While cost management is viewed as a continuous process, it helps to split the function into four steps: resource planning, estimation, budgeting, and control. They are mostly sequential, but it’s possible that some resource changes happen midway through the project, forcing the budgets to be adjusted. Or the variances observed during the control process can call for estimate revisions. —PMBOK®

Skye Sandoval started volunteering the summer of 2020 for the study group after being a member of the chapter for five years. The areas he enjoys most is cost, managing the money and risk. His goals with volunteering are to meet people and to retain the PMP certification knowledge. He likes mentoring the small study group and was a trainer and mentor for the past ten years.  Skye is currently a mentee for scrum master and shared that “both the mentor and mentee gives knowledge in both directions like the hands of a watch. Skye describes himself as a visual learner so when he mentors, he tells them, shows them, and lets them try it. Basically, using all three types of learning to get the concept across. His emphasizes that “we are here to help each other. Together we can make a beautiful world if we all work together.”

If you take the PMP journey, remember you must be like Steve Jobs, stay hungry and stay foolish. If you fail it will help you learn how to do things right. Skye shared that it can be painful, but it makes you strong. Everyone gets discouraged but keep going and don’t stop.

I asked Skye how he manages projects, and his approach is to divide things into four like a box. The left side of the box is the most important, the right side is the backlog. I move things around in the box quadrants as the work and priority shifts. The bottom two boxes are to keep them in the forefront. “The box keeps it simple so I can build it like a pyramid and so I can see my day.”

If you meet up with Skye Sandoval, you will realize that he is a free spirt and has a hippie mentality at heart. To relax he does yoga several times a week. He credits his mom, a geologist who took him to visit geological points around history for helping him realize that “it takes time to build something just like our 15 billion years on earth.” To sum him up he shared that “he has never met a stranger. I have traveled all over the globe and aways find something in common with them"

Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) Specifics

This year ISEF will be hybrid - and we are recruiting hundreds of volunteers and judges both in-person in Atlanta, GA (May 10) and virtually (May 4 and 5). Please see below the three types of volunteers needed.  Please sign up by April 29.

Judges (in-person and virtual)
Finalists overwhelmingly say that the most significant interactions that they have at the fair are with the judges. Requires either an advanced degree, or a minimum of six years related professional experience beyond receiving a B.A., B.S., or Master’s degree.
Click here to learn more and apply
Interpreters (in-person and virtual)
ISEF is an international competition! All langauges are needed but in particular Arabic, Thai, Turkish, Spanish and Portuguese. The minimum time commitment is 4 hours.
Click here to learn more

Judging Proctor (virtual only)
Learn more about the projects, prepare the student competitor(s) for judging and provide adult supervision to ensure appropriate behavior during judging. Volunteers just need reliable internet access. The minimum time commitment is 4.5 hours.
Learn More and sign up
Join us to help these top young scientific minds come together to showcase their talent and compete for nearly $5 million in prizes and scholarships.

PMI Phoenix Specific Information

• Judges should sign up via the links above.
• List PMI Phoenix as the organization that you are representing.
• Send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to let him know that you are participating in this endeavor.
• Track the hours that you spend performing your feedback responsibilities.
• If you do have questions regarding this, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The report findings are based on a global survey of 4,069 individuals who are regularly tasked with leading or facilitating the delivery of projects, programs, and portfolios. The Top 10 Percent is comprised of 230 PMOs that outperform their peers by attracting and retaining talent, using innovation and technology to enhance measurement, and achieving greater influence and more successful project outcomes. These leading PMOs are more aligned with organizational strategy and are considered by executive leaders to be strategic partners. In fact, the Top 10 Percent outperformed organizations overall in 2020 across revenue, customer acquisition, customer satisfaction, and Environmental, Sustainability, and Governance (ESG) indicators. 

“Project professionals play a key role in driving economic growth and impact around the globe,” said Michael DePrisco, Interim President & CEO and Chief Operating Officer of PMI. “PMI and PwC’s extensive global research offers invaluable and actionable insights on how PMOs can increase both the value and influence of their work. By elevating the perception of project managers as strategic partners, PMOs can effectively turn ideas into reality and create lasting business results.”

Narrowing the Talent Gap

The first report in the series, Narrowing the Talent Gap, identifies the five capabilities that are critical to the successful delivery of projects: relationship building, collaborative leadership, strategic thinking, creative problem solving, and commercial awareness. The report finds the Top 10 Percent place greater emphasis on recruiting individuals with these skillsets and cultivating them through learning and development programs. They are also more likely to proactively navigate demographic trends and cultural shifts in the workplace, such as working towards increasing the diversity of candidates, upskilling young people in under-represented communities, extending recruiting beyond the area local to the role, and offering flexible working schedules.

Measuring What Matters

The second report, Measuring What Matters, examines how the Top 10 Percent have increased the number and variety of metrics, beyond the traditional scope, schedule, and budget parameters, to tell a more compelling story around project innovation and success. They ensure key performance indicators are fully aligned with the wider organization’s strategic goals, and they prioritize communication and transparency around projects with their C-Suite executives. The Top 10 Percent are also more likely to have invested in technology, including strategy execution management technology and benefit realization tools, that facilitates measurement and reporting.

PMO Maturity

The third report in the series, PMO Maturity, introduces the first-of-its-kind Global PMO Maturity Index, examining how often the most advanced PMOs perform a range of activities linked to value creation across five key dimensions: governance, integration and alignment, processes, technology and data, and people. The report concludes that the Top 10 Percent have an average maturity score of 94.9 out of 100, allowing them to have greater influence and impact in their organization and ultimately deliver more successful project outcomes. These PMOs create long-term value by pushing their scope beyond good governance, which encompasses the more “typical” activities of a PMO, and into areas like talent development, technology adoption, and strategic influence. 

“Project professionals have a vital role to play as the world navigates ongoing change and uncertainty,” said DePrisco. “We increasingly see PMOs moving beyond the tactical execution of projects and performing a wider range of activities that drive strategic value for their organizations, as evidenced by this series of reports. To become a strategic partner within their organizations, PMOs must understand the attributes and strategies exhibited by the leading organizations highlighted in this research.” 

About the reports

In July and August 2021, PMI and PwC conducted a global survey of 4,069 people involved in leading or facilitating the delivery of projects, programs, and portfolios. The survey sample was wide-ranging and included individuals with formal project management qualifications and those with job titles such as project/program/ portfolio manager, as well as those in less formal project management roles, and initiative and workstream leaders. The executive viewpoint was also well represented, with the survey capturing 1,348 C-suite responses.
The series of complete reports is available at https://www.pmi.org/learning/thought-leadership. 

Here is why:

• Their mission, “The American Red Cross prevents and alleviates human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors”, aligns with the goals of the chapter.
• Their inclusive vision: “The American Red Cross, through its strong network of volunteers, donors, and partners, is always there in times of need. We aspire to turn compassion into action so that:           
  • All people affected by disasters across the country and around the world receive care, shelter, and hope
  • Our communities are ready and prepared for disasters
  • Everyone in our country has access to safe, lifesaving blood and blood products
  • All members of our armed services and their families find support and comfort whenever needed
• In an emergency, there are always trained individuals nearby, ready to use their Red Cross skills to save lives. The American Red Cross works to deliver vital services- from providing relief and support to those in crisis, to helping communities be prepared to respond in emergencies.
• An average of 90 cents of every dollar spent is invested in delivering care and comfort to those in need. “Everything we do depends on the needs of the people that we serve”.
• Charity Navigator (charitynavigator.org) scores The American Red Cross as 88.99/100, with a program expense ratio (percent of total expenses spent on programs and services it exists to deliver) of 90.2% and an impact score (actual impact on the lives of those it serves) of 100/100.

As you can expect, The American Red Cross is actively involved in relief efforts in Ukraine.  Many of us have seen stark images of the toll the war has taken on those who live there.  Close to 3 million people have been forced to leave their homes to date.  The Red Cross is providing lifesaving aid to those in need- both in the country and in neighboring areas.  Refugees urgently need food, water, shelter, emergency medical care, and psychological support.  Red Cross volunteers are also planning to work to reunite separated families, provide food and other household items, and increase awareness about areas contaminated by unexploded ordnance.  More detail about how the Red Cross is helping amidst the devastation in Ukraine can be found here:  https://www.redcross.org/about-us/news-and-events/news/2022/ukraine-red-cross-delivers-aid-to-families.html

The Red Cross urgently needs funds to continue to support its mission in Ukraine for whatever is needed most (blood, food, shelter, clothing, and refugee support).  To this end, PMI Phoenix is conducting a national virtual donation effort so other PMI members or concerned citizens can join us.  The chapter plans to match each dollar donated by members up to $500 so we can reach a goal of $ 5,000 together. 

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