Projectified

The COVID-19 outbreak is affecting countries, people and projects around the globe. It’s one of several deadly diseases the world has faced in recent years. Dr. Ranu Dhillon, a faculty member at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, served as the special adviser to the president of Guinea during the 2014 Ebola outbreak. He discusses creating strategies to control the Ebola epidemic in West Africa, collaborating with organizations in other countries to adapt strategies and the toll fighting an epidemic can take. Dr. Dhillon also talks about the value of early detection and how that can be applied to the coronavirus.Key themes [02:55] Strategizing to fight the Ebola outbreak in Guinea[06:49] The emotional and physical toll of fighting an epidemic [10:22] Lesson learned: The value of early detection [13:23] Testing challenges for the coronavirus 

Can government interactions ever be smooth? Nations around the world are working on upgrading these citizen services. Anne Petersen, director of experience design at 18F in Chicago, Illinois, USA, says there are multiple barriers to success in customer experience, such as a lack of money, time or in-house expertise. Anne also shares how to help organizations instill a customer-focused approach and how feedback—and your response to it—can increase people’s trust in government.Key themes [00:34] Governments striving for better customer experiences[01:59] Barriers to customer experience success: Money, time, in-house expertise [04:24] Establishing a customer-focused approach[08:46] Using design thinking to find failure points faster[09:44] Being open, human-centered and iterative to gain a better understanding

Home to some of the world’s fastest-growing cities, Africa is poised to become a hub for projects—and talent. Bulla Boma, PMP, head of the commercial project management office at MIC Tanzania PLC in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, discusses the increasing number of infrastructure projects in the country. She also talks about raising awareness of project management and the value project professionals can add.   Sheillah Karimi, senior program coordinator—water, sanitation and transport at KfW Development Bank in Nairobi, Kenya, discusses leading a water supply project and how she’ll apply lessons learned to future projects. She also says sustainability will become central to infrastructure investments due to climate change.  Key themes[01:02] Africa’s growth, rapid urbanization are leading to more projects[02:09] Projects promoting industrialization in Tanzania[05:39] Increasing awareness of project management and its value[09:32] Organizations striving for innovative, data-driven projects[11:08] Coordination and engagement key in Nairobi water supply project[14:57] Reconciling theory and practical knowledge

Ahead of International Women’s Day, ProjectifiedTM hosted a roundtable with three women to discuss their experiences leading projects and programs and their hopes for the next generation of women in the profession.   Varsha Advani, PMP, senior technical program manager at Akamai Technologies in Bengaluru, India, talks about the importance of mentorship and how company-structured programs can help build a culture of learning. She also hopes to see more women in management roles moving forward.   Selenne Berthely, PMP, project manager, Banco de México, Mexico City, Mexico, discusses how leaders need both technical and people skills and shares her advice to other women in the profession—remain true to yourself and focus on your team.   Asya Watkins, PMP, manager of pharmaceutical implementations at EnvisionRxOptions and founder of Women Of Project Management in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, discusses how mentorship helped her career and the lessons she learned from being the only woman on some of her teams. She also shares ways men can advocate and support women on project teams.   Anna Tavis, PhD, academic director of human capital management, New York University, New York, New York, USA, shares how organizations can use data-driven metrics and better measurements of collaboration to help gender equity.   Key themes [01:25] Creativity, empathy and freedom make projects challenging and fulfilling [03:33] What leaders need: People skills, relationship building, communication [06:23] Sharing experiences and learning through mentorship [13:58] Advocating for women through partnership on projects, speaking up [17:07] Hopes for the future: More women in management roles [20:49] Measuring performance and impact of an individual on a team

As expectations for financial services change, legacy institutions and startups alike have to innovate. Andreas Madjari, PMP, project management governance specialist at Erste Group in Vienna, Austria, discusses agile’s role in creating the group’s internet banking platform, George. He also shares a look at the future—from stabilization to more online services.   Alicia Levine, the COO of Chipper Cash based in London, England, discusses the growing investment in fintech in Africa. She also talks about mobile money removing barriers for people who don’t use traditional banks and how new methods of transferring money can help people build digital financial histories.   Key themes [03:11] Empowering teams for agile development [06:47] Innovating to meet customers’ needs with reliability [10:15] Fintech’s growth in Africa  [12:20] How mobile money opened the door for new currency transfer options, digital financial identity [16:10] Fintech in Africa going digital—from banking to currencies

From air taxis to bullet trains, what was once thought of as futuristic transportation is now closer to becoming a reality. François-Joseph Van Audenhove, a partner at Arthur D. Little and head of the Future of Mobility Lab in Brussels, Belgium, talks about changing mobility demands—for both people and goods—and the challenges to integrating self-driving cars into the current mobility landscape.     Mike Goodrich, executive director—corporate development and global mergers & acquisitions at General Motors in Detroit, Michigan, USA, led the electric and autonomous vehicle program at GM for several years. He shares how creative problem solving helps project teams working on new tech like autonomous vehicles and the challenges organizations face to gain people’s trust.   Key themes: [05:40] Increasing demand in passenger—and goods—mobility [06:59] Self-driving cars’ effects on mobility systems [11:24] Facing project challenges with collaboration and accountability [12:46] Creative problem solving’s role in first-of-its-kind projects [15:02] Consumer skepticism in the tech—and trust—race

What does the 2020 jobs scene look like for project professionals? In the season 3 opener of ProjectifiedTM, we get the scoop from Lindsay Scott, PM Network career columnist and co-founder of Arras People in London, England. She discusses the state of the job market as a potential recession looms and how a strong network and working across sectors can help project professionals in times of economic uncertainty. She also talks people skills— including a new focus on empathy and mental health among project leaders.   David Paré, PMP, CTO for healthcare business at DXC Technology in Perth, Australia, discusses how AI will change work. He also offers tips for using champions to sell tech projects.   Key themes: [02:51] Project opportunities during economic uncertainty [08:23] A stronger focus on empathy and mental health [12:36] Understand what you need to learn—and unlearn [15:40] Must-have skills for healthcare projects [16:43] How the AI upheaval will change work [18:46] Managing tech, change and stakeholders

There’s a lot of change happening in project management. At PMI’s Global Conference, we talked with project leaders about what’s new and next for 2020—and beyond. They discussed new ways of thinking and what next-gen project professionals mean for the future of work.   Narasimha Acharya, PMP, assistant director in the client technology practice at Ernst & Young in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, talked about adapting to evolving trends and advocating for change.   Mike Palladino, PMP, head of the Agile Center of Excellence at Bristol-Myers Squibb in Paoli, Pennsylvania, USA, discussed how teaching needs to change and encouraged new project managers to accept ambiguity.    Fernando Antonio Oliveira, E2 program director for Embraer in São José dos Campos, Brazil, proposed new ways of working—from how we use data to finding ways to change the world.   Kaustuv Bagchi, head of India operations for oil and gas offshore projects for LT Hydrocarbon Engineering in Mumbai, India, talked about how disruptive technology can help younger project managers learn different skills.   Olivier Schmitt, CEO of The Project Group France SAS in Lyon, discussed how organizations struggle to integrate emerging points of view from up-and-coming project professionals entering the workforce.   Key themes [00:58] Positioning yourself for success in a time of change [02:10] Honing new ways of thinking and adjusting to change [04:56] Using data for prevention instead of reaction  [06:28] Disruptive technology as a teaching tool [08:47] Bringing together new and established ways of working [09:48] Why you should seek a mentor—even if it takes time [12:44] Avoiding the right versus wrong mentality [13:56] How do you want to change the world?

As technology evolves, so does the way we work. At PMI Global Conference, Bob Safian, founder of The Flux Group and former editor-in-chief of Fast Company, talked about how technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning present project leaders with new opportunities—as well as new risks. He also discussed the factors fueling The Project Economy—and why as the world of work continues to shift, the most important skill is the ability to keep learning.   Key themes: [01:01] Why we’re moving to The Project Economy [03:17] Technology’s effect on business [06:51] Risks project leaders face as the world of work evolves [10:08] New opportunities coming from The Project Economy [12:13] The new needed skill: Continue learning new skills [13:28] How projects can leave a lasting legacy

Almost every executive is talking transformation. But the real test is whether project leaders can make it a reality. Two leaders from the Brightline Initiative discuss why successful transformations are really about bringing people together—and winning over their hearts and minds.   Ricardo Vargas, PMI-RMP, PMI-SP, PMP, executive director of the Brightline Initiative, discussed how organizations need to focus on people and culture—not just technology—during transformations. And that starts with getting executives and project teams on the same page.   Tahirou Assane, PMP, director of operations for the Brightline Initiative, shared how finding internal champions to back transformation initiatives will help keep things on track and build more buy-in. He also discussed how organizations need to prepare employees to accept, adopt and embrace change as the new normal.   Key themes: [00:22] Challenges to transformation [01:22] Putting people, culture at the center of transformations [03:00] How internal champions can increase buy-in [04:17] Accepting and embracing transformations as the new standard [07:25] Getting executives and project teams on the same page