The Critical Path

Unlike most people, this isn’t my favorite time of year.  I’m a winter girl.  Big fan of cold temperatures, brisk air and snow.  I’m always a little bit sad when it starts to get warmer and I have to say goodbye to my favorite seasons.

One of the things I do like about the change from winter to spring is the sense of a clean slate.  The opportunity to have a start fresh both personally and professionally.  It’s a good time for reflection and planning and maybe even revisiting any resolutions made for 2016.  It might also be a good time to take on new projects or at least consider what new projects might be on the horizon. 

It’s an opportunity for us to shed our winter coats, take a breath of fresh spring air and feel renewed.  Open the windows and let the spring air clear out the doldrums of winter. 

Personally I have an ongoing “project to-do list” complete with my projects I have to do and those I hope to do.  And as we work on objectives and business plans during this time of year, I’m looking ahead with excitement at the projects I have.

As we look forward to spring, what is on the horizon for you?  What are you looking forward to in the coming weeks/months?

Happy Spring!

Have you worked on a project that deserves recognition? Do you know someone who is doing amazing things in project management?

Honor project management excellence and earn worldwide professional recognition and esteem by nominating professionals, organizations, scholars, authors and continuing professional education providers for the project management profession’s most prestigious and globally recognized achievements.

The PMI Awards could highlight you or someone you know—the true leaders of the profession who are changing the world project by project, while serving as examples of success for the next generation of project managers to follow. 
 
Beginning with a single award in 1974, the program now offers a wide variety of accolades. In addition to the prestigious PMI Project of the Year and PMI PMO of the Year awards, PMI also honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the project management profession or to PMI. Other awards recognize those who have made sustained and significant contributions through research or literature, while still others acknowledge the outstanding contributions of volunteers.

The deadline for most of PMI's awards, 1 March, is quickly approaching! Go to www.pmi.org/awards for more information and to nominate yourself or your colleagues!

The new year has really started out with a bang! This month we launched two new campaigns on our YouTube channel:  Social Project Management with community member and subject matter expert, Peter Taylor (creator of The Lazy Project Manager) and our #pmlovestories challenge.

So, what exactly does "Social Project Management" entail? In his first episode of the series, Peter Taylor (pictured below) explores the meaning and journey of o project management - from the past, the present, and the possible future.

To watch and subscribe to this new series, please visit our YouTube channel for the Social Project Management playlist.

Meanwhile, we've gotten some amazing responses for our #pmlovestories challenge. So many of you have shared with the community why you love project management and/or being a project manager. Have you had the chance to post yet? It's not too late! Just head over to this discussion thread and share your #pmlovestories.

Better yet - take a video of yourself with your smart phone and share your story! We're looking for short, simple, and real. Your video doesn't have to be fancy at all - in fact, the more basic, the better. We've already gotten some fantastic videos - so be sure to check them out and send your video submission here before February 15th! Share the love!

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!

We’re celebrating love here at ProjectManagement.com during the next two weeks and have been talking a lot about the love of project management.

Project management is a profession practiced by millions of dedicated people all over the world who display their love of the profession in incredible ways.

So why do we at ProjectManagement.com love project management?? Because it keeps the world turning. Because it saves lives. Literally. There are a multitude of reasons why we love project management, but we want to hear from you.

Why do you love project management?

Why do you love being a project manager?

Was there a project that you loved working on?

Tell us about it! Join the discussion and post your love story here!

Want to take it up a notch? Send us a simple cell phone video of yourself sharing your love story for project management via dropbox and we’ll share it on our YouTube channel. Learn more by watching our YouTube video here.

All posts published between 1 February and 15 February 12:00 am ET will be considered for a feature in a future ProjectManagement.com publication!

We can't wait to hear your pm love story!