PM Point of View

This is the second in a series of roundtable discussions on PMBOK® 6. The focus here is Agile and the Agile Practice Guide, which is included as a supplemental volume in latest PMBOK® Guide. For this discussion, one of the co-authors of the guide, Jesse Fewell, joins two previous panelists, Michael Hannan, and Randall Iliff, to talk about the decision-making process that went into the guide, and w...

For this probing look at the newly released PMBOK 6, we convened a panel of experts for a rousing roundtable discussion. Host Kendall Lott talks with Stephen Devaux, Michael Hannan, and Randall Iliff about what's good, what's interesting, and what's missing in the latest iteration of the PMBOK Guide. Among the topics covered are: projects as investments; time as a resource; flow; and more. Listen,...

Winners PMI Award Winners discuss projects and their philosophies vis-à-vis Project Management. Learn about how these outstanding PMs went about laying out their vision, handling the stakeholders, addressing the risks, and successfully completing some challenging projects. This inspiring episode offers great ideas and food for thought for PMs at all levels. Listen, learn, and get a free PDU! PM Po...

Looking for a challenge? Try managing a project whose stakeholders represent a cross section of cultures, languages, and even governments; where funding can come from multiple sources, often many steps removed, physically and culturally, from the beneficiaries; and where the results can't be measured in any meaningful way until months or years after project completion. Welcome to the world of Inte...

This is a compilation of some of the earliest PM Point of View episodes, covering new directions in Project Management. Robert Brese, former CIO of the Department of Energy, talks about risk and what he looks for in a Project Manager. John Cable, Director of the Project Management Center for Excellence at the University of Maryland, discusses PM in the Academic sphere. Greg Balestrero, CEO Emeritu...

Project Management is a team sport; projects are rarely implemented by a single individual. But the minute you bring two, three, not to mention fifty or hundreds of team members together, you open yourself up a range of potential group dynamics issues. In fact, the pressures of time and budget, along with the drive to get results, can lead to bullying and other unproductive behavior. It's up to th...

Quality is difficult to define, so how can you guarantee that your project will result in a quality outcome? There are tools you can use and steps Project Managers can take to ensure quality results. Clearly define quality expectations up front, and make sure all the stakeholders understand and agree. Pay attention to Voice of Customer. Do lots of testing along the way, with a highly critical eye....

Our PM methods face stress in the face of projects that are related to research and development…where systems engineering is the key discipline is needed. The focus is on the requirements that change, that the project scope is unstable, as there are decisions that will arise after the project is undertaken. The PM's task becomes a focus on creativity over structure…but what are those trade-offs? W...

"Projects are the machine that turns the investment into value…I don't think we are in a shortage of money in the world, but a shortage of good ideas and of people making those ideas a reality." Just one of the excellent quotes from the experts in project management in construction on this episode. Advanced Work Package, interactive planning, story-boarding, boot-time, and "running around for stuf...

  Risk is an organizational problem that reaches into our ability to make sound business decisions. We should think of stakeholders (and activating them to be positive and helpful), remember to check assumptions, and recognize that risks shift as priorities and the external environment do. Beyond the project-level risks, and past even basic quantification of risk and impact, we need PMs to conside...

Saving Priceless History! From cracks in the US Capitol Dome, to the dirt of Idaho, to the empty shelves of the Iraq Museum, experts protect the artifacts of our society. These artifacts are an important element of maintaining the lessons of who we are, of remembering what came before, and of having an appreciation of what we can accomplish. Encompassing historical archaeology, restoration, and ev...

Leaders ask the hard questions, the ones others don't; and they push to get constructive results.  And they do this will elevating others to be at their best, making not just a difference, but a continuous difference, by coalescing people around a vision.  This motivates others to do what they didn't even know they could do." This is some of what you will hear on this episode that talks to the int...

Security issues are everywhere, and it turns out, it's a lot of projects and there is a need for both the PM discipline and PMs. From Law Enforcement, to National Security, to the world of private security, issues of scope, schedule, risk and quality abound…and communication can be everything. Listen in to this episode as three experts in Crime Scene Investigation, a Navy Seal, and a corporate sec...

You've seen the movies: satellite imagery tracking the perfect storm, a landing on Mars, scientists peering into scary Deep Space. Now hear the professionals on this episode that actually manage, the real activities that puts humankind into this realm, this outer space. With NASA's Roy Maizel, Dr. Eric Smith, Sandra Smalley, and Jim Watzin you can hear the costs, size, complexity and hoped for out...

Projects exist within the context and value requirements of their organizations. This episode looks at three angles the organization can (should!) take to get the right projects designed for the strategy set by executives and the organization as a whole. From design, to portfolio management, to identifying where the projects may fail the strategy as they generate and collide with organizational co...

PM, it's everywhere, and one of the most interesting places to find it is in the US Federal Government. As one of the largest project-generating bodies in the world (just look at the budget!), the Government faces challenges related to size and budget processes…and yet, the culture of Project Management can mature and flourish throughout. Hear how three distinct organizations use Project Managemen...

PMs are often the product of their education—their technical education of how to handle the 10 knowledge areas and perform the activities required to maintain sound processes. Sadly, that's not enough to show real value in the discipline, but rather a focus on getting the project completed, getting the team to function soundly, and wielding the influence necessary to navigate organizational challe...

US intelligence operations and analysis has a long history with the project management discipline, and the Central Intelligence Agency has purposefully implemented rigorous organizational level project management techniques. Beyond missions and analysis, the agency also develops some interesting R&D projects, as you can imagine. Listen in to this episode and learn how our PM discipline has been ma...

In Advances in Project Management Part I we looked at how PMs are really investment managers. In this episode we extend the discussion to look at techniques in getting the value achieved. From risk-based analysis of the WBS to determine the effectiveness in enhancing value of each project activity, to the project leadership needed to unleash the power of the team in delivering products, to accepti...

From POG to PM (yes, you have to listen to figure that out!), it’s the PM Point of View podcast, looking at how leaders in project management are putting together the ideas, activities, and chapter board support to serve those who have served us. Listen in (and get a free PDU) to leaders from DC to Tampa Bay to Houston talk about their experiences with Project Management while in service, and how...

Heads down on getting things done, project managers often forget (or are left in the dark about) the underlying purpose the projects they are assigned. Even more, they are rarely told of the value of the project. Projects are investments. PMs are investment managers, managing a dynamic scope that changes the value that is produced. And there are ways to evaluate, monitor and manage the changing va...

Nazis in Austria, Moral Courage around the world, and the Supreme Court here in the US – all parts of a story on Proof and the project management needed to make it, share it, and bring forward into a context we can use. In this episode of the Project Management Point of View we hear from guests, Lindsay Zarwell, Leora Kahn and Bert Rein, professionals in three very different fields, discuss how th...

We asked for examples of project failure and we got an earful from participants of the PMIWDC 2015 PM Symposium. From the realities of Federal Government Health Care and IT systems, to the business environments of regional theatre and Role Playing Games, we had tales of failure and recovery in locales as newsworthy and disparate as New Haven, Afghanistan and Baltimore, on topics from IT, to progra...

Listen to our three experts give their recommendations on how to build connections, ways to approach networking and how to use LinkedIn well beyond its “job hunting” capacity. Ultimately, making connections, doing the work of planning for networking (virtual and physical), and maintaining the ongoing interrelationships it generates, is all about enhancing your company’s brand or creating your own...

Featuring Lisa Blumerman, the U.S. Census Bureau’s Associate Director for the Decennial Census Programs, this episode takes us on a tour of the portfolio of projects that lead up to the US Census, conducted every ten years. Harnessing the power of constantly evolving technology, along with strong PM and portfolio practices, the Census Bureau strives to reduce costs while maintaining the rich value...