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August 2020 Community News You Can Use
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Time is flying by and we’ve certainly been buzzing with activity around the community! We hope those in the Northern Hemisphere have enjoyed the unseasonably hot summer we’ve had; and those in the Southern Hemisphere have enjoyed a cool winter! However, we do hope you and your families are faring well during this stressful time worldwide. I myself, could have never imagined living during a global pandemic in my lifetime. However, what brings me comfort, and hopefully you as well, is the recognition that WE are ALL in this together, and we will continue to thrive. Hope is the force to dispel all worries and apprehensions we face each and every day, so please keep the faith. Now, let’s see what circulating around the “virtual watercooler” here in our very own community! Together We Rise – The second installment of the new Virtual Experience Series (VES)! Learn what it takes to galvanize a community, practice agility daily and lead a global team from Trevor Noah, comedian, host of "The Daily Show", and the manager of many projects. Connect, collaborate and celebrate the impact of our industry. Hosted by journalist, talk show host, and Executive Producer Tamron Hall. Additional information and registration here! PMIEF: Outcomes and Efficacy of PM Knowledgeable Youth Grant Making, 2012 – 2017 - The Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education (SCOPE) at Stanford University led a year-long external evaluation for the PMI Educational Foundation (PMIEF) to examine the foundation's work on behalf of youth-related initiatives from 2012 – 2017. Join PMIEF to learn the findings of the SCOPE research and the recommendations it generated, especially as these data have helped support the foundation's current strategy and grant investments to strengthen the capacity and programming of youth-serving nonprofits worldwide. Register here for this free webinar! Have you read the latest Pulse In-Depth: The Innovation Imperative report? PMI research reveals how organizations promote innovative practices that lead to investment in new ideas. Read the full report here. Take advantage of the latest Unplugged videos with our very own CEO, Sunil Prashara? In addition to providing information about PMI’s ongoing efforts to provide value to its various stakeholders, this space enables you to contact Sunil directly with comments and suggestions. We encourage you to check back frequently for updates and additional information. Sunil’s communications are available in various formats based on the most expedient way to tell the story and share the content with you. Check out the latest episode here. Success Story: "Disciplined Agile Changes Everything" - See how Karen Lewis, Vice President, IT at global investment firm Franklin Templeton used Disciplined Agile to increase quality, speed to market AND customer satisfaction. Interested in Volunteering? There are volunteer opportunities available for everyone no matter how much time you have or whether you want to be involved at a local, national, or global level. Get Involved with these PMI Opportunities! Types of volunteer opportunities include:
That’s all for now, and we encourage you to check back for future updates within the Critical Path blog. Again, stay safe and keep being the great members you are! Thank you for all of your feedback and engagement, and keep up the good work! Also, if you feel so inclined, tell us what new skills or hobbies you’ve developed while the majority of us are indefinitely working from home. We would love to hear all about the creative side you may never knew you had! Be well my friends! |
March 2020 Community News You Can Use
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First and foremost, I know that the entire world may in a state of uncertainty and/or anxiety. This feeling only demonstrates that we are all human, something we all have in common. As Coronavirus causes the usual delivery of programmes around the world to be disrupted, we here at PMI are working hard to support the ProjectManagement.com community through this period of uncertainty. As we embrace this uncertainty together, I urge you all to “March On” and Remain Strong! We have valuable resources and information here on the site to keep us informed and up to date, so I encourage you to keep tabs on the on goings within this fabulous community, solely comprised by YOU! So, let’s begin! The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic. Given that action, you may be required to work at home given the continued spread of the coronavirus-19. There is little doubt that is putting remote work to the biggest stress-test ever. Continue reading Kevin Coleman’s Blog post that reveals how this virus-related work at home experience of employers and employees will influence the future of work forever. Can You Believe It? The PMXPO 2020 Virtual Event is just two weeks away!!! So that means there’s plenty of time to register for this live, FREE event on 26 March! Whether you’re a seasoned PM or new to the field, it's your opportunity to learn, network with thousands of your peers, earn PDUs and a badge, and broaden your perspective on project management—all from the comfort of your home or office. And best of all, it’s all free! You definitely don’t want to miss our Keynote Presentation—Building Unstoppable Teams: How a House Built a Family, presented by Cara Brookins. Register Now for PMXPO 2020! REMINDER: Our virtual Ask the Expert Webinar Series will focus on the Healthcare industry with the first webinar scheduled Monday, 16 March 2020. Our Experts are: Lori Wilson and David Davis. Register here so you don’t miss out on this important topic! Did you miss our most recent “Ask Us Anything” series on 27 February 2020? If so, no worries, you can now watch it On-Demand! This webinar, “We Are Many, We Are One! Discover The Face To Face Community Aspects Of PMI: It’s 300+ Global Chapters!” explored the value of PMIs 300+ chapters across the globe to learn how you can benefit from engaging with the one close to you. Face to face exchange with your PPPM peers - close by - in your language - relevant to your career, your industry and your market. You will also learn how chapters align to and deliver on PMIs strategy, how they are created and run, and how you can get involved even as volunteer! Check it out! Check out PMI’s new offering, the PMI Ascent Certificate. With 4 clear, practical, actionable tools, this course will teach you how to build a shared vision with your agile teams, lay the foundation for a productive collaboration and create project plans that enable agility and ensure success for your projects. Click here for detailed information and FAQs. Ambassadors Program Reminder: Our Community Ambassadors, Emily Luijbregts and Andrew Craig, are here to help you – ask them about anything from navigating the community to networking to career advice! Please feel free to reach out to Emily & Andrew with a direct message via the Inbox. That’s all for now, we encourage you to check back for future updates within the Critical Path blog. Thank you for all of your feedback and engagement and keep up the good work! |
Navigation Changes Across PMI brands
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To better serve the ProjectManagement.com community as well as the PMI community as a whole, our Digital Experience team has launched a navigation change that is across all PMI branded sites. This change gives a more streamlined navigation experience with access to all PMI brands via the 9 dot menu in the top left hand side of the navigation bar. With this change the sites are now what we call “responsive”. We have done away with the standalone mobile version of the site and the desktop version will now transform to a mobile version, depending on the size of your browser window. This responsiveness of the site will still allow you access to all aspects of the site regardless of the size of the window; nothing should be hidden off screen. As with any changes, if you find anything that doesn’t look quite right, let us know! [email protected] |
Change is a Given. How we Respond is the Issue.
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Nick Clemens, PMBOK® Guide–Seventh Edition Development Team member As a project manager I find myself immersed in uncertainties and change. People roll on and off my program teams, my management chain changes frequently, and my customer base is in flux. I am a contractor for a larger US Federal Department and even within the US Federal bureaucracy change comes quick and often. I think for large bureaucracies the problem is not change, it’s here and must be dealt with. The problem is adaption and response. The same is true for projects. Project leaders must adapt and overcome. Our response as project leaders must insure the on-time delivery of our products and services within project constraints. This is how we deliver benefits that create value for our customers and companies alike. And for those who like to deliver incrementally, I’m also talking to you. Implicit in the idea of a Minimal Viable Product (MVP) is the delivery of a benefit that creates inherent value for both the user and the supplying enterprise. So how do we keep track of where we are going with everything changing around us? To paraphrase the Cheshire Cat in Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, If you don't know where you're going, any road can take you there. The answer is to go back to basics. Basic project management principles provide us with a framework to guide us when our projects are troubled. The PMBOK® Guide–Seventh Edition development team is taking just that approach in updating The Standard for Project Management. We are looking at a better way to guide project leaders using a principles-based approach that will allow flexible responses to an environment fraught with change and uncertainty. So, what’s a project management principle that could help us to navigate our complex environments and keep track of where we are going? It has to do with “systems thinking” and is related to a management principle from the risk area, “work to balance threats and opportunities.” The principle I am thinking of is around the idea of Think Holistically. Holistic thinking tells us to get out of the weeds, to see the forest for the trees. In other words, as a project leader have a vision for your project. That vision should include your project’s purpose, value to be delivered, impact to the business environment, and its effect on the people involved. Holistic thinking also includes understanding the trade-off space to ensure the team delivers outputs that will drive outcomes. It allows self-organization of work but keeps the pieces integrated. Holistic thinking challenges assumptions and mental models to broaden the possible solution space. Whether managing a group of work packages to a project plan or integrating a couple of scrum teams to deliver a MVP according to a release plan, the challenge to the project leader is the same—keeping on track to meet our customer’s vision and expectations and delivering outcomes, even if the precise end goal is not fully defined at present. I didn’t say it would be easy. In most cases the days of the practically perfect project plans went out with the departure of Mary Poppins, not in the most recent Disney sequel, but in the original 1964 movie! To say the least, a principles-based approach to project management has been a long time coming. So, think holistically to keep the focus of your project 100% aligned with your customer’s vision and expectations. Remember as the project leader your job is to deliver and create value for your customers and company. Everything else is in the weeds. The key is to recognize, evaluate, and respond to the dynamic circumstances within and surrounding the project delivery systems as the systems interact and react with each other. |
September Community News You Can Use
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It’s the most wonderful time of the year at PMI! Global Conference is just around the corner, and with this year’s exciting 50th anniversary celebrations, we are certainly counting down the days! If you will be in Philadelphia for the conference, please stop by the ProjectManagement.com Community booth and say hello. We would love to meet you! In this month’s look at what’s currently happening around the community, we’ll let you know how to keep up with all of the excitement at Global Conference – from near and far – as well as the other great community activities occurring in the final months of 2019! Register for PMI® Business Analysis Virtual Conference 2019: Registration is open for the PMI® Business Analysis Virtual Conference 2019 which will be held on Wednesday, November 13th. This virtual event will explore the latest trends in business analysis and provide you with the insights, resources, and tools to advance your career and enhance project success. Register today! This year, we welcome:
PMI® Organizational Agility Conference Available On-Demand: If you were unable to attend the recent PMI® Organizational Agility Conference on Evolving Approaches to Resilient Value Delivery, you can view all of the sessions on-demand here. Ask the Expert at PMI® Global Conference: Ask the Expert is back by popular demand at PMI® Global Conference 2019! These one-on-one sessions allow you to discuss your project question or problem, get advice about navigating the project management career path, or talk through issues currently facing the profession from a trusted and established ProjectManagement.com expert. If you are attending Global Conference, sign-up for a session here. For those who will not be in Philadelphia, you can follow our Experts at Conference through the PMI Global Insights blog where they will share their experiences and insights from the event. Industry Discussion Threads: This year, PMI launched a new initiative focusing on four industry segments in the fields of IT, Finance, Government and Construction. As part of that focus, we have been highlighting some existing PM Network content on ProjectManagement.com in order to engage the community and learn more about specific industry needs. Check out the industry discussion threads in Project Management Central! Discover PMI - Ask Us Anything! Series: Learn more about PMI’s Job Board by viewing the latest session on-demand - Powering Your Career with PMI: Explore the PMI Job Board to Power You Career - featuring Ansley Stauffer. Project Health Framework: Join fellow community member, Uri Galimidi, as he discusses A Billion Dollar Project Health Framework in his eight part webinar series. You can now access Part 1 through Part 5 on-demand! Check the Live Webinars calendar for the remaining sessions. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to a member of the Community Engagement team – we’re happy to help you. As always, stay tuned to the Critical Path for your community news! |