You have probably heard of Positive Reinforcement training or ‘Clicker’ Training for your pets.  Believe it or not, those methods also work on wild animals such as lions, tigers, gorillas, alligators, elephants, and even birds of prey. What’s even more unbelievable is they work on people too. Learn a little bit about training animals while you learn how to deal with your difficult stakeholders.

Have you ever found yourself in this position? You're a rock-star project manager, and your project was successful. But within the year, the project's deliverables lie abandoned and the organization is already spinning up another project to solve the same business problem. What happened? How did everything go off the rails after you wrapped up the project? Projects are agents of change and, by nature, people resist change. As project managers, are we doing the things necessary in our projects to help prepare our stakeholders for change? Do our projects truly deliver business benefits, or do they just create deliverables? And what's the project manager's role in preparing the organization for change?

As the COVID-19 crisis spread to a global pandemic many businesses were forced to make a shift to a purely virtual landscape. This unprecedented mass shift forced leaders to scramble in an attempt to find solutions to the new challenges in communicating with their employees, keeping them engaged, and holding them accountable to ensure the business could continue as usual. Natalie Steck, CEO of Viewpath, is a natural leader and has navigated challenging roles in large and small firms with a focus on sales, marketing, talent management, and leadership. In this webinar, she shares her experience, challenges, best practices, and helpful tips on how to best lead virtual teams. 

The Scaled Agile Framework® (SAFe) was recently named the most widely used method for Scaling Agile from a team level to a Program and then Enterprise level, making the value of holding a SAFe Certification greater now more than ever before. With over 70% of the US Fortune 100 companies and government agencies like the DOD using SAFe; the demand for SAFe certified professionals is growing at an exponential rate. Many employers are seeking professional candidates who bring credentials that demonstrate their ability to work within a SAFe environment, as displayed and verified through a SAFe Certification.

The PMI Chapter Exchange is an 8 chapter collaborative group dedicated to holding multi-chapter events to promote diversity and project management values on a global stage.  This month we are joined by 3 panelists that review three books on digital transformation.

Project and Portfolio Management (PPM) tools can enable your organization by providing transparency, governance and the ability to manage work across remote, distributed teams.  But, how much do these tools cost? What functionality is going to cost us the most, and how can I ensure I maximize the value of our organization’s investment?

In this talk, Kim Essendrup of Kolme Group walks through the typical costs you can expect when implementing a PPM tool, and provides actionable advice on how to maximize the value of your PPM solution – whether you are looking for a tool now, or already have one implemented in your organization.

This is a presentation by Kevin Jacobs at the August 2020 Virtual Breakfast Meeting.

'I am a Project Manager.' 'I am a Business Analyst.' This is how you used to answer when asked 'What do you do?'  In today’s professional world, the line drawn between these two professions is increasingly blurry, and in some cases, non-existent, so answering this question has become much harder. Have you ever been asked to take on a hybrid project manager/business analyst role? Are you doing it now? Come join us as a panel of PMs and BAs discuss how these two professions are becoming increasingly more blended. If you can relate, please come and engage in the discussion and share your stories!

In this pandemic, portfolio risk management is no longer an option. In order to protect portfolio value, companies need to manage portfolio level risks as well as manage the risk tolerance in the portfolio. This presentation will cover both of these foundational aspects of portfolio risk management and leverage the recent experience of a financial services organization.

This presentation is an introduction of Kanban key concepts and a look at how these concepts play out in real-world applications.  Attendees should come away with an understanding of where it may fit in their organization and how to get started experimenting with implementing kanban.

The Agile mindset exists in all organizations and all aspects of work, making it relevant to college students. With Agile's penetration into all facets of a company, hiring managers now screen their new hires on the principles needed to be successful early in their careers.  Following feedback from industry advisory boards at universities and partnership with hiring organizations, project management, and agile concepts now populate course competencies and specific benchmarks across all disciplines.

Through this presentation, you will understand how Grand Canyon University's College of Science, Engineering, and Technology (CSET) has embedded Agile tools and knowledge into deliverables, lessons, and projects. You will see examples of the Agile artifacts the students create and the lesson plans used within a full project management class. As part of GCU's marketing to high school students, there are even Agile lessons designed to initiate students before they begin college. The collaborative presentation will include an opportunity to share your ideas for what else is needed and ask questions about the information presented.

Tired of sticky notes and whiteboard sessions? Mind Mapping is used in requirements gathering sessions and the construction of the WBS. Mind mapping has traditionally been presented as a tool for planning and organization, an effective way to develop, organize, and present multiple facets of the project plan. Primarily used for the construction of the WBS, advanced uses of this technique also simplify the complex process of communicating the project plan. When Mind Mapping is coupled with technology it simplifies the process and enhances communication. During this presentation, I will explain the mind mapping theory and how that theory can be applied to BAs and PMs. I will also demonstrate best practice techniques in mind mapping and how it relates to technology. Participants will learn how to simplify the project life cycle and improve the communication of a project plan.

This interactive talk explores the strategic importance of corporate culture for organizational moves towards Innovation. It shows which factors contribute to the success of Organizational Change towards Adaptability and Readiness, in a way that is thought-provoking, entertaining, and inspiring.

This was recorded at the June 2020 Virtual Breakfast Meeting (COVID Restrictions)

Presentation Title/Topic:

Panel Discussion on Project Management Books and Resources

Speakers: Panel

This is a self claim PDU Meeting.