The MilestonePMI’s Condolence Message to Victims of Hurricane Katrina
The Board of Directors invites you to join us for the September 28, 2005, PMI-NEIC Evening Program!
Our featured speaker, Maureen Kennedy, Quality Department of the American Red Cross, will present Problem Management at the American Red Cross. Given the recent natural disasters in the Gulf Region, this is an especially timely presentation. We are sure you will gain a special appreciation for the work of the American Red Cross having heard Ms. Kennedy's comments.
Dinner Special! NEIC members may bring a guest and both you and your guest will enjoy dinner FREE! Don't forget to include your guest's name in the Comment section of the RSVP.
- Menu: Hawaiian Chicken, Signature Salad, Herb Red Roasted Potatoes, Glazed Carrots, Blueberry Cheesecake
- Where: Don Hall's Guesthouse Grille, 1313 W. Washington Center Road, Fort Wayne, IN 46825
- When: Social time 5:30pm, Dinner 6:00pm, Program 7:00pm
- Cost: NEIC members may enjoy dinner for $10, non-member cost is $25. Chapter members may join us to hear the featured speakers for free, non-member cost is $5. But, remember, if you are a PMI-NEIC member, and you bring a guest, both of you may attend for free.
Please RSVP right away on our website.
Our Most Recent Evening Program
Our featured speaker, Linda Hite, Assistant Professor of Computer Studies at Indiana Tech, presented To PMP and Beyond! She was joined by other faculty members and students to share the available offerings at Indiana Tech.
Our chapter had a large turnout for this month's event and we also enjoyed a wonderful dinner buffet.
PMI has released the new edition of the PMBOK and implemented their revised exam. I have updated our class offering and we continue to receive strong interest! Be sure you are ready for the new exam and check out the online class our Chapter offers!
Current Membership Count: 122.
New Members - Welcome: Jeffrey Downing (Honeywell South Bend), Laura Dwire (Briljent), Ronald Ehmer (Investigo, Inc.), Michael Levine (Honeywell South Bend), Richard Schwaiger (International Truck), Jason Strup (SIRVA)
New PMPs: None
Chapter PMP Percentage: 45%
Five hundred volunteer leaders from 27 countries participated in the PMI Leadership Meeting, 8-10 September 2005 in Toronto, Canada. The event was chock full of information sharing, instruction, inspiring moments, interaction with PMI Board and staff members, networking and even a bit of fun.
Keynote speaker Mark Adams launched the meeting with inspiring remarks on "Redwoods: Spread Your Roots and Coach Your Team to Success! "The number one factor you need on your team is talent,” Mr. Adams said. “Tell your CEOs you should pick your team. You have more power than you think."
The formal opening of PMI Global Congress 2005—North America got off to a roaring start in Toronto, Canada, with the lights, camera and action of the PMI Awards ceremony on 10 September. It ended three days later with encore presentations, some to overflow crowds, a final “Taste of Canada” event and farewells and “see you next time” as new and renewed acquaintances departed. The North American congress is one of the largest and most comprehensive global events for the project management profession, and this year’s was no exception.
Delegates, exhibitors and staff filled two floors of grand halls and seminar rooms at the Toronto Metro Convention Centre, an expansive facility near the banks of Lake Ontario. Attendees split their time between content-filled sessions — many of which were filled to capacity — and sponsored breaks for lunch, networking and information gathering from the more than 100 exhibitions, coupled with evening strolls along the lakefront and lively streets of Toronto’s entertainment district. The famous CN Tower, located next to the convention centre, rises more than 1,815 feet (over 533 meters) into Toronto’s skyline and provided a soaring reminder of practicality-plus-achievement, a metaphor reflected in many of the congress sessions.
PMI welcomes two new members to its Board of Directors, which is quickly becoming as geographically diverse as PMI's rapidly growing membership. Results of the PMI board election were announced during the PMI Annual Business Meeting at PMI Global Congress 2005—North America in Toronto, Canada.
Elected to the board for 2006 are Thomas Walenta, PMP, and Martin C. VanDerSchouw, PMP. Mr. Walenta, a long-standing PMI member, has been president of the PMI Frankfurt Chapter in his native Germany since 1998. Mr. VanDerSchouw, who was awarded the PMI Component Leadership Award in 2004, is president of the PMI Mile-Hi Chapter in Denver, Colo., USA.
Thanks to the initiative of PMI New York City Chapter President Frank Saladis, PMP and others in the PMI Leadership Institute, a worldwide recognition of project managers and project management will take place on 3 November 2005.
The goal of International Project Management day is to encourage project-based organizations worldwide, or organizations that utilize project management methodologies, to schedule within their organizations a recognition event or to coordinate locally with others to demonstrate appreciation for the achievements of project managers and their teams. Participation may be as simple and as meaningful as taking a few heartfelt minutes on 3 November to recognize and thank the project managers and teams you work with who deliver successful projects and meet organizational objectives. These projects can include organizational and community projects including disaster recovery.
A series of three international Web-based events are scheduled on 3 November to begin the day officially, which will include an opening presentation and keynote address by a recognized project management author or speaker. The sessions will be approximately 90 minutes in duration. Attendees seeking to maintain their Project Management Professional (PMP®) credential will receive 1.5 professional development units (PDUs). For more information, please go to www.internationalpmday.org
Feature Book/Word of the Month
Dynamic Scheduling With Microsoft Office Project 2003 - The Book By and For Professionals
- Price: $59.95
- PMI Member Price: $56.95
- Number of Pages: 755
- ISBN: 1932159452
- Date Published: 2005
- Format: Paperback
- Subject: Information Technology
- Publisher: International Institute for Learning, Inc.
- Author: Eric Uyttewaal, PMP
This best-selling book on Microsoft Office Project 2003 is fully aligned with A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK(R) Guide)-Third Edition (2004) and provides users with everything they will need to more easily and effectively manage projects to a successful conclusion. “A must read, reread, and use daily for all project managers” is what PMI’s Project Management Journal had to say about the previous edition. This updated version is even better.
Five Project Management Myths By Michelle LaBrosse, CEO, Cheetah Learning
No matter what business you’re in, we’re all plagued by myths. They can be a system of beliefs in our organization, on our team or in our family. Project Management is no different. We also can get tangled up in myths about efficiency and saving time that can actually end up thwarting our success. Here are five common myths that I often see in Project Management and some tips on how to avoid them.
Myth #1 We don’t have time to back track Let’s face it, things happen. Customers change their minds about what they thought they wanted, market forces change, new threats and opportunities arise and new priorities surface. All of these changes can make the original goal of our project obsolete. Don’t fall into the trap of forging ahead without developing a new project agreement and project plan. In my experience, it’s better to spend half a day re-launching the project based on the new project agreement then to create a final deliverable that no one wants, or to attempt to complete a project with inadequate resources and lack of support from the project sponsor. Make your project agreement a vibrant, living document that is written knowing there will be changes. Make it a document that everyone understands and feels a part of. When you write a project agreement and simply file it, it doesn’t breathe and set the stage for further communication and discussion through out the project. When you’re developing a new project plan from the new project agreement, you may also be able to use the interim deliverables you’ve already created for the new project, ultimately shortening the project cycle time for the new project.
Myth #2 Working well together is fluff stuff I’m not suggesting a group hug at every milestone. I’m talking about the impact on the project when people aren’t working well together. The bad news is that an inability to work together towards a common goal can mean failure. The good news is that you can find the root of the cause and change behavior. Look for these gnarly roots: lack of commitment, lack of interaction, and lack of interest in constructively resolving conflict. Many projects also lose and gain people during the execution of the project. When this happens, it is important that the team spend a half hour together developing their new team guidelines and meeting protocols. With any new people joining the team, it becomes a new team. Re-developing your guidelines and protocols is done for the same reason it is done initially – to facilitate working relationships, to create a way to positively interact, and to prevent destructive conflict. Don’t let “new” deter you, instead let new people bring new ideas and energy to the project.
Myth #3 Document only what the boss wants to see Selling up is always important, but don’t stop document only what you want someone to see. It’s important to include the good, bad and the ugly. Industry standard Project Management practices require a critical project closeout phase that collects lessons learned and gives your organization powerful historical knowledge from across the enterprise. Think of it as giving every project a chance to take center stage and be a stand-up for the day. A company that can learn and grow, rather than continually repeat mistakes will move faster. As an employee, it’s frustrating to recreate the wheel. It’s empowering when you see your work building upon others and vice versa.
Myth #4 Don’t beat a dead horse When you have success, it’s hard to overdue it with communication. People need to see, hear, smell and taste success, even small victories have a big impact. It’s important to communicate and show success with early adopters, so people will understand what you ’re doing and how they can be a part of the ongoing success.
Myth #5 That’ll Never Fly Here Maybe you’ve been around the block, but don’t disregard the ideas of your team. For people to communicate, they have to be in an environment that is safe and that allows for some blue sky and off beat thinking. If you foster an environment that shoots down ideas, then people will stop sharing ideas, and instead just take the easiest path with the least resistance. This is what we call mediocrity.
The next time you conjure up one of these myths, stop and rethink your approach. You can make changes – big and small – by beginning with your own awareness of them. Think of Project Management as a tool that clarifies, illuminates and unifies, and ultimately brings you closer to the goal that is just ahead.
The Milestone
Contact Your Chapter Officers
President, Paula Felver, PMP
VP of Administration, Kathi Keeterle
VP of Communications, Regina Moorhead
VP of Finance, Michael Krouse, PMP
VP of Membership, Dianne Minneman, PMP
VP of Professional Development, Dave Maynard, PMP
VP of Programs, Pat Ruger, PMP
Webmaster, Bob Nichter, PMP
The Milestone is published by the Northeast Indiana Chapter (NEIC) of the Project Management Institute (PMI). It is distributed one week prior to each evening program. Download it from our chapter web site.
Articles for The Milestone may be submitted to the newsletter editor by US Mail: Regina Moorhead, Lincoln Financial Advisors - mail stop 1H-51, 1300 South Clinton Street, Suite 150, Fort Wayne, IN 46802-3506
You may also email them to Communications@pmi-neic.org or fax them to 260-455-4343.