This is a brief interview with Rich Maltzman who is writing a new book together with his co-author Loredana Abramo. The book is tentatively titled "Bridging the PM Competency Gap" and will be out toward the end of 2016.
The reason for such a short interview? Rich has a favor to ask and would like you to fill in a quick survey:
Today, I don’t have a full interview for you. I have something better. I have a free book on risk management for you:
The free risk management eBook you are going to get is “Managing Murphy -- Essentials of project risk management”. It’s written by Dr Jim Young, PMP, FNZIM (http://www.skillpower.co.nz/) and it is intended to be applicable regardless of your preferred methodology and framework – so you can use the concepts presented no matter if you follow PMBOK®, PRINCE2 or Agile approaches. The book includes exercises to do with your team so it's truly interactive. The exercise on risk responses in project managementis particularly helpful, in my view.
If you use a podcast app to download and listen to our interviews, then the book has very likely already been downloaded by the app for you. It is a PDF document and you should see it as a separate episode of your subscription of The PM Podcast. If not, then please click on the download button above.
PDU Tip
You can claim 1 PDU in the "Technical Project Management" category for each hour that you spend reading this book. Please study the PMI CCRS Handbook and search for "reading" in the document to see how to claim your PDUs in detail.
This free eBook "Managing Murphy - essentials of project risk management" was written by Dr Jim Young, PMP, FNZIM.
What I like about this ebook is that it includes risk management strategies for agile projects as well as techniques suitable for predictive methodologies. It references the PMI Practice Standard for Project Risk Management and goes into detail in more than 400 pages into the language and principles, processes and planning, identification and analysis and of course risk response management and monitoring and control. That's a lot of content! The section on reviewing and revising your risk approaches will help you identify risk management critical success factors specific to your organization so you can use those again in the future.
Risk management in project management is such an important area for practitioners and executives, so I'm pleased to be able to share this ebook with you. Why not send the link on to your colleagues as well?
This episode is sponsored by The Agile PrepCast. PDU for PMP®:
Paul R. Williams, PMP
In many organizations, there is a familiar gap between what should get done and what does get done. This gap is commonly referred to as the “execution gap” and it represents an organizational leadership issue that is difficult to overcome.
In his article Mind The Strategic Execution Gap [Update: The web page is no longer available so we removed the link.] Paul Williams (http://www.thinkforachange.com/aboutpaul [Update: The web page is no longer available so we removed the link.]) argues that we also have an “innovation gap” as well as a gap in strategy execution.
The strategic execution gap is most often a result from a lack of focus and action between the strategic direction of the organization and its frenetic attempt to balance keeping the lights on and the customer happy.
In our interview - one of many leadership podcasts we've got available to listeners - Paul defines the problem and we learn a lot about these various gaps. We talk about how they come to be and how they represent a problem to our organizations. But of course we also discuss how project management and the power of project leadership fits into all of this and how we project managers and project leaders can help overcome the issues.
PDU Tip
This interview is 28 minutes long. This means that you can "legally" only claim 0.25 PDUs for listening to it. However... if you first listen to the interview and then also read the article on which it is based, then you can go ahead and claim 0.50 PDUs!
This episode is sponsored by The PM PrepCast for The PMP® Exam:
Paul R. Williams, PMP
It’s time. It’s time for strategic project management to be directly represented at the executive round table, in board meetings, and in the ‘C’-suite. It’s time for singular ownership and accountability for organizational strategic planning and execution. It’s time for dedicated focus on organizational resource planning, allocation and utilization. It’s time for focused attention regarding return on investment, earned value on execution, appropriate risk management and post-execution benefit capture. And finally, it’s time for single-sourced, unambiguous communication regarding strategic balance, allocation of resources and prioritization of the directives that constitute the portfolio of investments that the organization makes on its own behalf.
What you have just read is the opening paragraph of the article It’s Time for Project Leadership To Have A Seat At The Executive Table [Update: The web page is no longer available so we removed the link.] written by Paul Williams (http://www.thinkforachange.com/aboutpaul [Update: The web page is no longer available so we removed the link.]). In it, he emphatically argues that project management is just as important as any of the other more traditional business departments such as marketing, finance or operations.
In our interview, Paul and I review his general argument why project leadership needs a seat at the executive table, what the roles and responsibilities of our representative are, what skills he or she needs, and what you can do as part of your career planning to become that very person.
This episode is sponsored by The PM PrepCast for The PMP® Exam:
David M. Kornaros, PMP, CSM
Today you will be treated to another PMP exam success story. I proudly present to you David Kornaros (https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidkornaros) who is one of my successful PMP students. He has used The PM PrepCast, which is my PMP training videocast and also The PM Exam Simulator in his preparation.
As always with these interviews, they are intended for those among you who are currently preparing for their PMP Exam because the in-depth knowledge that I can take from someone like David who has passed their PMP exam will help you understand how to prepare for PMP.
This PMP exam lessons learned interview reviews David’s journey from start to finish, including many tips and tricks that he picked up along the way.
This episode is sponsored by The Agile PrepCast. PDU for PMP®:
Joe Drammissi, MSPM, PMP, PMI-ACP, CSM
If our first discussion about Enlightened Project Management with Joe Drammissi, PMP (http://enlightenedpm.com/about) didn’t give you enough ideas on how to be more mindful and enlightened in your day to day work, then you definitely want to listen to this premium interview.
Because after a quick review of the enlightened project management concept, Joe is going to first talk about two more easy to apply techniques, and then we are going to go through about a dozen or so tips that I have selected from his book 101 Tips for the Enlightened Project Manager.
All geared at helping you increase your leadership skills.
This episode is sponsored by The PM PrepCast for The PMP® Exam:
Joe Drammissi, MSPM, PMP, PMI-ACP, CSM
We spend most of our waking hours at work, yet for many among us the time spent there is unrewarding, unfulfilling, and often just unpleasant. If that sounds familiar, then we can help.
Today we are going to be talking about Enlightened Project Management with Joe Drammissi, PMP (http://enlightenedpm.com/about). At first, this sounds like a method that comes straight out of a new age textbook, but it is in fact a worthwhile concept that helps us project managers not only make a positive difference, but also puts us at the leading edge of change. So keep on listening!
In our interview, Joe and I talk about what enlightened project management is but then quickly talk about the traits that an enlightened project managers has. We review what such a PM strives to do, believes in and how she or he works with stakeholders.
We close out the interview by learning how EPM is applied on a project manager's day-to-day work, and Joe gives us a technique that is easy to apply to get us started -- all based on his book 101 Tips for the Enlightened Project Manager.
This episode is sponsored by The PM PrepCast for The PMP® Exam:
Mark Chropufka, MBA, PMP
This is another episode in which I am proudly introducing you to one of my successful students who was able to pass the PMP. Hi name is Mark Chropufka (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-chropufka-pmp-mba-a3a8196) and he is a student of my PMP PrepCast.
I love doing these kinds of interviews because of the in-depth knowledge that I can take from someone like Mark who has passed their PMP exam and bring it to those who are still studying for their exam. And of course, I also feel very satisfied that it was my exam preparation course that showed Mark how to prepare for PMP.
In this PMP lessons learned interview you are going to hear him talk about his journey to becoming PMP certified from start to finish.
This episode is sponsored by The Agile PrepCast. PDU for PMP®:
Shyamsundar Ramanathan, PMP
Shyamsundar Ramanathan (http://maximisepotential.blogspot.com/, https://www.linkedin.com/in/shyamsundarramanathan) has been a manager and project leader for well over a decade and he says that he has enjoyed every minute of it. To him, our work is both an art and science. It has specific actions that need to be taken and the results will be predictable.
And in his article “9 Ways to Become a Great Manager” he argues the following:
“There is a lot of hot air around leadership and I totally agree that leadership is very important. However management is absolutely imperative to achieve the vision set by the leader. If we have a leader who can manage and a manager who can lead then we would have an ideal mix of traits to ensure the success of the organization. Sometimes management is also defined as getting the work done through others.”
What interested me about his article was to take it a step further and ask: Does being a great manager also help me in being a great project leader? And… Which management skills help me being a great project leader?
In other words, we will explore how management skills help us be great project leaders.
Shyam would like us to mention that the views he expresses in this interview are his own and not those of his employer.
Global delivery models have changed the way IT services are delivered and many organizations use them. They are the way of the world. The significant benefits include the ability to provide round the clock services, ensure business continuity, level the playing field through best-in-class consulting, and finally provide key cost advantages for all organizations alike.
But there are also challenges, because we have now have virtual teams with its members around the world and we may never meet them. So what’s a project leader to do?
Shyamsundar Ramanathan (http://maximisepotential.blogspot.com/, https://www.linkedin.com/in/shyamsundarramanathan ) says that first of all, the key to success of this kind of delivery model is communication. And then he has seven specific recommendations that will help.
In our interview we will define what the global delivery model is, briefly discuss DevOps and then get going with his recommendations and how they will help improve your effectiveness as a project leader of such a global team.
Shyam would like us to mention that the views he expresses in this interview are his own and not those of his employer.
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Install an app on your phone and subscribe to The PM Podcast
Listen to any free or premium episode on a project management topic of your choice
Track and document your learning in our PDU logfile
Claim your PDUs
Please watch the video to get all the details about the process and then visit The PDU FAQ Page to read up on all the details.
And you should definitely download and use The PDU Logfile because tracking each episode you listen to and documenting what you have learned is extremely important, so that you can give evidence to PMI during a PDU claims audit that you have indeed earned these PDUs.
This episode is sponsored by The Agile PrepCast. PDU for PMP®:
Ron Black
If you have listened to our previous interview with Ron Black (www.linkedin.com/in/ronblack), then you know that all of us are superheroes and that we need a plan. And of course - in the comic books - superheroes always win. But they can only win if they succeed. For us this means of course that we must focus on achieving project success.
Ron Black says that successful project management depends on us project leaders doing things right and knowing our project success factors.
You're going to need a plan. No matter how urgent the moment may appear—stopping killer comet collisions, derailing evil tyrants from world domination, or dashing through security, grabbing a latte, and boarding your 5:31 AM flight in time to stow your roll-aboard in the last available space—you'll be more successful, more of the time, if you have a plan.
Leadership by Ron Black
In our discussion, Ron and I will focus on introducing you to his "Super Power Points". These are poignant one-liners (i.e. "To finish faster, start a little slower") that he offers at the end of each chapter to summarize the message.
We review each of the 15 points from the opening chapters and Ron gives us his insights and recommendations that show why even the best project leader needs a plan. You'll pick up some great insights to support your planning process, and I'm sure this interview will help you think about the perfect project planning questions to ask at your next team meeeting.
Cornelius Fichtner, PMP, CSM, is the host and the author at The Project Management Podcast. He has welcomed hundreds of guests and project management experts to the podcast and has helped over 60,0000 students prepare for their PMP® Exam. He has authored dozens of articles on projectmanagement.com and PM World 360. He speaks at conferences around the world about project management, agile methodology, PMOs, and Project Business. Follow him on Twitter and connect with him on LinkedIn.
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