Welcome to the asapm June, 2011 Newsletter!Welcome to the asapm June, 2011 Newsletter!
This June 2011 edition of our opt-in Newsletter is from asapm, the American Society for the Advancement of Project Management. We are IPMA-USA, the USA member association of the International Project Management Association. Enjoy!
In This Issue
1. Project Managers Are Change Agents: President's Message, by Stacy Goff
2. Nominations Closing for the World Bank (WB) Curriculum Project
3. Words On Wisdom, by asapm Secretary-Treasurer Dennis Milroy
4. PM Fundamentals: Book Review by James Brady
5. asapm Board Nominations and Elections, by VP Trevor Nelson
6. IPMA Young Crew News: New Logo, Global Workshop at Congress
7. Two More Articles, On the Way to 100, by Byatt, Hamilton, & Hodgkinson
8. Reminder: IPMA Festival of Knowledge in Detroit, September 8 2011
9. IPMA World Congress Update: Brisbane October 8-12
1. Project Managers Are Change Agents: President's Blog, 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 a teaser from this month's blog posting; click the bold linked heading to see the posting.
Changing the Way Things Are …
Two weeks in Asia changes one’s perspective about many things. And when they are as eventful and enlightening as my last two weeks, it can be both soaring and exhausting, at the same time. This article is about the first half of my trip, which was in a literally soaring country, Nepal.
PMAN Conference
The occasion was the Project Management Association of Nepal (PMAN) conference, where the IPMA Executive Board (ExBo) members held one of our meetings, and spoke at the conference. In part, we did this to support our Nepal Member Association, and to honor our award-winning IPMA Young Project Manager, Shailesh Nepal. Shailesh won this award at the 2010 IPMA World Congress, and it was a tough competition: All three finalists were great! As an aside, the 2011 Young Project Manager award applications are due June 15. Have you submitted yours?
Each ExBo member who presented has a unique style. It is not difficult to tell us apart. I chose not to use the microphone, and Bill Young, President of AIPM, the Australia IPMA Member Association, was in the front row. As I started up with my “Stacy voice,” he was blown into the 4th row. Taking a hint, I turned down the volume a bit. No one fell asleep during my presentation.
The PMAN leadership team did a great job, pulling together this, their first major conference, in 6 months. Congratulations to Saroj, Suraj and Tika, of PMAN, Project Management Association of Nepal! ... More
The Rise of Project Management
This article is about the second half of my recent Asia trip, which included China.
Hong Kong Stopover
I used Hong Kong as my pivot point for multiple flights and connections; it had the best routing for my multiple flights. And, I had not been to Hong Kong since the late 1980s, so it was interesting to see the changes. Internet connections can be difficult in Hong Kong, but the best that I had in my time there was on airport bus A21, which offers free wireless internet connections!
Everything is far more expensive in Hong Kong than when I last visited. But it still has the same vibe, the same crush of people, and the same unlimited options for meals. As a wine enthusiast, I think I have found the world’s most expensive place to purchase wines–but the selection is grand.
Super Xi’an
I flew to Xi’an to keynote and participate in a conference celebrating 20 years of PMRC, the Project Management Research Committee, IPMA-China. It was also the 10 year celebration of China’s use of IPMA’s advanced, Four Level PM Certification system. The Conference theme was The Rise of Project Management. IPMA was well-represented by Chair Brigitte Schaden, who spoke on PM Standards, and yours truly, who discussed the differences between organizations where PM rises slowly and those where it rises quickly. Brane Semolic, Research Management Board Chair, and Les Squires, our RMB social/business networking guru, were also at the Xi’an Conference, where they held a Festival of Knowledge event (mentioned below) ... More
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2. Nominations Closing for the World Bank (WB) Curriculum Project
ACTION NEEDED BY 15TH JUNE
IPMA's Education and Training Board is looking for two volunteers to fill the positions of project manager and training expert for the World Bank (WB) Curriculum project. The following qualifications are relevant:
WB Curriculum Project Manager:
WB Curriculum Training Expert:
If a single person could be nominated for both roles it would be better, but the combination of talents might be difficult to find, especially in a volunteer. Still, we urge you to consider participating in this exciting project!
The WB Curriculum project advisors are Stacy Goff, Milles Shepherd, and Bob Youker. The scope of the project is fairly large: It includes updating and expanding a class that currently requires 5 weeks of 35-hour weeks, plus homework.
If you are interested in either volunteer role, or if you have any questions about this project, please Contact Stacy. Even though the deadline is close or passed, there is still time for you to apply.
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3. Words On Wisdom, by asapm Secretary-Treasurer Dennis Milroy
It requires a lot of knowledge to become wise. There are two ways to create knowledge: education and experience. Knowledge is not good enough for the project manager. The toughest part of project management is the need for wisdom.
Wisdom is the ability to create new knowledge, such as a project plan.
Parents are showing their wisdom when they send their children to school. Parents want their children to succeed. Some students realize the wisdom in an education while others do not.
Wisdom is a path to success, yet as quantitative analysis will tell you, all the knowledge in the world cannot necessarily make you successful. Even the best poker players sometimes lose. You have a better chance at success if you know the odds.
The other path to success is luck.
Some people say it is wise to listen to the weatherman in Colorado while others know better.
Wisdom is the ability to predict the future with varying degrees of confidence, so you can do the things you need to do now, so that you will be more successful in the future.
Project Managers need wisdom because to put together a project plan, they need to predict their future with varying degrees of confidence, so they can start the project and do all the things they need to do now, to be more successful in the future.
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4. PM Fundamentals: Book Review by James Brady
Project Management Fundamentals: Key Concepts and Methodology (2nd Edition, 2011) by Gregory T. Haugan, PhD, PMP. Published by Management Concepts, Incorporated. (380 pages, paperback, $42 at amazon.com). This Book Review is by James R. Brady, PhD., MPA, and MEd.
Goals and Target Audiences: Some of the book's ads and its preface suggest that it is primarily for new managers of small to medium size projects. However, Dr. Haugan indicates at various points that the material should also be relevant for more experienced project managers and various project types and sizes. The longest section of the book provides a good updated summary of the "standard" PMI®-blessed methodology for managing projects. Dr. Haugan also draws on his 40+ years of experience to provide lots of practical details on how to manage different types of projects.
Some readers may get the feeling that the book provides more detail than they ever wanted to know about certain areas of PM. However, they can still benefit by mining Dr. Haugan's material to produce their own guides or checklists for managing a variety of projects and/or contracts. In this second edition of his book, Dr. Haugan also ventures beyond the "traditional" PM methodology to introduce a "new" approach that he labels "Agile Project Management." ... More
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5. asapm Board Nominations and Elections, by VP Trevor Nelson
Editor's Note: This is a reminder; this email was sent out to members last week. As you are aware, asapm is a professional organization dedicated to, and run by, volunteers from the project management community. These members and volunteers drive the strategy and direction of our organization based on what the community and our members see as the most pressing problems facing the practice of project management.
Each year roughly one-third of our Directors and Officers come to the end of their terms and those with vision and who are willing to serve must be called upon to take their place. The Board is currently accepting nominations for the positions listed below. Each position serves a three-year term.
Secretary/Treasurer: http://www.asapm.org/PD/secretarytreasurer.asp
Director of Marketing: http://www.asapm.org/PD/marketing.asp
Director of Member Services: http://www.asapm.org/PD/memberservices.asp
If you wish to nominate someone (or yourself) please review the Responsibilities and Duties (follow the links provided) and submit a short bio and candidate statement. These will be included in the upcoming newsletters, with the election in July.
Thank you!
Trevor K. Nelson,
Vice-President -- asapm (IPMA-USA)
Reply to Trevor: www.asapm.org/zvp.asp
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6. IPMA Young Crew News: New Logo, Global Workshop at Congress:
Young Crew Logo Release Event
The IPMA Young Crew invites you to see the video recorded from our YC Logo Release Event.
Held in Austria on May 28th, the event included a virtual keynote by IPMA VP of Marketing and asapm President Stacy Goff, and then, Ms. Gloria Costa introduced the new IPMA Young Crew Logo. See the video, and the new YC logo, now that the event is completed!
Young Crew Workshop at World Congress
We are happy to announce the Global Young Crew Workshop, to be held in Brisbane, Australia, October 8-9, the days prior to the IPMA World Congress. Click here for the Emu Flyer! Now that we have your attention, please note that asapm will have one free ticket for one of our active Young Crew members. Contact us for the details. So book your flights and schedules for Brisbane, Australia, for the 8th - 9th for the Workshop, and 9th -12th for the IPMA World Congress! See more about the Workshop at the official Congress website, where you can also register.
Note that the special Young Crew registration also includes full access to the day sessions at the IPMA Congress. And, actively involved Young Crew members are also invited to a meeting, the exact time still to be defined. Possibilities are Friday the 7th in the afternoon, or Monday the 10th during the day. We'll keep you posted through the newsletter. Please spread the word and let the Emu Flyer travel around the world! Organizers of the 25th Global Young Crew Workshop.
Reminder From May Newsletter: IPMA Young Crew Invites Nominations for the 2011 Young Project Manager Award: “The IPMA Young Project Manager Award continues to be the only global award of its kind that acknowledges the talent of project managers who are in the beginning stages of their project management careers, “ says Jhaymee S. Wilson, Programme Manager for the award. “This year’s award will be very competitive, and we are excited to demonstrate our commitment to future project leaders.” See the News Release! Sign up by June 17!
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7. Two More Articles, On the Way to 100, by Byatt, Hamilton, & Hodgkinson
Cultivating your Communications in an International Project Team
In mid-2010, we wrote an article about project communications, which focused on the challenges and techniques of communicating in a virtual team. We gave some examples of when to use different communications mediums to suit the task at hand. In this follow-up communications piece, we talk about some of the nuances of working in an international project team, and in particular, some things to bear in mind when you communicate with, and present to people from cultures different from your own.
Examples of communication factors: Our efforts to communicate, either one-on-one or in a group, are influenced by many factors, well documented in various studies, research papers and the general media. To give just a few examples of how we communicate with others, consider the following factors that can impact your communication when you send and receive a message: ... More
Nine Fundamental Steps to Project Success
If you are an experienced project practitioner you may be asked at some point, ”What are the key things that a Project Manager should do in order to be successful?” There is no one-line, simple answer to this question. Success depends on many factors, including the organization for which you work, the power granted or bestowed on the project manager, the responsibilities they are given on their project, and other influencing criteria. Having said that, we have found over the years that there do exist certain factors which, when done well, usually influence success. Let us elaborate.
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8. Reminder: IPMA Festival of Knowledge in Detroit, September 8, 2011
We recently participated in IPMA's Festival of Knowledge in Xi'an, China, and this event is even more intriguing than we expected! As mentioned in last month's newsletter, the USA event is organized by Dr. Thomas Baumann, long-time automobile industry expert and member of the board of Trustees for German Project Management Society (IPMA-Germany), the Detroit Festival of Knowledge is sponsored by IPMA's Research Management Board, and supported by asapm. IPMA's Research Management Board will also hold an international board meeting in conjunction with the event, so participants will have the opportunity to mingle and speak with IPMA's research leaders.
The agenda for the September 8 event is nearing completion, and the theme is PM 2025--How to Get There. Topics on the agenda blend current Automobile Industry issues, together with the important role of projects and programs in the industry, and internationally. Even the name of the event is in discussion, as today's leading PM practitioners accept the value of knowledge, but are embracing PM Competence. Details will appear on the asapm website as they are resolved; meanwhile, if you care about advancing project and program management in the USA, especially in the automotive industry and its massive supply chain, mark your calendar for Detroit, September 8.
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9. asapm Get-together at UTD Dallas Symposium, August 18-19
We have a number of asapm and IPMA members who are speaking at this great PM Symposium, jointly hosted by Univeristy of Texas at Dallas, PMForum, and the Dallas Project Management Institute chapter. It is consistently one of the best regional conferences in the US, and this year, IPMA President Roberto Mori will also make a Keynote Presentation. Roberto is from Italy, and he works and travels all around the World; he will offer a true International perspective to the event. See the program for this great event here. asapm has participated in and supported this program for three years now, as has IPMA. We encourage you to attend!
For those of us participating, and for those who live in the area, and may not be attending, who is interested in an asapm get-together? During last year's event I had a nice visit with Thomas Keenan, keeper of asapm's LinkedIn site. This year we should try to get together, ideally on Thursday, August 18. If you are interested in face-to-face interaction, and meeting our IPMA President Roberto Mori, and PMForum editor David Pells, plase Contact Stacy.
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10. IPMA World Congress Update: Brisbane October 8-12
Lodging: You've booked your airfare, now it is time to reserve your choice of hotels, while the best values remain. Brisbane has a wealth of great hotels, but given the volume of early sign-ups, smart attendees are booking early. Looking at the accomodations page at the Congress website, we spotted the Sapphire Resort Motel, only a 3 minute walk from the venue, and listed at $108 Australian. That's around $115 USD, and a relative bargain. By the way, in seven or eight trips to Oz, we've never found a bad hotel! We did see that some hotels on the list, such as the Mercure Brisbane, are half the current price when booked through the Congress--so hurry--the good rooms are going fast!
Visa Required: Most of us will need a Visa for Australia. The website www.eta.immi.gov.au/ETAAus4En.html eases the process. With an administrative fee of $20AUD per person, and electronic application, it is easy and fast. Don't forget this important step in your travel planning!
Attendance Update: We'd like to know how many asapm members and friends plan to attend the IPMA World Congress in Brisbane, this October. Please Contact Stacy if you plan to attend; we can organize a get-together onsite. We've already begun researching the wonders of the region, so we don't miss any!
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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. See our past newsletters at our website.
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