detailed, to ensure everyone gets the same message. Situations like the one in this video need to be avoided:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNz82r5nyUw&t=11s

2. If budget allows, it is best to meet at least once physically with the whole team as early as possible during the project.

3. Set very clear rules that touch on meeting etiquette, use of social media etc

4. Build trust and keep affirming it. 

In Session #609 "Governance: A framework for applying Agile Practices within Projects, Programs & Portfolios" Nicholas Clemens showed us that progressive elaboration has been part and parcel of the PMI Standards since the first PMBOK Guide. The use of Planning Packages helps tackle the unknowns. "Change is your job security", hence we best embrace it. Nicholas reminded us of the Movie "Dead Poet Society" and the central message that changing once standpoint can give us a totally new perspective.

In Session #614: "Collaborating with the Sales Team to delight your Customers" Neil Shorney gave us a refreshing insight into what Sales Teams and PMs think of each other, how they can complement each other and how they should work together. Sales People are not the ogres but the biggest source of information. Their job is:

1. Understand

2. Propose

3. Gain Commitment

They should provide all relevant project information through SPACE CHAMPS. If you ask the right questions following this acronym you get all the information you need. If you contact Neil through LinkedIn he will share the question list with you.

The Closing Session of the Conference was a series of TEDTalks, which were meant to build us up and help us focus on the possibilities not the problems. Often this is shackled by our belief systems and we need to overcome these. 

Mona Chalabi showed us how with 3 simple questions you can check if statistics are trustworthy or not.

1. Can you see uncertainty?

2. Can I see myself in the data?

3/ How was the data collected? - was the sample size representative? For example a sample of 600 might not be big enough if you try to assess the entire population of a country like America. Where key words defined and do all understand it the same way?

Anab Jain  visits the future for a living. No she does not have a time machine. However she and her husband are hired to imagine possible outcomes in the future. They then simulate these in extensive laboratory set-ups and simulations. With that they help clients to find ways of preventing the negative outcomes.

Mark Pollock & Simone George: Mark lost his sight with 22, when he met Simone he was "only" blind. Later he broke his back through a fall from a window. His biggest message is If you can't change the circumstances, you have to change yourselve". He is involved in amazing research and development of robotic walking aides and new approaches. He has seen the possibilities on his own body, including when well aimed electrical shocks made him be able to move his limbs again without the robotic exoskeleton. Now when he walks it is becoming less of the robot walking him and more of Mark walking. 

He stressed that the Optimist often get frustrated along the way. A Realist however accepts the brutal facts and moves on. Be a realist when the going gets tough!

Julia Dhar showed us how debate is healthy if done right. Engage yourself respectfully, separate the ideas from the person and accept that you may be wrong. If there is conflict about an idea / a situation / an issue, have a face-to-face meeting and discuss in the prescribed manner. Practice intellectual humility.

To practice this in your team you can start by devoting 10min in every meeting to debating and idea or issue.

Ingrid Fentell Lee showed us easy ways to find joy. Joy is a little short blimp of "feel good right now" as apposed to happiness which is "feel good over longer time". Joy begins with the senses. Pops of color, rounded shapes, patterns, symmetry, abundance will put joy back into your life. This will then lead to your team being more alert, more productive and happier. Each moment of joy is small, but these joyful dots add up and have many positive long term effects. Look for joy in your life, don;t chase the elusive happiness. It will come by itself.

Roberto Toledo, of the PMI Board of Directors brought us the great news that the pledged 50,000 hours of community service for the UN global sustainability programs has already been reached! The Goal has now been doubled. Lets all work together to reach 100,000 hrs - check on PMI.org for details, or ask your chapter!

Interesting how even at a conference, where you mapped out your session attendance, everything can change suddenly. In this case it made for a slightly different, yet fun day.

Initially I had wanted to start my day attending one of 3 offsite sessions that were on offer: A visit to the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland (RCSI). Since I worked the first 24 years of my career in the medical field and the RCSI won an award last year during the PMI Award Gala, I really wanted to attend this outing. However the offsite sessions are very popular and I was late trying to register. So I put my name on the waiting list. The waiting list was only for the Session at the Teeling Distillery. So I kept my fingers crossed and waited. Late last night I got an email, informing me that I had managed to get onto the Distillery Tour. So both @Emily & myself got to take part in this treat.

Did you know that there was a time when Dublin had over 40 distilleries, and then there was a time there was none? Until Teeling decided to open a small distillery again in Dublin in 2012. The tour takes you right into the distillery and you can see the entire process from end to end. 

Did you know that Irish Whiskey is triple distilled, Scottish Whisky (note the difference in spelling) is double distilled and American Bourbon is only distilled once? Did you know that Whiskey gets its color from the wood of the casks it is stored in, while it matures? That's why older whiskey has a darker color. 

We learned all about the 5 step process of making whiskey and the different kinds of whiskey. What is the difference between Blend, Small Batch, Single Grain and Single Malt. In the end we got to taste 3 of the Super Premium Whiskeys Teeling is famous for. 

We were back to the Dublin Convention Center in time for lunch. I used the lunch break for more networking and meeting new people. One of my techniques is that I often either open a new table and sit there waiting to see who will join me, or purposely go to a table where I know nobody and join them. You end up meeting wonderful people and having deep discussion about project management in general, the sessions attended during the conference or your experience in your career as a project manager.

In the afternoon I attended a session by Dirk Doppelfeld and Nataliya Wiedemeyer about creating your virtual Band. Virtual Teams have their own challenges and the fact that you do not see each other face to face brings a whole lot of unique issues. It is very important that you pay special attention to and effort to getting to know each other, setting clear rules, reconfirming peoples attention and scheduling time for bonding. Dirk & Nataliya shared a set of 11 processes that help you assess the Virtual Team Maturity and position yourself for better collaboration. A great and practical session!

During the afternoon break I got into a discussion with Jim Snyder about progress in the medical world and how robotic surgeries are being done. He has amazing knowledge about it and it was great to discuss with him.

Unfortunately that made me miss the beginning of the next sessions and I found all the 3:15pm sessions full to capacity. So I was unable to attend any session. Instead I had another great discussion with Dirk Doppelfeld about Project Management Training, REPs and our experiences with classroom and virtual training.

As Jim Snyder said during the opening sessions, PMI is about the people. I could not agree more, even PMI Conferences are also all about the people. You meet amazing colleagues and peers, you have deep discussions with strangers.

The day ended on a high note again, we had the #PMI50 celebration party. It was good fun with great food, great drinks - lots of Guiness - and fun entertainment.

And true to his word Sunil Prashara was there, mingling with all of us, enjoying himself and chatting with many of the delegates.

What a great day at the conference! Can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring.

Let us know if you want us to talk in more detail about some of the sessions we attended or those we want to attend tomorrow.

All PMI Events always have a lot of things on the agenda, that can be seen as "side shows", but are well worth attending. You can get so much value in them.

Like all PMI Conferences, the #PMIEMEA19 started with a First-time Attendee Orientation. I often attend these sessions, even though I have attended several PMI conferences, since there is always new information. During this session you learn all you need to make the most out of your Conference experience. This time it was even more important, since PMI is using a new event app, which was explained at length during the session.

#PMIEMEA19 has other fascinating offers on the program. This evening there were 3 different Networking Tours on offer, which one needed to sign up for, to be able to attend. These did cost some extra money, but it was well worth it.

On offer were:

1. A Bus Tour of Dublin

2. A Walking Tour of Dublin

3. A Musical Pub Crawl, with Irish Musicians through several of the old Pubs in 

I attended the Walking Tour, which saw us walk quite some distance. We learned a lot about the History of Dublin, both recent and all the way back to the vikings. We went to many of the historical parts of town and got many more tips on places to explore from our wonderful guide.

Tomorrow, the congress has offsite learning sessions on offer. For these one had to sign on in advance as well. Since they were fully booked in no town, there was even a waiting list. On offer are the following: 

1. a visit to One Microsoft Place

2. A visit to the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland 

3. A visit to Teeling Distillery

We will talk about the experience, if we can, currently I am on the waiting list.

In addition to that PMI has a whole host of Networking Breaks, Networking functions and evening functions. To make the most of your Congress experience, you should attend these functions. They are a great opportunity to get to know new people, build your professional network in a relaxed atmosphere.

All these functions are a lot of fun and I try not to miss them.

The first day of the #PMIEMEA19 is already over. It is unbelievable. Reflecting back on the day's events I realize it is difficult to summarize without writing a book. I will try my best.

In the morning it was fun watching people network, reconnect with old friends, pick their badges and generally get ready for the conference. I also had a chance to connect with many new people. Of course there was Coffee, Tea and Biscuits. It is amazing to see that 800+ people made it to the conference.

Opening Session:

Beth Partleton, a PMI Fellow and 2019 Board of Directors Member led us through the session. In a video Jim Snyder, one of the 5 founders of PMI, reflected on the History of PMI. Jim's greatest memories of 50 years of PMI is all about the people. He is excited to see what the next 50 years will bring. 

Sunil Prashara the new PMI President & CEO reflected briefly on his first 67 days in office. His biggest first impression is also the people and the community spirit within PMI. He is truly impressed what is happening in the Chapters and especially with the Ireland Chapter putting this amazing event together. He promised to be available throughout the event and attend sessions with all of us. And sure enough I met him in some of the sessions I attended. I also managed to briefly chat with him and saw many others do the same. Yes he wants our input, reach out to him!

The first Keynote by Jamil Qureshi, was packed with information, tips & tricks in a very relaxed talk. Jamil the Scribbler, as he calls himself. In order to get amazing success in your life you only need to do a 1 degree change. Find that one thing you want to change a bit. The 3 principles that with change your life are simple:

1. Inner Dialogue - reflect and do the 1 degree shift

2. Check on your response to events in your life and see the outcome change

3. Look into the belief systems of yourself and others to see what is blocking you from being truly innovative. Dismantle these belief systems by using the "Rogue Monkey" to proof that the belief systems are wrong.

Influencing without Authority:

If you use IQ & EQ together you can easily have influence without having formal power. Norma Lynch& Pat Lucey how with the help of a influence plan, using 11 steps one can successfully influence stakeholders and with that project outcomes. This talk will come up tomorrow again.

HamdanBin Mohammed Awards for Innovation in Project Management:

These international awards were introduced by the Crown Prince of Dubai, to encourage innovation in the way project management is done. There are 8 different awards in 4 categories. Awards are given to Individuals, Organizations, Teams and Academia. There is full time team, that judges applications by clearly defined rules. Check their website for details. www. hbmaipm.com

Leading Change Adoption at a Glance:

Change projects are only successful, if the implemented is adopted. The What and the How needs to be sorted out. Adrian Mulvanerty reduced it to a simple formula, based on the William Bridges Model:

Q + A = E  

Q = Quality, A = Adoption, E = Effectiveness

His leading Change Adoption Toolkit offers 7 tools in 3 process groups. Check with him or the Schneider Electrics Website for the tools.

PM 2030: Your Project Management Toolkit for the Future:

Philip Diab led a Panel Discussion between Dieter Butz of Bosch, Hilary Baker of Airbus and Jim Robinson of the British Armed Forces. This discussion showed clearly that AI is not likely to replace project managers, since projects need the human factor of project management. However there seem to be clear differences between what the private industries need from a future project manager and what the armed forces expect to require.

Forecasting Project Performance with Control Account Value Analysis (CAVA)

Douglas Bower explained the principles of Control Account Value Analysis with practical examples and compared it to EVM clearly showing the advantages and disadvantages of each.

The day ended on a high note with a Networking Social, with fresh Guiness and wonderful snacks. Thereafter, those who had signed up and paid for Networking Tours left for the tours. I will talk about the one I attended in a separate Blog

As you can see the day is packed with information, different sessions and it is often difficult to decide which session to attend. The PMI Event App can guide you in selecting the sessions you want to attend.

I have learned a lot of practical things today