Projectified

Project management offices (PMOs) are evolving, taking on a greater strategic role to deliver value. We discuss this with:Fiona Lin, PMI-ACP, PMP, VP of the enterprise PMO, agile PMO and business transformation, Snap Finance, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA: Lin discusses why PMOs must support organizations across projects, programs, portfolios and processes, the importance of including PMOs in strategy planning, and how PMOs can help adopt and encourage new ways of working.R. Rooban Annamalai, PMP, project management and PMO lead, Christie’s, London: Annamalai explains how he’s seen the PMO’s role evolve to include more strategic decision-making, how PMOs can help push teams and organizations forward and his vision for the future of the PMO. Key themes[01:12] The PMO’s evolution: Taking on strategy creation and project execution[02:56] Creating PMOs—and building buy-in—at a fintech company[06:00] Spreading the PMO’s role across projects, programs, portfolios and processes[07:52] 3 ways PMO leaders help teams adopt new ways of working[14:59] How PMOs use lessons learned, business acumen to push organizations forward[16:50] The ROI of PMOs with a strategic role

Artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic concept. Project leaders are putting AI to use on everything from automating day-to-day tasks to analyzing risk. We discuss this with:Milie Taing, founder and CEO, Lili.ai, Paris: Taing explains how project leaders’ perspective of AI has changed over the last few years, how AI is helping project leaders deliver more value and what impact a larger AI ecosystem will have on project management moving forward.Syed Ahsan Mustaqeem, PMP, senior engineer, Pakistan Petroleum, Ltd., Karachi, Pakistan: Mustaqeem talks about how AI-driven tools help him automate processes and glean insights from data, how these tools allow team members to reallocate time toward more strategic and problem-solving tasks and challenges project leaders might face using AI on projects.Key themes[02:20] How AI is adding value to projects[04:26] The future of AI: Moving from early use cases to an AI ecosystem [05:23] How AI is changing the role of project leader[11:01] Using AI-driven tools to boost efficiency and glean insights from data[13:45] Why AI is pushing project leaders to further develop power skills [15:24] How AI can help project leaders—not replace them

It’s time to lean into the power skills—communication, problem-solving, collaborative leadership and strategic thinking—that help project leaders influence stakeholders and deliver successful projects. We discuss this with:Swapna Yadavalli, PMP, PgMP, PfMP, VP of technology program management, Mastercard, Pune, India: Yadavalli discusses how leaders with power skills help their teams succeed, how strong communication and collaboration helped her team deliver a large-scale program and ways fellow project leaders can further develop their own power skills.Manuel Segura Pérez, head of project and construction management, Repsol, Madrid: Segura Pérez shares why communication is a critical power skill for all leaders and how he helped foster greater communication and collaboration on a joint venture. Key themes[02:04] How power skills boost collaboration on cross-functional teams[04:49] Using communication and collaborative leadership to deliver a successful program[06:30] Ways project leaders can develop power skills[08:14] Using empathy to improve power skills within teams[11:00] Selecting future leaders with power skill potential

In today’s uncertain business landscape, companies must be more agile than ever, embracing new ways of working and nurturing a changemaker mindset across teams. We discuss this with: Anne Cherouny, organizational change management leader, Boeing, Arlington, Virginia, USA: Cherouny discusses the benefits of organizational agility, how a lack of coordination and structured change management can hinder organizations’ agility, and how project leaders can embrace new ways of working on their teams.Amol Pradhan, chief transformation officer, services integration hub cloud advisory and enterprise agility, IBM, Singapore: Pradhan discusses challenges organizations face when building organizational agility into company culture, why it’s important for leaders to communicate and prepare teams for organizational change, and how IBM built agility into its HR teams’ operations.Key themes[02:13] The ROI of organizational agility[04:21] How lack of coordination and collaboration hinders organizational agility[05:56] Boosting agility on teams through a shared vision and new ways of working[12:50] How to communicate with and prepare teams for organizational change [14:20] How IBM built agility into its HR operations

As urbanization increases worldwide, the public transportation sector is evolving. Teams are launching projects to meet changing consumer demands and employing new technologies with the goal of making public transport systems more sustainable, accessible and efficient. We discuss this with: Graham Currie, director of the Public Transport Research Group and professor of public transport, Monash University, Melbourne: Currie talks about innovations in technology and public transportation infrastructure, how increased governance could affect projects across the sector, and what innovations he’s excited to see next in public transit. Camile Machado, project manager for new mobility, TransLink, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada: Machado discusses how the Shared Mobility Compass Card pilot experimented with new ways to link Vancouver’s various transportation options, how the team plans to use riders’ feedback for the project’s next phase, and the benefits of public-private partnerships in public transportation.Key themes[02:33] Innovations in ICT, infrastructure in public transportation  [04:32] How greater governance could impact public transportation projects[08:53] TransLink’s Shared Mobility Compass Card pilot looks at new ways to link multimodal transit options[15:45] Determining project strategy and goals with partners to boost collaboration

The energy sector is evolving, with organizations and governments alike rethinking their options to push for a more sustainable future. We discuss this with: Meriem Lhammoumi, senior project manager, Jesa, Casablanca, Morocco: Lhammoumi shares how green hydrogen can impact the world’s decarbonization efforts, must-have skills to execute these projects, and the need for innovation in hydrogen storage solutions.Iván Jara, head of engineering, procurement and construction, Atlas Renewable Energy, Santiago, Chile: Jara discusses how Sol del Desierto—one of the largest solar plants in Chile—is essential for the country’s renewable energy strategy, how his team tested and implemented innovative tech to boost the plant’s efficiency, and how the project created positive social impact through increased female employment.Key themes[02:09] Green hydrogen’s impact on the renewable energy sector[04:19] What skills teams need to execute green hydrogen projects[08:06] The Sol del Desierto solar plant’s role in Chile’s renewable energy transition[10:15] Creating positive social impact through women’s training programs [12:06] Testing and implementing new tech in solar projects

Organizations worldwide are putting greater focus on ESG (environmental, social and governance). As companies ramp up their efforts, leaders are determining how to integrate ESG into their projects. We discuss this with: Mauricio Bolaños, PMP, ESG operations and program manager, VMware, Heredia, Costa Rica: Bolaños discusses how his company’s ESG office works across business units to collaborate with project leaders to integrate and track ESG efforts in their projects, the value of incorporating ESG into risk management, and why he doesn’t see ESG as a competition.Abhay Bhavsar, PMP, head of ESG and safety, Fourth Partner Energy Private Limited, Pune, India: Bhavsar shares how his organization built buy-in for ESG practices across the enterprise, used data and stakeholder engagement to create its ESG agenda, and ensures teams utilize and report ESG processes on projects.Key themes[02:20] Educating and collaborating with teams to integrate ESG into projects[06:47] Factoring ESG into risk management[07:41] Embracing ESG to boost innovation and creativity[10:19] Building enterprise-wide buy-in for ESG[11:04] Using data to create Fourth Partner Energy’s ESG agenda[14:10] Ensuring ESG processes are put into practice—and reported—on projects

Organizations are facing a massive shift in the workforce as people reevaluate what they want from their jobs. It’s up to project leaders to keep teams on track and to continue to deliver value, even amid high attrition. We discuss this with: Kierstin Gray, PMI-ACP, PMP, program director, Argodesign, Brooklyn, New York, USA: Gray explains how project talent turnover can impact a team’s deliverables and cohesion, and how adopting an agile mindset and strengthening communication and trust can help teams build resilience to resourcing challenges.Vitor Amaral, CTO, Bitz, São Paulo: Amaral shares how people’s shifting relationships with their jobs and the increase in remote work are impacting tech jobs in Latin America, plus how project leaders are using communication and documentation to keep projects on track and team members engaged.Key themes[02:18] How high turnover impacts project teams—financially and emotionally[07:02] Adopting an agile mindset to build resilience[09:39] Ways to include safeguards for turnover in projects[11:30] COVID-19 and remote work’s impact on tech jobs in Latin America[13:15] Using communication, documentation to keep projects running smoothly[17:14] How emphasizing a project’s purpose and a team member’s efforts can aid talent retention 

PMI’s annual Future 50 shines the spotlight on rising project leaders who are creating a better future for all. Projectifiedâ spoke with three 2022 honorees: Kathy Johnston, chief chocolate officer, Mirzam Chocolate Makers, Dubai: Johnston discusses tackling challenges to build the company’s second chocolate factory with hybrid teams, how she’s learned to be a change-ready and flexible leader, and how she’s become more comfortable with her leadership style—and how that’s helped her take more risks.Christian Leke Achaleke, executive director, Local Youth Corner Cameroon, Yaoundé: Achaleke shares how his teams turn policy into real-world change in Cameroon, how his work in peacebuilding and conflict resolution has influenced his leadership style, and how rising leaders are changing how projects are run with technology and daring approaches.Lovy Bhatia, PMP, program lead for product and strategy, Amazon, London: Bhatia discusses how she keeps cross-functional teams and stakeholders aligned to a unified goal, her experience helping Airbnb build its operations and hone its vision in India, and how becoming a problem solver can help project leaders be successful—no matter the industry.Key themes[01:45] Leadership lessons learned: Be change-ready and flexible[06:19] How failure can help project leaders grow[08:48] How teams are turning policy into groundbreaking projects in Cameroon[13:48] Using conflict prevention skills in project leadership[17:30] Aligning stakeholders and team members to a unified goal[19:53] Embracing new opportunities and solving problems as Airbnb developed operations in India

With omnichannel shopping on the rise, consumer behaviors are changing. This is paving the way for a tech-fueled reset in retail, spanning brick-and-mortar stores and ecommerce alike. We discuss this with: Saad Siddiqui, COO, Veeve, Seattle: Siddiqui shares what inspired his team to create a smart shopping cart, how customer and retailer feedback helped the team iteratively improve the cart’s functions and design, and how the team is handling implementation projects as operations scale up.Simon Molnar, founder and CEO, Flagship, Sydney: Molnar discusses why his team developed tech to give brick-and-mortar retailers real-time data on their products, how customers and in-store staff are responding to this tech in a pilot in Sydney, and why he believes teams should be looking to innovate both in-store and online.Key themes[01:03] How changing customer preferences are fueling innovation in retail[02:22] Taking a customer-centric approach to develop the Veeve smart cart [06:28] Using data, first-hand customer feedback for iterative improvements[10:34] How tech can bridge customers’ in-store and online experiences[12:42] A new way for brick-and-mortar retailers to get real-time data on products[15:22] Merging digital and in-store shopping in the Edit Collection pilot