Welcome to the asapm June 2010 Newsletter! Welcome to the asapm June 2010 Newsletter!
This is an Opt-in Newsletter from asapm, the American Society for the Advancement of Project Management. We are USA-IPMA, the USA member association of International Project Management Association. Enjoy!
In This Issue
1. Change Agents: President's Message, by Stacy Goff
2. Young Crew: 2010 IPMA Young Project Manager Call for Nominations
3. Duncan Expounds on The Future of Project Management
4. asapm 2010 Elections this Month; Nominations Still Open
5. asapm 2010 Dialogue Webinar Series Update
6. International PM Researchers Request Your Survey Participation
7. IPMA World Congress Abstracts Due Date Extended to June 30
8. The Unspoken Additional Constraint of Project Management
9. asapm Partnering With Sept. 19-21 2010 Resource Planning Summit
10. aPRO Update; International Interest Soars
11. More asapm-related News
1. Change Agents: President's Message, by Stacy Goff
Our Change Agents blog embraces the change that the practice of Project Management brings to the USA, and to Society. We post below teasers from this month's triple header of blog postings; click the bold, italicized heading to see the whole posting.
Working Towards PM Perfect, Now and Free
We participated in a Decision Sciences Institute conference in Toledo in April, and it was a very interesting event. A combination of practitioners and educators with a learning focus, the variety of papers presented was impressive. We presented on the educational outreach opportunities of aPRO, the asapm Performance Rated Organization standard for organizational performance assessment, improvement and certification. Drs. Gary Klein and Neeraj Parolia presented our unique SCiPM program–which generated great interest among the participants.
Exploring Perfect, Now and Free
But the purpose of this posting is to acknowledge the paper of one of the participants, who appears to have a clear grasp of what project stakeholders really want. Ms. Pushpa Agrawal, from the MBA Program Office, University of Nebraska at Kearney, is the presenter who impressed us with her insights. She spoke of the “voice of the customer”, in acknowledging that while Perfect, Now and Free is (currently) unachievable, that is what every customer (and manager) desires. More
======================================
2. Young Crew: 2010 IPMA Young Project Manager Call for Nominations
Looming Due Date: IPMA's Young Crew has called for nominations for the 2010 IPMA Young Project Manager Award. Introduced in 2006 at the IPMA Young Crew conference in Shanghai, China, the IPMA Young Project Manager Award recognizes rising talent in the project and program management industries by honoring young project managers for their accomplishments early in their careers. These honorees have demonstrated invaluable impact to both their profession and their companies, and are on the fast track to becoming influential project leaders on an international scale.
The IPMA Young Project Manager Award is open to project managers ages 18 to 35 at the time of application who have worked or are currently working on a project for at least six months. The criteria for evaluation of the award are based upon the International Competence Baseline (ICB), and finalists will be chosen based upon the strength of their overall nomination package. Members and non-members of IPMA are eligible to apply. Finalists will each receive a financial sponsorship of 1,500€ to attend the IPMA Young Crew Conference and Workshop in Istanbul, Turkey October 30-November 3 2010.
This year, Young Crew has implemented an online application. Access the application at SurveyMonkey. All applications must be completed by midnight Eastern Standard Time (EST) on June 30, 2010. In addition, Young Crew has selected an esteemed award jury that will assist in selecting the finalists for the award. See more information about the award at the IPMA website. IPMA is also looking for two additional professionals to join the jury. If you have any suggestions, please send an email to ycaward@ipma.ch. See the full press release at the asapm website.
======================================
3. Duncan Expounds on The Future of Project Management
To begin, I should note that I have no special knowledge, skills, or experience that would qualify me to predict the future. I have never won the lottery. The stocks I buy go down. My favorite sports teams only win when I don’t bet on them. As a result, I have placed bets on Brazil, Spain, Italy, Argentina, and Portugal to win the World Cup in hopes that this strategy will allow the USA to sneak through.
On the other hand, my oldest son was wise enough at the age of 8 to suggest that we plan on rain any time the meteorologist predicted sunshine. And there are a great many economists, politicians, and central bankers who make a good living without ever being right. So if we view the glass as “half full,” then I can assure you that my predictions should be treated with the same reverence as those of Alan Greenspan.
Why Try to Predict the Future?======================================
4. asapm 2010 Elections this Month; Nominations Still Open
Watch for your ballot for the 2010 asapm elections. The asapm Board positions that are up for election in 2010 are Vice President and Director of Standards, and we invite you to sign up, or to nominate a colleague (with their permission). See the asapm website for the descriptions of the offices and the responsibilities. asapm is increasingly engaging members in the wide range of programs we are managing,. Even if you are not interested in running for office, we encourage you to look at the activities of each Board Member, and volunteer to serve on one of the Board's project teams.
The current office-holders are not running for re-election. VP Richard Toledo is currently heads-down on an exciting new start-up, and Director of Standards Tim Jaques is completing his super-human efforts as Project Manager of asapm's aPRO project. To submit a nomination, either for yourself, or for another member, for the open offices, contact asapm VP Richard Toledo (Elections Committee Chair).
======================================
5. asapm 2010 Dialogue Webinar Series Update
A. Announcing the next event in the asapm 2010 Dialogue Series: Perspectives on Project Success; Excellence in Project Management, featuring Tim Jaques and Frank Saladis.
Event Date: July 1
Time: 3:00PM EDT
Registration: Dialogue@asapm.org.
Cost: One Hour of Your Time
What does project success mean to you? On time? On budget? Happy customer? Positive ROI? The July 1 2010 Dialogue Series webinar will explore interpretations of project success by looking at classic definitions, case studies, and even some off beat definitions. In this intriguing 60 minute dialogue, you will have an opportunity to participate in a conversation that has vexed project managers and sponsors for decades. We will look at failed projects that have survived the test of time, and successful projects that failed miserably in the long run.
This Dialogue is for:
Register now, and plan to get your Managers and Customers/Clients to participate with us July 1!
B. Recap of Our June 3 Dialogue Series Event, aPRO Overview: When Project Performance Counts
The June 3 Dialogue Series event was a great initial offering, with Tim Jaques, Dino Eliadias, and William Duncan exploring and expounding upon asapm's Performance Rated Organization standard, process, and assessor training. Webinar participants asked great questions; the questions and their answers will be posted to the aPRO FAQs page.
This was an historic event for asapm. Although we have made significant use of virtual tools for project teams and board meetings, this was the first public webinar asapm has held. The webinar was sponsored by Real-Life Projects, Inc. (www.RLPRJ.com), and CEO Alex S. Brown coordinated the webinar tools, connection, moderator role, and q&a. Post-production, he edited and sent the recorded files in multiple formats, so those who missed the live session can still benefit from it (see below). Thanks Alex!
Gold Sponsor: Real-Life Projects, Inc. Alex S. Brown, CEO; www.RLPRJ.com. Thanks again, Alex!
C. About the asapm Dialogue Series
The asapm Dialogue Series strives to increase knowledge and share viewpoints in the area of project management. The Dialogue Series is intended for Managers, Sponsors of projects, projects practitioners, and students of project management.
: Visit asapm for the full schedule of 2010 Dialogue Series events.
======================================
6. International PM Researchers Request Your Survey Participation
Creating Business Value from IT Projects: Contribute to Competent and Performing PM by Sharing your Experience! An International award-winning research team launches a global study to explore the practices project managers use to assure that their efforts deliver business value.
If you are an asapm and/or IPMA program/project manager of IT-enabled business projects and are willing to spare 25 minutes to share your experience in your last major project, please visit (https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/asapm), complete the survey, and request your copy of the findings.
The survey is active now and part of an ongoing program of research that will be available until July 15. To learn more about the research this team has developed, see www.PMPerspectives.org
Editor's Note: We receive many requests a year from from Doctoral candidates, marketers, and accomplished, recognized PM researchers, who would like our members to participate in their surveys. When we feel the surveys are relevant to our members, we pass them along in this newsletter. This is, as mentioned above, an award-winning research team, that has researched and presented in topics surrounding IT PM at a variety of major conferences.
The survey does appear to require good project records, recent experience, and, in our opinion, may require more than the estimated 25 minutes of your time. If you are a member of the survey's target audience, we ask that you contribute to the practice of PM by participating in the survey. As mentioned, participants have the option to receive the survey results. Thanks!
======================================
7. IPMA 2010 World Congress Abstracts Due Date Extended to June 30
Potential World Congress presenters now have a bit of extra time to complete and submit your abstracts for the November 1-3 2010 event in Istanbul. And a reminder, Speakers who are members receive an additional 150 discount. That makes the price 700€, rather than 850€. Thanks to Congress Chair, Prof. Dr. Çetin Elmas, President of Project Management Association in Turkey, for making this event even more attractive to speaking members of the IPMA Family.
The IPMA Council of Delegates participants viewed the latest version of the promotional video in late March, and were very impressed; see what you think! The second release of the Congress Brochure is also available, showing the timing of all the key events, the Scientific (or Research), and Practical Streams of the Congress, and the evening events that are always a highlight of the IPMA Family experience.
Here are the important dates, for those who intend to present papers:
Abstract Submission Deadline: 30 June 2010
Final Paper Submission Deadline: 30 July 2010
Final Announcement With List of Accepted Papers: 15 August 2010
Registration of persons submitting papers Deadline: 15 September 2010
Congress Dates: 1-3 November 2010
For those who have not produced an abstract for an IPMA World Congress before, there is an automated submission process, but it is good to prepare your abstract in a document before you go online. Here are some suggestions:
Contact Stacy Goff if you have any questions about your Abstract Submission. But don't delay; it appears that not only is the venue hotel filling up, the nearby hotels are quickly filling as well. The Turkish organizers have arranged very reasonable rates for the recommended hotels, compared to the rates we found at our favorite travel websites. See you in Istanbul!
======================================
8. The Unspoken Additional Constraint of Project Management,
by Hamilton, Byatt, and Hodgkinson
Whether you are a novice just embarking upon your career in project management or a seasoned veteran, you are most likely familiar with the project management concept of the “triple constraint”. The triple constraint of Scope, Time and Cost (Editor’s note: Or sometimes, Time, Cost, and Performance) is perhaps as well recognized within project management as Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is recognized by practitioners of psychology. Nowadays, three extra constraining factors of managing Risk, Resources, and Quality are often added to the “original triple”, making a total of six factors (or constraints) of project management. The Project Management Institute’s PMBOK® Guide, 4th Edition is an example of a recognized Standard that incorporates this thinking.
We put forward that there exists an important additional constraint to managing projects which is always considered in project needs but not necessarily thought of as a key constraint: ‘user or customer satisfaction’. More
======================================
9. asapm Partnering With Sept. 19-21 2010 Resource Planning Summit
Mark your calendar for the September 19-21 Resource Planning Summit, in La Jolla, CA, just North of San Diego. asapm has participated in Dick Rutledge's events twice in the last several years, and have always been impressed with this Dean of the PM Conference world. Originator of the Project Leadership Conferences in the 1990s, others "went to school" on Dick's conferences, to discover the secret sauce of successful conferences. In our recollection, he and Adam Kahn (now running the ProjectSummit series) wrote the book in the 1990s on how to hold a rewarding and useful PM conference. See this trip report from several years ago to understand how jazzed we are by Dick Rutledge's conferences:
Trip Report from June 2006: Delivering Project Excellence; Dick Rutledge Delivers!
In the May-June 2006 newsletter we mentioned the 2006 Delivering Project Excellence Conference, held June 5-7 in Scottsdale. Now we all know that when we see Dick Rutledge's name associated with a Conference, if at all possible, we must attend!
Why did we like this Conference? Let us count the ways!
First, the audience is primarily Enterprise Executives who are involved with Project and Program Management—that's one of our top three priority audiences. And the insight of the people we spoke with, about the state of PM, their current needs, and what they expect from their PMs (surprise: Competence) was incredible.
The presentations were great; especially relevant for us was Janet Carmosky, who shared excellent insights on Project Management in China; especially helpful given the IPMA World Congress in Shanghai this year. In addition to learning a lot about the business culture, we learned how to say "Thank You", one of the most important things to know in any country.
Janet's contributions are just one of many examples. Throughout the Conference, we found ourselves taking notes much more often than in normal conferences, another very positive sign.
Dick Rutledge really does know how to put on a Conference; and that's saying something, because asapm only promotes the best ones.
The event was also the premiere for asapm's Competence Enabler program, featuring participating PM Vendors, and the ways they help improve PM performance. We'll follow up to see what results we get. Our twice-a-day drawing for the Project Manager's Handbook, donated by asapm President Lew Ireland and written by Lew and David Cleland, was a huge hit.
Would we go again? You bet! Thanks Dick!
Now perhaps you understand a bit more about why we are so excited. See the Resource Planning Summit website, where the agenda and speaker list are being finalized, and where you can register for the event. Dick tells us that asapm Members will receive a $100 discount for this event. We hope to see you in La Jolla September 19-21!
======================================
10. aPRO Update; International Interest Soars
asapm's recent introduction of our new aPRO USA Standard for Organizational PM Performance Assessment is receiving overwhelming interest--and not just from the USA. We have fielded responses from all over the World, mostly from experienced Assessors (with experience in a variety of PM-related tools), with interest in adding our easy-to-apply, yet elegant approach to their repertoire. Part of the aPRO attraction is the unique opportunity for organizations (those assessed by a Recognized Assessor) that successfully "pass" all performance criteria to receive Certification as an asapm Performance Rated Organization.
We plan to announce and hold the Recognized Assessor 2-day training soon, with locations on the East and West coasts of the USA. Our plan is to make the training available in other locations, as demand warrants. We will consider International locations after the first year of the program. For now, those who live outside the USA who wish to use the aPRO Standard can do so by downloading it, or by attending one of our USA-based Recognized Assessor workshops. Of course, those who just download the standard cannot recommend assessed organizations for aPRO Certification; in fact, our current intention is to limit aPRO Certification to USA-related organizations.
From the program's inception, we have considered a variety of methods to teach Recognized Assessor candidates the nuances of an aPRO assessment. There are several key aspects to grasp, such as the difference between an attribute-based assessment and a true Performance assessment; between maturity models, and performance thresholds. Of course, we must assure that those who represent us and our programs also demonstrate the interpersonal and business context competences that are so unique in all of our, and IPMA's individual, team, and organizational assessments and certifications. We have considered technology-supported delivery solutions including (for example) web-based training, online exams, and Skype interviews of Recognized Assessor candidates. But, those options are in the future, as we are currently focusing on responding to the demand in the USA.
As the aPRO initiative transitions from project closure to ongoing Program Start-up, asapm is soliciting volunteers for the positions in the aPRO Program Team. These are volunteer positions, as for all the other exciting programs asapm administers. We are actively recruiting the Program Manager, a Marketing Manager, an Educational Representative, an Organization Representative, an Assessor Representative, and other roles, including Trainers, Web Support, and an Administration Manager (all from the USA, for now). The initial term for these positions is one year. You could be part of this exciting program team that will help improve the PM performance of USA organizations and project teams. If you are interested, contact asapm President: Stacy Goff.
======================================
Duncan Appears In Yet Another Scintillating Session
asapm co-founder and Certification Chair William Duncan has been in the news a lot lately. In addition to putting the finishing touches on the aPRO program, Duncan found time to tape an interview with Josh Nankivel, of PMStudent. Duncan explains the differentiation of asapm and IPMA compared to other organizations, discusses our entry level and Advanced PM certifications, and weighs in on the benefits of moving beyond knowledge, to achieve competence and performance. Hear Duncan's podcast here.
Young Crew-USA Heats Up
Young Crew-USA is asapm's offering of the popular IPMA program for young project managers, and students who are building the foundation for a long and successful career in our discipline. We now have a national YC Board, a temporary website, and a new website that will go live soon. Students from several colleges are interested in forming chapters; and, as mentioned above, we are soliciting nominations for the IPMA Young Project Manager of the Year. Some may recall that Edward Logan, one of the founders of YC-USA (together with Jhaymee Wilson) is the current IPMA Young Project Manager of the Year, now going on two years.
So why do you care? asapm has many young and student members in the target age group, up to 35 years of age. We already have a number of YC members, who will be the brilliant future of project management; they are beginning a series of exciting projects, and need your volunteer help. Most of us senior practitioners also have relatives or close friends who would qualify as Young Crew-USA members. We suggest that you get them involved! If you would like to join Young Crew-USA, or know someone who should join, contact President Jhaymee Wilson at info@yc-usa.org.
Everything You Wanted to Know about IPMA Level-D Certification
Our friend Kevin Aguanno, VP of PMAC-AGPC, the Canada IPMA Member Association, is braver than we are.
In a recording of an excellent and insightful recent PMAC webinar, he says things we are too cautious to point out, about the distinctions between IPMA-D and other popular knowledge-based pm certifications. And now, PMAC is also enlisting our favorite IPMA-D instructor, John Colville, of Proportion Training, in a series of IPMA-D prep courses.
In retrieving the recording link from the APMC website, we encountered yet another posting from the ever-prolific Kevin. See Why do Most Project Managers Fail?, also at the site. Interestingly, if not just coincidentally, the true theme of Kevin's latest is not project failure, but its opposite, project success. In this newsletter, topics 1, 5, 8, and now Kevin's insights make the fourth time we mention Project Success. This topic, always part of the asapm difference, seems to be gaining momentum! It also further distinguishes the IPMA approach (more holistic) from those of other professional organizations. Thanks Kevin!
asapm Members Only Section Moves to IPMA Family Site
As announced on the asapm Members Only site, we are in the process of merging asapm Members Only with the IPMA Family website. These are both collaboration and networking sites, with special treats for participants. Because we created and maintain both the USA and worldwide sites, this not only eases our site administration mode, it vastly opens up the opportunities for asapm members to collaborate with like-thinking, competence-oriented program and project managers from all over the World.
Many asapm Members Only registrants are already participants in the IPMA Family. For the rest of us, the move will make it easier to connect with others. asapm already has a special and open Group within the IPMA Family, with subgroups for each of our areas of interest, and one very private Member Only subgroup for all the secret goodies that only asapm members can access. Current and paid-up asapm members will receive their invitation to the new Members Only subgroup within the next few weeks.
Speaking of the IPMA Family site, IPMA Chair Miles Shepherd has just posted a discussion topic acknowledging the massive program and project accomplishments leading up to the World Cup futbol matches in South Africa; get in on the dialogue. Find out how the challenges were met, and opportunities seized! Meanwhile, later this month, watch for your email about the asapm Members Only transition, and we'll see you in The IPMA Family!
__________________________
asapm, IPMA-USA, is the American Society for the Advancement of Project Management. We are a not-for-profit organization, staffed with volunteers who are dedicated to improving Performance Competence in Project and Program Management. asapm is a registered trademark of the American Society for the Advancement of Project Management.
Click here to subscribe to this newsletter, or even better, to Join asapm, see the link at the bottom of most pages on the asapm.org website.
asapm is a registered trademark in the USA.OPM3 is a registered trademark of Project Management Institute in the USA and other countries.