The Critical Path

Welcome to May! The start of a new month means new community updates just for you! There's some exciting things to cover, so I won't delay it any longer than needed. Onward we go!

• Follow the community team in Berlin, Germany: If you're not heading to PMI® EMEA Congress 2018, you're missing out. There, I said it. But don't worry, the ProjectManagement.com Community team has you covered! Find out how you can follow along with the event as the team updates you through the PMI Global Insights blog right here in the community. It will feel like you were right there! You can also find out how to follow along on social media through Kristin's recent post. 
• PMI Talent and Technology Symposium 2018: Registration is now open for the virtual PMI Talent & Technology Symposium 2018, taking place on Wednesday, 13 June 2018. This event is the fusion of two prior events, the Information Systems & Technology Symposium and the Talent Management Conference. The new event will focus on the impact of rapidly changing technologies on the project management discipline and careers. This is a PMI member-only event. Visit the event page for more information or to get registered. 
• Don’t Worry, Be Agile! This is the rallying cry of Bryan Campbell, who has written an article calling agile project management the key to accelerating business value.  While disruptions are here to stay, projects are even more important to companies. Project managers just have to evolve. This article is one of many you’ll find at PM Port, where you can see what’s happening now in the world of project management.
• Work out loud with us: We would love to know what you're working on this week! If you would like to share some of the work you're doing, or connect with someone who might be facing similar challenges on their projects, visit this week's discussion thread and let your peers know what you're working on!

That's all for now! If you have any questions about community events, user guidelines, or any other community happenings, feel free to reach out to any member of the Community Engagement team. We're happy to help!

Not able to make the trip to Berlin for this year’s PMI EMEA Congress? Don't worry! Once again we are inviting YOU, the community, to attend with us virtually!

You'll have the opportunity to experience congress right along with the attendees as the event unfolds in real time. Even if you aren't physically in Berlin, you can stay up to date on session highlights, networking experiences and all of the fun activities that are planned as part of the congress experience.

How? We'll have a team onsite covering all of the action and bringing it back to you via blog posts here on ProjectManagement.com and through the use of social media. Our team will attend a wide variety of sessions, speak with presenters and attendees, explore the offerings from our sponsors and even share behind the scenes info and photos!

Let's meet the team!

	Emily Luijbregts @Em_The_PM		Karthik Ramamurthy @KarthikPMO
	Priya Patra @priyaPatra		Kristin Jones @heykristinj
	@PMInstitute @PMIevents On Facebook		@ProjectMgtcom On Facebook

Now that you know who we are, be sure to say hi if you see us in Berlin! Take selfies, share pictures and join in on the social fun. Also, if you're following from home, feel free to interact with any team member via social media to ask event-related questions. You just might get your answer!

Be sure to follow along with the PMI Global Insights blog and follow us on social media using the #PMIEMEA18 hashtag! You'll find posts across several platforms including live videos on PMI's Facebook page each day.

Not going to Berlin? We've got you covered!

We are excited to announce the ProjectManagement.com April book club! The book club provides an opportunity to participate in webinars and discussions around selected books relevant to the overall practice of project management. The book club occurs in three parts:

1. Opening pre-recorded webinar which will be used to introduce the book. During this 30 minute pre-recorded webinar, the author will provide a high level overview of the concepts in his/her book, familiarizing participants with the information.
2. Discussion thread on ProjectManagement.com with input from the book club host and author. During the last week of the discussion, questions will be collected to present to the author in the closing webinar.
3. Closing Q&A live webinar with the author responding to questions submitted both through the online book club discussion thread and during the webinar. The webinar will be a panel style discussion with open dialogue between the moderator and the author.

The first 25 PMI members registered for the closing book club webinar will receive a complimentary copy of the book and will be notified via email. Additional participants will have the opportunity to purchase a copy of the book at their own expense. 

All community members will be able to view the book club opening webinar and participate in the discussion forum. We will evaluate the content of each opening and closing book club webinar to determine the eligibility and breakdown for PDUs.   

Our book club book for April is Collaboration Tools for Project Managers: How to Choose, Get Started and Collaborate with Technology by Elizabeth Harrin.

Elizabeth Harrin has over fifteen years’ experience in leading IT, business change and process improvement projects in the UK and France. Today she works in healthcare and also runs her own company providing copywriting services to project-related businesses. Elizabeth is the author of four books and the award-winning blogger behind GirlsGuideToPM.com. Find Elizabeth on Twitter @girlsguidetopm.

About the book:

Today’s project leaders face the challenge of managing projects effectively using tested and reliable methods while innovating with new methods to meet the demands of their global and technology-savvy team members and stakeholders.

Information travels faster than ever before. Project managers are called upon to produce relevant and up-to-date project information, increase productivity, and deliver results through top-notch communication tools.

Social media and online communication tools such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn have rapidly changed our world outside of the workplace. These platforms and other tools such as wikis, instant messaging, and big data repositories offer exciting possibilities to improve project team collaboration and stakeholder communication in the workplace as well.

Since project managers rely on communication and effective team management skills, they need to keep up with the fast pace of change, technological trends, and the latest business drivers that help move organizations forward.

In Collaboration Tools for Project Managers, Elizabeth Harrin builds upon her 2010 book, Social Media for Project Managers, by providing the latest information, success stories, and an easy-to-follow guide to implementing online collaboration tools and helping to overcome obstacles.

In order to communicate faster, work virtually with people across the globe, and get better business results, project teams should explore how online collaboration tools can deliver project success and improve business value.

Our April book club host is Tara McCallum. Tara A. McCallum is a CEO and founder of Tara A. McCallum Inc.; a minority woman owned business. As a strategic consultant she has partnered with such organizations as Bank of America, CHEP, VF Corporation, Accenture, and The Department of Defense.  Having worked as a consultant with various organizations Ms. McCallum has used her talents to complete projects in SAP, ERP, and OCM; often with a focus on Project Management. Ms. McCallum has also worked in Development, Training and Delivery, as well as Procurement. Additionally, she is a member of Project Management Institute, ASTD (American Society for Training and Development) and Scrum Alliance. Ms. Tara A. McCallum graduated from The University of Phoenix with a Master’s degree in Management with a specialization in Human Resources Management. She currently holds certifications from Purdue University in Lean/ Six Sigma, Instructional Design and is also a Certified Scrum Master.  In her spare time  Tara enjoys volunteering for The American Red Cross, The Boys and Girls club as a  big sister, Portamento’ of Hope – a homeless outreach kitchen, as well as her church.

To register for the closing live book club webinar, please visit the webinar page on ProjectManagement.com, find the book club closing webinar and click on the “Register for this webinar” link.

Please visit the book club information and discussion on the Project Management.com books page. 

For additional questions, please visit the ProjectManagement.com Book Club FAQ page.

It's April and, here in North America spring has finally arrived...we think. We had a pretty decent snow storm a few weeks ago and we're hoping that's the last of it until winter comes around again. In the meantime, we hope that you've taken some time to reflect on your project successes during the first 3 months of 2018 and maybe even gathered some valuable lessons learned that will help make your future projects even more successful. With that, here's what's going on in the community:

• A United States Senator Visits PMI Global Headquarters: On Friday, 6 April, U.S. Senator Bob Casey visited PMI Global Headquarters in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania to see firsthand the impact of the project management profession across the United States and around the world. PMI Government Relations Manager, Tommy Goodwin, highlights the Senator's visit in a recent post.
• PMXPO 2018 is on-demand: If you missed PMXPO 2018 (or were not able to attend all of the sessions), you can still catch them on-demand! Hear keynote Joel H. Cohen (Emmy-award winning writer and producer of The Simpsons™) speak about key lessons from the show's culture of innovation that you can take away and apply to your projects. The event is on-demand until 22 June 2018 and you can view it here. 
• The CAPM® is now more accessible than ever: Are you preparing to test for the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM®) certification? If so, you should know that you can now take the exam online anywhere in the world! Online proctored exams allow you to conveniently and easily take an exam in the comfort of your home or office while being monitored by an offsite proctor. To learn more, visit the CAPM® certification page on PMI.org. 
• Stakeholders and project cost: Does the number of stakeholders affect the cost of your project? If so, how? Community member Mostafa Nour could use your input in his most recent discussion post. Join the discussion!

That's all for now! If you have any questions about community events, user guidelines, or any other community happenings, feel free to reach out to any member of the Community Engagement team. We're happy to help!

Additionally, if you're working on something really exciting, we'd love to know about it. Leave a comment below and let us know what's going on in your world!

We would like to give a round of applause and extend a big thank you to all who were able to join us this year for our 11th annual PMXPO; our largest online virtual event yet! We set a record breaking attendance number this year all in part due to the insightful-groundbreaking sessions led by our uniquely funny and talented keynote speaker Joel H. Cohen, Emmy-winning writer and producer of The Simpsons. Did you miss the 22 March 2018 virtual event? If so, no worries, you can now watch it on-demand!

Check out Joel Cohen and all the other sessions available now on demand!

Thank you again for your participation!