Welcome to the asapm September-October 2005 email Newsletter!
This is an Opt-in Newsletter. Subscribe/unsubscribe information is at the end of this Newsletter. This Newsletter is in html, with links to the asapm website. Enjoy!
In This Issue
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1. PrezSays: Lew Ireland writes about Katrina and PM Competence
2. asapm Appoints Ed Fern as Education Director
3. Improve Project Sponsorship! Please Complete This Survey
4. asapm Marketing Report, by New Director of Marketing Morgan Henrie
5. Certification News: U.S.A. NCB Goes to Editor;
6. Duncan Cites Local, Global Standards Progress
7. Raffle #1 Has a Winner, Project Summit Raffle #2 Opens
8. Lew Ireland Writes: Small Project Lessons for Big Projects
9. IPMA News and Third Quarter Newsletter Posted
10. asapm promotes ProjectWorld Conference, Orlando Nov. 15-17
11. Russ Archibald Awarded Honorary Degree
12. Stacy Goff on Risk Management, Key to Project Intelligence
13. Ed Fern Writes: Lessons Not Learned?
14. asapm Links a Lot
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1. PrezSays: Lew Ireland writes about Katrina and PM Competence
The recent disasters caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita have again raised the need for project managers to apply their
Competences for disaster recovery from the devastation and human suffering in five or more Southern States --
Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. Some States were more affected by the hurricanes than others,
but all suffered loss of life and property. As individuals, our hearts go out to those suffering from the
hurricanes and those who have lost loved ones. As project managers, we need to think about how we could possibly
speed the recovery to some normalcy of life for the victims. To go to Lew's observations,
click this link.
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2. asapm Appoints Ed Fern as Education Director
Education Director Donna Fitzgerald has stepped down, due to work commitments. She will continue to help asapm,
especially in the area of PMCoPs, Project Management Communities of Practice. Thanks for all your efforts, and continued support, Donna!
The asapm Board has appointed Ed Fern, M.S., PMP, to fill the remainder of Donna's term. Ed has been one of our most active asapm members, with his involvement and then Chair of the 2004 and 2005 Elections committee, and other ventures. He has provided some of our most popular articles, and in his spare time, has updated his certification prep site (see the Competence Enabler program) for the Third Edition. Watch our website for Ed's initiatives.
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3. Improve Project Sponsorship: Please Complete This Survey!
asapm has been asked to add the insight of our members and friends to an important survey on the role of Project Sponsors.
We've completed the survey, and it was not difficult; the survey writer's estimates of how long it should take to complete are pretty good.
For our International readers, your insights would be especially helpful. Please add your perspective to their results! Below is their
communication to us.
The purpose of this communication is to ask for your help as we conduct research on project sponsor behavior. We are soliciting opinions from both managers and executives from a wide variety of industries, functional areas, and geographical locations on the role executives play as project sponsors. Regardless of whether or not you personally serve as either a project manager or sponsor, you (as a manager or executive in an organization in which projects occur) have valid experiences and opinions regarding sponsor behavior.
In order that we may effectively bring together the opinions of a variety of people, we have created a list of project sponsor behaviors. We would like you to tell us how important (or not) each behavior is in your opinion. The list or survey should take about 15 minutes to complete. Importantly, we do not ask you to identify your name, your company, or specific projects.
We believe this research is very important and hope that you will provide us with your input. Please click on this link to access the survey. We will provide a summary of the results to those who participate. Thank you very much for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Tim Kloppenborg, Debbie Tesch, Chris Manolis. (all of Williams College of Business, Xavier University)
Mark Heitkamp of American Modern Insurance
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4. asapm Marketing Report, by New Director of Marketing Morgan Henrie
As your Marketing Director, it is a pleasure and a challenge to be a member of the organization and have an opportunity to provide some
assistance toward plans that will help expand asapm. Looking back on asapm’s formation, the board has consistently
identified that our organization needs your support. In the very first newsletter it was identified that we, the members, need to create
and sustain the organization and its programs. The validity of this statement is as important in 2005 as it was in 2003. The organization
continues to grow through the efforts of the members.
To expand the opportunities for growth, some questions that are worth asking yourself include: What have I done to help asapm grow recently? Have I mentioned asapm to those with whom I work? Did I mention asapm in a project meeting or during a presentation? I know we are all busy with a personal life and work life, (hopefully in that order, although, project managers tend to work the other way around), but membership and involvement should be synonymous. So, the next time you are asked to make a presentation, consider placing the asapm l ogo on your Power Point Slides. Someone might notice and want to know more. It only takes a few seconds to click and paste it in.
Also, take a look at the asapm web site as there is a chance to win a Free ticket to the Project Summit conference this fall. One of the two tickets has been awarded, but there is still time to win the remaining ticket. Additionally, we’ve worked with ProjectWorld & The World Congress for Business Analysts conference committee for a 25% asapm member discount. This conference will be held at the Disney World Contemporary Resort, Orlando, FL. Nov. 15-18, 2005 (see more details below).
Keep checking the asapm Web site for similar announcements to come. We continue to look for ways to enhance our membership value by finding other cost saving opportunities.
While you are taking a few minutes out of your project time and catching up on the latest project management happenings, check out the International Project Management Day web site, www.internationalpmday.org. You’ll find some interesting information on this effort to recognize project managers and their teams. You might even find interesting articles from some of our own asapm board members.
Finally, don’t forget to sign up and become involved in the asapm Open Standards Development Session, November 6-7, 2005 in Waltham, MA. asapm members receive a $30 discount. For everyone else, it is still a bargain. Bill Duncan, asapm’s Director of Standards, is working hard so that this session will develop “practical, useful guidance to help project managers on the job,” something we can all appreciate. As the need for faster, cheaper, and better continues to challenge projects, having real, practical, and useful guidance is essential.
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5. Certification News: U.S.A. NCB Goes to Editor
The greatest challenge on our critical path for asapm's Competence-Based Project Management Certification program, our
National Competence Baseline, is now with our editor. We plan to have downloadable versions of the document on our PMCert website
by mid October. Many volunteer hours of effort from dozens of people have gone into this work since we posted the draft version on the
website in January.
USA-NCB is the foundation of not only our Certification program, but also the framework for the professional development for all levels of program and project managers and project practitioners. Working with IPMA's well-established v2.0 International Competence Baseline and the draft 3.0 version, we have focused on the Elements of Competence, and the Knowledge, Experience, Personality Attributes and Competences that distinguish effective practitioners from all the rest.
A team has completed and validated the test question database for the certification levels IPMA Level D® and IPMA-C (asapm Certified Project Practitioner and asapm Certified Project Manager). Our next step will be to update asapm's Competence Model to reflect the revised NCB Elements and key Competences. And then, we will begin staffing our PMCert certification group with Assessors, Product Managers and other key roles so we can begin our certifications. If you are interested in filling a PMCert role, watch the PMCert website, because PMCert Chair Ron Waller is developing position descriptions for the open positions.
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6. Duncan Cites Local, Global Standards Progress
Bill Duncan, asapm Director of Standards, has two initiatives he is working on to help advance the practice of project
management, not just in the USA, but worldwide.
The first initiative is our special Open Standards Development Session, scheduled for November 6-7, in Waltham, MA. Standards under discussion include identification of first principles to support development of a theory of project management, guidance on conducting lessons learned sessions, performance-based Competences for project managers, logic diagramming, and organizational competence.
The second initiative is longer term: asapm is a participant (thanks to Bill's efforts) in the development of Global Performance Based Stamdards for Project Management. The comments period is over, but you can still gain a lot of insights by reading it. When approved, the standard will be available for free, in order to facilitate the development of reliable public and private assessment and certification programs around it. For more about this initiative, and to download the draft, go: www.globalPMstandards.org.
In the meantime, for those who have recently missed their "Duncan Dose", there is an article waiting for you at the Chief Project Officer site (it may require a free site registration). We think it will Totally Float your boat. Bill has teamed with Stephan Devaux to present Steve's long-awaited discussion on DRAG. The article is: Scheduling is a DRAG. Gee, maybe DRAG (Devaux's Removed Activity Gauge) should be a topic in the Open Standards Development Session!
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7. Raffle #1 Has a Winner, Project Summit Raffle #2 Opens
Once again, asapm is helping promote the best PM-related Conferences. ProjectSummit & BusinessAnalystWorld combines
proven PM with the methods that will help provide better requirements. The new BOK Guide's revised Statement of Work will
help drive the demand for better Requirements.We worked with Conference Event Director Adam Kahn last year, and that event was the year's most successful show that we
helped promote. Successful for asapm because of the exposure we received, and successful for his organization, for
its turnout and the quality of the presentations.
The Particulars:
Mid-Atlantic Conference: Sheraton Premier at Tysons Corner, October 17-20, 2005
New England Conference: Boston Marriott Burlington, October 24-27, 2005
The Conferences feature 2 days of Pre-Symposium Workshops, and 2 days for the Symposium. The Symposium has four PM tracks and three tracks for Business Analysts. Attendees can pick and choose sessions from any track, to broaden your experience.
Register Now!
asapm members and friends who receive this newsletter receive a discount of $50 off the lowest current registration
price (excludes group and corporate pricing and can not be applied with any other discount). Be sure to use or mention the
asapm source code: ASAPM to receive your $50 discount.
Raffle For Free 2-day Symposium Pass
We have a winner for our first Symposium Pass, announced in the last newsletter. We will raffle off one more pass for the readers of
this newsletter: if you are interested in a free pass for the 2-day session in Boston, October 24-27, send email to us. You have just 2 weeks to sign up: On October 10th we'll
draw from the entries we receive, notify you, and announce the winner on our website.
For more information about these two Conferences, click the links under The Particulars above, or go to the Events page at the asapm website.
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8. Lew Ireland Writes: Small Project Lessons for Big Projects
Large projects costing millions of dollars are truly exciting and get a lot of attention. They hold the promise of many benefits for
the customer and large profits for the organization managing the project. Those who excel on large projects also gain a reputation that
creates an aura of project management expertise. Large projects are often represented by the organization as challenging, but there were
no errors that could not be overcome.
We know, however, that large projects have challenges that arise from unanticipated situations that occur in small projects as well. Small projects can provide lessons learned that alerts project managers of large projects of the potential for failure. Simple errors in drawings, for example, can lead to major efforts at rework and costly delays in the schedule. Using the wrong parts or a wrong interpretation of instructions will typically cause rework and additional labor efforts to disassemble a component before the rework.
Editor's Note: We think Lew's story about this special Small Project is your feel-good read of the Summer! Click here to read his article.
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9. IPMA News and Third Quarter Newsletter Posted
The biggest news on the IPMA (International Project Management Association) scene is the November Congress in India, reported last newsletter.
This is the first World Congress ever held outside of Europe. In addtion to the items listed in the program,
we understand that one of asapm's hardest-working members will be recognised at the Congress for his contributions to the World of PM.
There will be many asapm speakers at the Congress, and many additional USA contributors, including our friend Hugh Woodward at
PMForum, and thousands of other truly world-class project managers in attendance. Next year, the World
Congress is in China; see you there!
IPMA has two major meetings each year. In addition to other business, this just-completed meeting in Paris last weekend heartily acknowledged asapm's efforts and contributions, according to Bill Duncan, who represented asapm at the meeting.
IPMA's 3rd Quarter Newsletter is available on the asapm website. And for those who don't wish to wait for us to post it, it is now available on the "front page" of the IPMA site. Before, it was a bit hard to find.
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10. asapm promotes ProjectWorld Conference, Orlando, Nov. 15-18, 2005
asapm is once again helping promote this year's ProjectWorld conference. This one is in sunny Orlando, Florida, and is scheduled for November 15-18
at the Walt Disney World Contemporary Resort.
Here are the ProjectWorld Organizer's reasons why this is a must-attend event for you:
• Project Fever! Take back innovative ways to collaborate to ensure
project success
• Not Just Another Theory. Uncover techniques to develop a realistic and
applicable project plan for your
projects and your organization
• Get practical advice on how you can gain the support of sponsors and
overcome management opposition
• Develop your knowledge management skills and become an enabler of
better business analysis,
decision-making, and problem solving
• Delve in and accurately and efficiently identify all key stakeholders for
optimum requirements development
• Discover what constitutes effective project management behavior and
compare how you measure up
• Don’t wait for success to come to you! Arm yourself with valuation
methods to ensure successful project
management decisions
asapm members and friends benefit from an 25% discount off the standard conference price. The priority code is: XM171920ASAPM. To see more details, click here to go directly to the ProjectWorld site.
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11. Russ Archibald Awarded Honorary Degree
asapm member Russ Archibald was recognized at the Lille Graduate School of Management with a Doctor of Philosophy
in Strategy, Programme & Project Management. Russ has been active worldwide in improving local practice of Project Management, especially
in developing countries. We are noting his honor on the front page of our website for this
month, with a link to more information in the asapm News section.
We all offer you a well-deserved congratulations, Russ!
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12. Stacy Goff on Risk Management, Key to Project Intelligence
asapm Vice President 2001-2007 Stacy Goff will be presenting his paper at the IPMA India Congress in November. The title, Risk
Management, Key to Project Intelligence, reflects his work and observations for over 20 years in advancing the re-use of Risks, Responses, and
surprisingly related bits of additional Project Intelligence.
See Stacy's article here.
And, for those who are attending the Congress in India and have not completed their arrangements, Stacy has (in his typical Risk Management approach) researched shots, hotels, visas, and tours in preparation for his India trip. Questions? Contact asapm!
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13. Ed Fern Writes: Lessons Not Learned?
Between updating his PM certification prep website and scooting off to Eastern Europe, Ed took the time to opine about the recent storms, and
other events. His assertion: we aren't applying our Lessons Learned! See Ed's article here.
Gee, maybe we should start a virtual hall of dishonored projects!
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14. asapm Links A Lot
This section is for information and links of interest to Project Managers.
a. Bob Youker is starting an Online Project Management Community of Practice on Work Breakdown Structures.
b. Rose Johnston, with her involvement in Business Development Institute International and with the Association of Proposal Management Professionals, keeps drumming up new Job Postings. And we have received another one from other sources.The recent posts on the Jobs Board may interest you. To check out our Jobs Board, click here.
If you have a job to post, email our webmaster at asapm Jobs Board and we'll post it for 3 months, or until you tell us it is filled.
c. This Summer must be a bit slow: Among our top-visited web pages recently is Project Millstones, our humor page. And for some reason, there has been an increase in interest in our Yeti game (scroll to the bottom of the long page), with three successive new Top Scores in the last month. Refreshed monthly, we welcome your PM-related humor at Project Millstones.
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__________________________
Stacy Goff, PMP
asapm Vice President 2001-2007