Understanding Projects – Details, episodes & analysis

My discussion today is with Henry Mamud. Henry has an extensive background in project and risk anagement with over 14 years of Canadian and international experience in managing large and complex projects including construction, infrastructure, oil and gas, and energy. Henry is also the President of Canada’s Technology Triangle PMI Chapter. During our discussion we talked about a challenging project Henry managed in the past. The project was a gas drilling project that was multiple days behind schedule with a significant penalty for each day late. Henry describes it as a classical critical path project and outlined the approaches he took to bring the project back on schedule. This is an episode of the Understanding Projects podcast which consists of a series of discussions with PM academics and practitioners about the real world aspects of projects and project management. The podcast is based on the text Understanding Project Management - A Practical Guide by Dave C. Barrett.

My discussion today is with Marc Blanchette. For more information about Marc:

- https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcblanchette/ Marc is an innovative Program Management Leader with extensive experience directing international, high-priority software & hardware projects and programs. He has been recognized for developing & motivating team members with diverse cultural backgrounds by empowering them to overcome challenges and exceed expectations. Marc has also been very active in the Project Management Institute having been President of two PMI chapters and selected by PMI to participate in their Leadership Master Class. We talked about all things PMI certification. This includes their value, types of certifications, and the process of applying for and completing the certification process. We also talk about how the CAPM and PMP certifications relate to other Agile certifications. This is an episode of the Understanding Projects podcast which consists of a series of discussions with PM academics and practitioners about the real world aspects of projects and project management. The podcast is based on the text Understanding Project Management - A Practical Guide by Dave C. Barrett.

My discussion today is with Anna Hohenadel, who is the PRME Coordinator at Conestoga College. For more information about Anna:   https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-hohenadel/   Anna is currently spearheading an initiative to implement PRME at the  college – with PRME standing for Principles for Responsible Management  Education. Related to PRME, we talked about the United Nations  Sustainable Development Goals and how to work with organizations in  order to integrate these goals into their projects and operations. Our  discussion also included the challenges encountered, such as getting the  attention of the organization’s management, quantifying the benefits,  and the concept of green washing.   For more information about PRME and SDGs:  https://www.unprme.org  https://sdgs.un.org/goals   This is an  episode of the Understanding Projects podcast which consists  of a series of  discussions with PM academics and practitioners about  the real world aspects of projects and project management. The podcast  is based on the text Understanding Project Management - A Practical  Guide by Dave  C. Barrett.

My discussion today is with Gregory Stoos, founder & CEO of the company, Planless.io.    Our discussion focused on a key challenge facing many organizations: the  effective allocation and optimization of often limited resources to  support planning needs. I can certainly attest to this being a  significant pain point for many project and resource managers.     Gregory also talked about his company’s software product called  Planless, a real-time planning and resource optimization tool, and the  benefits that it provides in this area.    For more information about the Planless tool, see:   www.planless.com This is an  episode of the Understanding Projects podcast which consists  of a series of  discussions with PM academics and practitioners about  the real world aspects of projects and project management. The podcast  is based on the text Understanding Project Management - A Practical  Guide by Dave  C. Barrett.

My discussion today is with Sheila Chu. Sheila is an accomplished  project manager specializing in the full integration of new acquisitions  and amalgamations into her company’s infrastructure, applications  systems, and business processes. She also holds a number of project  management certifications including the PMP and Agile Scrum Master  designations. She is also an active member of the PMI Lakeshore Ontario  chapter where she has held a number of leadership positions and won a  number of chapter awards.  For more information about Sheila:  - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheila-b-chu/   During our discussion, we talked about her approach to creating project  schedules, software tools she has used, the scheduling challenges she  has encountered and approaches she has taken to solve these challenges.    This is an  episode of the Understanding Projects podcast which consists  of a series of  discussions with PM academics and practitioners about  the real world aspects of projects and project management. The podcast  is based on the text Understanding Project Management - A Practical  Guide by Dave  C. Barrett.

My discussion today is with Simon Chan. I’ve known Simon for many years  and have always found him to be an interesting and creative innovator. A  discussion with Simon always gets you thinking in new ways. For more  information about Simon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-c-chan/ https://www.adaptwithintent.com/  His career has been diverse, with roles including Innovation and Talent  Executive, Future of Work consultant, Leadership coach, and many others.  In his work regarding the Future of Work, he talks about the need for  lifelong learning, embracing change, and the importance of maintaining  healthy networks.  His advice is equally useful for both those about to start their careers  and for those who are at the mid or later point of their careers. This is an  episode of the Understanding Projects podcast which consists  of a series of  discussions with PM academics and practitioners about  the real world aspects of projects and project management. The podcast  is based on the text Understanding Project Management - A Practical  Guide by Dave  C. Barrett.

My discussion is with Harrison Chen. Harrison has extensive project management experience, including roles such as Project Control Officer, Project Leader, Project Manager, and Manager, Project Management Office. For more information about Harrison: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harrisonchenpmp/ This leads to the topic of our discussion: the career path for project managers. We talk about how to start a career in project management, the traits of successful project managers, how to differentiate yourself, defining success, and the need for certifications. This is an  episode of the Understanding Projects podcast which consists of a series of  discussions with PM academics and practitioners about the real world aspects of projects and project management. The podcast is based on the text Understanding Project Management - A Practical Guide by Dave  C. Barrett.

My discussion today is with Charles Igwe. Charles has extensive credentials including a PhD in building and facilities management, an Executive MBA in Operations Management, and various certifications such as the Project Management Professional and Certified Scrum Master designations. For more information about Charles: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-igwe/  Our discussion focuses on Charles’ role as a PMI Mentor. During our discussion, we talked about the development of SMART career goals, the importance of new project managers developing their own sources of power, and some tips for those wanting to achieve their PMP certification. This is an  episode of the Understanding Projects podcast which consists  of a series of  discussions with PM academics and practitioners about  the real world aspects of projects and project management. The podcast  is based on the text Understanding Project Management - A Practical  Guide by Dave  C. Barrett.

My discussion today is with Judy Shulist. I worked with Judy a number  of years ago as she was an original faculty member in the first few  cohorts of the Conestoga Project Management program. Prior to this, Judy  gained extensive experience in operations, project, and program  management with a number of technology-based organizations. The focus of our discussion is on program management and the role of the  program manager. Judy provides an overview of the key differences and  some of the challenges encountered when managing a program. For more information about Judy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judy-shulist-pmp-26331410/ This is an  episode of the Understanding Projects podcast which consists of a series of  discussions with PM academics and practitioners about the real world aspects of projects and project management. The podcast is based on the text Understanding Project Management - A  Practical Guide by Dave  C. Barrett.

My discussion today is with Fernando Santiago. Fernando has extensive experience in project, program, and portfolio management. I’ve known Fernando for many years and highly respect his knowledge of project management but particularly in some of the technical areas such a Earned Value Management. For more information about Fernando: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fernandosantiagod/ During our discussion, we talked about the extension of Earned Value Management into the area of benefits management. This extension is a new indicator, the Realization Performance Indicator or RPI, that behaves the same as SPI and CPI, but measures the current forecast of benefits against the forecast baseline. This indicator would certainly be of interest to senior managers of organizations wanting to maximize the benefits achieve from their project portfolios. For more information about Fernando's ideas, please see:  PMI webinar "RPI - The Third Muskeeter in the Earned Value Framework":   https://www.projectmanagement.com/videos/550420/rpi---the-third-musketeer-in-the-earned-value-framework  (PMI membership required to view)  Fernando's book: "The Outcome-Driven Organization" available on Amazon This is an episode of the Understanding Projects podcast which consists   series of discussions with PM academics and   practitioners about the real world aspects of projects and project management. The podcast is   based on the text Understanding Project Management - A  Practical Guide by Dave C. Barrett.