Learning From The Best
Categories:
PMI Global Congress 2010 - North America
Categories: PMI Global Congress 2010 - North America
| Structure, talent and fun -- those were the success factors behind the three finalists for the 2010 PMI Project of the Year. Last night at PMI Global Congress 2010--North America in Washington, D.C., USA, the National Ignition Facility was named PMI Project of the Year. Ed Moses, PhD, principal associate director at the facility, said the 12-year nuclear fusion project to build "a miniature star on earth" could not have been possible "without strict adherence to the basic tenets of project management." "It was one of the most complicated projects ever undertaken by the federal government. Just about every step of this project was unprecedented in scope, scale and complexity," Daniel B. Ponemon, Deputy Secretary of Energy said last night. And still, the project managed to come in "just under budget and just ahead of schedule," he said. The two other finalists were the Dallas Cowboys Stadium Project, built for the U.S. football team in Texas, USA and the Norton Brownsboro Hospital Project, Kentucky, USA. This morning, we heard more about all three projects in a panel discussion. Joining Dr. Moses were Mark Penny, project executive for Manhattan Construction Company, which worked on the project to build the Dallas Cowboys stadium, and Janice Weaver, associate vice president, enterprise program management office at Norton Brownsboro Hospital. Ms. Weaver credited structure and clear roles and responsibilities for helping the team bring in the project on time and on budget. Dr. Moses agreed with the need for process, but also said you need people to make it happen. And Mr. Penny called for a dash of fun -- the team stuck to process and hired experts, but was determined to have fun, too. Stakeholder management emerged as one of the key challenges for all three projects. For the hospital team, it was the surrounding community. "The pressure was on from the beginning. The community was watching," Ms. Weaver said. And the stakes were high. "If you don't do it right, it's really a matter of life and death," she said. "It's a new perspective for project management." Dr. Moses was contending with an ever-changing lineup of government agency leaders, congress and scientists. The project endured nine congresses, three administrations and seven secretaries of the Department of Energy. Project managers can't look at politics as something they stay out of -- you have to find a way to make stakeholders happy, he said. And for Mr. Penny, it came down to one stakeholder: the "very engaged" team owner Jerry Jones, who decided to add features that took the project from US$650 million to US$1.5 billion. "All the enhancements were from the owner, so did we stay in budget? Absolutely!" Look for more awards coverage -- including the full list of winners -- on PMI.org. |
How Project Managers Can Help Their Communities
Categories:
PMI Global Congress 2010 - North America
Categories: PMI Global Congress 2010 - North America
| Tonight, I accepted PMI's Community Advancement Award--Organization category at PMI Global Congress 2010--North America. Being the former president of the Institute of Taiwan Project Management, I feel very grateful. Unlike other personal awards, this award honors an organization, which gives recognition to the efforts made by ITPM, a collective labor made by 300 volunteering project managers. Community work enables people to live better lives. For project managers who enthusiastically dedicate themselves to their communities, project management tools and techniques can help them be more efficient and productive. Po-Jen Huang, PMP, project manager and architect at Far Eastern Technical Consultants Co. Ltd., for example, volunteered to help re-build five village schools that were destroyed around Taoyuan in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Every aspect of the reconstruction work -- collecting and analyzing requirements, time and budget control, risk management and quality assurance -- was completed under stringent project management methodologies. The team reached its goals within budget, without significant delays while delivering quality outcomes. Here are some ways project managers can use their skills to help their communities: Effective communication: Using their team-building and conflict-resolution skills, project managers can help communities bring their ideas together. Project managers can also help their communities identify problems, set priorities, develop confidence and solve problems together. Process management: Tapping into their shared language and knowledge of project management skills and practices, project managers can effectively establish guidelines and procedures. Project managers are very aware of the different categories of risks, risk triggers, and the procedures for quality assurance and quality control. The response to a community effort can be more efficiently guided, and the transition to different phases of community work or reconstruction can be managed smoothly. Solid execution: Project management skills and practices ensure community work or construction is carried out quickly and efficiently. Minimal delays rest with what all Professional project managers are good at resource allocation, time and budget management. If they stick to that, the project should have minimal delays. |
Networking Tips for Congress
Categories:
PMI Global Congress 2010 - North America
Categories: PMI Global Congress 2010 - North America
| Learning is one reason for attending PMI® Global Congress 2010--North America. But there's another good reason to go, and I'm convinced it's the best one: to meet people and network. The things I've learned in congress sessions have been valuable and helpful, certainly. But some of the people I've met have had an even more profound effect. For example, as a result of meeting certain individuals at the PMI Global Congress 2006--EMEA in Madrid, Spain, a roundabout sequence of events led my wife, our five children and me on a two-year assignment to Rome, Italy. I'm often asked, "What did you learn at congress?" But no one has ever asked, "Whom did you meet?" Yet I'm sure that the people we meet have far greater potential to radically change our lives than the content of even the best presentations. Networking is about meeting people. Getting to know each other, finding common ground, staying in touch and, eventually, helping each other. Here are 10 suggestions to help you maximize the value of networking at this year's congress: 1. Bring plenty of business cards. Have them handy, but not too handy. You want to be prepared, but not seem overly eager. 2. Go through business cards from previous congresses. This will refresh your memory so if you run into previous acquaintances, you'll remember their names. 3. Consider contacting people you've met at previous congresses. If they're returning, make plans to reconnect. 4. Go on the congress web site and visit the Meet Attendees section. Look for people you might know and set up a date to meet in person. 5. Practice your elevator speech. Be able to describe your job briefly and succinctly -- short enough to deliver in the course of an elevator ride. 6. Attend the networking events and resolve to meet new people. Avoid hanging with the same people all the time. Give lots of people the pleasure of meeting you. 7. Take a genuine interest in others. When you engage in conversation, you'll learn more about them and uncover points of common interest. Ask questions and listen for the answers. (Learn more about dealing with people in my session.) 8. Don't hesitate to ask for a business card. If there's something you want to remember about that person, note it on their card right away. 9. Don't squander the opportunity to meet people. Your e-mail will be there for you to read at the end of the day. Don't let it prevent you from meeting the person who could change your life -- or whose life you could change. 10. When you get home, follow up. After a few days out of the office, you might feel like you need to get right back into work, but set aside a few minutes to reach out to the people you met. Long after this congress is over and much of what you learned in the sessions is long-since forgotten, you can still have a game-changing relationship with some of the people you met there. |
Making the Most of Team Differences
| Some teams crash when there are differing personalities -- especially those teams that transition to agile methods. The adaptive mindset is different than what many people are used to, and different than what some personalities may prefer by nature. Team members come in with different skills, work styles and views of the world. When teams don't understand this, fights can erupt over simple issues. But when these differences are recognized, the team can leverage the diverse perspectives for better results. People often view situations through a combination of four basic personalities, according to David Keirsey's temperament sorter: Artisans prefer to use their skills to adapt to the situation at hand. These are all legitimate approaches to situations. But strife may occur in teams that don't understand people are born with different inclinations. What happens, for example, when someone asks a guardian to change a plan? What happens when one asks an artisan to plan too far ahead? Can the facts-based view of the rational inadvertently miss something or trigger some discord? Can an idealist's sensitivity miss a key fact? All these scenarios are valid, as change, schedule, facts and feelings play out in a business situation. Everyone must realize their teammates may start at a different position when working problems together. Rather than being a source of friction, though, these different positions can be an asset, bringing all the options to light. |
Strategic Project Portfolio Gives China a Competitive Edge
Categories:
Portfolio Management
Categories: Portfolio Management
| The Shanghai Expo 2010 isn't just about putting on a great show for 180 days. It embodies a large-scale program, especially in terms of the economic and political synergy it created for a developing country. Like the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the expo is a collection of projects whose collective purpose benefited the nation and fulfilled the government's strategic objectives. The expo and the Olympics were part of a national portfolio aimed at achieving countrywide political objectives for boosting the economy. Both were planned and executed with the intent to cultivate high-tech skills and knowledge aimed at ensuring growth and competitiveness in the future. For example, the Chinese government required every contractor carrying out individual projects to employ Chinese workers, including certified project managers. This has ensured that enough skilled workers necessary for national development have been trained. By the end of 2009, the number of PMI certified project managers in China was 29,414 -- the second-largest number in the world. The physical legacy these programs left is also notable. Unlike games or exhibitions hosted by developed countries, both the expo and the Olympics were accompanied by massive infrastructure developments -- and not just the renovation or improvement of existing facilities. The Shanghai Expo re-developed areas in decline, and brought infrastructure and facilities to previously undeveloped areas. Apart from the huge venues, China built airports, restaurants, hotels and 11 high-speed railways. Development plans also incorporated expanding and improving the service industry of Shanghai. These projects, combined with the outcome of other national programs and projects, help advance the government's goal of growing and developing the national economy. "Projects produce deliverables; programs output benefits so as to sustain, advance or achieve organizational objectives; while portfolios ensure the alignment of the diverse objectives and independence of programs and projects to organizational strategic objectives," according to page six of The Standard for Portfolio Management. And that's exactly what the Shanghai Expo 2010 did. |
