Play Now:

This episode is sponsored by:

Back in Episode 070 we tried something new. Instead of an in-depth interview on a particular topic, our host Cornelius Fichtner invited Dina Henry-Scott to a Project Management Conversation. The feedback on that particular episode was so encouraging, that we decided to do more conversations just like it. We will of course continue to have our in-depth feature interviews but going forward you can expect many more Project Management Conversations.

Today's Project Management Conversation is with Shawn Futterer who is a certified project management professional with a broad range of experience. He started his career in 1992 managing quality control projects for a small manufacturing company and is currently working in a PMO for a Fortune 50 telecommunications company where he supervises project managers for the North region. Over the course of his career, Shawn has managed projects of all shapes and sizes with budgets of up to $100M. Shawn has a keen interest in the methodologies, strategy, planning and operations. He has over fifteen years of hands-on project management experience and has led, consulted on or contributed to: process development efforts, various methodologies and multiple training programs. Shawn attributes a project managers success to their ability to provide a strategic view and a demonstrated ability to interact and communicate effectively with all levels of an organization.

As usual we also have our helpful resources and we give away a license to the project management methodology of our sponsor www.mpmm.com. The giveaway ends on August 27, 2007. Listen to this episode to learn how to participate.

Play Now:

This episode is sponsored by:

Having himself worked on projects in several countries our host Cornelius Fichtner was very much looking forward to this interview with Randy Magdaluyo. Randy works for a financial services provider in the USA and was given the opportunity to work as the IT lead on a project in Europe. This project brought together a team from 3 continents. We are discussing the project itself, its cultural and communications challenges, the success factors and what Randy did to overcome his personal culture shock. As usual we also have our helpful resources that complement this interview and we give away a license to the project management methodology of our sponsor www.mpmm.com. The giveaway ends on August 27, 2007. Listen to this episode to learn how to participate.

Play Now:

This episode is sponsored by:

When your project fails, your sponsor will only call one person into his office to discuss this failure... you. As the project manager you are responsible for the success and failure of your projects. And that holds true, even if the reason for this failure was outside your span of control, even if you work in a matrix environment in which project managers normally lack formal authority. Yes, we all know that responsibility and authority should be in balance, but more often than not, your responsibility outweighs the formal authority that you receive. You have to fall back to other forms of authority - referent authority, expert authority, reward authority and penalty authority. Thomas Cutting, PMP, has written a series of articles on authority in his blog at www.cuttingsedge.com [Update: The web page is no longer available so we removed the link] and we are happy to have Thomas on the program today. We look in detail at the various types of authority, how they apply in a matrix organization and in a projectized organization and we look at what you can do to regain your authority if you think that you have lost it. As project managers, we don't think about authority often enough. It seems to be something that sort of "just happens". This discussion will give you a lot of food for thought and you will look differently at your personal authority next time that you accept a project.

Play Now:

This episode is sponsored by:

You will probably have noticed that communications technology seems to make the world smaller and smaller and that our project teams are suddenly all over the planet. Your sponsor is in Germany, your customer is in Chile, your engineer in Togo, two designers are in Sidney and you yourself are leading this team while sitting with your laptop on the beaches of Tahiti. What a great life we PMs have! But unfortunately, these virtual teams are quite demanding. You must deal with a multitude of cultures, several time zones and the fact that your team doesn’t have a chance to meet face to face. That is not an easy task. Adrienne Keane can help. Adrienne is a PMP® credential holder and manages virtual teams for Cisco systems. She also teaches a seminar on Effective Virtual Management at the University of California Irvine. And today you will hear her best practices.

Click here to download Adrienne's presentation (*.pdf)...

Play Now:

This episode is sponsored by:

In today's episode of The Project Management Podcast™ we welcome back Dina Henry Scott, PMP, who is the host of the Controlling Chaos podcast. We discuss our successes and failures, what we like and don’t like about our projects, we discuss our PMOs and we look at the the methodologies that we use. We finish it off with with the one thing that we wish we could change in our company. Oh... and we are having a lot of fun with it, too. This is everyday, real life project management brought to you by our combined experience.

Play Now:

Due to a death in the family, there will be no episode of The Project Management Podcast™ this week. We will resume our program in 2 weeks. 

Play Now:

This episode is sponsored by:

Sigma is the 18th letter of the Greek alphabet and the lower case sigma (σ) is the symbol used to depict the quality management approach Six Sigma (6σ). Six Sigma is a system that was originally developed by Motorola to systematically improve manufacturing processes by eliminating defects. It was defined as a metric for measuring defects and improving quality as well as a methodology to reduce defect levels below 3.4 defects per million. Six Sigma has come a long way and is a respected methodology. Our guest today, is Steven West, who is a Six Sigma Black Belt and works for a financial services company. We explore the Six Sigma program of his company, the projects that he has worked on and learn what being a Black Belt has done for him.

Play Now:

p>This episode is sponsored by:

Who defines what project management is? We all do. Some of you may have a blog and you publish your thoughts on project management that way. Or you discuss a methodology with a friend over lunch. Some introduce papers with exciting new ideas to attendees at conferences or give a presentation at their professional organization's monthly meeting. Others again write articles for newsletters or magazines. Then there are those who produce podcasts or discuss project management through other media. All of us define the current and future state of project management. And then there is Jerry Manas, PMP, President and founder of The Marengo Group, LLC (https://www.manasbooks.com and https://www.pmthink.com) who like many others decided to write a project management book. And it's the process of writing a project management related book that we are going to explore with Jerry today. Being a good project manager, he has a lessons learned file that he opens up for us. We hear how he came up with the idea, how he organized it, how he found a publisher, what it takes to publicize the book and what it felt like to hold the first copy in his hands.

Play Now:

This episode is sponsored by:

As a project manager you have to be many things. You have to be a great communicator, a leader, a visionary, and be able to both build and inspire the team, to name just a few. First and foremost, however, you have to be proactive. You employ strategies to plan the future in order to proactively minimize risk on your projects so that you can deliver on time and on budget. Why then is it that when November comes around you can hear a collective groan rise from the community of PMPs as they ask, where they could quickly get 20, 30 or even 40 or more PDUs before the year is through? Is this simply a case of the cobbler’s children having no shoes? No. I think that this is an acute case of not proactively trying to understand the PMI’s re-certification requirements. As we publish this episode on The Project Management Podcast™, it is about seven months before the end of the year, and we want to help you today to understand the PMP recertification process and how you can very easily gain those PDUs before year’s end.

Play Now:

Listener Alexander Maslyukov wrote in and said "In my company there are functional managers who have the power. Functional managers assign salary, bonuses and have responsibilities for promotion of the employees. PMs don't have any instruments to force stuff to do everything. The only way to make the team to do something is to persuade them. But how can we motivate people?" In response to Alexander's question we are going to delve into motivation today. We review the various motivational theories, look at how to see if motivation is a problem on your project, what you can do to motivate and energize your project team on a shoestring and we end it with James R. Chapman's very elegant Motivation Triangle. Please consult the Helpful Resources to find links to the white papers and presentations mentioned in today's episode.

Are you studying for the PMP exam? Then subscribe to The Project Management PrepCast™ at https://www.pm-prepcast.com and study by listening with your iPod.

Play Now:

This episode is sponsored by:

In Episode 062 we asked Thomas Cutting to answer the question “How can I become a Project Manager?” Today, we continue this topic with our interview Guest Josh Nankivel. In his career Josh found a love for project management and decided to go back to school and get academic training in PM. He is currently going to school and will receive his Bachelors degree in PM in about a year. After that he will continue with his studies and begin his MBA with a focus on project management. In our interview, we look at how Josh applies his academic training to his everyday work, discuss if there are differences between what he is being taught and what he actually sees in the workplace, take a look at his blog www.pmstudent.com , and want to know from him what academia and the private sector can do in order to help the PM profession grow as a whole.

Play Now:

This episode is sponsored by:

Too often in our rush to produce deliverables the communications plan is overlooked. This happens everywhere, even in companies that have formal project management methodologies. On the outset of your project you might have all the best intentions and take the time to create a communications plan. But as the project progresses and day to day issues come your way the communications plan is drifting ever more into the background. Your communications aren’t managed, new stakeholders aren’t added to the list of recipients and all that remains is a nagging feeling that you are forgetting something. That’s the story, when you use the communications plan as a tactical tool. But what if you approached it strategically? What if you took the time and really managed your communications against the plan? Might there even be benefits? Margaret Meloni answers this question with a resounding “Yes!”, which is why she is our guest today. And to help you along with your communications management plan, we have three helpful resources that help you define that plan for small, medium and larger projects. But most importantly, we announce the winners of the giveaway for two one-year subscriptions to The Project Management PrepCast™ .

Click here to read Margaret's article titled "Avoid Communications Chaos" (*.pdf)

Play Now:

This episode is sponsored by:

A Risk is an uncertain event or condition that, if it occurs, has a positive or negative effect on a project’s objectives. There are many hard tools out there that tell you how to identify your risks, how to quantify them, how to define their impact on the project and what you can do in order to avoid or mitigate them. But how do you and the stakeholders on your project react to risks? Do risks frighten you or do they invigorate you? And what risk approach will a frightened project manager take versus the approach that an invigorated one takes? This discussion is at the core of Risk Attitudes. We are honored to welcome Janice Preston, PMP, on our program today to explore the four basic risk attitudes. Janice was a contributor to the risk section of both the 1996, 2000 and 2004 version of the PMBOK® Guide and as such very qualified to look into this with us. As always we have Helpful Resources that complement this interview.

If you are currently studying to take the PMP® exam, then listen in and learn how you can win a free, one-year subscription to our sister podcast The Project Management PrepCast™, where you can learn the tools & techniques you need to know in order to prepare to take the PMP exam.

Play Now:

This episode is sponsored by:

"How can I become a project manager?" This is the question that we get asked most often here at The Project Management Podcast™. We tried to answer each email individually, but also decided that this would be a great topic for our program.

We looked and found Thomas Cutting (https://cuttingsedgepm.blogspot.com) who discusses this question with us today. Thomas' blog is one of many social media for project managers resources.

In the interview, we look at Thomas' own career but also take a generic look at possible PM career paths. There are many options for you to consider as a career, whether your interest is in construction, fashion, engineering, healthcare, or a particular method, like waterfall or you could take the role of project manager in SAFe agile environments and explore your interests that way.

We discuss the value of experience vs. certification and working as a PM in-house or for a consulting firm. Project manager coaching and mentoring is one way to reflect on what the right career path for you might be. If you are currently studying to take the PMP® exam, then listen in and learn how you can win a free, one-year subscription to our sister podcast The Project Management PrepCast™, where you can learn the tools & techniques you need to know in order to prepare to take the PMP exam.

Play Now:

This episode is sponsored by:

Most often business applications do not have to achieve the same level of quality, accuracy, and consensus or be as fault free as many aerospace, defense or medical-related systems. That isn’t to imply they don’t strive for excellence and accuracy, only that it can be tolerated better. As a result, there are different priorities placed on quality and the use of disciplined approaches that demand a lot of up front time. In today's episode of The Project Management Podcast™ we welcome Inez Marino to discuss with her approaches that employ such an up-front time commitment that many businesses do not believe they can afford to spend. We also look at the importance of high quality requirements on your projects. Our two Helpful Resources complement this discussion.

Click here to download the presentation (*.pdf) mentioned during the interview. (Click here if the document appears empty .)

We apologize for the "hiccups" in the recording at the start of the interview.

Play Now:

Our host Cornelius Fichtner, PMP,  has fallen ill with Temporomandibular Joint Syndrome (TMJ). This is a condition of facial pain in the joints of the lower jaw. The abbreviation "TMJ" literally refers to the joint itself, although it is often used to refer to the disorder (TMD). This means that he has a difficult time speaking because the jaw hurts when moved. For the host of a podcast, having a hard time speaking is a great misfortune. But what would it mean to you as a project manager, if you were diagnosed with TMJ? Could you still do your job without being able to easily communicate? Listen in to what experience Cornelius has had with this.

Play Now:

This episode is sponsored by:

The dynamics of teams can be challenging. So what does it take to get a team to truly work together as a well-oiled machine?  This is the question that we explore with Diane Altwies, PMP, of www.coreperformanceconcepts.com. She brings together the theory of team dynamics and offers some real-world advice in dealing with dysfunctional teams. We look at what the effects of a dysfunctional team are and discuss some ways in which you can change that. Starting this week, our helpful resources not only complement our main topic, we also begin taking a look at the podcasts that our host Cornelius Fichtner listens to in his spare time. Oh.... and did we mention that The Project Management Podcast™ now has over 500,000 downloads?

Play Now:

Today we are not going to look at project management. Instead, we will be looking at bleepers and bloopers because this is the "Out Takes Show". Have you ever wondered how much goes wrong, when we record an episode? The answer is: Too much. To close out the year, here are a few minutes of memorable and not so memorable moments from The Project Management Podcast™ when things went not according to plan. Listen to all the ahhs and umhs that we had to cut out of the regular program and which you were never really meant to hear.

Play Now:

Download "Service Oriented Project Management" White Paper (*.pdf) by clicking here.

This episode is sponsored by:

Ask 10 project managers what they focus on most in their projects to be successful and you will get 10 different answers. Case in point are the 10 final questions that we ask at the end of every interview here on the program. Many of us may focus on communication, schedule, relationships or requirements. Jerry Manas, PMP, President and founder of The Marengo Group, LLC (https://www.manasbooks.com)and one of the minds behind https://www.pmthink.com would like to redirect our focus on the real client value. What does this mean and how does he propose to do that? The answer is Service Oriented Project Management, a PM framework that he developed and which he will be presenting in today's interview on The Project Management Podcast™. Two of our three helpful resources complement this interview by looking at similar PM approaches and the third one is of interest to everyone who would like to delve into PRINCE2. Click on the links below to see the helpful resources.

Helpful Resources for this Episode...

Play Now:

Download "The Five Diseases of Project Management" (*.PDF) by clicking here.

This episode is sponsored by:

Are you struggling to get your projects done on schedule? Are you looking for a better, more profitable way to get things done? Then maybe you should take a look at Critical Chain Project Management. CCPM was developed based on Eliyahu Goldratt's Theory of Constraints and it is the main topic of today's episode of The Project Management Podcast™. We welcome Allan Elder, PMP, of www.nolimitsleadership.com to discuss Critical Chain Project Management. We look at why our projects are late and how the Critical Chain approach will benefit you. Allan can be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We also announce the winners of our book giveaway who each have won one copy of Quentin Flemings "Project Procurement Management". PMP® credential holders can claim 1 category 2-SDL PDU for listening to today's episode.

Click here to download Alan's white paper The Five Diseases of Project Management (*.pdf)...