Projectified

A new generation of leaders is creating, transforming and defining The Project Economy. Meet a few members of PMI’s Future 50, a group of rising project leaders who are making their mark with bold thinking—and innovative projects. Kenneth Harris II, senior satellite engineer, Joint Polar Satellite System, NASA, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA, talks about his career journey and the future of project teams and STEM talent. Geetha Gopal, PMP, senior infrastructure projects manager, Panasonic Asia Pacific, Singapore, discusses the value of data, embracing AI and machine learning, and creating change within organizations. Miishe Addy, co-founder and CEO, Jetstream Africa, Accra, Ghana, shares how her organization focused on customers while digitizing logistics and connecting African supply chains. And PM Network® writer Tegan Jones discusses how this youthquake is reshaping the future and accelerating innovation in the project world. Key themes [00:50] The Future 50: Rising young project leaders transforming The Project Economy[02:52] Passion for the cutting-edge and family inspiration at NASA[05:32] All leaders are different[06:30] Focus on the future: More specialized project teams and the next generation of STEM talent[08:09] AI, machine learning and their value to organizations[10:30] Create change by gaining management support, evaluating resistance and listening[12:27] Taking the entrepreneurial spirit from the U.S. to Ghana[14:13] Customer focus in digitizing logistics, creating supply chains[17:27] Organizations moving from perfection to continuous learning and innovation[21:06] Putting the focus on results, not ego

What skills will help project leaders succeed in times of uncertainty? As organizations pivot and deploy virtual teams, collaborative, engaging leaders are steering their teams to success. Penny Pullan, PhD, PMP, founder, Making Projects Work Ltd., Loughborough, England, says when you’re working virtually, command and control doesn’t work. She shares the value of facilitative leadership and the importance of building a team culture and relationships when leading virtual teams.Luiz Dias, PMP, PgMP, head of digital, portfolio transformation, Department for Work and Pensions in the United Kingdom, Newcastle, England, discusses how he and his teams have added daily standups and opened more lines of communication during COVID-19. He also shares how keeping a calm, positive attitude can help when leading teams in uncertain times. Key Themes[02:08] Leading virtual teams with facilitative leadership[04:02] Creating a culture for virtual teams [05:28] Building relationships with your team members[08:43] Communication more important than ever in COVID-19[11:39] Being open to reinvention and keeping a calm, positive attitude [13:25] Characteristics of a great leader: compassionate, concerned for team members and confident

Diverse project teams deliver value. A team that offers a wide variety of mindsets and skill sets will outperform the competition, as members challenge one another and approach problems from new angles. That often leads to innovation.Blair Taylor, partner, Workforce of the Future, PwC, Seattle, Washington, USA, says diversity unlocks potential. It yields better business results, and diverse teams create personal connections between people. He also discusses how he believes empathy—associative and acquired—is the missing ingredient to see more progress in diversity, equity and inclusion. Annice Joseph, co-lead, Inclusive Career Journeys, SAP, Bengaluru, India, shares how cross-generational teams bring innovation, creativity and group wisdom to projects. She also talks about how SAP’s cross-generation mentoring initiative has helped managers learn and change their behavior on their own teams.Key Themes [02:27] Diversity yields better business results, sends a message about an organization’s values and stimulates personal connections [06:16] Empathy—associative and acquired—is often a missing ingredient [11:05] Fostering a diverse environment and recruiting diverse talent [13:36] Multigenerational teams bring innovation, creativity and group wisdom [15:04] Changing behavior through SAP’s cross-generation mentoring initiative[17:02] Creating teams with skills and talent from across an organization

In the coronavirus pandemic, following the wrong information could be a fatal error. That’s why fact-checking organizations are delivering projects to separate truth from rumors. Silvia Cavasola, project manager, Pagella Politica, Milan, Italy, shares how teams from multiple organizations are working together to create a chatbot to answer COVID-19 questions. She also talks about the chatbot’s potential to create a closer relationship between readers and fact-checking platforms.Itziar Bernaola, director, Newtral Educación, Madrid, Spain, says her organization is facing an increasing number of fact verification requests due to COVID-19. Bernaola shares how she’s leading her team through a stressful time and discusses an automation project to help fact-checkers verify coronavirus information faster.Key Themes[02:05] Expanding fact-checking beyond the political world to include nonpolitical, coronavirus misinformation[03:50] Project of necessity: A chatbot for COVID-19 queries[07:27] Creating a relationship between readers and fact-checking platforms[09:27] Leading a team with an increased workload in a stressful time[12:46] Using automation to verify information

The world of business will look different after COVID-19, setting the stage for project professionals to lead the way into the next normal.Lindsay Scott, PM Network career columnist and co-founder of Arras People, London, England, shares how skills development—including certifications and specialized training—and maintaining your professional network can help project professionals prepare for the competitive job market to come. She also talks about how young project leaders can find their voices and bring their perspectives to help create change.Mike DePrisco, vice president, global experience & solutions, PMI, Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, USA, talks about the online version of the Project Management Professional (PMP)® certification exam. Also: three free courses from PMI to help project leaders continue their professional development from home.Key themes [01:58] Prepare for competitive job market by developing skills, maintaining professional network[08:34] Using certifications, specialized training to stand out from other applicants[11:58] The value of servant leadership[15:40] Young project professionals finding their voice, bringing their perspectives to create change[17:56] PMP certification exam now available online [23:22] Free courses, digital resources from PMI to upskill while working from home [25:26] Project professionals can help world recover after COVID-19 

The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the importance of risk management. David Hillson, PhD, PMI Fellow, founder of The Risk Doctor Partnership, Petersfield, England, discusses identifying and analyzing risk in innovative and novel situations. Dr. Hillson says COVID-19 isn’t currently a risk—it’s a problem—and the risk management task is to look at the uncertainties that could come next.Mohamad ElHelaly, PMI-PBA, PMI-RMP, PMP, assistant project manager at Orascom Construction, Cairo, Egypt, shares his top lesson learned from previous projects: Change is inevitable. He also talks about how risk management shouldn’t work in a silo and should be integrated into project processes and decisions.Key themes [02:11] Identifying, analyzing risk in innovative scenarios[03:39] Risk’s effect on objectives, managing threats and opportunities [06:00] Look for uncertainties to come from COVID-19[11:35] Flexibility, resilience in society, organizations, projects and people[13:36] Lesson learned: Change is inevitable; you must adapt[16:23] Integrating risk management into all project processes

On Earth Day, ProjectifiedTM looks at projects to preserve the planet. Devan Wardwell, director of growth at Forest Carbon in Jakarta, Indonesia, discusses a project to restore peatlands. He also talks about using satellite data and sensors to monitor the project’s progress and make data-driven decisions.Michael Sweet, PhD, a researcher at the University of Derby in Derby, England, and an officer of the International Coral Reef Society, discusses two projects aimed at restoring coral reefs—one focused on abandoned fishing gear, the other, a physical restoration project. He also shares the challenges facing coral rehabilitation projects, including disease and rising sea temperatures.Key themes [03:03] Restoring peatlands in Indonesia[06:30] Satellite data, sensors help project teams make data-driven decisions[11:34] Helping coral reefs by removing abandoned fishing gear and physical restoration projects[14:36] Challenges to coral rehabilitation projects

The Project Economy calls for a new look at the structure and dynamics of project teams. Ingrid Smith, head of PMI’s Thought Leadership in London, England, shares the power skills that will help teams succeed. She also discusses the importance of empathy while working on virtual teams and how ready-for-anything teams are agile, collaborative and put the customer first.Peter Moutsatsos, PMP, chief project officer at Telstra in Melbourne, Australia, shares how the organization’s shift to agile at scale has improved team flexibility and changed the focus to measuring outcomes. He also says teams should be created to fit a particular project challenge.Key themes [01:53] Using power skills to succeed in The Project Economy[05:22] Ready-for-anything teams are agile, collaborative and put the customer first [07:12] Empathy’s importance in virtual teams[09:42] Creating greater team flexibility through agile at scale at Telstra[13:56] Shifting sponsors to drive teams[19:30] Building the right teams for particular project challenges

With arenas being built across the world and industry revenues on the rise, esports is leveling up. Joe Marsh, CEO of T1 Entertainment & Sports in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, discusses two major esports construction projects. The first is the headquarters for T1 Entertainment & Sports in Seoul, South Korea, which will be a space for the organization, gamers and fans. The second is the Fusion Arena, which is being built specifically for esports in Philadelphia.TL Frasqueri-Molina, PMP, project management office lead and lead project manager in the broadcast technology group, esports, at Activision Blizzard in Pasadena, California, USA, talks about the growth of the esports industry, with larger companies entering the space and wider audience reach. She also shares how collaboration and clear communication across multiple teams is critical in launching esports leagues.Key themes [03:31] Creating a facility for an org, gamers and fans[06:50] Building an esports arena from the ground up [12:03] Esports industry growth and wider audience reach[13:34] Launching esports leagues takes collaboration and communication 

5G networks are coming online around the world, bringing new, innovative project opportunities. Will Townsend, senior analyst, networking infrastructure and carrier services at Moor Insights and Strategy in Austin, Texas, USA, discusses how latency reduction will drive innovation on projects. He also shares early 5G use cases involving edge computing.  Odianosen Peter Ebhabha, PMP, project director at Huawei in Lagos, Nigeria, talks about how infrastructure, politics and funding can affect 5G launches in emerging markets. He also talks about 5G’s impact on the internet of things, remote medical support and education in remote areas.Key themes [01:42] Latency’s role in innovative 5G projects[05:17] Challenges in emerging markets: infrastructure, politics and funding[08:51] Potential innovations to IoT, healthcare and education[12:39] 5G brings big data and need for skills in data analytics