The Critical Path

As we mentioned in an earlier post, we have officially migrated our webinar platform from Adobe Connect to WebEx! Going forward, all of our live webinars will take place on the WebEx platform. Due to that change, we want to outline some information that is sure to continue to make your webinar viewing experience an enjoyable one!

A few things that will change:

• You must connect your audio when you enter the platform. It is extremely important that you perform this step when logging onto the webinar, otherwise you will not hear the presentation. 
• The mobile experience for ProjectManagement.com webinars is NOT currently supported. We're currently working hard with WebEx to resolve this issue. In the meantime, you must watch the live webinar from a computer. We'll provide an update as soon as we have one.
• Questions will need to be entered into the Q&A panel (which appears to the right of the presentation) in order for the presenter to see them. 

A few things that will not change:

• We will continue to report PDUs on behalf of PMI members for both the live and on-demand sessions, unless otherwise indicated. 
• You will still be able to watch on-demand webinars the same way as you have in the past (even if they were initially presented on the Adobe Connect platform).
• Attendees will still be able to access the webinar platform 15 minutes prior to the start of the live webinar.

We have also put together a comprehensive list of Tips for Webinar Attendees to ensure that you're ready to participate when you login.

If you have any questions about viewing a live or on-demand webinar, make sure you reach out to us and we'll be happy to help.

Happy viewing!

Exciting times are ahead here in the community! As part of our commitment to providing community members an enjoyable experience, we regularly make updates to the user experience. Part of that update will be a new way to view webinars within the community!

Starting in January 2018, we will move from the Adobe Connect platform to WebEx to deliver all webinars on ProjectManagement.com. What does that mean for you? The look of the webinars will be different, but you will still experience the same great content. The chat pod will be available, as well as the Q&A pod; however, you will be able to choose whether or not you see that information as you're viewing the webinar. And, yes, we will still report PDUs on behalf of PMI members.

Now for the fine print...

At rollout, the mobile webinar experience will not be supported. This is because the WebEx mobile app does not authenticate member information from ProjectManagement.com when entering the platform. That means that unless you're viewing the webinar on a laptop or desktop computer, you won't be able to view it (that includes tablets/phablets). We are working to ensure that this issue gets resolved quickly, so please bear with us in the meantime.

We hope you're as excited about this update as we are! Stay tuned to The Critical Path blog for FAQs and additional information regarding this change in the very near future.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out!

We are excited to announce the ProjectManagement.com December 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 December is The Business of Portfolio Management – Boosting Organizational Value by Iain Fraser, PMP, PMI Fellow.

Iain Fraser is the author of 'The Business of Portfolio Management' book. Iain is globally recognized for his expertise, experience and in-sights on portfolio, program and project-based management approaches. He also has significant experience in PMO's. Iain sits on a number of 'for-profit' and advisory boards. He is a member of the globalScot business network and the Institute of Directors. He is considered a thought-leader, has featured on live radio, video and podcasts and is often quoted in the print media.

About the book:

Today there is a gap between organizational strategy and day-to-day management activities. To capitalize on new opportunities, or “getting ahead” rather than just “staying in business,” most workplaces need a radical transformation. This transformation can begin with how organizations devise and manage their portfolios. Long underutilized as a mechanism to provide value, portfolio management is now being recognized as an effective approach to bridging these critical business elements.

The Business of Portfolio Management offers keys to adopting a new approach to portfolio management that boosts organizational value. A veteran in the field, author Iain Fraser proposes a solution that lies in using the value management framework to link organizational strategy to portfolio content and to delivery mechanisms. In this expansive guide, case study examples illuminate in-depth discussions explaining the value management framework, implementation and delivery techniques, portfolio leadership qualities, key roles and professional development, and change management. Also included is an overview of organizational maturity models to evaluate project, program, and portfolio performance as well as tools and techniques to implement, execute, and measure their benefits and value contribution.

To capture success, every organization should ultimately thrive in a culture that embraces its purpose, people, and performance (or the “3Ps to success”), so that aligned activity and empowered people can achieve the confidence to deploy true portfolio management, which is how The Business of Portfolio Management does business that adds value to any organization.

Our December 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 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.

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.

WHAT: A global day of giving

WHEN: 28 November 2017

WHERE: Everywhere. Organizations all over the world participate

HOW: Online at https://pmief.org/giving/donate

On this global day of giving, we are grateful for people like you who choose to support our mission to promote project management for social good®. We are focused on building PM knowledgeable youth, PM capable nonprofits, and a PM ready workforce.  Watch a video about our efforts!

PM Knowledgeable Youth

Project management skills have been valuable in your life. What if you had learned them earlier? Do you remember your favorite teacher?

At the PMI Educational Foundation (PMIEF), we’re dedicated to teaching project management skills to young people and teachers around the world — giving them the tools and processes they can use to make a difference in their own communities.

PM Capable Nonprofits

Nonprofit organizations do so much good in our world.

At the PMI Educational Foundation (PMIEF), we know they can be even more efficient and effective at accomplishing their missions if they deploy project management skills.

That’s why we work to build the project management capability of nonprofit and non-governmental organizations, especially in recovery efforts to rebuild after disasters strike.

Your generosity will be enable us to further extend our profession beyond the business setting — to youth, teachers, and nonprofit/non-governmental organization (NGO) leaders worldwide.

A gift to PMIEF of just $25 by year-end will have a ripple effect on the youth, teachers, and nonprofit/non-governmental organizations (NGOs) we work with who make a difference in our communities every day!

Together we’ll change the world, one project at a time!

Two familiar names in the project management and education world have teamed up to release a new unique book called Project Management for Education: The Bridge to 21^st Century Learning (“PM4Ed” for short). Bernie Trilling and Walter Ginevri have decades of educational and project management experience between them and work globally to build fundamental bridges between project management and education. Their innovative new book is a perfect representation of their valuable collaboration…and now you can benefit from their impressive wealth of knowledge! 

So, what makes this book so cutting-edge? PM4Ed is actually two books in one: an Educator Guide and a Project Manager Guide bringing the advantages and benefits of project management’s powerful and practical principles and practices to the world of primary and secondary education.

By flipping this book over, you can switch between the two guides to explore how both educators and project managers (PMs) are increasingly moving toward the same goal—to help all students become more successful 21st century learners, and be well-prepared for future work, citizenship, family, and community life.

After reading this book both teachers and project managers will be able to answer the critical question, How do we manage learning projects, and how can we help students be more effective designers and managers of their own learning?

Click here to learn more about the book, watch a short video and purchase a copy now!

All proceeds from the book will go to the PMI Educational Foundation as the authors have graciously agreed to forego royalties.