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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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The most requested template from The PM Podcast series is a document offered by Sabrina Mancini in Episode 017. This template is intended to help you turn your job search into a project. unfortunately, Sabrina doesn't have this template anymore. Neither do I.

Do you have it?

If yes, then please send it to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. so that we can once again offer it on The PM Podcast.

Thanks!