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This episode is sponsored by The PDU Insider - Free PDUs Info For Everyone:

In the 2009 PM Podcast Listener Survey you (the listeners) told me that you would also like to hear book reviews. So we teamed up with The PMI Los Angeles Chapter's Book Club and we bring you today the reviews for 2 books:

1. “Death by Meeting: A Leadership Fable about Solving the Most Painful Problem in Business” by Patrick Lencioni - reviewed by Joel Fleiss
2. "Why should Anyone Be Led By You?” by Rob Goffe and Gareth Jones - Reviewed by Hiba Hamdan

And here are the winners of our latest book giveaway. We have 2 copies of Terry Doerscher's Taming Change with Portfolio Management. As always, one copy goes to our premium listeners and one goes to our free listeners. And the winners are

• Premium Listener: Don Brown, Mesa, AZ
• Free listener: Benoit Ben

Congrats to both of you.

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Download The PM Podcast PDU Logfile (XLSX) and track each episode you listen to. The better you document your learning activities the more you can give evidence to PMI that you have indeed subscribed and listened to The PM Podcast during an audit. Please click here for everything you need to know about earning Free PDUs from The PM Podcast...

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This video explains how to earn 60 Free PDUs from The PM Podcast. All you have to do is subscribe, listen and claim!

This video is an update of the information previously published in episodes 150 and 183. The videos of those episodes have been removed.

This episode is sponsored by:

This episode of The PM Podcast is titled “Earn 60 Free PDUs” because we want to show you how to do exactly that simply by listening to The PM Podcast. Here's how in a nutshell:

• It’s very simple to earn these 30 free PMP PDUs (and they are also relevant PDUs for other credentials too)
• Just keep doing what you are doing right now:
• Listen to (or watch) The PM Podcast regularly
• Claim 30 Category C PDUs from PMI.

Many of you may already be aware of this and also how it is done, but in the last couple of months I have received a large number of emails from listeners out there asking me about how exactly to claim these Category C PDUs that I have decided to make this into a podcast. Project Management Professional credential holders need to earn 60 PDUs for PMP® renewal, so claiming these Category C PDUs will give you a headstart to completing your PDU requirements.

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This video explains how to earn 60 Free PDUs from The PM Podcast. All you have to do is subscribe, listen and claim!

This video is an update of the information previously published in episodes 150 and 183. The videos of those episodes have been removed.

This episode is sponsored by:

This episode of The PM Podcast is titled “Earn 60 Free PDUs” because we want to show you how to do exactly that simply by listening to The PM Podcast. Here's how in a nutshell:

• It’s very simple to earn these free PDUs.
• Just keep doing what you are doing right now:
• Listen to (or watch) The PM Podcast regularly
• Claim your PDUs from PMI.

Many of you may already be aware of this and also how it is done, but we keep getting emails from people asking about this and starting March 1, 2011 PMI has increased the number of PDUS that you can earn in this way from 15 to 30. That is why I created this video.

Note: This video is in essence an update to the old video in episode 150, explaining how this all works under PMI's new PDU category structure. To avoid confusion, we have removed the video of episode 150 and replaced it with this one.

Ultimately, Project Management Professional (PMP)® credential holders need to earn 60 PDUs for PMP renewal cycles. You can earn half of those for free using The PM Podcast resources, and the video above explains exactly how.

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We are extending the promotional giveaway of Terry's book "Taming Change with Portfolio Management": To win a copy of Terry's book: Go to our Facebook Fan Page at www.facebook.com/pmpodcast find the announcement of this book giveaway and simply add a quick comment (Deadline is July 21 2010).

This episode is reserved for subscribers of the Premium Podcast. Learn how to subscribe to the Premium Podcast to access this interview and transcript...

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Last week we spoke with Terry Doerscher from Planview and he gave us an introduction to project portfolio management. This week we are going to where the rubber meets the road. We want to learn in what steps exactly PPM can be introduced in an organization. We'll look at this from various angles and we'll specifically discuss the following types of assessments that Terry recommends that you perform in your organization before you even get started

• A general operational assessment
• An organizational assessment
• A functional assessment
• A technological assessment

The information we talk about was taken from Terry's book "Taming Change with Portfolio Management" and to win a copy of Terry's book: Go to our Facebook Fan Page at www.facebook.com/pmpodcast find the announcement of this book giveaway and simply add a quick comment (Deadline to participate extended to July 21 2010).

 

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The PMBOK®  Guide defines Project Portfolio Management as "The centralized management of one or more portfolios, which includes identifying, prioritizing, authorizing, managing, and controlling projects, programs, and other related work, to achieve specific strategic business objectives." As always with definitions from the PMBOK®  Guide, they are straightforward, dry, to the point and they give you a good idea what the term is all about. But they are usually also lacking in regards to telling you much about how Project Portfolio Management is performed out in the world.

But that's where The PM Podcast comes into play. We bring you the real life experience and explanations about Project Portfolio Management with one of the big names in Portfolio Management: Terry Doerscher from www.planview.com.

Terry recently published "Taming Change with Portfolio Management", a book that he wrote together with Pat Durbin. I have taken this book release as an opportunity to bring Terry on the show to look into the basics of Project Portfolio Management. You'll hear his definition, the 4 core portfolio management information structures, how portfolio management enhances the value we deliver to our organizations and more.

Win a copy of Terry's book: Go to our Facebook Fan Page at www.facebook.com/pmpodcast find the announcement of this book giveaway and simply add a quick comment (Deadline to participate extended to July 21 2010).

Here are the winners of our PDU Podcast giveaway. The PDU Podcast is our sister podcast which helps PMP® and PgMP® credential holders earn at least 1 PDU every month. All you have to do is to watch the video webinars and you have just earned a PDU. You can find it at www.pducast.com. And the winners are

• Premium Listener: Keith Hopkins from Fullerton right here in California
• Free listener: Ilias Biris from Espoo in Finland

Congrats to both of you

Oh... and just in case you are now completely confused about the difference between The PDU Insider and The PDU Podcast... The PDU Insider is a newsletter in which I give you inside tips about earning PDUs. And The PDU Podcast is a videocast where you can watch webinars and earn PDUs.

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Part 3. This episode of The PM Podcast is a 4-part webinar presented by Andreas Heilwagen on the topic of risk management.

The previous two parts have looked at risk management critical success factors and how we can use these to better manage the project, leading (hopefully) to a more successful outcome.

He stipulates that it is a critical success factor for your project success. We look at a definition of Risk Management, present the value that it offers to your projects, go through the processes offered by The PMBOK® Guide, take a look at the free risk management templates [Update: the template website is no longer available, so we removed the link] offered by Andreas and the look into the success factors that will make your internal risk management approach a winning activity.

Remember, risk management in agile projects draws on the same principles and processes. As with all project management processes, you can tailor them to best fit your environment.

Click to download the video:

This episode is sponsored by:

Part 4. This episode of The PM Podcast is a 4-part webinar presented by Andreas Heilwagen on the topic of risk management.

Each part of this webinar is looking at risk management critical success factors. Andreas says that the effective management of project risk is a critical success factor, and I can see why. We look at a definition of Risk Management, present the value that it offers to your projects, go through the processes offered by The PMBOK® Guide, take a look at the free risk management templates [Update: the template website is no longer available, so we removed the link] offered by Andreas and the look into the success factors that will make your internal risk management approach a winning activity.

Agile project risk management isn't something we go deep into specifically, but risk management is a universal concept. You will be able to take the ideas here and apply them to your agile team environment, if you are using agile methods.

Click to download the video:

This episode is sponsored by:

Part 1. This episode of The PM Podcast is a 4-part webinar presented by Andreas Heilwagen on the topic of risk management. He stipulates that it is a critical success factor for your project success. We look at a definition of Risk Management, present the value that it offers to your projects, go through the processes offered by The PMBOK® Guide, take a look at the free risk management templates [Update: the template website is no longer available, so we removed the link] offered by Andreas and the look into the success factors that will make your internal risk management approach a winning activity.

Whether you are working in a predictive environment, a hybrid project delivery environment, or considering risk management in agile projects, you'll find tips and tricks to learn from and implement in this webinar.

Click to download the video:

This episode is sponsored by:

Part 2. This episode of The PM Podcast is a 4-part webinar presented by Andreas Heilwagen on the topic of Risk Management. In Part 1 we looked at risk management critical success factors and we're continuing that topic today.

He stipulates that it is a critical success factor for your project success. We look at a definition of risk management, present the value that it offers to your projects, go through the processes offered by The PMBOK® Guide, take a look at the free risk management templates [Update: the template website is no longer available, so we removed the link] offered by Andreas and the look into the success factors that will make your internal risk management approach a winning activity.

Risk management strategies for agile projects might feel a little different from what is being discussed here, but you'll still be able to apply the principles of risk management to your work, whatever kind of delivery environment you work in.

This episode is reserved for subscribers of the Premium Podcast. Learn how to subscribe to the Premium Podcast to access this interview and transcript...

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Let's continue our look at How to become a project manager.

And because Josh and I realize that many of you may already have some seniority under your belt, we are also going to take this to the next level: How you can help someone  - maybe a junior project or even someone who is just now starting to think about going into project management - how to help this someone as a mentor and assist them with tips and tricks. So don't dismiss this discussion, simply because you are farther along in your career. Listen to it and use the discussion to help others.

Josh is the man behind PM Student and PM Student eLearning, which you can find at www.mypmstudent.com.

 

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Here is a question that I have received from quite a number of podcast listeners in the past few years: How do I overcome the Catch 22 situation of getting into project management, that in order to get assigned a project you need to have experience as a PM. And in order to get some experience as a PM you first need to have a project assigned. Is there a way around this? Project manager coaching and mentoring is a starting point, but that doesn't address the question of experience and how to gain it.

This and may other questions about how someone who is interested in becoming a Project Manager can get started in our profession are at the center of my discussion today with Josh Nankivel. You will hear how both he and I started our careers as project managers, what books to read, what training to get and what websites and social media for project managers are great places to start.

There are so many ways to niche down in project management. Your goal, for example, might be a role of project manager in SAFe agile teams, but before you can make that move, you need to get the basics right and gain experience that will let you ultimately take on your dream job.

Josh is the man behind PM Student and PM Student eLearning, which you can find at www.mypmstudent.com.

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At this year's PMI Atlanta Chapter's Professional Development Day, Tom Mochal, PMP (www.tenstep.com) presented a 2.5 hour long workshop. It was simply called "Successful Project Management" and was based on the premise that the days of the monolithic, complex, multi-year project are over. Tom says that they are just too hard to plan, manage and complete within expectations. He argues that the better approach is to break large initiatives into multiple smaller projects. These smaller projects are easier to manage and they each have a much better chance to be successful.

Of course, if each project was managed independently, the entire initiative would be at risk of losing focus and getting out-of-control. So... Enter the Program.

A program is the organizational structure that is established to coordinate and guide a large initiative made up of multiple related projects. The program provides an umbrella structure over the entire initiative and has the high-level visibility and continuity to guide all of the underlying projects toward overall success.

Shortly after the workshop ended, I had a chance to sit down with Tom and discuss his approach to project, program and portfolio management. And we even manage to sneak in some career advice for you as well.

W also announce a giveaway where one lucky Project Management Professional(PMP)® out there is going to win a copy of The PDU Podcast. The PDU Podcast is our sister podcast and you can learn more about it at www.pducast.com. It's a convenient way for PMP® and PgMP® credential holders to earn their PDUs through webinars that are delivered to you as a Podcast. Listen to the first 5 minutes of this episode to learn how to participate.

 

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On May 1st of this year I was in Atlanta, Georgia where I gave a presentation at the PMI Atlanta Chapter's 2010 Professional Development Day. I must tell you that I was blown away by the professionalism with which this event had been set up. As you walked in the building there were volunteers everywhere pointing out the way to walk and offering to help you. Check-in was a breeze and then it pretty much continued in this well-oiled-machine fashion throughout the day.

So I wanted to know... how do you plan, organize and execute such an event year after year?

I had my recording equipment with me and I got a chance to sit down with Charles Galoppe, who is the event's project manager and we were joined by Dean Gudlauski, VP of Marketing and Promotions for the PMI Atlanta Chapter.

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On May 1st 2010 I presented "The 4-week PMO" at the PMI Atlanta Chapter's Professional Development Day. This video gives you a few impressions from the event.

This episode is reserved for subscribers of the Premium Podcast. Learn how to subscribe to the Premium Podcast to access this interview and transcript...

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A little while back Bill Duncan published an article on the importance of clearly (and I really mean clearly) differentiating between the terms scope and work.

Everyone seems to agree on the importance of scope, but there is much less agreement on what it is and where to find it. By focusing on a project’s “product” (whether tangible or intangible), project managers create greater clarity around the implication of all changes.

His reasoning was that by doing so you get greater clarity in regards to what changes on your project should be considered as scope changes, you improve your communication with your customer and by applying "discover-define-deliver" you add another layer of clarity.

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Earlier this month, the ASAPM (The American Society for Advancement of Project Management) released their latest standard. It's called "aPro: asapm Performance Rated Organization". You can find it at https://apro.asapm.org/.

My guest today Bill Duncan, who serves as the Certification Chair on the board of directors of the ASAPM. Many of you will recognize his name, as he was the primary author of the original PMBOK® Guide. But that's a story for another time. Today, we're discussing the purpose of the aPRO standard. We'll look at what organizations should consider being rated in this way, benefits and competitive advantage of this rating, how you actually get certified and much, much more.

 

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This episode of The PM Podcast was supposed to feature an interview with a representative from PMI to talk about the recently updated CCRS. That's their Continuing Certification Requirements System.

However, 24 hours before we were scheduled to do the interview we became the latest victim of Murphy's Law: I got a phonecall from PMI letting me know that my interview guest has a bad case of laryngitis. So he can't really participate in a spoken interview. So the #1 law in project management - Murphy's Law - strikes again to bring heartache, pain and tears to a project manager. Me in this case.

Well... that got me thinking about all the various laws that we have in project management. So we will be reviewing the following laws together: Murphy's Law, Boyles laws, Brownian Motion Rule of Bureacracies, Laws of computer programming,The Peter Principle, The Pareto'Principle, Old Engineer's Law, Gordon's First Law, Golub's Laws of Computerdom, Horstman's Law of Project Management, Klipstein's Laws, Ninety-ninety Rule of Project Schedules, Parkinson's Law, Q's Law, Vance's Rule of 2 1/2, The Student Syndrome, Parkinson's Principle of Non-Origination, Theory of the International Society of Philosophic Engineering, Brooks's Law and The Law of diminishing returns.

We also announce the winners of The PDU Podcast promotional giveaway.

Question of the Week: Did we forget to review any important laws and principles of project management? Please leave a comment and let us know!

 

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Now it gets interesting

Last week we learned about PM Simplicity from Sean Henriques. We talked about the basic building block of his approach to managing projects. Now it's time to look at how he uses and implements this approach on his projects. We begin with project initiation and end... you guessed it... with project closing.