allPM Today May 2010, Issue 118, Frank P. Saladis, Editor

May 2010, Issue 118, Frank P. Saladis, Editor

President and Chief Executive Officer of IIL
E. LaVerne Johnson

Senior Executive
Director of IIL
Dr. Harold Kerzner

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In this Issue:

*allPM's Letter from the Editor, Frank P. Saladis, PMP

*allPM April Poll Results and New Poll Question

*Theme of the Month: Enterprise Project Management – Governance, Portfolios, and the Strategic Side of Project Management

Getting Your Company to Believe in Project Management
Cindy Lewis, PMP, PMI-SP, MCT, MCITP

*7 missteps to avoid when introducing a PMO in a mid-sized organization
By Charanya Girish, PMP

*“I was just assigned my first project! Now what?”
By Terry Quanborough, PMP, FCMI, DMS, MBCS, CITP, MNZCS

*Portfolio Management – Totally Strategic
By Jacqueline Dennis, PMP

*Ask Harry: The Hypothesis Test Solves “The Great Debate”
By Harry Rever, PMP – Director of Six Sigma

*Black Belt Chronicles: The New Sales Incentive Plan: Does it Work or is it a Failure? It depends on who you ask.
By Harry Rever, PMP – Director of Six Sigma

*Positive Leadership In Project Management – Planning Your Future Through Professional Development
By Frank P. Saladis, PMP

*Presente y Futuro de la Dirección de Proyectos en México
Por Alejandro Acevedo, PMP y Mario Landa, PMP

*Risk Doctor: Eyjafjallajökul – A personal view
By Dr. David Hillson, PMP, FAPM

*Introducing the Virtual Project Team
By Dr Deasún Ó Conchúir, CEng, FIET, FIEI, PMP

Past Issues- Archives

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Theme of the Month: Enterprise Project Management – Governance, Portfolios, and the Strategic Side of Project Management

From the Editor's Desk— Frank P. Saladis, PMP

This month allPM is focusing on Enterprise Project Management – Governance, Portfolios, and the Strategic Side of Project Management. Our mission at allPM is to bring you useful and relevant information about the evolving project management profession and this is certainly a topic of frequent discussion. This issue addresses the latest trends in Enterprise Project Management and what the buzz is regarding PMOs and PM centers of excellence.

Read more >>

April Poll Results

How important has sustainability become as a key factor in organizational strategic planning?

a) Very - a key factor in strategic planning - 50.00 % (15)
b) Somewhat - a discussion item with some relevance - 46.67 % (14)
c) Low - Not a big factor but may influence decisions - 3.33 % (1)
d) Not a factor in the planning and decision process - 0.00 % (0)
The May poll question is:

How often do you hold a recognition event for your project team?

a) At the completion of every milestone
b) At the end of each project phase
c) Only at the completion of the project
d) Recognition events are not scheduled at all

If you have not already done so, please stop by allPM.com and add your opinion today.
Test your PM knowledge. allPM will be posting sample PMP test questions and answers daily. Don’t miss out - visit allPM today.

Getting Your Company to Believe in Project Management
By Cindy Lewis, PMP, PMI-SP, MCT, MCITP

Imagine this, you work at a company that does not “believe” in project management; however, they do project management every day without realizing it. What should you do to help convince them the value of formalizing this process? Actually this is the situation I was in many years ago when I worked at an architecture engineering firm that did project after project and had over 30 people using the title “project manager” even though not a single person had the Project Management Institute’s PMP® credential.

7 missteps to avoid when introducing a PMO in a mid-sized organization
By Charanya Girish, PMP

The larger an organization gets, the number of projects that need to be executed at one time increases. This makes it difficult to bring about organizational consistency in execution and delivery of projects on time and within cost. As the first step in solving this problem some home grown initiatives are tried which usually do not deliver the expected results.

“I was just assigned my first project! Now what?”
By Terry Quanborough, PMP, FCMI, DMS, MBCS, CITP, MNZCS

Background:
Congratulations on your assignment. At this stage you are possibly overwhelmed after the initial adrenalin rush. There is so much to consider and this paper provides a few prompts to ensure that you start on the right track and get some traction!

Portfolio Management – Totally Strategic
By Jacqueline Dennis, PMP

Project management is a unique profession and is commonly viewed as being comprised of three branches: project management, program management and project portfolio management. This article will address the key elements and benefits of what is commonly referred to as the strategic component of an enterprise project management platform – project portfolio management.

Ask Harry: The Hypothesis Test Solves “The Great Debate”
By Harry Rever, PMP – Director of Six Sigma

“I’ll take a Bud Light, with a lime” he told the bartender, Patty. “Large?” she asked. She, of course, already knew the answer; he and his wife were regulars at the local Chili’s burger restaurant. He just smiled. It had been a long week. He and a few buddies from the office decided to have a cold one after work and watch the game. The argument was sure to come up; it always did. This time he came prepared.

Black Belt Chronicles: The New Sales Incentive Plan: Does it Work or is it a Failure? It depends on who you ask.
By Harry Rever, PMP – Director of Six Sigma

A well connected sales manager, Cathy, worked with her employees to develop a new sales incentive plan to increase revenues. Because it came from “high up”, she reluctantly agreed to have an internal Six Sigma Black Belt, Will, gives advice and analyze results.

Positive Leadership In Project Management – Planning Your Future Through Professional Development
By Frank P. Saladis, PMP

The need for continued professional development and the enhancement of existing interpersonal and technical skills is far greater today than it has ever been. Professional development is an ongoing process and should be viewed by the project manager from two perspectives: The training and education programs offered by the organization/employer and the specific educational and skill development needs identified by the individual.

Presente y Futuro de la Dirección de Proyectos en México
Por Alejandro Acevedo, PMP y Mario Landa, PMP

Mucho se ha hablado de la notabilidad que la dirección profesional de proyectos ha tomado a nivel internacional en los últimos años; de la relevancia de reconocerla como una función competitiva y la importancia de que las organizaciones provean un plan de carrera a sus colaboradores en este sentido, de manera que les genere interés y busquen fortalecer sus conocimientos y habilidades y, en algunos casos, persigan una certificación en el tema.

Risk Doctor: Eyjafjallajökul – A personal view
By Dr. David Hillson, PMP, FAPM

Why has everyone started talking about volcanoes and trying to pronounce the name Eyjafjallajökul? I’ve just returned to England from a business trip to the USA which was eight days longer than planned, because the Icelandic volcano with the unpronounceable name erupted on 14 April, sending tons of volcanic ash into the sky.

Introducing the Virtual Project Team
By Dr Deasún Ó Conchúir, CEng, FIET, FIEI, PMP

The world is a challenging environment. There are possibilities everywhere for initiatives, either for improvements or to minimize unwelcome effects of existing situations, whether social, economic, political, and environmental or in dozens of other domains.

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