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Episode 128: PPM and Agile don't mix... right?

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PM Lectures

Episode 128: PPM and Agile don't mix... right?Project Portfolio Management (PPM) describes a methodical approach for analyzing and collectively managing a group of current or proposed projects based on numerous key characteristics. The fundamental objective of the PPM process is to determine the optimal mix and sequencing of proposed projects to best achieve the organization's overall goals. Oftentimes companies have implemented a rigorous process for selection, management and administration of their project portfolio.

Agile software development on the other hand refers to a group of software development methodologies based on iterative development, where requirements and solutions evolve through collaboration between self-organizing cross-functional teams.

Contrary to popular belief, agile methods still promote a disciplined project management process that encourages frequent inspection and adaptation, a leadership philosophy that encourages teamwork, self-organization and accountability, a set of engineering best practices that allow for rapid delivery of high-quality software, and a business approach that aligns development with customer needs and company goals. These approaches to doing the work are reflected in the agile project management manifesto.

It’s the seeming incompatibility between these two approaches – the need for rigorous management of your portfolio vs. the adaptive approach of agile project management – that is at the core of our discussion with Rick Moreau, Field Enablement Director of Compuware (www.compuware.com).

We learn from Rick how these two approaches can indeed be brought together into a blended approach, how Compuware is using their own internal product development almost like a case study to prove it and how the need for portfolio management rigor can still be achieved under this mixed approach.

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Episode 127: Project Portfolio Management from PMI's Point of View

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PM Lectures

Episode 127: Project Portfolio Management from PMI's Point of ViewEarlier this week I spent a couple of days in Florida at the Gartner Group’s Project Portfolio Management and IT Summit. We were at the beautiful Gaylord Palms Resort in Orlando. Here I had the chance to sit down with Mark Langley who is the PMI’s Chief Operating Officer.

In this interview we learn why PMI has sent a delegation to this event, we hear some of the feedback that PMI has received on the recent release of the 2nd editions of The Standard for Program Management and The Standard for Portfolio Management, we discuss the challenges that organizations face in regards to program and portfolio management and of course how PMI can help organizations deal with these challenges.

During our conversation we also touch several times upon the upcoming PMI North American Congress, which will be held coincidentally in the very same convention center where this interview was recorded. I won’t be able to be there myself but I strongly recommend that you attend. I have always found PMI Congresses to be a great way to connect to my peers.

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Episode 126 Premium: The 4-Week PMO

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How do you assign tasks and track your team’s progress? Calls, e-mails and spreadsheets – all that makes you buried in routine work. To get the full insight into projects and save up to 25 hours a month, thousands of managers worldwide use Wrike. To try Wrike free and get an exclusive, limited-time 25% PMPodcast discount on your one-year subscription, visit www.wrike.com. Apply “PMP” as the promo code.

Episode 126 Premium: The 4-Week PMOA little earlier this week I had the opportunity to participate in an online webinar from gantthead (https://www.gantthead.com). Mark Perry (from https://www.botinternational.com/pmo-podcasts.html) and I each gave a presentation on a specific topic on setting up a PMO. Mark's presentation discussed constituent and non-constituent focused project management offices, in which he conveyed the message that a PMO which is not focusing on the needs of its customers will eventually fail. And he had a great case study in support of this.

My presentation - the one which you see in this episode - is titled The 4-week PMO. This is a 90 minute presentation, which for the purpose of the online project management webinar was shortened to about 40 minutes. At some point I hope to turn the complete presentation into one of our PM Lectures. But for now, here is my approach that will give you a roadmap that enables you to set up your initial PMO framework in about 4 weeks.

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Episode 125 PREMIUM: How to Implement Green on your Projects

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

This episode is sponsored by:

How do you assign tasks and track your team’s progress? Calls, e-mails and spreadsheets – all that makes you buried in routine work. To get the full insight into projects and save up to 25 hours a month, thousands of managers worldwide use Wrike. To try Wrike free and get an exclusive, limited-time 25% PMPodcast discount on your one-year subscription, visit www.wrike.com. Apply “PMP” as the promo code.

Rich Maltzman, PMPDavid L. Shirley, PMPIn this episode of The project management podcast we once again welcome back both David Shirley and Rich Maltzman from www.earthpm.com to talk about green project management.

We start out with a short discussion on certification programs for project managers and what Dave and Rich are doing to include the aspect of “green” into these programs. But then we are going to jump into the “how” of green PM. What exactly is it that you do to include aspects of green into your project during initiation, planning, executing, monitoring & controlling and finally also during closing of your project.

That is then followed by the discussion of lifecycle environmental cost. If you remember, Philip Crosby said that “Quality is free” and you can learn today that Dave and Rich feel the same way about green.

And lastly, you have heard of Earned Value Management (EVM), right? But have you ever heard of Environmental Earned Value Management (EEVM)? You definitely will hear about it in our discussion.

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Episode 125: The Green Wave...how ALL projects need to be green

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This episode is sponsored by:

How do you assign tasks and track your team’s progress? Calls, e-mails and spreadsheets – all that makes you buried in routine work. To get the full insight into projects and save up to 25 hours a month, thousands of managers worldwide use Wrike. To try Wrike free and get an exclusive, limited-time 25% PMPodcast discount on your one-year subscription, visit www.wrike.com. Apply “PMP” as the promo code.

Rich Maltzman, PMPDavid L. Shirley, PMPQuestion: What’s green and manages a project?

The answer isn’t “Kermit the frog” the answer is “All of us”.

At least that is the answer given by Rich Maltzman and David Shirley from www.earthpm.com. David and Rich are two experienced project managers who realized that green is a must because according to PMI, the world will spend 1/5 of its GDP on projects, a hefty $US12 Trillion this year alone.

That's a lot of energy that we put into projects and those projects will use energy, save energy, use resources, and save resources in ways we cannot yet imagine.

That is why they founded www.earthpm.com which is devoted to the intersection of Project Management and "Green" - where green has to do with preventing climate change, preserving resources, and getting things done effectively and efficiently, which should already be flowing in the 'green' blood of any project manager worth their weight in risk registers.

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