Credential Milestone
Categories:
PMI
Categories: PMI
| Roger Chou, Taiwan-based CEO of Advanced Business Consulting and founder of the Institute of Taiwan Project Management, recently became the first person in Asia to receive PMI's Program Management Professional (PgMP®) credential. We recently discussed what earning the certification means to him and what it could mean for the region. Why did you pursue the PgMP credential? Over the last three years, I have trained over 2,300 [Project Management Professional (PMP®) credential holders], boosting the number of qualified managers in Taiwan to 5,388. This brought us into the top eight countries of PMP-certified project managers in the year 2008--overtaking Germany and Great Britain, which were originally the 8th and 9th place. But I wondered if the PgMP [credential] could help Taiwanese enterprises cope with the worldwide economic downturn. I observed successful international enterprises survive previous economic hardships--what strategies did they use? I analyzed what they had done, and found they had produced synergies between their projects through portfolio strategies. Soon I realized these were lessons learned from PgMP [credential]. We can see the PgMP credential philosophy behind such successes as Nintendo's new Wii video game console, Sony's range of stylish consumer electronics, like Vaio laptops and Bravia digital TVs, and Apple's iPhone, combining mobile phone, PDA, music player, video player, and digital camera functionalities all into one. Unlike the PMP [credential], whose target audience are project managers, the PgMP [credential] is aimed at senior managers, such as company CEOs. The PgMP [credential] exam is concerned mainly with how to do things in the most effective way (especially with large programs), ... improve competitiveness, and, more importantly, guide business leaders on how best to coordinate projects to produce the greatest synergy. Why is continuing education and training important to you? I think if you want to stay on top of the world, you should always work to improve yourself by accepting challenges, which will certainly help you survive this economic downturn. How does it feel to be the first Chinese manager in Asia with this certification? It is absolutely an honor. It is almost an impossible mission for Chinese managers to obtain PgMP certification. I have read through 13 textbooks in English, which is a tough challenge even for native English speakers. My mother tongue is not English, and passing an exam that even native English speakers find difficult means a lot to managers throughout Asia. It signifies that as long as we are willing to make the effort, and use the right method, we can do anything. Editor's Note: Find out more all of PMI's credentials by visiting PMI.org. |
The McGreen Mindset
Categories:
Social Responsibility
Categories: Social Responsibility
| Let's face it, McDonald's doesn't exactly scream sustainability. Yet the fast food chain has shown a fierce determination to demonstrate its green cred that goes back to way before it became so cool. In the late '80s and early '90s, McDonald's focused on reducing its packaging--eliminating 300 million pounds of the stuff. Granted, there was plenty of packaging to get rid of, but still ... Since then, the company has tackled sustainability projects on multiple levels, everything from collaborating with Greenpeace on a soy moratorium aimed at protecting the Amazon to rolling out an environmental scorecard for its suppliers. The company also recently opened a green version of the Golden Arches on the south side of Chicago, Illinois, USA. And now others are under construction in France, Brazil, Canada and Costa Rica. Of course with the global economic crisis, the big question for McDonald's and every other company out there is whether the commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects will last. Bob Langert, McDonald's vice president, says CSR can't be a standalone. On his blog, he writes: "CSR must be part of the way we think and act every single day. It is this type of mindset and way of doing business that does not waiver in the face of economic instability." The struggle to balance sustainability and the bottom line isn't likely to end anytime soon. Check out the February issue of PM Network for an in-depth look at how the crunch may turn out to have a "cleansing effect" on sustainability. |
Can We Reschedule?
Categories:
Risk Management
Categories: Risk Management
| Ready or not, for most of the world, the busy holiday season is here. And the excitement--and, let's face it, the stress--is pushing work to the back burner. What's a project manager to do? In some cases, the decision has been made for you. Take Aspen, Colorado, USA--city law prohibits construction within the city limits for eight days, from 25 December to 1 January. "It's really messing my schedule up, and at this time of the year, we need to take advantage of every good day," Gary Wesley, superintendent of a construction project in Aspen, told The Aspen Times. "I had a lot that was going to happen that week." Project managers and construction workers interviewed by The Aspen Times and Aspen Public Radio this week seem to view the construction prohibition as a recent development. But the city's Construction Management Plan Requirements Manual, which was revised 19 September 2007 and dated December 2007, clearly states: "No construction is permitted on ... federally designated holidays including: Christmas week (Dec. 25 - Jan. 1)." The situation highlights the need to exercise due diligence in the initial stages of project planning. It must may prevent a lot of headaches once delays such as the holiday season strike--and mean one less source of stress. How do you plan for the holiday seasons? Does work slow or just stop completely? |
Your Problem Isn't ...
Categories:
Project Failure
Categories: Project Failure
| Project management practitioners who read the conventional wisdom on those things that threaten project success may be "getting sold a bill of goods" (a U.S. colloquialism meaning to be deceived). While project management-types usually don't stay in the industry for long before witnessing a project crash-and-burn firsthand, the ability to accurately identify and clearly articulate the proximate cause of that project failure is often elusive, with individual prejudices coloring analysis. Quality engineers tend to name a lack of quality capability as the main reason behind project failure, while estimators tend to believe inaccurate cost baselines or estimates at completion are the culprits. I have a pretty clear idea of the main, if not only, cause of project failure, but before I name it, let me tell you what it isn't: • No Six Sigma • Lack of Agile project management • Failure to engage stakeholders (see my previous post) • Inappropriate leadership style • Too few Project Management Professional (PMP®) credential holders • Insufficient procedures or written guidance I could go on, but this list should be sufficient to contradict the majority of management writers who are asserting the key causal factor in project failure. So, what is the main causal factor? The project manager and/or project team made bad decisions. This is not simply a semantic difference. The ability to make good decisions is absolutely critical to any and all project outcomes, including the ability to meet success criterion. This ability is influenced by several factors, including: • The education/capability of the project team • Some level of luck, certainly, but mostly: • The availability of adequate project cost and schedule performance information, which almost always clarifies the best project decisions So important is the generation and delivery of cost and schedule performance information that any manager who eschews such information has automatically signaled their incompetence, and inappropriate placement in any position of authority. I'm essentially calling out the anti-cost/schedule performance system crowd. (You know who you are.) If you have ever argued against the introduction of an earned value system on principle, stop calling yourself a project manager because you aren't one. Of course, I'd love to hear from anyone disagreeing with me on this, so, please leave a comment. |
Some Answers to Large-Project Challenges
Categories:
Leadership
Categories: Leadership
| The first thing I heard at today's session of the 2nd Annual Global Infrastructure Leadership Forum in |
