Projectified

4d ago

Gigaprojects aren’t hard to spot: deep complexity, massive stakeholder groups, wildly ambitious scopes and a major boost to national economies. We discuss two gigaprojects with: Ryan Banas, project director for the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel expansion project and VP at HNTB in Norfolk, Virginia, USA; and Chris Hall, district engineer at the Virginia Department of Transportation in Hampton, Virginia, USA: Banas and Hall discuss how their teams prepared for the years-long bridge and tunnel project, how they keep teams aligned across multiple hand-offs, and the clever ways they engage stakeholders—including community members affected by construction. Mohammed Almutlaq, project management office VP at the Royal Commission for AlUla in Riyadh: Almutlaq shares how teams are turning the historical site of AlUla into an archaeological tourism destination. He discusses how the PMO keeps teams across portfolios aligned to a singular strategy, ways teams best communicate and keep track of progress across projects, and builds flexibility into projects through solid change management practices. Key themes 01:42 Managing a multibillion-dollar infrastructure overhaul in Virginia 04:42 How teams collaborate to tackle years-long projects 07:41 Good practices for hand-offs across the project life cycle 10:12 Keeping the community informed—and building buy-in for the long haul 15:44 Transforming the ancient city of AlUla into a tourism hub 18:18 How a PMO keeps multiple teams aligned to one strategic vision 21:19 Building adaptability into projects with change management 25:06 Top challenges: continuous value delivery and retaining the right talent over long timelines

Dec 3

Success is in the eyes of the beholder. For projects, that means winning over the top decision makers in the C-suite. How can project management office leaders best share project progress with executives? How can you better engage the C-suite to manage their POVs? We discuss this with Douglas Pulini, PMP, PMI-PMOCP, head of the strategic management office at SPC Brasil in São Paulo, and Stephan Wohlfahrt, PMI-ACP, DAVSC, PMP, head of the project management office at Bosch Mobility in Stuttgart, Germany. Key themes 00:56 The C-suite’s role in project success 02:33 How PMO leaders decide what information to share with executives 05:24 Ways to engage executives to benefit project success 10:26 Choosing how to best present project updates to the C-suite 14:28 Must-have skills for PMO leaders to effectively manage stakeholder perceptions

Nov 19

Every project—no matter the sector or region—can be led and managed more sustainably. How can project professionals gain executive buy-in for sustainability efforts? How have they put environmental and social responsibility front and center in their work? And how can other project leaders further develop their knowledge of sustainability in their sectors? We discuss this with Pratik Mishra, PMP, senior strategic portfolio manager at Zalando in Berlin, and Michael Mylonas, GPM-b, PMP, director of project management at the Xeni Gwet’in First Nations Government in Tsilhqot’in Title Land, Nemaiah Valley, British Columbia, Canada. Key themes 00:52 Why you should embed sustainability into every project phase 04:29 Gaining stakeholder buy-in for sustainability on projects 08:49 Building environmental and cultural sustainability into a community center project 12:16 How project professionals can develop their sustainability knowledge 15:26 Ways you can boost sustainability in your projects

Nov 5

Project professionals across the globe deliver meaningful work in myriad ways—all with a goal to make the world a better place. So how did two project managers start their careers, one producing concerts across the globe and the other inspiring teams at LEGO? We discuss what makes them proud to be project managers, some of their favorite projects and more. Our guests are Jim Digby, PMP, project manager and tour and production director at Show Makers in Philadelphia, and Liliana Janette Gómez Castrejón, PMP, project manager at The LEGO Group in Herning, Denmark. Key themes 01:03 Delivering projects, from major music tours to LEGO 06:32 The project management skills that help deliver creative projects 08:40 Overcoming challenges with stakeholder management and finding your leadership style 12:39 Bringing creativity into leading creative projects 17:55 Project manager pride: Creating healthy, diverse team environments

Oct 15

Projects and products are becoming increasingly entwined. That ramps up the need to build greater collaboration between project managers and product managers. What’s similar—and different—about the roles? What strategies can you use to boost collaboration? And how does agile help everyone stay aligned? We get insights and tips from Adam Motiwala, a product manager at Google in Irvine, California in the United States, and Meg Sawachi, PMI-ACP, PMP, a senior project manager at GlobalLogic in Lund, Sweden. Key themes 02:14 Today’s must-have skills for product managers and project managers 06:04 The biggest similarities—and differences—between product and project managers 08:29 Building a strong partnership between a project manager and product manager 12:56 How agile helps project and product managers stay aligned 16:51 Words of advice to product and project managers to boost collaboration

Sep 17

Iterating has become the business norm—but project teams are struggling to keep up with the relentless pace of change. How can change management professionals and project leaders help? We discuss this with: Sharon Casey, director, change management, Adobe, Austin, Texas, USA: Casey discusses how the persistent pace of change is affecting project teams and contributes to change fatigue. She also explains how change practitioners can support project professionals and teams going through change—sharing how her team’s “service tiers” offer assistance—and ways to ensure project teams and senior stakeholders buy into change initiatives. Plus, how artificial intelligence is helping leaders at Adobe learn to better manage change. Senkodi Murugesan, CPMAI, PMP, previously a project manager at Howden, a Chart Industries company, Chennai, India: Murugesan discusses how change has evolved through his career, how to find opportunities amid sudden change on a project, and he shares an example of how he led teams through a major tech change. He also explains why an agile mindset is crucial when it comes to leading project teams through change. Key themes [02:08] How the increasing pace of change affects teams [04:02] Building buy-in for change—and avoiding burnout [09:16] How Adobe change practitioners support teams during change [11:18] Using AI to assist project leaders during change initiatives [16:15] A project professional’s perspective on how managing changed has evolved [18:51] Helping teams through major tech changes [21:38] An agile mindset: A must-have for project leaders handling change

Aug 13

As geopolitical volatility reigns, organizations must increasingly anticipate, assess and manage the risks that come in such a complex project environment. How is this turbulence affecting project leaders? How are they incorporating geostrategy into their risk management processes? We discuss this with: Heather Buchanan, PMI-RMP, PMP, supply chain project manager, Canada Goose, Toronto: She discusses how geopolitical volatility’s impact extends beyond the triple constraint. She explains how project teams are handling change with strategic shifts and proactive planning, and how she ensures her teams keep geopolitical considerations at the forefront. Plus, Buchanan talks about how subject matter experts, tech tools and even PMI helps her stay up-to-date on geostrategy. Rosa Gilsanz, PMI-RMP, PMP, project leader, Bayernoil, Munich: Gilsanz shares why geopolitical issues can wreak havoc with energy projects, the importance of a diverse team in risk identification, prioritization and mitigation planning, and how she uses clear communication and knowledge sharing to bolster her team’s resilience and adaptability amid uncertainty. Key themes [01:09] Geostrategy’s impact on project teams’ risk management [03:25] Managing risk and change with flexibility and contingency planning [05:49] Discussing geopolitical considerations—from tariffs to labor laws—with teams [08:10] Identifying and prioritizing risks with AI, subject matter experts and online alerts [12:19] How the energy sector is affected by geopolitical volatility [15:14] Why you need a diverse team for risk management practices [17:03] Improving risk resilience on teams through communication and knowledge sharing

Jul 16

The youngest generations in the workforce don’t just want jobs—they want to deliver impact. What skills do project professionals need to ensure their efforts lead to deep social impact? And how do they build support for these initiatives? We discuss this with: Martin Irungu, founder and executive director, Empower and Serve Kenya (EmpServe), Nairobi: Irungu’s upbringing inspired him to create an organization focused on positive social impact. He shares how EmpServe Kenya is upskilling the next generation of changemakers, and how his teams engage with communities to build trust and support for projects. Nuria Gabriela Soistata Ruiz, innovation and impact programs lead, Makesense Americas, México City: One of her org’s programs helps students build leadership skills while managing positive social impact projects in México City. Soistata Ruiz explains how she and her teams keep partners and program participants engaged and reveals the skills she leans on in her social impact work. Plus, how other project professionals can find opportunities that focus on their passions. Key themes [01:00] Why the next generation wants to deliver positive social impact [04:10] Helping young Kenyans upskill to make change in their communities [07:54] Building buy-in through community ownership and local project champions [13:32] Measuring success through program alumni [15:55] Helping students lead projects to make a difference in México City [22:11] Must-have skills for social impact: Adaptability, empathy and assertive communication [23:39] Finding the right organization to help you deliver positive social impact