allPM Today September 2009, Issue 112, Frank P. Saladis, Editor

September 2009, Issue 112, 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 September Poll Results and New Poll Question

*Theme of the Month: Re-Tooling Your PM Career

Effective Project Communications in Changing Times
By Anne Foley, MBB, CSSBB, PMP

*Project Managers New Challenges in the 21st Century
By Amro Elakkad, PMP

*Do We Know What We Are Doing? – The Importance of Project Objectives
By Christine Peterson, PMP

*Boxed In
By Steven P. Blais, PMP

*The Practical Application of a DOE: The Fundamentals of Design of Experiments – Part III of III
By Harry Rever, PMP – Director of Six Sigma, IIL

*Positive Leadership In Project Management – Evaluating and Retooling Your: Leadership Capabilities
By Frank P. Saladis, PMP

*PMI-SP®: Here is How We Cracked It
Part 2 – The Application Process and Getting Through the Exam
By Cindy Lewis, PMP and Prakash Vaidhyanathan, PMP

*Entendiendo la importancia de las habilidades suaves en los proyectos
Por Mario Landa, PMP y Alejandro Acevedo, PMP

*Risk Doctor: What is your Biggest Risk?
By Dr. David Hillson, PMP, FAPM

*PM Crossword Connections™: Career Minded
By Frank P. Saladis, PMP

Past Issues- Archives

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

Today’s economy has had an effect on the lives of most people and has changed, probably forever, the way businesses are managed. Today, the focus is on sustainability, doing more with less, value, renewable energy, and the ecology. The impact of the changes we have experienced varies depending on the industry but everyone is feeling the effect.

Read more >>

September Poll Results

Using Deal & Kennedy’s definition, how would you describe your company’s organizational culture?

a) Tough-Guy Macho – fast paced, big rewards - 6.82 %
b) Work Hard / Play Hard – few risks, rapid feedback - 9.09 %
c) Bet your Company – unknown results, high stakes - 34.09 %
d) Process Culture – consistent results, red tape - 50.00 %

The October poll question is:

Which PMI® certification allows you to stay the most competitive?

a) CAPM® Certified Associate in Project Management
b) PMI-PMP® Project Management Professional
c) PMI-PgMP® Program Management Professional
d) PMI-RMP® Risk Management Professional
e) PMI-SP® Scheduling Professional

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.

Theme of the Month: Re-Tooling Your PM Career

Effective Project Communications in Changing Times
By Anne Foley, MBB, CSSBB, PMP

When I was a child, my grandmother taught me to make homemade cinnamon rolls that were “melt in your mouth delicious” and heavily requested at all holiday meals. The process was laborious and time consuming but the results were well worth the effort. Everyone praised my new skills. So I was a little surprised when years later, I stumbled across some cinnamon rolls in the freezer section, claiming to have homemade taste with very little effort. Not possible, I thought, but decided to give them a try (they lured me in with a coupon). Guess what happened?

Project Managers New Challenges in the 21st Century
By Amro Elakkad, PMP

The latest economic bust and the collapse of many iconic companies have left many companies in a state of survival. Many companies have resorted to laying off people. Others are demanding more and more from the ever fewer resources.

In this article, we will examine suggestions for different ways to adjust to this new situation and the areas where project managers can improve on.

Do We Know What We Are Doing? – The Importance of Project Objectives
By Christine Peterson, PMP

“Just do it” is a common refrain sung by management in organizations today. It is a major reason that projects are classified as failures, and this is because nobody insisted on taking the time and effort to define and agree on a clear vision of what the project should achieve in the first place.

Boxed In
By Steven P. Blais, PMP

That dreaded moment: you have to explain to management why the project is going to be late or you have to go to management and request additional funds for the project. Regardless of the rationale for missing the target, there is always the implication that you made a mistake someplace as a manager, most likely in the initial estimation. Yet you are sure you did it right.

The Practical Application of a DOE: The Fundamentals of Design of Experiments – Part III of III
By Harry Rever, PMP – Director of Six Sigma, IIL

In part I of this DOE article series, I pointed out why it is so hard to improve results. Improvement ideas must overcome complex processes, variation, measurement system errors, bad ideas, as well as resistance by subject matter experts. The difference between “activity” and true improvement is a sustained process shift, hopefully with less variation, as shown below.

Positive Leadership In Project Management – Evaluating and Retooling Your: Leadership Capabilities
By Frank P. Saladis, PMP

Leadership can be found in any organization and at any level within an organization. Generally we associate the word leadership with people who have vision, passion, ability to motivate, values, a commitment to the organization, and the ability to attract and sustain followers.

PMI-SP®: Here is How We Cracked It
Part 2 – The Application Process and Getting Through the Exam
By Cindy Lewis, PMP and Prakash Vaidhyanathan, PMP

Here's what I remember of my experience in tackling the Project Management Institute Scheduling Professional (PMI-SP) exam: sitting in a room full of stressed out people, an urgent need to run to the restroom, frantically watching the clock countdown, and wracking my brain to come up with knowledge and details that I don't recall ever learning in the first place. Sound like a journey you'd like to take too?

Entendiendo la importancia de las habilidades suaves en los proyectos
Por Mario Landa, PMP y Alejandro Acevedo, PMP

Available in English Language!* Read this article in:

English

*Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader

Cuando participas en un proyecto te das cuenta que tienes que lidiar con situaciones muy diversas en las que tus habilidades técnicas ayudan mucho, sin embargo también te das cuenta que debes entender las necesidades de los demás involucrados. Por ejemplo, a menudo escuchamos frases tales como: “El proyecto falló, no fue bien encauzado”, “el equipo del proyecto no aportó lo que se esperaba” o incluso que “el patrocinador no proporcionó el apoyo requerido”.

Risk Doctor: What is your Biggest Risk?
By Dr. David Hillson, PMP, FAPM

It should not be too hard to answer the question “What is the biggest risk in your project or business?” Most of us know what keeps us awake at night, either worrying about what could go wrong (threats), or getting excited about possible improvements (opportunities). But how do we decide which risk is the “biggest”? Is it just an intuitive feeling, or are there measurable parameters we can use?

PM Crossword Connections™: Career Minded
By Frank P. Saladis, PMP

(Click here or the image above for a crossword in a new window. )

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