PM Point of View

The podcast features a panel discussion with Laura Barnard, the author of "The IMPACT Engine," and three professionals who have utilized her strategies: Willetta Love, an Associate Director of Project Management, Andrea Cirelli, Senior Director of a PMO, and Gregor Androjna, a business consultant. The conversation is moderated by Kendall Lott. The IMPACT Engine is about accelerating strategy delivery, focusing on the human element in project management and change implementation. The panelists emphasize aligning projects with business strategy, fostering clear communication, and empowering leaders to drive impactful change. The discussion highlights the importance of understanding leadership needs, addressing root causes of problems, and ensuring that PMOs focus on delivering business value rather than just executing projects. The episode concludes with a call to action for project management professionals to adopt a strategic mindset and become impactful leaders.

Host Kendall Lott, along with guests Galen Low and Mike Hannon, discuss the evolving role of project managers (PMs) in the age of AI, emphasizing the need for PMs to adapt to stay relevant. While AI can handle routine administrative tasks, it cannot replace the strategic thinking, human relationship-building, and ethical decision-making that PMs provide. The conversation highlights the importance of shifting from task management to a strategic focus, where PMs are seen as leaders who drive business value. We like the right training, as we need more strategic thinking, business context, and ROI understanding. Effective PMs must bridge the gap between executive vision and project execution, fostering collaboration and communication to align projects with broader organizational goals. In the face of AI tools, which of course we should incorporate in our work, PMs need to be  ambassadors for their discipline in an increasingly automated world.

Dive into the future of project management within the U.S. government in this engaging and insightful interview with key players from the USDA and NOAA. Hear from Jason Traquair, Kellie Cenzano, Daryl Frazier, and Joe Giraldi as they unveil their pioneering efforts and collaborations aimed at enhancing program and project management disciplines across their respective organizations. Discover the innovative strategies, such as building vibrant communities of practice and leveraging integrated value networks, that are set to redefine how government agencies achieve mission success and tackle challenges like catastrophic wildfires more efficiently. This conversation covers the tactical steps these leaders are taking today and also casts an exciting vision for 2029, where project management is not just a discipline but the fabric of effective and predictive government operations. Whether you're a seasoned PM professional or new to the field, this energetic discussion will leave you inspired about the future of project management in government service.

Risk-- again!  This episode with guests from the upcoming UMD Project Management Center for Excellence symposium is a thought-provoking discussion that takes a closer look at a crucial aspect of project management – risk management. We've gathered a dynamic trio of experts from diverse backgrounds to share their insights, experiences, and groundbreaking strategies on tackling risks head-on, making your projects more resilient and successful. Joining us from the realms of technology, clinical research, and literary scholarship, our speakers, Lakshmi Sowjanya Uppala from Amazon, clinical project manager Jiwan Giri, and accomplished author John M Quigley, will share their unique perspectives on risk management. Whether it's developing prevention frameworks in software projects, navigating the challenges of clinical trials during an Ebola outbreak, or invoking the wisdom of the muses to refine our approach to risk, this episode will enrich your understanding and inspire you to view project risk management through a new lens. So, buckle up and prepare to explore the intricate dance of risk and resilience in project management. Let's delve into the strategies that empower project managers to foresee the unforeseen, plan with precision, and lead their teams to triumph.

Risk-- again!  This episode with guests from the upcoming UMD Project Management Center for Excellence symposium is a thought-provoking discussion that takes a closer look at a crucial aspect of project management – risk management. We've gathered a dynamic trio of experts from diverse backgrounds to share their insights, experiences, and groundbreaking strategies on tackling risks head-on, making your projects more resilient and successful. Joining us from the realms of technology, clinical research, and literary scholarship, our speakers, Lakshmi Sowjanya Obulareddy from Amazon, clinical project manager Jiwon Geary, and accomplished author John M Quigley, will share their unique perspectives on risk management. Whether it's developing prevention frameworks in software projects, navigating the challenges of clinical trials during an Ebola outbreak, or invoking the wisdom of the muses to refine our approach to risk, this episode will enrich your understanding and inspire you to view project risk management through a new lens. So, buckle up and prepare to explore the intricate dance of risk and resilience in project management. Let's delve into the strategies that empower project managers to foresee the unforeseen, plan with precision, and lead their teams to triumph.

Heralding the annual arrival of the flagship UMD Project Management Center for Excellence symposium, this episode has 3 of the presenters in the People and Projects track: Kevin Coleman, a visionary leader and the founder and CEO of KMC Empowerment, John Eskandar, a seasoned professional in project controls at Exelon and graduate of the UMD PM program, who brings a wealth of experience managing large-scale construction projects and Abbigail Meah-Ali, a manager of construction services at the National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago. From Trinidad to Maryland to Virginia, our guests span a wide geographic and professional spectrum, each contributing to a rich dialogue on the intersection of people and projects. Whether you're a project management veteran or a newcomer to the field, this episode is packed with golden nuggets of wisdom that you won't want to miss.

Challenged by the hosts, Kendall Lott and Mike Hannan, returning guest Steven Devaux takes his value break down structure (the "Golden Triangle") to a new level, looking at quantifying value of project within programs. That's the obvious, the less obvious is looking at the need for this view point in critical areas such as public health, emergency response and national security. He emphasizes the need to prioritize or sequence projects within a program to optimize the schedule for maximum impact, where the focus is on delivering outcomes rather than just producing products.   What might we achieve if public health professionals should be trained in program management to effectively deliver the benefits of their research? What we also need are feedback loops that give us the ability to reevaluate and adjust projects within a program based on emerging information and changing conditions.  We'll start seeing value when we start focusing on  return to mission rather than just the return on investment, it's about Program Value Management.

In this podcast episode, co-hosts Kendall and Mike are joined by guest Roy Mazel, a retired NASA project leader and guest lecturer. They discuss the Project Management complexities of asteroid missions, specifically, the OSIRIS-REx Psyche missions.  As you might guess, the successful implementation of risk management strategies and the importance of technical integrity in the face of schedule pressure is the litmus test of getting these missions completed on time, on budget, and without failure. And what you might not expect, Roy highlights the importance of a strong organizational culture that values communication, listening to team members, and mentoring the next generation of leaders.  The discussion sheds light on the intricate project management involved in space missions and the lessons that can be learned from both successful and challenging endeavors.  Listen to the podcast, and watch the news for outcomes of these two missions!

In this episode, Kendall, Mike, and Wolfram Mueller discuss strategies to improve business workflows using the Theory of Constraints (TOC) and Critical Chain Project Management, focused on two things: underloading system constraints and buffer management (having a signal that our flow is or isn't working). One thing that pops out is the importance of calculating business cases and recognizing growth potential--that becomes the compelling case to get middle management on board with the change needed. Getting a team to underload (reduce the non-critical work) of key resources, while having other enabling resources waiting for action is a really hard concept to get managers on board with…until you let them figure out what is holding back their throughput and let them figure out the solution. And that is the big news: consultants can help you identify and work through the problem, but successful change happens with they get out of the way and let the dedicated middle management drive the change. It helps to foster a culture of learning, collaboration, and problem-solving among employees. It enables the self-organization that creates the fix. And evidence shows it out.

The crux of any success? It isn't the plan, it isn't the desire, not even the WIIFM, its EXECUTION. And organizational change is no different. Today's episode discusses the difficulties that organizations face when it comes to executing change. Once again guest and change management author and guru April Mills comes to us on the topic of change…but this time it isn't how to do it, but how she has seen managers institutionally throw up their own barriers to change even as they try to change…starting with outsourcing on the thinking to…professionals. It may be that we are so good at PM and Change techniques that we have once again lost the bubble…the point is to execute and create value. Recognizing and moving past the "aspiration ability gap," jumping through the hoops of just ticking boxes, we have to focus on execution and look for opportunities for acceleration. Managers are called to amplify positive responses to create belief ripples that lead to success. Organizations can get in their own way,Eager to change but miss the play.Professionals may think they know the game, butFocus on outcome, not the timeframe.Sandbagging is when a project takes too long,Outsourcing your brain leads to execution gone wrong.The aspiration ability gap will widen and grow,Unless leaders look for signals, they miss seeds of value they should sow.

So there we were at the 10th annual UMD PM Symposium, having the Great Debate of Process vs principles.  Facing off were Crystal Richards, CEO of MindsparQ and Laura Barnard, CEO of PMO Strategies. One hour of back and forth and audience questions.  In sum: From the debate between Laura and Crystal,It's clear that project managers should grab the handle.Be a business leader and ask good questions,Embrace risk and change with no exceptions.

Elevating the Conversation about Project Management, with a twist. In this episode cohosts Mike Hannan and Kendall Lott take on some Listener Feedback. A running theme in the show is the actual and delineation of project manager, product manager, and program manager--so we jump on that! Of course, our main theme of its all about value, adding value and understanding projects as investments is once again threaded through the answers. But new things lurk--how do you agile on a fixed-price contract? What's the danger and opportunity in cross-functional teams and accountability when managing scrum teams in a matrix world? How can AI be used (or useful) to help project managers understand architecture, dependencies, and level of effort in order to generate a critical path. Listeners got questions; we got answers--listen in for them and send us your questions!

No Luddites here! Episode 3 of the UMD PM Symposium prequal and guests Al Zeiton, Marissa Brienza and Bill Brantley chat about the role of AI in Project Management and the potential risks and benefits of using it as PMs. We discover the logic and importance of maintaining human interaction—turns out its not fear that makes us think "it will never replace us" but rather AI's limitations in the larger PM discipline. Ah! But what potential magic AI may bring if we use it as augmenting project management, driving improved risk assessment, and being our outsourced memory! All in service of PMS providing value for customers, and keeping us on the relationship side, even as technology might give us augmented memory, augmented intelligence or even artificial emotional intelligence. There may be guardrails we need to learn as we plunge toward a future of exponential skill growth in which could take PMs to the CEO suite…but augmented PMs maybe the stuff CEOs will be made of!

We all talk Agile, and sometimes we "say we wanna do agile", so this conversation is about the challenges of implementing Agile in different environments with guests David Forsyth, Mike Mellane, and Caitlin Kenny.  Co-host Mike Hannan takes our experts through a journey of the tensions between customers and vendors and the difficulty in managing communication pathways, budgeting, and the principle-agent problem. Solutions you care about included dedicating teams, synchronizing resources, capacity-based budgeting, and fixed-price contracts. Ah, and culture, it always is culture...that the shift that comes with embracing Agile and how transformation should be a continuous journey that focuses on business value. So, with a little patience and a focus on interpersonal accountability, incentives, and autonomy you can build the trusting teams needed to do the Agile dance.  Fight the zealotry, power to the edge, and download the episode!

First, "do no harm"--seems like a good adage, and is consistent with our guest Kevin Coleman who discusses some tenets of his UMD PM Symposium presentation coming this April, called "Unconscious Bias: Recognize it and correct it." Our second critical conversations guest is John Hovell on his UMD presentation, "Conversational Leadership: Convening Conversations that Otherwise Wouldn't Happen" where grounded in Gestalt theory, he pushes us to develop conversations that affirmatively support ourselves and others. He asks us to consider, "are we creating community" when we interact. Our third guest, Paloma Martin lays out the underpinnings of our need to consider gender perspectives directly in our stakeholder engagement and across all of the PM processes, as she gives us the teaser for her presentation "Project and Change Management with a Gender Perspective." These speakers are three of the 50 you will hear at the UMD Project Management Center for Excellence 10th annual PM Symposium this April 20-21…if you register (pmsymposium.umd.edu). See you there, but stop by this episode first!

Oh Boy, AI projects…they're the worst!! Exploding scope…the endless project. The scale of risk when something goes wrong can literally be exponential. While we PMs always had to watch quality, and we always focused on scope and schedule…the project management problems to launch an AI solution can be insidious, allowing us to make these scope, schedule and quality errors in unobserved and massive ways. AI solutions may be great, but the project management of AI has potential for tremendously bad projects; and we may not even be considering the ways an AI project can go bad wrong. As co-host Mike Hannan says, "as AI projects are making the management challenge exponentially harder, it stands to reason that we're probably getting worse at it." Join me and Mike as we hear from two experts in the field of AI implementation training, Ron Schmelzer and Kathleen Walch of Cognilytica discuss pitfalls old and new of this unique type of software development and implementation.

Recognizing the importance of identifying "what is the work in front of us" co-hosts Kendall Lott and Mike Hannan discuss improved ways cracking scope to improve project delivery and project value with guests Steven Devaux and Sergiy Potapov. Get past the traditional WBS to Product Flow Diagramming…which gives you progressive elaboration of the sequencing of work as you define it. Then step up to Value Breakdown Structures to identify total costs of work, including the drag (opportunity) costs of not executing some work. The goal of planning is to create understanding but also decision-making…what is worth spending more or less on to drive value? Look for the "-ity" words to identify value, (quality, usability, productivity, etc.) to help assess value. Beyond the value of the work, we move to ways of systematically defining the Risk to Value…where are the steps that are most sensitive to dropping or enhancing value? Listen, learn, and then investigate the approaches…we do!

Compound Security Threats. Sends a chill through us, yes? Our military expends huge effort in thinking about that future, long-term for planning, short-term planning for execution all to address increasingly complex security concerns. And as our listeners know, where there is planning ("anticipatory decision-making"), there is the collision with cognitive behavior and neuroscience. Yes, Dr. Josh is back and bringing his colleague (and student of NeuralPlan) Jay Macias of the Joint Special Operations University. Listen in as Co-Host Mike Hannan joins me in drilling in and learning about the role of neuropsychology in the military style command and control and mission orientation to planning and execution from a Project Mangement Point of View. Hint:  its about designing how we act with behavioral science data in mind

Analytical Hierarchy Process--check this as it is a method (and you can get tools) that absolutely help you with project prioritization.  Co-Host Mike Hannan and I talk with Stuart Easton, CEO of Transparent Choice, about this accessible approach tying decision science to project prioritization, selection and sequencing. Lending focus to executive teams, it helps us focus on what to do and more importantly, what not to do. Value is not an objective thing, and humans aren't great estimator. The AHP process let's anchor the value understanding, then break down value into meaningful application as criteria, creating transparency and standardization of the decision process, and more and better information as input.  The result, higher flow of project throughput completion, and better quality of project value.  What's not to like?

Guest Sergiy Potapov and co-host Mike Hannan are at it again discussing precepts of TOC and Cynefin that connects with effective PM practices to produce results, even in shocking and shattering circumstances, such as found in Ukraine during the war. As Sergiy concludes, "Project management works, absolutely, in non-standard situations." But let's not get hung up on outputs, the classic PM premium benchmark. As Sergiy wryly notes, "The project with a good output and no outcome is a nightmare." What improves our lot, a focus on deliverables and objectives, not tasks…there will be more on this in a future episode. For now, listen in, and learn how Project Management is valuable even in the most difficult environments.

Episode 100, where a theory based in manufacturing collides with the world of Knowledge Work (yeah, I'm talking about you, PMs) and we find a way to think about Critical Change Project Management.   We consider how to get to a pattern of "Unity of Purpose" a key pattern for success, and incidentally, a way of clearing barriers for leaders to have the bandwidth to stay focused. Mirrors and signals, autonomy and spooky action (decisions) at a distance, in the end we need teams to understand what matters around here and have the independence to organize their own work for success. Check out our guest, Steve Tendon's community of information sharing and learning at https://circle.tameflow.com. Steve Tendon. MD, TameFlow Consulting Limited; author, consultant, and adviser on organizational performance and emerging technologies. Steve is the creator of the TameFlow Approach, a management approach that helps businesses focus on the fewest things that make the greatest impact on people, performance and profit in collaborative knowledge-work, without compromising sustainability, quality or humanity. Steve holds a MSc in Lean & Agile Software Project Management with the University of Aberdeen.

[6/10 1:30 PM] Kendall Lott "PM is BS!" says Ben Damman, our (highly successful) guest today. Well, maybe...the concern is we have become ceremonial or process-centric over effectiveness.  WE HAVE SO MUCH POTENTIAL, but WE ARE STUCK . And that of course, takes us back to a question of value.  Products or projects, where is value is driven? Is this about general practices or specific adaptations. Today we have the pessimist view, the optimist view, and surprisingly, we landed at some learning through a synthetic view.  Listen in, ponder...then grab a PDU Edited

PMs as leaders you own understanding the design of the org, the ecosystem you sit in. But to what purpose? Join me and cohost Mike Hannan as we hear from Matt Barcomb who highlights understanding the organization as a system so that Product Management can actually be effective. From strategy to structure (value streams, teams, roles, constraints) to rewards, we have to get this right to get effective work, and it requires a design. But not design for design's sake, Mike reminds us "to what end?" The ecosystem gives us the underpinnings of motivation and production in the organization, and we can chose to make it valuable. As always, its the PMPOV elevating the conversation, with a touch of snarkiness!

PMs how about we get to look at our discipline in action? From the western border of Ukraine, Sergiy Potapov tells us how he chose to have impact by being a PM to deliver humanitarian aid, and what lessons from Critical Chain theory and PM he has applied…really.  Touching on the Cynefin decision-model, Critical Chain, risk and stakeholders, the conversation highlights that we PMs can make a difference in the community around us. Listen in and hear current example that gives us insight into what we see on the news, and how project management works under duress. Sergiy Potapov Biography Sergiy Potapov develops his managerial skills for more than 20 years. Since 2015 Sergiy has been sharing knowledge and experience in project management with different auditoriums in UCU Business School, DTEK Academy (and others) as a lecturer, and in dozens of Ukrainian companies and NPOs as a consultant.

Design mindset, before you even get to design thinking, let's figure out the problem and check assumptions.  Guest Charles Lambdin describes the need and method of creating a frame of thought that has us testing hypotheses of what we need, and making faster smarter bets on the direction we should follow. A key takeaway: the first thing you design shouldn't be over designed and should be wrong…our goal is learning what is needed. The evidence is it saves overall design cycle time. Ultimately, we are after a bi-directional value exchange with our customers…that's how we get use from the products we design and deliver. Co-hosts Mike Hannan and Kendall Lott challenge the concepts, take notes and discover their own stories that match the lessons that Charles has to share. Charles is a Program Manager at Intel, co-author of the book Presumptive Design, and writer of the blog, "The Lateral Lens: Strategy, Quality and Coaching. He holds a PhD in Human Factors Engineering/Cognitive Science from Wichita State University.

"I will do what I can, with what I have, where I'm at." This is a different take on change management; we break down what people say about change but linking it to the underlying framework from the Theory of Constraints. We should recognize that our organizations are fragile systems, and may be running on consequences and not on relationships. The organization has a sort of physics, and what we see in a lot of change environments is directive, not engagement, and we overcomplicate it--and even when we get it, we don't see it sustained.  TOC suggests that we starts with inherent simplicity, inherent potential, and helps us realize April's adage, "Don't drive people, drive change." It has a business imperative. Co-hosts Mike Hannan and Kendall Lott uncork the effervescence of April K Mills, an international consultant and author of Everyone is a Change Agent and Change Tactics. She was a civilian U.S. Navy nuclear engineer and founded Engine-for-Change LLC. She has consulted with technology, transportation, and energy companies and is a keynote speaker at Agile, Lean, Theory of Constraints, and program and change management events.

"I will do what I can, with what I have, where I'm at." This is a different take on change management; we break down what people say about change but linking it to the underlying framework from the Theory of Constraints. We should recognize that our organizations are fragile systems, and may be running on consequences and not on relationships. The organization has a sort of physics, and what we see in a lot of change environments is directive, not engagement, and we overcomplicate it--and even when we get it, we don’t see it sustained.  TOC suggests that we starts with inherent simplicity, inherent potential, and helps us realize April's adage, "Don’t drive people, drive change." It has a business imperative. Co-hosts Mike Hannan and Kendall Lott uncork the effervescence of April K Mills, an international consultant and author of Everyone is a Change Agent and Change Tactics. She was a civilian U.S. Navy nuclear engineer and founded Engine-for-Change LLC. She has consulted with technology, transportation, and energy companies and is a keynote speaker at Agile, Lean, Theory of Constraints, and program and change management events.

"Do all the humans on your team have brains?" Not a comment on ability but on cognition and hardwired biases; if they have brains, they make mistakes in regular patterns. PMs follow the same logical paths of cognition and shortcuts that all humans do, some of which lead us to wrong conclusions and unhelpful behaviors.  As planners and forecasters, our decisions have consequences for others, from executives wanting "the right answer" to colleagues whose performance reviews rely on work, schedules and quality metrics we define.  And, the bad news is, we get it wrong. Through the filters of how we perceive to how we process to how we chose to communicate, there are common and sadly reliable ways that we set ourselves and others up to have make the unknown future look precise, even as it we are less accurate.  The good news is, there is things we can do about it.  Join co-host Mike Hannan and Kendall Lott as they explore the new frontier of PM upskilling from guest, Dr. Josh Ramirez, and we learn some tricks and interventions that help us manage projects better. Dr. Josh Ramirez is founder and CEO of the Institute for Neuro & Behavioral Project Management. He is currently building an organization (www.nbpmi.com) that is working on redesigning project management with behavioral, social, cognitive, and neuroscience, in an emerging field of Behavioral Project Management. In addition, he is currently researching application of science to project management to build a foundation of project science under existing practices. The future of project management is in redesigning around the beings that predict and deliver projects: humans. Josh is co-author of NeuralPlan with Dr. Shari De Baets, and an adjunct professor of project management, with experience that includes business operations management, project management, and project controls, including work at several national laboratories and other projects throughout the U.S. Department of Energy complex, as well as private sector project work. You can visit the website for the Institute for Neuro & Behavioral Project Management at www.nbpmi.com, become a member of the institute at www.behavioralpm.com, or take a look at their NPPQ planning certification at www.neural-plan.com.

In this episode, organizational change consultant and expert Agilista Leila Rao grounds us in the reality that investing in people is central to successful Agile transformation. While we're often distracted by the allure of "Agile theater," genuine system improvements are generated through transparency and awareness. Rao articulates that Agile is how we make human truths and values—such as openness, empowerment, trust and courage—viable in the workplace. Optimizing the customer experience as a whole by playing to the strengths of each individual part roots us in addressing how we each connect to the bigger purpose at hand.

We know change is constant. So as business practices evolve and new systems & tools are developed, the role of Project Managers and the skills they rely on must change to meet the new demands. PMs who don't move forward risk being left behind. In the third episode from our 2021 UMD PM Symposium series, we discuss the role of "Innovation PMs," and how they can effectively manage open-ended, amorphous innovation projects. And Data: how to collect and leverage meaningful data to make better, faster, informed decisions. Check out more presentations from the UMD Symposium at https://pmsymposium.umd.edu/pm2021/ Listen, learn, and get a free PDU! PDU Information Use the following information in PMI's CCRS system to register the PDUs for this podcast: PDU Category: Online or Digital Media Provider Number: 4634 Talent Triangle: Leadership Activity Number: PMPOV0092 PDUs for this episode: 1 About the Speakers Marcus Glowasz is a Co-Founder and Product Lead at Fortean, a Swiss technology startup that leverages data analytics and artificial intelligence technology to innovate and redefine the project management practice, addressing the growing challenges of project professionals to effectively and successfully deliver projects. Dr. Michael O'Connor is the Director of Strategy & Project Management with Medtronic. He has over 29 years of professional experience in the Medical Device Industry. He is currently a Director at Large for the Product Development and Management Association (PDMA).

Guest Galen Low, from The Digital Project Manager (DPM), discusses the challenges of the conventional project manager and the ways we define the field. As Lowe addresses, the expansion of the digital environment and transforming customer have led project management into navigating an ever-changing landscape. Digital PMs often serve as a bridge. Value delivery requires collaboration across all phases and iterations of a life cycle, from product to project to program. The nature of projects may have shifted, but demand for delivery has called on PMs to focus on strategy and partnership, as well as cultivating the project management skill et in-house.

Transformation Attenuation: The loss of signal that occurs as a message moves down the chain from the C suite. Illusion: The assumption that communication has taken place, when in fact it hasn't.  Here we explore these two phenomena in depth, and examine ways to avoid them, thereby increasing project & organizational effectiveness.  Check out more presentations from the UMD Symposium at https://pmsymposium.umd.edu/pm2021/ Listen, learn, and get a free PDU! PDU Information Use the following information in PMI's CCRS system to register the PDUs for this podcast: PDU Category: Online or Digital Media Provider Number: 4634 Talent Triangle: Leadership Activity Number: PMPOV0090 PDUs for this episode: 1 About the Speakers Glenn Anderson is the Performance Catalyst Speaker – the catalyst between missed goals and achieved goals. He combines decades of corporate experience with IBM with his passion for performing improvisational comedy to help you ensure your audience is energized and equipped to better communicate, collaborate and lead. Richard Wyatt focuses on Project Innovation and expanding the impact project managers have on their organizations. He has worked across the globe in UK, US, Australia and Indonesia delivering projects of growing size and complexity, and has observed PMs being limited by rigid processes. In his current consulting work, he helps PMs leverage their skills to broaden their impact on organizational transformation.

A team, a technology, a toaster. A tale of the Product Manager and the Project Manager brought to life as co-hosts Kendall and Mike ride the narrative road with Tom Klaff, the CEO who made it happen. The story of manufacturing a new kind of toaster just as trade tensions increase with a main supplier and then pandemic lockdown is as interesting as the intertwining roles the Product Manager and Project Management. A Man, A Mission, Toast…well, really convenience and improved customer experience. It's all here in episode PMPOV0089 Product Management and the Toaster of PM Point of View.

The statistics around project success vs. failure are less than heartening, to say the least. For all the tools and expertise PMs bring to the table, we somehow manage to miss the mark more often than we should. Here we feature highlights from two presentations of the 2021 UMD Project Management Symposium - one from a science/engineering angle, the other from construction - plus interviews with the presenters, who offer actionable insights into how you can manage crisis and avoid failure, no matter what field you are working in. Check out more presentations from the UMD Symposium at https://pmsymposium.umd.edu/pm2021/ Listen, learn, and get a free PDU! PDU Information Use the following information in PMI's CCRS system to register the PDUs for this podcast: PDU Category: Online or Digital Media Provider Number: 4634 Talent Triangle: Leadership Activity Number: PMPOV0088 PDUs for this episode: 1 About the Speakers Nikola Ivanov serves as the Director of Operations at the Center for Advanced Transportation Technology Laboratory (CATT Lab) where he manages operations and technical development, and oversees every aspect of software implementation from conception to deployment. Justin Jacobsen has more than twenty years of operational supervision experience with twelve years of program management responsibility delivering successively larger projects as part of diverse, multi-functional project teams. Mr. Jacobsen serves as MBP's Director of Innovation Development . Chris McLuckie has more than 28 years of experience managing construction projects from pre-design through project closeout as both agency construction manager and general contractor. His approach focuses on teamwork and bringing the right people together to facilitate the best solutions.

Kendall Lott and Mike Hannan with guest Hilbert Robinson explore exciting topics around product versus project management, setting expectations and how to address the variance between those and reality, the rounding of such expectations, and even the value of trade-offs when faced with new initiatives. Enjoy these topics and more for this segment of PMPOV.

Estimations - they are at the very core of PM activities, the ability to estimate, the reliance others have on our estimations, our continuing white whale pursuit of improved estimations all work to empower us as masters of the universe, to state our predictions of the future. And yet…they are all magical thinking at worst, and expectations-setting goal posts, ever receding into a distancing horizon, of our slog through projects and communications, at best. And then we report and update, in an endless vortex of communications, analysis and ... shame. Should we even have them in our discipline? What causes us to get them wrong? What role the tension of accountability and commitment vs the need to reflect likely return on investment for those stakeholders that expect value from projects? Listen in to our new roundtable format as Mike Hannan and I cohost with special guest Hilbert Robinson a wide ranging discussion on the role of estimations. That we need them becomes apparent. What we discover is estimations' unrealistic nature is actual a symptom of a series of other issues deep within our PM and organizational practices. Trust, focus, dilution, estimations…Oh My! Listen, learn, and get a free PDU! PDU Information, use the following information in PMI's CCRS system to register the PDUs for this podcast: PDU Category: Online or Digital Media Provider Number: 4634 Talent Triangle: Strategic and Business Management Activity Number: PMPOV0086 PDUs for this episode: 1

It was summer 2020. Covid-19 lingered on, with no end in sight. After months of canceled performances, funds were dwindling at Washington, DC's Shakespeare Theatre Company. Their last hope, the annual fundraising gala, was set for October. As the date drew near, it became clear that there would be no party. The staff had to come up with Plan B, and they had to do it fast. This is the story of a creative project team, dedicated to their mission. Their clear, agile response provides concrete and inspiring lessons in the power of Project Management. Listen, learn, and get a free PDU! PDU Information Use the following information in PMI's CCRS system to register the PDUs for this podcast: PDU Category: Online or Digital Media Provider Number: 4634 Talent Triangle: Strategic & Business Mgmnt Activity Number: PMPOV0085 PDUs for this episode: 1 About the Speakers Amy Hand is the General Manager at Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, DC.  Prior to joining STC she served as the Operations Manager at San Francisco Ballet, the Associate General Manager at American Conservatory Theatre, and the Production Stage Manager for Atlanta Ballet.  Mara Mignogna is the Development Events Manager at DC's Shakespeare Theatre Company, and oversees the planning of all of the Theatre's internal events including the 2021 Virtual Gala, Shakespeare Everywhere. Seeing the joy and lasting memories created fuels Mara's spirit for designing and executing events. LeeAnet Noble is a Howard University graduate, and certified in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion from Purdue University. As an actor, director, choreographer, musician, and writer, her career has spanned over twenty years, working with STOMP, The Irish Repertory Theatre, Disney's The Lion King Experience, and more.  She is passionate about creating change and celebrating inclusivity through the arts.  Alan Paul is a director of theater and opera, and the Associate Artistic Director of Shakespeare Theatre Company in DC. Alan is also the recipient of the 201

How does a graduate program at a university - a program that has assiduously maintained a 100% face-to-face classroom ethos - swing into virtual reality at a moment's notice? The program in question here is Industrial Organizational Psychology. The university is the University of Houston, Clear Lake. For this virtual round table, three professors reflect on the past year: the response, the challenges, the losses and what will never be the same again. Listen, learn, and get a free PDU! PDU Information Use the following information in PMI's CCRS system to register the PDUs for this podcast: PDU Category: Online or Digital Media Provider Number: 4634 Talent Triangle: Strategic Activity Number: PMPOV0084 PDUs for this episode: 1 About the Speakers   Alex Milam is an associate professor and program director of the industrial-organizational psychology program at the University of Houston–Clear Lake. He has many research interests, notably workplace mistreatment, training and development, and the role that personality plays in the workplace. He has presented and published his research around the world, and his work on the personality of workplace incivility targets has been published in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology.   Scott Elmes McIntyre, Ph.D. is a Professor of Industrial-Organizational Psychology and Occupational Health Psychology at the Department of Clinical, Health and Applied Sciences at the University of Houston-Clear Lake.  He, and his wife, Dr. Teresa McIntyre have conducted research on occupational stress in at-risk professions for more than 20 years. Dr. McIntyre has co-edited several books, such as "Occupational Health Psychology: European perspectives on research, education and practice." Vols. I and II (2006, 2007 and the latest "Educator Stress: An occupational health perspective.".  Dr. Lisa Sublett joined the UH-Clear Lake I/O program as an Assistant Professor of I/O Psychology in 2016. She teaches courses in research design and statistics, employee selection, and job attitudes. Dr. Sublett enjoys conducting research projects on diverse topics. Her current research interests include work-life balance, imposter phenomenon, employee attitudes, and employee stress. S

Project management is about people: working with people, for people, through people. So it goes to reason that managers who have a deeper understanding of human behavior will be more effective. Beyond managing their teams, PMs are heavily involved in forecasting - defining the scope, budget and schedule of their projects, and then making decisions based on those forecasts. How much do their own biases and neurological wiring play into these processes? We gather three keynote speakers from the upcoming UMD 2021 Project Management Symposium to discuss these issues and more. Listen, learn, and get a free PDU! PDU Information Use the following information in PMI's CCRS system to register the PDUs for this podcast: PDU Category: Online or Digital Media Provider Number: 4634 Talent Triangle: Leadership Activity Number: PMPOV0083 PDUs for this episode: 1 About the Speakers   Dr. Shari De Baets is a post-doctoral researcher in the Department of Business Informatics and Project Management, Faculty of Economics in Business Administration, at Ghent University, Belgium. She has a Master's degree in Industrial Psychology and a PhD in Applied Economics. Her work focuses on forecasting, and biases. She is co-host on the "Forecasting Impact" podcast, and is President of European Operations and Chief Forecasting Scientist at the Institute for Neuro & Behavioral Project Management. Crystal Richards is the Principal and Owner of MindsparQ™, a talent development consulting firm dedicated to helping organizations better the skills sets of their teams in project management, communications, and leadership. She trains PMs to consistently deliver projects with clarity, confidence and courage. Crystal maintains an online community on project management and leadership themindsparq.mn.com Stephen Shields, a Senior Consultant w

Starting in January 2021, many of you reached out to us, wondering why you weren't able to claim a PDU for listening to PM Point of View® episodes. The short answer: You CAN continue to claim PDUs. But the process has changed. Listen to Kendall's explanation or read below. And if you have any problems, contact us via our website: www.mpoweredstrategies.com. Thank you for listening. (And for keeping it in scope and getting it done!)  UPDATE: Due to changes at PMI's CCR System, for those claiming PDUs at PMI.com: be sure to choose the fourth option, "Online or Digital Media," in the Report PDUs page. MANUALLY ENTER provider code# 4634 and select "M Powered Strategies,"   MANUALLY ENTER the name of the episode in the course field Enter the date that you listened to the podcast Be sure to select the appropriate option, Leadership/Strategic/Technical in the Talent Triangle at the bottom of the page Check the box to confirm the validity of your submission Hit "Submit."  This will work for all published one-hour episodes.

Where do projects go wrong? What tendencies or approaches of Project Managers are NOT helpful to executives? What do they want their PMs to focus on more? How can PMs move up the ladder? In the second part of our 2-part series from the C-Suite, we get the scoop directly from a group of executives, representing a wide swath of enterprises. Listen, learn, and get a free PDU! PDU Information Use the following information in PMI's CCRS system to register the PDUs for this podcast: PDU Category: Online or Digital Media Provider Number: 4634 Activity Number: PMPOV0082 PDUs for this episode: 1 About the Speakers Jeffrey Goldman is the CEO of GoldSentinel, which he founded in 2015 to address the growing need for better decision making through insight discovery. Prior to his current position, Jeffrey launched and led GoldBot Consulting, Inc., growing the company to a thriving multi-million dollar software development and analytic business. Tom Klaff is a passionate entrepreneur and angel investor who has founded, led and sold six technology startups over a 25-year career. He is currently co-founder and CEO of Revolution Cooking, LLC, a technology platform company that designs, markets, and sells high-speed cooking appliances powered by its proprietary InstaGlo™ Fast Heating System. Ken Loy has been CEO at Hensoldt, Inc. since its inception in 2018. As a Defense Industry veteran, Ken led engineering development programs and business development accounts for Lockheed Martin Corporation, Engility Corporation and Georgetown University. Jeff Mascott is CEO at Adfero, a communications agency with an entrepreneurial mindset. Prior to launching Adfero, Jeff co-founded Fireside 21, a leading provider of CRM and web services to the U.S. Congress. He formerly led digital strategy for Congressman J.C. Watts, Jr., Chairman of the House Republican Congress. Erin Pitera is the CEO of FMP Consulting, a strategic management consulting firm that delivers evidence-based workforce and organizational management solutions. As CEO, Erin Pitera provides strategic leadership and direction over FMP's organizational performance by driving long-term business growth and providing exemplary client service. Jeff Powell is the CEO of Strongbridge LLC, a government IT services provider. Mr. Powell has over 30 years of experience in government contracting, having led both small and large businesses in bidding, winning, and operating IT infrastructure and software development projects. Pat Sheridan is co-founde

Covid-19 has changed the way we operate on every level, including how we manage projects. It has made clear the fragility of our reality, and the fancy dancing required, not only to survive, but to move forward constructively. In the 4th and last episode from our series highlighting presentations from UMD's 2020 Project Management Symposium, we focus on the leadership skills and approaches that are needed in today's volatile, fast-shifting environment.  To listen to all the symposium presentations in their entirety, you have until April 2021 to register for the 2020 UMD Project Management Symposium. Go to pmsymposium.umd.edu/pm2020 Listen, learn, and get a free PDU! PDU Information Use the following information in PMI's CCRS system to register the PDUs for this podcast: PDU Category: Online or Digital Media Provider Number: 4634 PDU Claim Code: 4634YQTYGS Activity Number: PMPOV0081 PDUs for this episode: 1 About the Speakers   Steven Gruyters partners with visionary leaders to design and deliver enterprise transformation initiatives geared towards speed, flexibility and maximum business value. He has been breaking down silos between business and technology organizations for over 20 years. He is currently booting up ZZEE Partners, focused on optimizing how people work together to unlock their potential. Dr. Al Zeitoun  is a business optimization and operational performance excellence leader with global experience. He has worked with leading organizations, developing Enterprise Digital Transformation and Program Management Offices; guiding systematic methodology implementations, and executing complex missions and programs across diverse industries and cultures. Harry Zolkower has spent over a decade as professional project manager, with many years of expertise in IT and all sectors of business, both public and private, for-profit as well as nonprofit. <span style= "font-family: 'Arial','sans-se

What do executives want from their Project Managers? What are their expectations? What do they like about how PMs work? What do they not like? In this first of two episodes covering the Executive Point of View, we talk to 10 executives from a wide spectrum of businesses - software, kitchen appliances, construction, defense, etc. - to find out what it is that executives value in their PMs. Listen, learn, and get a free PDU! PDU Information Use the following information in PMI's CCRS system to register the PDUs for this podcast: PDU Category: Online or Digital Media Provider Number: 4634 PDU Claim Code: 4634C7VD5A Activity Number: PMPOV0080 PDUs for this episode: 1 About the Speakers Roger Collison is the CEO of Beracah Homes in Greenwood, Delaware. With over 17 years experience, first as VP, then President, now CEO, Roger has learned much about the construction industry. His focus has been on developing LEAN initiatives as well as DOE Energy Certifications. Jeffrey Goldman is the CEO of GoldSentinel, which he founded in 2015 to address the growing need for better decision making through insight discovery. Prior to his current position, Jeffrey launched and led GoldBot Consulting, Inc., growing the company to a thriving multi-million dollar software development and analytic business. Tom Klaff is a passionate entrepreneur and angel investor who has founded, led and sold six technology startups over a 25-year career. He is currently co-founder and CEO of Revolution Cooking, LLC, a technology platform company that designs, markets, and sells high-speed cooking appliances powered by its proprietary InstaGlo™ Fast Heating System. Ken Loy has been CEO at Hensoldt, Inc. since its inception in 2018. As a Defense Industry veteran, Ken led engineering development programs and business development accounts for Lockheed Martin Corporation, Engility Corporation and Georgetown University. Jeff Mascott is CEO at Adfero, a communications agency with an entrepreneurial mindset. Prior to launching Adfero, Jeff co-founded Fireside 21, a leading provider of CRM and web services to the U.S. Congress. He formerly led digital strategy for Congressman J.C. Watts, Jr., Chairman of the House Republican Congress. Erin Pitera is the CEO of FMP Consulting, a strategic management consulting firm that delivers evidence-based workforce and organizational management solutions. As CEO, Erin Pitera provides strategic leadership and direction over FMP's organizational performance by driving long-term business growth and providing exemplary client service. <p style="margin: 0in 0i

Scrum with distributed teams. Agile in a traditionally non-Agile environment. Project Management in the time of Agile: is it still relevant? These are the topics we cover in the third episode of our series from the 2020 UMD Project Management Symposium. Listen to highlights from the three presentations, along with follow-up interviews with the presenters. Listen, learn, and get a free PDU! PDU Information Use the following information in PMI's CCRS system to register the PDUs for this podcast: PDU Category: Online or Digital Media Provider Number: 4634 PDU Claim Code: 4634ASFWPF Activity Number: PMPOV0079 PDUs for this episode: 1 About the Speakers   Christine Brennan Schmidt has worked at the American Chemical Society for approximately 27 years. She has managed education programs and two textbook projects. In 1999, she made the jump to technology. She has worked on technology-based projects and products in positions within IT and Membership divisions. She currently has a wide variety of functions, including project manager for various department-led initiatives, product owner for a social collaboration platform, consultant on various enterprise-wide projects, and staff liaison to a governance committee. JJ Sutherland is the CEO of Scrum Inc., a consulting and training firm that uses Scrum to rapidly deliver results in companies across the globe. He is the author of The Scrum Fieldbook: A Master Class on Accelerating Performance, Getting Results, and Defining the Future, and coauthor of Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time, written with his father, Jeff Sutherland, the co-creator of Scrum. Richard Wyatt has worked across the globe in UK, US, Australia and Indonesia delivering projects of

How can you manage a groundbreaking innovation project when you are surrounded by auditors and compliance- and risk-managers? And how can you ensure that what you deliver will truly benefit the organization and its stakeholders?  Two presentations from University of Maryland's 2020 Project Management Symposium describe the pitfalls and offer solutions to both these questions.  Richard Wyatt of TIAA talks about "The Project Management of Innovation," and Shane Perkins of Aurelius Group in Australia covers "Project Tricksters and Frauds: Why Benefits Realization Practices Matter." Host, Kendall Lott, conducts in-depth follow-up interviews with both presenters. To check out  the complete presentations at UMD's 2020 Project Management symposium, go to https://pmsymposium.umd.edu/pm2020/   Listen, learn, and get a free PDU! PDU Information Use the following information in PMI's CCRS system to register the PDUs for this podcast: PDU Category: Online or Digital Media Provider Number: 4634 PDU Claim Code: 4634Q4IZ6Q Activity Number: PMPOV0078 PDUs for this episode: 1 About the Speakers: Shane Perkins is a disrupter and thought leader, making a dramatic impact in the world of benefits realization. With over a decade devoted to the application and development of benefits practices, his contemporary approach has now been successfully deployed to hundreds of projects valued at some $3 billion of investment capital. Having previously headed the portfolio and program practice for a leading listed company, extensive big four consulting experience, and successfully leading programs and projects into Australia's major businesses and across government, Shane challenges conventional thinking.  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 12.0pt 0in

Ever since COVID-19 swept the globe, our world has shifted, and that includes the world of Project Management. A panel of digital project managers talks about the changes they have noted already and what they envision for the future vis-à-vis project environment, tools, and ways of meeting, collaborating and doing business. The possibilities are limitless and a brave new world awaits the Project Manager who is bold enough to seize the opportunities this moment affords. AI, Virtual Reality, meetings beyond Zoom, collaboration tools and ways of rethinking how and why we operate the way we do are covered in this episode. Listen, learn, and get a free PDU! PDU Information Use the following information in PMI's CCRS system to register the PDUs for this podcast: PDU Category: Online or Digital Media Provider Number: 4634 PDU Claim Code: 4634A9I92P Activity Number: PMPOV0077 PDUs for this episode: 1 About the Speakers: Ben Aston is a digital project manager and founder of thedigitalprojectmanager.com. He's been managing projects in the digital world for more than 15 years, working at London's top digital agencies including Dare, Wunderman, Lowe and DDB. He's delivered everything from film to CMS', games to advertising and eCRM to eCommerce sites. He's been fortunate enough to work across a wide range of great clients; automotive brands including Land Rover, Volkswagen and Honda; Utility brands including BT, British Gas and Exxon, FMCG brands such as Unilever, and consumer electronics brands including Sony. Arianna Harrison has over 15 years experience as a technical project manager, and is based in the San Francisco Bay Area. In her current role as Director of Technical Operations at Firewood Marketing, she leads technical project management, serving clients such as Google, Facebook, and LinkedIn. She specializes in delivery of complex CMS and e-commerce platform implementation projects, and has served clients in a wide variety of industries. However, her most rewarding work comes from mentoring other project managers.  <img src= "https://assets.libsyn.com/secure/show/57404/HEADSHOT_galen-low-profilepic1.jpg" alt="" width

This episode, the first in a series featuring highlights from University of Maryland's 2020 Project Management Symposium, focuses on culture and the importance of fitting in. We examine the hiring process, and maintaining a culture designed to retain top-notch staff. We also learn about a unique approach to stakeholder management. By observing organizational culture through an ethnographic lens, PMs can detect patterns and probabilities, and address potential gaps before they become serious roadblocks to project success.   Host Kendall Lott delves deeper into these topics with the presenters from the UMD Symposium.   Listen, learn, and get a free PDU! PDU Information Use the following information in PMI's CCRS system to register the PDUs for this podcast: PDU Category: Online or Digital Media Provider Number: 4634 PDU Claim Code: 46345J2V33 Activity Number: PMPOV0076 PDUs for this episode: 1 About the Speakers: Nikola Ivanov serves as the Director of Operations at the Center for Advanced Transportation Technology Laboratory (CATT Lab) where he manages operations and technical development, and oversees every aspect of software implementation from conception to deployment. He has extensive experience with big data and information visualization, focusing on translation of data into actionable information. Over the last 15 years, Nikola has worked with state and federal agencies to build situational awareness tools for transportation operations and safety, emergency management, and security applications, using big data. <s

The 9/11 boat lift in New York City and the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955-56 were both hugely successful projects, with important lessons for Project Managers. The leaders did speedy but effective planning and set clear goals. They hit all the milestones, and adapted as they went along. They communicated effectively and strategically. They were alert to risks and responded swiftly and decisively. In this episode we hear from two project managers who have studied these historic events through a project lens. Listen, learn, and get a free PDU! PDU Information Use the following information in PMI's CCRS system to register the PDUs for this podcast: PDU Category: Online or Digital Media Provider Number: 4634 PDU Claim Code: 4634SUUQ11 Activity Number: PMPOV0075 PDUs for this episode: 1 About the Speakers: Mike Hannan is a leading-edge thinker and renegade who believes that we all must do more to unleash our boundless potential and solve increasingly complex global issues. He envisions a community-centric, expert-guided "power-to-the-edge" solution to most of these issues. He is a frequent speaker at annual corporate conferences, PMI events, and in the Agile & DevOps communities, with extensive experience coaching & training portfolio executives, PMO leaders,and PMs, and is lead author of the best-selling book, The CIO's Guide to Breakthrough Project Portfolio Performance.   Shaun M. Simms, PMP, SAFe, PMO-CP, CSSGB, constantly seeks to find an individual's strength to empower them, and in the process improve organizations.  An award winning project manager with a por

An effective Project Manager can't be stuck in a pre-established plan. You have to be able to re-route in response to current circumstances and developments. To make good decisions, you must have a complete understanding of the organization's culture, as well as the broader strategic purpose behind the project. In this episode, three experienced PMs discuss effective communications strategies, the benefits of establishing a PMO (Project Management Office) within an organization, and the Indispensable Project Manager. Listen, learn, and get a free PDU! PDU Information Use the following information in PMI's CCRS system to register the PDUs for this podcast: PDU Category: Online or Digital Media Provider Number: 4634 PDU Claim Code: 46346VWA7W Activity Number: PMPOV0074 PDUs for this episode: 1 About the Speakers: Janet Burns, PMP, has been in the project management field for over 20 years. She is president of JB Worldwide, a project management consulting and training firm, specializing in PMO development and maturity improvement. Janet was named to the PMI Power 50, a list of 50 prolific leaders in project management, and is currently serving as President of the Delaware Valley Chapter of PMI.  Dr. Thomas P. Galvin is Assistant Professor of Leadership Studies at the U.S. Army War College and a retired U.S. Army colonel. While in the military, Dr. Galvin served ten years as special assistant to the commander of several senior military commands in Bosnia and Germany. His duties included speechwriting and strategic communication and special projects officer. Frank P. Saladis, PMP, PMI Fellow, is the Owner/Founder of Blue Marble Enterprizes Inc. and Project Imaginers, and provides training and consulting internationally. He is the author of 12 published books and over 160 project management articles. He is the Originator/Founder of International Project Management Day. He was PMI's 2006 Person of the Year, and served as President of the New York City PMI chapter from 1991-2001, He received the prestigious "PMI Distinguished Contribution Award in 2015.   </div

According to research and reports such as the Chaos report, the success rate for projects is far from great. Despite all the methods, tools and lessons learned, we seem to be in a holding pattern vis-a-vis increasing the success rate. This episode of PM Point of View® tackles this issue, with some specific approaches and techniques that can help Project Managers get more bang for their project, and increase productivity. Listen, learn, and get a free PDU! PDU Information Use the following information in PMI's CCRS system to register the PDUs for this podcast: PDU Category: Online or Digital Media Provider Number: 4634 PDU Claim Code: 4634TH96EE Activity Number: PMPOV0073 PDUs for this episode: 1 About the Speakers: Colin D Ellis is an award-winning project management speaker and author and helps organisations around the world build delivery cultures that everyone wants to be part of. He has written three best-selling project management books (including his latest one The Project Book) and speaks with energy, passion, humour and honesty about the challenges that organisations face in creating project leaders and the cultures required to deliver successfully every time. Sarah Hoban is a PMP-certified project/program manager and strategy consultant with ten years of experience directing complex multi-million dollar projects and leading teams. Her career is dedicated to incorporating project management techniques to improve organizational business processes. She is the author of a blog and podcast, The Stealthy Project Manager, focused on project management and productivity. Alan Zucker has over 25-years' experience working in Fortune 100 companies, leading projects and large organizations. He spent six years as Director of Project Management at Fannie Mae, where he oversaw a huge organizational Agile transformation. In 2016, he founded Project Management Essentials to provide training and advisory services in project management, Agile transformation, and leadership.