His journey started when he attended a chapter evening meeting in 2016 and asked a volunteer, how can I could get involved? His goal was the thought of increasing his network. The volunteer guided him through the volunteer application process and he became a volunteer. Abhijit has been serving the Volunteer Management team since day 1.

How does the volunteer application process work? Once a volunteer submits an application, their credentials are validated and they are assessed for the best fit and connected with the teams of their choice and in some cases they are helped in choosing a team based on the applicant's interest and skills. The placement team interviews them and conveys the tasks that are most in need at the time. If the role is of interest to the applicant they are onboarded. Once onboarded they receive access to the Chapter tools needed to complete their duties and an email address which they use to conduct correspondence for Chapter business.

Abhijit Ganguly is most passionate about learning and adapting to stay relevant until the last day. His inspiration is doing the right thing and helping others in need. He is an honest and amiable person, one whom I have had the pleasure of being acquainted with for many years at American Express and the Chapter. Abhijit loves international travel and hopes to sky dive one day. His proudest moment, his son has his pick of military academies and settled on the Naval Academy. A proud Dad moment and its no surprise that he was a role model in paying humanity forward, even when no one is watching. You will see him in the community as he often supports veteran events and childhood cancer.

What has been rewarding about your volunteer service? Abhijit Ganguly shared, "I have an oppor-tunity to help volunteers onboard and set a connection with the Phoenix Chapter. I have made some great friends, increased my professional network, opportunity to learn from other PMPs, earned PDUs to manage my three PMI credentials and access to PMI Global Leadership forum. I feel I have developed and sharpened skills like leadership, collaboration and team-building." What would you say to new members or others considering volunteer work for the Chapter? Abhijit conveyed, "knowledge shared is knowledge gained, volunteering for the chapter is a great way to share and learn from fellow Project Managers. You not only get the required PDUs but have access to great resources like morning breakfast sessions, evening sessions, opportunity to build professional networking. There are various groups in the chapter to volunteer for catering to individual preferences."

The benefits of using an external risk consultant should include the following:

· They bring guaranteed expertise

· They can draw on proven solutions from other engagements

· Cross-fertilisation is possible, with the consultant bringing ideas from other industries

· They can offer creativity, innovation, and fresh thinking

· There’s no “start-up” time, the consultant is ready to work on day one, without training

· Consultants offer access to leading-edge thinking and practice

· Consultants should be familiar with all current tools and techniques

· They are able to perform specialist techniques, such as risk simulation

· Using a consultant allows hands-on training for own staff by shadowing or observing

· You can turn on and turn off the consultancy resource when required

· Using consultants allows cost-effective use of limited resources or funding

· You only need to use consultants for specific tasks with clear scope

· There are no overhead costs for your organisation

There are however a number of risks to consider when using an external risk consultant, including:

· The consultant may not understand your business or the specific risk challenge

· They may lack specific knowledge of your project or organisation or industry sector

· They may offer a “one-size-fits-all” solution, not tailored to your need

· Prerequisite information may not be in place to support the engagement

· You may need to share confidential information to get them started

· You need to manage knowledge transfer to own staff in order to avoid becoming dependent

· The initial engagement may reveal a need for further assistance from the consultant

· They may be more expensive than you expect, especially if follow-on work is needed

· They may not leave a solution that can be operated by your staff or organisation

· The consultant may use tools or techniques that you don’t have available after they leave

· Your underlying processes may be deficient, prejudicing results

· Consultants may poach your own staff or tempt them away

· Your proprietary information may be at risk

· The reality may not match the offer (many consultants over-promise and under-deliver)

· Senior risk consultant staff may sell the work but then junior staff may be used to deliver it

· The consultant may not be available when you need or want them

In addition to performing a benefit-risk analysis, the following criteria might be useful when selecting a risk consultant:

· Proven track record of successful delivery in similar situations

· Recognised and relevant risk qualifications

· Extensive client base in similar sector or industry or project types

· Good reputation

· Personal recommendation

· Demonstrable expertise

· Availability when required

· Affordable within budget

If you can find external risk consultants who meet all the selection criteria, and who offer all the benefits with none of the risks, you should engage them immediately!! 

To provide feedback on this Briefing Note, or for more details on how to develop effective risk management, contact the Risk Doctor (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), or visit the Risk Doctor website (www.risk-doctor.com).

One of her heros, her mom, Linda Urech introduced her to project management and advised her to get the PMP. Like many of us she needed a wake up call to heed the advice. Her employer, Accenture was reorganizing and provided training to obtain the PMP precertification training requirement through the recorded sessions by Barb Waters, on Skillsoft. They were gracious enough to provide three months to find another role internally or to exit. Her external job search quickly revealed that employers were looking for certifications on her resume. So Sarabeth quickly went to work in devising a plan to find her next role. She started asking others what they knew about the PMP, job seeking and how to pass the exam.

Changing her mindset was instrumental in her success. Sarabeth created a study plan and attacked it, taking advantage of her downtime to complete the PMP training. Be a chameleon and absorb the knowledge around you. Sarabeth Urech attended the New Member Orientation, and liked the warm reception on the call. "Members asked how they could help with the test and she got a couple of people to talk to, they provided her with resources to practice tests and everyone started to link up." Sarabeth said she received a warm welcome and collaborative support congratulating her on persoanl PMP journey. Support came from PMI LinkedIn connections around the world.

Sarabeth considers herself to be a generalist and a jack of all trades. Her hidden talent is mind reading when conversing with others. The skill comes from being an active listener and to being fully present, even on video calls. As you aborb and take the knowledge, give it back. She tries to mentor others to build her network and considers herself to be an extrovert. The PMP allows me to focus, manage stakeholders, problem solve and to connect people and technology. Sarabeth feels that good project managers have emotional intelligence and are an expert at asking good questions. She is now mentoring her work peers to help bring back the generalist, as well as how to build a network and is aiding others to build these skills.

Her advice for the exam? Sarabeth focused on the terms, taking copius notes and working equation examples. She then wrote it all out creating flashcards, watching YouTube on the concepts. "Use all the resources and look into all the resources that people tell you about. I respected their experience, I trusted other people's experience and learned from it and the chapter." On the new exam know the PMBOK processes and order. If taking the exam from your home office, move your personal cell phone out of the room to prevent distraction.

All of her hard work paid off. Sarabeth found an internal position with the help of a mentor, a new role within Accenture. They took note of her mindset change and her determination to pass the PMP. She is now working on a vendor project and is using it as a pilot for the PMBOK process. The learning journey continues and she shares the knowledge she obtains.

Sarabeth has a new ten year life plan with goals and beleieves, "when there are challenging circumstances look for the opportunities."

Change-makers rely on key capabilities to succeed:

• New ways of working, including agile, waterfall, and hybrid methodologies, and digital project management approaches such as problem-solving tools, AI-driven tools, and microlearning apps
• Power skills, such as collaborative leadership, innovative mindset, empathy for the voice of the customer, empathy for the voice of the employee, and the ability to build trusting relationships
• Business acumen, encompassing a well-rounded set of capabilities that enables people to understand not only their own roles, but how their work relates to business strategy and to other parts of the business

First, however, change-makers must have the means to acquire these capabilities. Continuous learning is the only way to thrive in today’s disruption-driven environment. Some of that can come through virtual education, which, especially since the pandemic began, is seemingly everywhere. But organizations that raise the bar by using AI to facilitate continuous, agile, and innovative learning—collaborative human-machine learning—are the ones that excel at driving change. Or, as a 2020 MIT Sloan Management Review report put it: “They don’t just use AI; they learn with AI.”22

It doesn’t matter what sector an organization is in, where it’s located, or even what is driving its strategic mission. It must be ready to adapt to whatever megatrend comes its way. And this is where the ecosystem of employees, partners, customers, and stakeholders committed to change truly proves its value.

“Rome wasn’t built in a day, nor was climate action or the diversity and inclusion agenda,” Coca-Cola HBC’s Dickstein said. “If you want change that is in itself sustainable, you need to do that together with the communities.”

Sources

22. “Expanding AI’s Impact with Organizational Learning,” MIT Sloan Management Review, October 19, 2020.