The Critical Path

Have you ever found yourself wanting to attend a conference, but hate having to go through the process of getting your registration fees approved and figuring out travel? Well we have a solution for you! We are offering TWO - yes, TWO - upcoming virtual conferences that you can attend without having to leave your home or office!

Love project scheduling? Or just want to learn what’s new in the world of project scheduling? Attend the PMI Scheduling Conference on Wednesday, 30 March – exclusively for PMI Members. Register now to learn the latest in scheduling best practices not available anywhere outside of PMI. We’ll share tips and tools from real-life projects and programs. Plus, since you are a valued PMI Member, your registration is completely FREE. If you need to check your membership status, you can do so by visiting the myPMI page on PMI.org.

PMXPO 2016 is ProjectManagement.com's 9th edition of its annual virtual conference and exhibition! It's your opportunity to learn, network, earn more than 6 PDUs and gain valuable knowledge—all from the comfort of your home or office! Join us Thursday, April 28 for PMXPO 2016, six sessions full of informed project management viewpoints from leading industry experts--led by our keynote from Robbie Bach, innovation expert and former Chief Xbox Officer. And it's all free!

This is just the beginning of our virtual conference offerings to start off the year! Keep your eye on the events page within the community to hear about additional offerings throughout the year.

Register for these upcoming events TODAY and we'll "see" you there!

Can you believe it's already February? Before you know it, flowers will be blooming in North America and some of us will be on our way to Barcelona for the PMI® Global Congress 2016 - EMEA! 

One of the areas of focus for this year is Managing Complexity. The Managing Complexity track demonstrates the management of complexity in projects and programs, including methodologies, technology enablers and the effect on the value chain. 

Topics include:

• Program Management Initiation - What to focus on in the first 90 days | Andrew Charles Galbus, Mayo Clinic      
• Managing turbulence in project environments: learning from nature and ecosystems | Roberto Cimino, eni          
• Elephant on Thin Ice: Navigating Complexity through Project Culture | Simona Bonghez, Colors in Projects      

Want to know more? Be sure to register today for the PMI® Global Congress 2016 - EMEA soon! Early bird registration ends 10 February.

Hope to see you in Barcelona!

After being out of the office for two weeks, I just knew that my first week back would be completely hectic going through hundreds of unanswered e-mails and just trying to catch up to start the new year. When the expected mayhem of being out of the office for any extended period of time was avoided, I could have done a cartwheel past my boss's office (although, she would have been very curious as to why that was happening and we probably would have had a conversation around what is and is not appropriate in the workplace). 

However, what made me the most excited was coming back and seeing that our community was still incredibly active during the holidays. Our community members were still connecting and helping one another find solutions to issues. The passion that we all share for the profession and what we do is not like anything I've seen anywhere else. It's exciting, rewarding, and always keeps me looking forward to the next day.

All that being said, we're very excited for 2016! There's a lot we're looking to accomplish to make our community even better. If you are looking for ways to get involved in the community, make sure you visit the discussion boards and participate in conversations. Also, feel free to collaborate with one or more of your fellow community members to create content.

Thank you all for being a part of our ever-growing family of professional project managers and here's to a successful 2016!

Have you ever been sitting at your desk, plugging away at your computer, then suddenly you find yourself wondering how you found yourself in project management? If you're new to the profession, do you sometimes wonder where you go from here? Well you're in good company! 

11 of your peers have come together to share their stories in our new Teachable Moments eBook that highlights what they've learned throughout their journey as a project manager. You'll find stories from those who have been practicing for more than 20 years to those who are just starting out. Each story provides its own piece of wisdom that you can take with you as you go through your own journey. The eBook also provides you links to community content that you can reference, wherever you are in your journey.

And while you're reading through, you'll notice that we've also provided links to the contributor profiles throughout the eBook! Please feel free to connect with each of them within the community!

If you haven't already, click here to download your free PDF copy of the eBook today!

If you are new to the community, it might be tough trying to figure out where to go next. How do I find the information I need? How do I connect with others? What do I do if I want to contribute an article? 

Fear not! We're here to help!

An easy way to get started is to contribute to the conversation in the Project Management Central discussion board. Find answers to common issues and share best practices with other practitioners within the community. While you're there, start connecting and networking with other community members! Seek assistance with a problem you might be facing or offer solutions to someone else!

If you are looking for specific information, make sure you visit the Practice page! Here you will find information specific to industries and disciplines within the profession that will help make your job easier. From Consulting to Requirements Management, you will find templates, articles, and subject matter experts that will help expand your project management knowledge.

Are you looking to contribute content? We'd love to hear from you! You can visit the Contribute Content page to learn how to submit a content proposal right from the site. Whether you wish to propose an article or a webinar program, a Community Engagement Specialist will be ready to help walk you through the process.

But before you get started, make sure to familiarize yourself with the community user guidelines that you can find at the bottom left of each page. This will help ensure that you have the best experience possible while you're here!

If you find that you still have questions, feel free to contact any of the Community Engagement Specialists listed above. We would be happy to hear from you!

Welcome to the community on ProjectManagement.com!

*photo by Steven DePolo via Flickr http://flic.kr/p/oKuzAB