The Critical Path

Recently, a team of enthusiastic and dedicated project manager volunteers from the Project Management Institute Central Indiana Chapter (PMICIC) created and delivered a very special two day training class for a group of 25 teenagers from the Boys and Girls Club of Indianapolis.

PMICIC volunteers taught the teens the project management and communication skills they needed to create Youth Advisory Boards for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Indianapolis they represented. The teens learned to plan projects, brainstorm ideas, and how to write, execute and analyze surveys. They wrote and rehearsed presentations for their adult planning boards that discussed ideas for improving their clubs. It was two jam-packed days of fun, learning and collaboration.

Although PMICIC was the major contributor for this effort, the class was also sponsored by Taco Bell (limo transportation for the teens and their adult advisors) and Duke Realty, Indianapolis (who provided their awesome training facility).

Check out the video highlighting the experience – and contact Rep at [email protected] if you’d like to be included as a volunteer in one of PMICIC's upcoming teen classes.

Spring has officially sprung here in the U.S. And with that, we want to give you some information to help you keep your skills fresh! Find out what's happening and learn about upcoming events!

• 5 April 2016 - Join us right here on ProjectManagement.com as we highlight what it means to give back in the project management profession. No matter your industry, you'll have the opportunity to see how your peers are making a difference in the world! Be on the lookout for more information on 5 April!

• 28 April 2016 - Join us right here for PMXPO 2016! This is the 9th edition of ProjectManagement.com's annual virtual conference that provides you with the opportunity to learn, network, earn more than 6 PDUs, and gain knowledge without leaving your home or office! And it's FREE! This year's keynote speaker is Robbie Bach, innovation expert and former Chief Xbox Officer so you won't want to miss out. Register today!

• Are you a BA? Do you have an interest in business analysis? Have you visited the Business Analysis resource page on PMI.org? If you haven't taken a look, you're missing out on the latest in knowledge and resources that will keep you in the know. You can obtain Business Analysis for Practitioners: A Practice Guide, as well as information that will help sharpen your skills as a BA. Don't forget to also visit the Business Analysis/Requirements Management practice area here within the community for the latest in the profession.

We've got lots more in store for you, so make sure you keep your eye on this space for information on upcoming events and opportunities to enhance your knowledge. As always, if you have questions or need help, please reach out!

Olfa Hamdi is an international researcher in the field of project management, independent consultant, founder of the Advanced Work Packaging Institute, co-founder of The Institute of Management and a tech entrepreneur in project management technology solutions.

She holds a Master of Science in Capital Projects' Management from The University of Texas at Austin, a Master of Science in Engineering from Ecole Centrale de Lille, and a graduate degree in Alternative Dispute Resolution for construction disputes from Texas School of Law. She is a fellow of the State Bar of Texas Construction Law section.

Olfa has numerous publications in prestigious academic and professional journals as well as media outlets. Olfa speaks four languages and is a firm believer in the role of interdisciplinary research in driving capital projects effectiveness and project management knowledge sphere expansion. 

We are glad to feature her as March's Member of the Month! Please take some time to get to know Olfa!
 

How did you get involved in project management?
 
When I was 13, my grand father delegated to me the responsibility of a part of the seasonal olive harvest in one of our lands in Gafsa, Tunisia. I remember he told me: “You’re in charge, and I hope you won’t disappoint me”. He simply meant in modern terms: “you’re responsible for the project, I’m trusting you with and you’ll be held accountable for the outcome”

In fact, he came through with his promise and I got a “fat” bonus considering my age at the time that I used to pay for my English classes. ? 
As a conclusion, the project management profession comes down to the basic idea of taking personal responsibility for a project and being accountable for its successful delivery.

This was true when I was 13 years old and it is still true today.  

Later on, when I completed my first master of science in engineering in France, I joined the University of Texas at Austin for a second master of science specializing in capital projects management; that marked the official start of my involvement in the project management field.   
 
Who or what inspires you to be the best project manager you can be?
 
By nature, in whatever I do, I have always been against all forms of waste. I see the project management field as a framework through which we, as wealth creators, can learn how to reduce and in some cases eliminate all forms of waste, whether in the public, private or personal spheres. Doing this will ultimately help us becoming more responsible individuals as well as successful investors in our industry. 
Projects that go wrong have indirect consequences that go beyond the extra cost paid to remedy them. In the medium to long run, they do impact the entire organization through its people, operations, culture and ultimately undermine the company’s shareholder value potential. Having seen and studied the impact of organizational failure in project management, I believe that every organization, aiming for a thriving future, should invest and protect its project and asset delivery capabilities because that’s the kind of expertise that you can’t just order out of the shelve; it’s the kind of expertise that is anchored in experience and in time. 
 
Putting aside the basics of the business and financial considerations of a project, I believe in the saying: “tell me how a company does its projects, I will tell you how solid is that company”.

So, in a word, what inspires me in this profession? I guess, the promise of success that comes with good project management and I always would like to take part of that success.
 
What is one thing you wished you'd known when you first started out in your career/project management?
 
Looking back at my beginnings in the field, I wish there were more resources to help and mentor young professionals such as myself at the time.
 
In your experience, what one skill does a project manager need to succeed? Why?
 
Reliability! 

A project is a promise and what matters most in a promise is the reliability of whoever makes that promise. I believe that successful projects are delivered by people who have grown to be reliable within their professional sphere and who are led by high-integrity project managers. With personal integrity comes reliability toward others. 
 
You’ve reached a point in your project where you need to make a choice between delivery and quality. How do you proceed?
 
There is no short answer to this question. 

It really depends on the type of project, the business case, the contract terms and many other factors that shape this kind of trade-off. This question highlights an important aspect of the project opportunity shaping. In fact, when I teach the project management 101 class, I typically pend over 10% of the class time on the cost, schedule, scope and quality trade-offs definition because that’s what defines the value promised by the project and it’s important to get right from the beginning. This being said, it is indeed possible to reach advanced stages in execution where cost and schedule expectations change due to reasons outside of the project team control. In that case, a key practice is alignment between the client and the contractor from one side and between the multiple other stakeholders involved in the project execution from the other side.
 

Please introduce yourself to Olfa in the comments below and take some time to add her to your network! 

Is there a community member who you think deserves some recognition for their contributions to the community? Let us know! Email the member’s name and a brief explanation as to why you think he/she should be featured in our Member of the Month to [email protected].

We are excited to announce the ProjectManagement.com 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. **Premium and PMI-member exclusive** 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.  PMI members and ProjectManagement.com premium members will be able to participate in the book club closing webinar.  We will evaluate the content of each opening and closing book club webinar to determine the eligibility and breakdown for PDUs.   

Our book club debut book for March is Project Management, Denial, and the Death Zone: Lessons from Everest and Antarctica by Grant Avery.  Grant is the Founder and Director of Outcome Insights (O-I), a consulting practice specializing in the review of projects and PMO operating practices. Grant is an internationally certified consultant and recognised presenter on PPM capability improvement and business cases. He was previously a Director for KPMG and has over 20 years’ experience managing and reviewing high risk projects.  Earlier in his career Grant developed a unique perspective on the successful management of project and programme risks from the experiences he gained as manager of New Zealand’s Scott Base in Antarctica.  Grant has been PMP certified since 2001, and has an MBA with Distinction from New Zealand’s Victoria University.

About the book

Using lessons learned from recent research on personal and organisational risk taking, and case examples from Everest and Antarctica, this book provides powerful insights into the causes of project and program failure, and how to solve them. If you are a business executive leading change, a project sponsor, or a PMO or project manager, this is a book for you.

Our March book club host is Tolitha Lewis, PMP.  Tolitha has been a PMI Volunteer Leader since 2008.  She was elected as a Director to the PMI Information Systems Specific Interest Group (PMI-ISSIG) in 2008 and served until the completion of the the transition to a Community of Practice (CoP) in 2011. In 2012, Tolitha was appointed to the Leadership Team of the Consulting CoP, now referred to as the Consulting practice area, and has been a leader in the webinar program ever since.   Based in Indianapolis, Indiana, Tolitha is a Sr. Project Manager.

We are very excited about offering the book club program to our community!

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.

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!