Projectified

Command and control leadership is losing ground to a new style—one that emphasizes creativity, resilience, authenticity and a willingness to reach out for help. Two TED@PMI speakers discuss the must-have skills of the modern leader.Billy Samuel Mwape, PMP, assistant information and communications technology manager at Development Bank of Zambia in Lusaka, discusses resilience and letting team members make mistakes. He also talks about a very personal project: unifying a team of therapists in response to his son’s diagnosis of cerebral palsy. Chiwuike Amaechi, PMP, principal subsea intervention engineer at Shell Nigeria Exploration & Production Co. in Lagos, Nigeria, discusses the power of storytelling and shares how he uses the skill to drive home the points he wants to make to his team. Key themes [01:17] Leaders wielding creativity, empathy and resilience[02:46] Traits of resilience: Know the roadmap and be transparent[07:01] How uncertainty drives creativity[12:19] Using storytelling to unite teams[14:20] The role of listening for storytellers[16:06] When crafting stories, reflect and be deliberate

Innovation in the healthcare sector takes time—with companies devoting long hours to research and clinical trials while adapting to regulatory changes along the way.  Leo Rapallini at Medtronic in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA discusses how his team upgraded the world’s smallest pacemaker for a bigger share of the market. He talks about how company culture and a passionate, multidisciplinary team helped the organization deliver disruptive innovation.  Andy Molnar at UVD Robots in Boston, Massachusetts, USA shares how the company scaled up to meet a global increase in demand for its autonomous disinfection robot. He also discusses how he sees bots helping humans do more strategic work in healthcare.   Key themes [02:16] Staging development: Starting pacemaker innovation with the Micra VR[06:08] Micra AV: Giving a tiny pacemaker an upgrade[08:25] Company culture, passionate team key to disruptive innovation[12:07] COVID-19 shines spotlight on sanitation across industries[14:13] How UVD Robots scaled up to meet spike in demand[19:06] Robots not taking over—helping humans do value-added work in healthcare 

India is at a crossroads, a moment that may determine whether its economy can grow fast enough to support its rising population. To survive—and thrive—will require new ways of thinking.Rachna Singh, IT deployment program manager at Amazon in Bengaluru, discusses how the IT business has changed in India over the course of her career, what lies ahead—and the skills project professionals need to succeed in the sector. Ankur Jain, founder and CEO at Bira 91 in New Delhi, talks about some of the challenges he’s faced while scaling up his craft brewery and how cross-functional teams are helping his company innovate.Key themes [01:14] A time of growth in India [03:03] Change of mindset and innovation in IT[05:40] Focusing on communication, risk and technical skills[08:06] Bringing craft brewing to India  [13:43] How cross-functional teams help Bira 91 innovate 

There’s a lot riding on the future of food—our personal health, the health of our environment and the growing issue of food security. One potentially promising solution? Plant-based foods.Giulia Braghieri, head of growth and expansion at NotCo, discusses how the Chilean company uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to create plant-based versions of food staples like mayonnaise, milk and more. She also talks about how NotCo uses agile to turn the founder’s ideas into reality. Troy Swope, co-founder and CEO of Footprint, discusses plant-based packaging for food. He shares how each project pushes the U.S. company to innovate and iterate its products.Key Themes [00:56] The plant revolution in the food industry[03:00] Using AI, machine learning to create plant-based food[07:26] Using agile to turn ideas into reality[10:45] Effect of consumer climate awareness on the food industry  [12:51] From microprocessors to food: Creating plant-based food packaging [15:48] Focusing on customers and their products  

Innovation separates the leaders from the laggards. While there’s no surefire path to the kind of breakthrough creative thinking that leads to the next big thing, organizations are on the prowl for ways to spark innovation.Vidhya Abhijith is the co-founder of Codewave Technologies in Bengaluru, India. The PMI Future 50 leader talks about the link between design thinking and innovation, and how team members can push one another to think differently.Yuri Bartzis, innovation manager at Pomerleau in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, discusses how the company’s innovation teams seek out new technologies and working processes. He also talks about one of the innovation team’s pilot projects with Spot, an autonomous robotic canine. Key themes [00:42] Building cultures to spark innovation[03:19] How design thinking can help deliver innovative solutions[04:06] Stakeholders, team members, customers—all can share innovative ideas[08:10] Innovation initiatives to embrace new tech, work processes[10:48] Testing Spot, the autonomous robot, on a project site[12:26] Buy-in from upper management key to embrace innovation 

The World Bank estimates 1 billion people experience some form of disability. That means accessibility must be built into how teams approach every project—helping them deliver more value to everyone.Kathryn Rutkowski, PMP, senior program manager, Atlassian, Sydney, Australia, discusses how bringing in experts can help bring an accessibility sensibility to project teams. She also talks about designing projects with accessibility customers in mind to create a better experience for everyone.Matt Ligas, principal, Michael Graves Architecture & Design, Washington, D.C., USA, discusses a project to build accessible homes for military families and how feedback from the homes’ occupants has influenced design decisions. He also shares how architects play a key role in keeping an accessibility focus on projects.Key themes [00:57] Increased awareness, legislation for accessibility[02:36] Building accessible sensibility into project teams  [06:01] Design thinking: Think of accessibility customers as people with difficulties, not disabilities [08:07] Pushing Atlassian’s accessibility program forward[10:02] Making accessibility standard on projects, products[11:34] Personal experience puts focus on accessible design[13:29] Customer-focused design on Accessible Military Housing project[17:21] State of accessibility: We’re doing better than ever, but there’s still work to be done 

Without a permanent physical office, digital nomads are leading projects as they travel the world.Ott Vatter, managing director of the e-Residency program in the Republic of Estonia in Tallinn, Estonia, discusses how the project helped create a community for digital nomads. Christina Nguyen, PMP, strategy practice leader for Global Professional & Field Services, Dell Technologies, Austin, Texas, USA, talks about leading a project portfolio as a digital nomad. She also shares the lessons she learned and how the experience changed how she leads projects and teams. Plus, the value of online upskilling. Matt Koch, PMP, vice president and director of operations for the federal business unit at Atkins North America, shares how his team benefited from the online courses at PMTraining.com Key themes[03:28] The need for community among digital nomads[07:29] Discovering the “new normal” of the digital nomad lifestyle[10:17] Building connections through empathy[11:54] New challenges of remote working during COVID-19[15:21] Remote upskilling through PMTraining.com 

The world’s historic and cultural sites connect us to human history. Projects to preserve or restore these sites must be handled with care. Ray Pepi, president and founder of Building Conservation Associates in New York, New York, USA, talks about managing priorities of preserving a building’s cultural and historical significance while also setting it up for continued use. He also discusses how he sees structural conservation changing in the future.Kacey Hadick, director of project development at CyArk in Oakland, California, USA, talks about working with teams around the world to digitally document cultural heritage sites under their care, the challenges these teams face and how they can use the data in the short term as well as in the future.Key themes[02:40] Preserving history with the future in mind[03:58] Importance of research in restoring or conserving cultural properties [08:14] Future of historic preservation and sustainability[09:24] Digitally documenting cultural heritage sites and on-site problem-solving[11:43] Using data to call for action in Rapa Nui[15:13] How teams can use digital documentation now and in the future

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