It is no secret that our chapter runs on the hard work and effort of our volunteers. Every month we highlight the impact our volunteers have on our chapter and the Project Management profession. This month's volunteer spotlight is no different. 

Alyssa Stricklan is an excellent example of how the PMI Phoenix chapter supports the success of its members and how quickly our volunteers can make a difference in our community. 

PMI Phoenix VOTM and Intel Supply Chain guru, Alyssa Stricklan

If you want something done right the first time, you better call Alyssa. The first in her family to attend college, Alyssa continued the streak, accepting a job offer as a supply chain analyst with Intel immediately after graduating from ASU. Not one to stop learning, Alyssa then moved on to her next challenge – the PMP exam. "I'd be a lifelong student if I could.", Alyssa says as she starts to describe her experience studying for the PMP. It seems she has an order, "I enjoy the process and the focus on documentation and orientation towards detail."  

She took her PMP training to heart. "Even while I was still studying for my PMP, I knew I was going to volunteer in some facet. I love giving back to the organizations and groups that help me." Then, in August, everything fell into place. "I kept an eye out for opportunities, and once I read about the academic content manager position, I know that's what I wanted to do!"  

Alyssa joined the Academic Outreach team, where she was tasked with developing content for the Future Cities competition. As it turns out, Alyssa enjoys teaching as much as she does learning. The sole content creator for @Alyssa_SCM, a TikTok channel that teaches Supply Chain tips to other professionals, Alyssa used her skills to develop a simple presentation to teach 8th graders basic Project Management skills.  

"I am so happy to have already been able to make tangible material that is being put to use and know that more is needed and will make an impact in the community. I am also overjoyed to be a part of helping teachers and universities learn and teach about project management to the next generations." 

So what's next for the laser-focused chapter volunteer? She's currently transitioning to her new role as Supply Chain Solutions Engineer at Intel, something that seems perfect for a person with a passion for learning and acute attention to detail. She also likes to travel and find good reads to her home library of over 200 books. "I read a couple of hours each day." “I am constantly reading multiple books and buying more books. If there’s a bookstore, I’ll find it and come out with my arms full.” Her latest favorite? Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes.  Favorite travel destination? Italy.  “It’s the first place I went overseas, and I haven’t stopped thinking about every moment of being there nearly 10 years later. My love for travel and experiencing the world started there. Plus, the food!”

Alyssa on the hunt for books while on vacation in Italy!

Speaking of Year of Yes, Alyssa believes that everyone could find their volunteer opportunity with PMI Phoenix. "Absolutely do it! There are so many types of help needed and each person really can make a difference not just for the Phoenix chapter, but for PMI as a whole. The future of PMI is so exciting, and you could be a part of building and expanding that future."

Here is to the bright future of one outstanding PMI Chapter member and volunteer! Thank you, Alyssa!

WHAT IS THE PROGRAM?

This limited-time promotion provides chapters with Military Initiatives to offer Military/Veterans and their families the opportunity to save 25% on select PMI

e-Learning courses and PMI certification products.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

Veterans, Military, and their Families.

HOW DOES THE PROGRAM WORK?

Step 1: You promote the program to your network, members & prospective members, utilizing the digital flyer, email & social media messages with images provided to enable military, veterans, and their families interested to email a designated chapter leader (perhaps the chapter military liaison) for details. If

non-members reach out, we encourage you to offer a military guest passcode to allow for 1 free year of chapter membership.

Step 2: The military personnel, veterans, and/or members of their family purchases product at the PMI site and use the code to receive the additional 25%.

WHAT ARE THE PROGRAM BENEFITS TO THE CHAPTER?

• Opportunity to provide military, veterans and their families with additional savings in recognition of their
• Opportunity for the chapter to retain members and even acquire new
• Utilizing the chapter’s unique discount code will enable us to be able to provide you with data that will demonstrate your chapter’s military impact and influence.

Chapter Members Save 25% on the Following Certifications and Certification Renewal Fees

Project Management Professional (PMP)®

Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)® PMI Professional in Business Analysis (PMI-PBA)®

PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)®

Portfolio Management Professional (PfMP)® Program Management Professional (PgMP)® PMI Risk Management Professional (PMI-RMP)®

eLearning COURSES

The Complete Agile Project Manager

Effectively implementing agile practices requires grasping method- ologies, and fine tuning your team strategy. This 9-course series covers the full spectrum of essential aspects to successfully put agile practices into action. PDUs: 17.5

Introduction to Project Management

This online, self-paced series provides entry-level information on each Knowledge Area of the PMBOK® Guide–Sixth Edition and will enable you to effectively put project management principles to work at your own organizations. Each module features a pre- and post-assessment, allowing you to measure your progress. PDUs: 23

Project Management Basics - An Official PMI Online Course

Project Management Basics is the official PMI online course to build your project management skills and prepare for the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)® certification exam. Developed and created by PMI and validated by CAPM® and Project Management Professional (PMP)® certification holders, it is based on the PMBOK® Guide – Sixth Edition. PDUs: 23

Certification Maintenance Toolkit

This self-paced Certification Maintenance Toolkit supports the professional development of PMP® and PgMP® certification holders so they are prepared to meet the demands of today’s complex business environment. The toolkit includes 49 video-based modules, hundreds of

books, book summaries, videos, and other syndicated content. When you take this course, you’ll also be reinforcing key PM concepts, learning new best practices and becoming a more rounded Project Management Professional (and more attractive to future employers). PDUs: 30

Digital Intelligence Series

Why do project professionals need digital intelligence? Digitalization is shaking every industry and disrupting traditional business management approaches everywhere. This self-paced series focuses on ‘Digital Intelligence’ and the skills you need to remain competitive in an increasingly digital environment. The objective is for you to develop a strong understanding of relevant digital era concepts, digital tools/systems, and the features, platforms, and tools associated with social technology. Set yourself apart by becoming a more proficient Digital Practitioner. PDUs: 26.5

Project Management for Beginners

Project Management for Beginners is an introductory course which provides the foundational knowledge necessary to join a project team and can serve as the first step on your path to a project management career. Comprised of a selection of modules from our best-selling course Project Management Basics, this program will allow you to learn the language of project management and build confidence working in project environments. If you wish to continue your learning, the course contains a special offer to purchase the full Project Management Basics curriculum at a discounted rate.  PDUs: 4

 Offer valid until 31 December for US chapters with military initiatives. Cannot be combined with any other offer. For details on terms and conditions, visit PMI.org/terms.

Your Phoenix PMI Chapter is taking action to help stamp out hunger and to give the gift of food to our local community by sponsoring a Virtual Fund Drive for the benefit of the St. Mary’s Food Bank.  We are encouraging our members to help us in the effort during this holiday time of need by contributing any amount that you feel comfortable giving at  https://fundraise.stmarysfoodbank.org/give/t390061/#!/donation/checkout.

Inflation has exacerbated the already dire situation with hunger in the State of Arizona where there are now 1 in 4 children living in poverty.  Our PMI chapter has recognized the need to help address this situation by leveraging our partnership with St. Mary’s Food Bank to provide funds for this effort.  Your contribution will be instrumental in maximizing St. Mary’s resources by providing enough food for 7 meals with every $1 donated.  This means that your efforts will be multiplied by 7 and help stamp out hunger by feeding Arizona families. 

Your charitable giving in 2021 may provide an extra tax deduction on your federal tax return or a credit on your State of Arizona income tax return. Arizona allows you to take a dollar-for-dollar Arizona Charitable Credit on your state tax return when you donate up to $400 for single filers or $800 for married couples filing jointly to a qualified organization. The tax credit was previously known as the Working Poor Tax Credit.

Thank you for helping to alleviate hunger in Arizona!

Aaron started his journey to become a project manager from a developer path and feels strongly that his technical skills, along with learning the project management skillset led to his nickname, “the fixer.” His colleagues would describe him as the person to call for help.

Non-technical pms were causing a lot of noise amongst the development team and he came to the realization that it is hard to figure out technical problems while managing a project. “I got to a crossroads, it is very difficult to have a dual role, software developer and project manager. I did not want to water down both professions, so I chose project management. Fast-forward, my department saw the value of approaching problems from a technical perspective and I received more complex projects and the roadblocks led me to a formal PMP.”  Aaron expressed he would have been perfectly okay not taking the PMP and happy where he was at, but the study groups opened his eyes to the new tools in my toolbox and allowed me to be more preventative.

“The Chandler study group instructors who I most admired were, John Robertson, who used his knowledge on how to study and then Tom Wilp, an expert on the risk management process opened my eyes to be more proactive to consider risks so you have multiple options and plans you can put in place.” “I liked that I was in a classroom sharing styles and sharing of industries and was impressed that you could have the answers before a problem surfaced by using the risk management process so I could think of these things beforehand.”

Aaron Jang is happy to share his project management tips and is approached often with questions for but if they really knew what I was most proficient in they would ask me for cooking tips!

To learn more on how to successfully integrate ERP systems, you need to explore project management from the perspective of Dev Ops and what it takes for project results, a current trend in corporate information technology.

“Skills required for executing DevOps projects require you to be all in one, in technology and show good communication skills, leadership skills, collaboration skills and lead the team and also be a team player. However, the most important skill areas are dedication, interest, and passion,” Star Agile.

CHARLES SEYBOLD agrees that the days of the siloed project manager and “skilled” development team are becoming a thing of the past, thanks to the increasing complexity of dev projects.  That said, project management doesn’t happen magically, and it would be foolish to assume that just because someone is a skilled developer, they know how to manage a project. The most critical skills needed for this type of project are:

• Estimation and Scheduling, the estimation of a completion date triggers many other teams to perform their functions across the company and you need to sequence the work in the correct developmental order. A work breakdown schedule is essential
• Critical Communication, as a team, it’s essential to keep the lines of communication open for project updates. This includes having strong interpersonal skills, namely the ability to maintain clear team communication across the technical development and collaboration; complete document reviews and have succinct interactions about project deliverables and expectations. Ensure document sharing with searchable capability so team updates are enabled, and so there are no excuses for missed or mixed messages.
• Problem-Solving of issues still need to treat problem-solving as a skill that should be continuously strengthened so they can be dealt with efficiently before a situation spirals.
• Risk Management is another key to being proactive with agreed upon options that can mitigate the issue if an event occurs. It allows for the most realistic planning possible, requiring each team member to take accountability for precise timelines for their piece of the project. These timelines then roll up to the greater project plan and provide a more accurate estimation of completion date and potential pitfalls.

We presented our 2022 objectives, discussed what was accomplished in 2021, introduced the new board of directors and how we align to PMI Global 4.0.

Objective 1:

Improve Membership and Volunteer Recruitment Programs and Retention Strategy

Objective 2:

Increase Awareness of PMI Phoenix Chapter and PMI Global Product Offerings

Objective 3:

Broaden the Social Impact of the Chapter

2022 Board of Directors