The Project Management Podcast

Episode 121 PREMIUM: Project Management 2.0 and Social Media

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:51:47 GMT

Last week's discussion with Bas de Baar on "Everything a Project Manager should know about Social Media" largely focused on how you as a project manager can use social media for career growth. We also touched upon how to use social media can be used in your projects.

In this Premium Episode we welcome Elizabeth Harrin (Author of Project Management in the Real World) to look more in depth into how a project manager can use Project Management 2.0 and Social Media on your projects. We discuss if and how we should use these tools, how confidentiality plays into this, how the increasing availability of easy to use online project management tools will turn the "technical" project management skills into a commodity and we touch upon the presentations that Elizabeth gave at th BPUG and APM on these topics.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of OSP International LLC. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by OSP International LLC 2005 - 2009. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by The Project Management PrepCast at http://www.pm-prepcast.com

Episode 121: Everything a Project Manager should know about Social Media

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:53:14 GMT

The number of social media websites is sheer overwhelming. There are Twitter, Facebook, Friendfeed, Myspace, Skype, Google Chat, Plurk, Bebo, Xing, Hi5, Orkut, Pownce and LinkedIn. And these are just the more popular ones. But why should you as a project manager care about this?

Bas de Baar (http://blog.softwareprojects.org/) thinks you should. Bas argues that social media will help you personally by growing your visibility within the worldwide community of project managers and he also argues that social media helps your worldwide, virtual project team to grow together faster and deliver better projects.

As we were recording the interview we requested live questions from our Twitter followers. Three of them responded in time and the questions from @CobPEZ, @CoachM and @jgodfrey were answered right there and then. It's the start of integrating social media into The PM Podcast as well.

Bas also offers a free video blog at http://blog.softwareprojects.org/category/video-chat

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of OSP International LLC. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by OSP International LLC 2005 - 2009. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by The Project Management PrepCast at http://www.pm-prepcast.com

Episode 120: Sustainability... Why Bother?!

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 00:56:47 GMT

Companies and project managers have believed for years that their only responsibility was mainly a financial one – maximizing value for shareholders and finish your projects on time and on budget. Sustainability is a new idea, where the corporate sector incorporates social and environmental concerns in its strategies and plays a more responsible role in the world.

But why should project managers care about it?

Our guest today is Jennifer Russell, PMP (www.mastodonconsulting.com) who argues that with some effort and foresight, sustainability can be integrated seamlessly in the goals of almost all projects and organizations. Furthermore, it is not necessarily the chief executives who must always initiate and implement sustainability. Project managers have the ability to introduce sustainability in their work and promote social good within the firm. If properly understood and executed, sustainability is a win–win strategy that benefits the project, the company, as well as society.

In our Gizmo's section we talk to Kay Wais who is the creator of the Project Risk Board Game, a fun way to get your mind in shape for project risk management. We are giving away to copies of the game - listen in to hear how to participate.

And the winners of two copies of Dux Raymond Sy's book SharePoint for Project Management are:

* Glenn Rogers, Ontario, Canada (Premium Listener)
* Eliseo Pita, A Coruna, Spain (Free Listener)

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of OSP International LLC. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by OSP International LLC 2005 - 2009. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by The Project Management PrepCast at http://www.pm-prepcast.com

Episode 119: SharePoint for Project Management

Sun, 17 May 2009 21:13:24 GMT

Have you ever seen Microsoft SharePoint? And after you saw it, did you feel like this was a tool that you’d like to use in order to manage your projects? If the answer is no then you are like most companies who don’t understand MS SharePoint’s power and use it simply to share documents or spreadsheets. That is where the book “SharePoint for Project Management” comes into play. It demonstrates how SharePoint can also help you organize and manage complex projects.

In today’s episode we welcome Dux Raymond Sy, who is the author of SharePoint for Project Management. It turned out that in the interview we talked less about the book and more about the fact that the most important factor of solid project management are the processes that need to be in place first and that the book & SharePoint are just tools to help you eliminate waste.

We also talk to Jennifer Girdish who is the content editor of our Gizmo: PM Boulevard.

We are giving away two copies of Dux's book - listen in to hear how to participate.

And the winners of our last promotional giveaway are:

* Tom Verghese's Book The Invisible Elephant: Fernando Lenga from Buenos Aires, Brazil and Robert Bessette (Premium Subscriber)
* Tom Verghese's CD Raising Your Cultural IQ: Otba Alsboul, from Ryad in the UAE
* Tom Verghese's recording Sourcing Across Cultures: CD: Sayyed Saheer, Tumba Sweden & DVD Amane Nakayama (Premium Subscriber)

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of OSP International LLC. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by OSP International LLC 2005 - 2009. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by The Project Management PrepCast at http://www.pm-prepcast.com

Episode 118: Cultural Awareness and Cultural Intelligence

Tue, 05 May 2009 17:03:57 GMT

Many aspects of culture are invisible, yet culture has an enormous impact on our projects. If ignored, these aspects can lead to misunderstanding, stress and conflict. Alternatively, if attention is given to the invisible aspects, it can enhance productivity, improve project teamwork and create more joy on the job.

Dealing with cross cultural issues on a multi-national projects can be like trying to control an invisible elephant. The issues are real and crucial as we journey into the new era of increasing globalization.

That is why I am very happy to welcome Tom Verghese (www.culturalsynergies.com) on The Project Management Podcast. Tom is the author of the book The Invisible Elephant - Exploring Cultural Awareness. We are going to discuss, what culture is, how cultural awareness and cultural intelligence will help you to better deal with your project teams, and Tom will give you some very specific tips on how to increase cultural synergies on your projects.

In this episode we are giving away 2 copies of his book, 1 copy of his CD "Raising your cultural IQ" as well as 2 copies of his CD/DVD "Sourcing Across Cultures". Listen in to learn how to participate.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of OSP International LLC. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by OSP International LLC 2005 - 2009. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by The Project Management PrepCast at http://www.pm-prepcast.com

German PM Podcast #3: DHL Air Hub Leipzig

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 17:27:27 GMT

This is an English episode of the German PM Podcast.

Andreas Heilwagen is the host of the German PM Podcast and in this episode he speaks with Ingolf Speer about the construction of the DHL Air Hub in Leipzig.

The focus of the interview are the success factors for the 300 million Euro project, which came in on time, below budget and above quality. Quite different than Terminal 5 in Heathrow which was opened around the same time. The 3 main factors were

* A multi-level test that tried to simulate every day situations
* A phased launch
* Strict limitation of complexity

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of OSP International LLC. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by OSP International LLC 2005 - 2009. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by The Project Management PrepCast at http://www.pm-prepcast.com

Episode 117 Premium: The Value of the PMO (MP4 iPod)

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 18:03:12 GMT

In December of 2008 I was invited to be the host at the 2009 PMO Summit in Coconut Grove, Florida. As the host, it was my privilege to set the tone of the day and begin with a short, 10 minute keynote presentation to set the tone for summit.

I decided that (because I had never seen anything like it before) that I would create a short survey to determine the value of the PMO. I did so and over 500 people responded. This video shows the results of this survey.

It was at that PMO summit that I met Terry Doerscher from Planview and you have heard him as a guest in the previous 2 episodes. In one of them he presented the PMO 2.0 Survey Results. So it was indeed interesting for me to see that other people had done similar surveys and it was also interesting to see that our surveys both complemented and contradicted each other a bit. This was definitely due to the fact that his survey was much more in-depth while this one here was really just trying to take the pulse of the podcast audience.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of OSP International LLC. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by OSP International LLC 2005 - 2009. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by The Project Management PrepCast at http://www.pm-prepcast.com

Episode 116: The PMO 2.0 Survey Report

Sun, 29 Mar 2009 17:20:09 GMT

In this episode we welcome Terry Doerscher, who is Planview's Chief Process Architect and we discuss the PMO 2.0 Survey Report that was released earlier this year. The survey was sent out in September of 2008 and it contains 455 responses from a diverse group of companies. It was a rather large survey that required a lot of patience from the respondents.

Questions in the survey focused on PMO performance, operational challenges, organizational challenges, and the organization's future plans. The most surprising result that Terry found was that the PMO had increased the scope of the service within the companies. It is no longer just a Project Management Office, but that they are now reaching out to broader involvement of resource and operations management throughout the complete organization.

In our last episode we announced the giveaway of 2 PM Lectures Leadership Challenges of Complex Projects. And the winners are: Joseph Horowitz (Premium Podcast Subscriber) and Mohammed Amin (Free Podcast Listener). Congratulations!

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of OSP International LLC. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by OSP International LLC 2005 - 2009. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by The Project Management PrepCast at http://www.pm-prepcast.com

No Episode This Week

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 01:42:57 GMT

No episode this week... gotta work, work, work!

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of OSP International LLC. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by OSP International LLC 2005 - 2009. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by The Project Management PrepCast at http://www.pm-prepcast.com

Manager Tools - Horstman's Law of Project Management Part 4 of 4

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 19:13:20 GMT

This is the fourth and final special episode of The PM Podcast where we introduce you to the Manager Tools approach to Project Management. Here is what Mark and Mike have to say about this episode:

In this cast we describe Horstman's Law of Project Management: Who Does What By When.

We've talked and joked about it many times, and this cast will put to rest the details of Horstman's Law of Project Management (HLPM). Mark came up with it several years ago, to help a group of young managers get over their fear of working on fairly complex software development projects. It was actually born over a dinner at Mexican restaurant in Dallas!

The concept is simple: all projects are simply tasks, done by people, within certain time frames. Despite all protestations to the contrary, no matter how complex the project, they all boil down to who is responsible for doing something, what they're responsible for, and when they have to have it done by. Complex tools can be helpful, but only on really large projects (and almost nobody looks at them anyway ;-) ).

Keep it simple with HLPM. Here's how.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of OSP International LLC. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by OSP International LLC 2005 - 2009. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by The Project Management PrepCast at http://www.pm-prepcast.com

Episode 115: Leadership Challenges of Complex Projects

Fri, 06 Mar 2009 18:10:05 GMT

One major factor that is making a larger project more difficult to manage than a smaller project is complexity. On a larger project you will have a larger product scope, a more extensive budget, a more intricate project schedule and not least of it all also a lot more people. All of these add to your project’s complexity.

Stan Levanduski, PMP argues that the linear way of managing a small project does not scale up to a large project. Large projects have exponentially more complexity and therefore require a different, non-linear approach. He and I did a 4.5 hour long PM lecture on this topic and this interview gives you a glimpse into the complexity of complexity.

This discussion is based on Stan's PM Lecture Leadership Challenges of Complex Projects. We are giving away 2 copies of this 4.5 hour long, in-depth project leadership training to our listeners. So listen in and participate.

Stan is also the co-author of a book called The Advantage of Leaderhip and you can find this at http://www.theadvantageofleadershipnow.com. On this page you’ll not only get a discount to the book but also a number of free audio downloads.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of OSP International LLC. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by OSP International LLC 2005 - 2009. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by The Project Management PrepCast at http://www.pm-prepcast.com

Episode 114: Congratulations You're Out of Work (Part 2)

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 15:39:02 GMT

This is Part 2 of a presentation by Margaret Meloni.

About a month ago, Margaret Meloni, PMP sent out an email that was titled “Congratulations You’re Out of Work”. Of course I immediately opened and read it because it was such an odd subject.

This email led to a discussion between us and I quickly realized that what she has to say can be of enormous help to the project management community. After all, not a day goes by on which we don't hear about yet another company that is reducing their staff by several thousand. Some of you may be affected. I decided to bring Margaret back. So here is part two of Margaret Meloni’s discussion on how you can turn being laid off into a positive experience.

If you want to access Margaret's complete package, then please stop by at Margaret's website right now and sign up for the complete package to help you deal with this kind of situation.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of OSP International LLC. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by OSP International LLC 2005 - 2009. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by The Project Management PrepCast at http://www.pm-prepcast.com

Episode 114: Congratulations You're Out of Work

Sun, 15 Feb 2009 01:14:05 GMT

About two weeks ago, Margaret Meloni, PMP sent out an email that was titled “Congratulations You’re Out of Work”. Of course I immediately opened and read it because it was such an odd subject.

This email led to a discussion between us and I quickly realized that what she has to say can be of enormous help to the project management community. After all, not a day goes by on which we don't hear about yet another company that is reducing their staff by several thousand. Some of you may be affected. I decided to bring Margaret back. So here is part one of Margaret Meloni’s discussion on how you can turn being laid off into a positive experience.

Part two will be published in about 2 weeks.

If you don't want to wait that long, then please stop by at Margaret's website right now and sign up for the complete package to help you deal with this kind of situation.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of OSP International LLC. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by OSP International LLC 2005 - 2009. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by The Project Management PrepCast at http://www.pm-prepcast.com

Special: Manager Tools - Horstman's Law of Project Management Part 3 of 4

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 03:13:35 GMT

This is the third of four special episode of The PM Podcast where we introduce you to the Manager Tools approach to Project Management. Here is what Mark and Mike have to say about this episode:

In this cast we describe Horstman's Law of Project Management: Who Does What By When.

We've talked and joked about it many times, and this cast will put to rest the details of Horstman's Law of Project Management (HLPM). Mark came up with it several years ago, to help a group of young managers get over their fear of working on fairly complex software development projects. It was actually born over a dinner at Mexican restaurant in Dallas!

The concept is simple: all projects are simply tasks, done by people, within certain time frames. Despite all protestations to the contrary, no matter how complex the project, they all boil down to who is responsible for doing something, what they're responsible for, and when they have to have it done by. Complex tools can be helpful, but only on really large projects (and almost nobody looks at them anyway ;-) ).

Keep it simple with HLPM. Here's how.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of OSP International LLC. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by OSP International LLC 2005 - 2009. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by The Project Management PrepCast at http://www.pm-prepcast.com

Special: Manager Tools - Horstman's Law of Project Management Part 2 of 4

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 15:55:08 GMT

This is the second of four special episode of The PM Podcast where we introduce you to the Manager Tools approach to Project Management. Here is what Mark and Mike have to say about this episode:

In this cast we describe Horstman's Law of Project Management: Who Does What By When.

We've talked and joked about it many times, and this cast will put to rest the details of Horstman's Law of Project Management (HLPM). Mark came up with it several years ago, to help a group of young managers get over their fear of working on fairly complex software development projects. It was actually born over a dinner at Mexican restaurant in Dallas!

The concept is simple: all projects are simply tasks, done by people, within certain time frames. Despite all protestations to the contrary, no matter how complex the project, they all boil down to who is responsible for doing something, what they're responsible for, and when they have to have it done by. Complex tools can be helpful, but only on really large projects (and almost nobody looks at them anyway ;-) ).

Keep it simple with HLPM. Here's how.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of OSP International LLC. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by OSP International LLC 2005 - 2009. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by The Project Management PrepCast at http://www.pm-prepcast.com

Episode 113: Dealing with Layoffs and other Team Transitions

Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:05:29 GMT

In today’s episode I am talking with Kristine Hayes Munson, PMP.

Kristine was my first ever interview guest and she has been on the program several times since then. She has come back because of some recent developments on her team: They have had some layoffs and her team lost a number of people. “How do you deal with that?” is the question of the day and many of you may have to go through a similar situation.

You might be leading a project team that loses some of its members or, like Kristine, you might be the manager of a team of project managers and the economy is forcing you to shrink. Kristine and I talk about the approach that she has found effective in helping your team cope with this situation.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of OSP International LLC. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by OSP International LLC 2005 - 2009. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by The Project Management PrepCast at http://www.pm-prepcast.com

Special: Manager Tools - Horstman's Law of Project Management Part 1 of 4

Sat, 17 Jan 2009 16:33:01 GMT

This is the first of four special episode of The PM Podcast where we introduce you to the Manager Tools approach to Project Management. Here is what Mark and Mike have to say about this episode:

In this cast we describe Horstman's Law of Project Management: Who Does What By When.

We've talked and joked about it many times, and this cast will put to rest the details of Horstman's Law of Project Management (HLPM). Mark came up with it several years ago, to help a group of young managers get over their fear of working on fairly complex software development projects. It was actually born over a dinner at Mexican restaurant in Dallas!

The concept is simple: all projects are simply tasks, done by people, within certain time frames. Despite all protestations to the contrary, no matter how complex the project, they all boil down to who is responsible for doing something, what they're responsible for, and when they have to have it done by. Complex tools can be helpful, but only on really large projects (and almost nobody looks at them anyway ;-) ).

Keep it simple with HLPM. Here's how.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of OSP International LLC. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by OSP International LLC 2005 - 2009. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by The Project Management PrepCast at http://www.pm-prepcast.com

Episode 112: Kanban - An Introduction

Sun, 11 Jan 2009 15:36:04 GMT

Kanban is a concept related to lean and just-in-time (JIT) production. The Japanese word kanban is a common everyday term meaning "signboard" or "billboard" and lacks the specialized meaning that this word has acquired in English. According to Taiichi Ohno, the man credited with developing JIT, kanban is a means through which JIT is achieved.

It was out of a need to maintain high level of improvements that the kanban system was devised by Toyota. Kanban became an effective tool to support the running of the production system as a whole. In addition, it proved to be an excellent way for promoting improvements because reducing the number of kanban in circulation highlighted problem areas.

In project management, Kanban can be described as a signaling system to trigger action. We welcome Eric Landes (http://aspadvice.com/blogs/elandes/default.aspx) and we get a wonderful introduction to Kanban. We discuss what Kanban is, what its benefits are, how it overlaps with project management, what you see when walking into a Kanban environment, if it works in an environment where no physical products are produced and we introduce you to a great number of resources.

And in our Gizmo's segment we present The Project Perfect Whitepaper Index. It contains about 100 white papers on project management topics. Sign up for the Project Perfect White Paper Mailing List and you will receive an email whenever a new paper is published. Highly recommended.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of OSP International LLC. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by OSP International LLC 2005 - 2009. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by The Project Management PrepCast at http://www.pmprepcast.com

Episode 111 + 11/11th: The 2008 Bloopers Episode

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 16:09:08 GMT

Another year has gone by and it has been full of exciting, boring, successful and (yes) failed projects that have been managed throughout the world. And it has been my pleasure to bring some of these projects and the means by which we lead and manage them to you.

But now it’s time to close out the year 2008 and have some project management fun. This means that I am opening up the vault of bad recordings and in this episode of The PM Podcast you are going to hear all the things that didn’t go as planned during the production of The PM Podcast.

Yes, this is the bloopers show, in which I lay bare all the ah, uhm, coughs and the times when I stumbled over difficult word combinations.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of OSP International LLC. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by OSP International LLC 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by The Project Management PrepCast at http://www.pmprepcast.com

Episode 111 Premium: There is no PMI Project Management Methodology (VIDEO)

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 23:38:33 GMT

The new PMBOK® Guide 4th Edition will be available on Dec 31 2008. We take this opportunity to talk about one of the bigger misconceptions that people have about the PMBOK® Guide: They think that is is a methodology.

In this regard, you may hear many people say that they are "using the PMI Methodology" on their project or that they have "implemented the PMBOK methodology at work". In this presentation we explain why the PMBOK Guide is not a methodology, but a framework.

This is one of our Premium "Overtime" Episodes, which are normally reserved to the subscribers of the Premium PM Podcast. However, this is also the first of many presentation style episodes that we will publish, so it is made available to everyone, so that you can see what you would receive with your subscription to The Premium PM Podcast.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of OSP International LLC. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by OSP International LLC 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by The Project Management PrepCast

Episode 111 Premium: There is no PMI Project Management Methodology (AUDIO)

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 23:35:11 GMT

he new PMBOK® Guide 4th Edition will be available on Dec 31 2008. We take this opportunity to talk about one of the bigger misconceptions that people have about the PMBOK® Guide: They think that is is a methodology.

In this regard, you may hear many people say that they are "using the PMI Methodology" on their project or that they have "implemented the PMBOK methodology at work". In this presentation we explain why the PMBOK Guide is not a methodology, but a framework.

This is one of our Premium "Overtime" Episodes, which are normally reserved to the subscribers of the Premium PM Podcast. However, this is also the first of many presentation style episodes that we will publish, so it is made available to everyone, so that you can see what you would receive with your subscription to The Premium PM Podcast.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of OSP International LLC. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by OSP International LLC 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by The Project Management PrepCast

Episode 111: PMO Summit 2008 (VIDEO)

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 19:21:13 GMT

From December 8-10 I attended the PMO Summit 2008. This event was organized by IQPC who had asked me to chair the event. I agreed and so I flew to Florida and acted as the Master of ceremonies (so to speak) for 2 days.

The event itself was a success. We had 2 days full of presentations & workshops. I met a lot of new people, hopefully gained a few more listeners for the Podcast and I had a fabulous Italian dinner and you’ll see part of that dinner during the show.

I already did a similar review with Mark Perry from the PMO Podcast and that discussion was released to the listeners of the Premium Podcast. If you want to become a premium listener and receive additional episodes of the PM Podcast then please stop by at the website and click on the Premium Subscription button at the top left

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of OSP International LLC. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by OSP International LLC 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by The Project Management PrepCast

Episode 111: PMO Summit 2008 (AUDIO)

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 19:20:07 GMT

Episode 110: The Advantage of Leadership

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 16:25:21 GMT

Everywhere you turn these days project management experts are talking about the need for us all to move from project management to project leadership. Here at The PM Podcast we have tackled this subject a number of times in the past and today we will continue this journey by taking a look at The Advantage of Leadership.

The Advantage of Leadership is the name of a book that contains words of wisdom from various leadership experts. It was born of the belief that you can never have too much information. It brings together the knowledge and wisdom of individual leaders from across the field, offering a most comprehensive resource for the reader. It contains 11 chapters, each written by a different expert. It covers a broad spectrum of topics like leading with motivation, leading a team, servant leadership or learned leadership.

To discuss a number of concepts from the book we welcome leadership development expert Stan Levanduski, PMP. He is the driving force behind The Advantage of Leadership and helped bring it all together. Stan is also one of our lecturers on PM Lectures, where he teaches us how to respond to Leadership Challenges of Complex Projects.

As always when we discuss a book on the program we are giving away 2 copies of the book. Please listen to the episode to learn how to participate.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of OSP International LLC. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by OSP International LLC 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by http://boeing.com/careers

Episode 109: The Value of Project Management

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 21:53:23 GMT

If someone asks you explain what you do as a project manager, do you sometimes struggle to explain it? It’s easy to explain the hard tasks like building houses, changing processes or developing software, but once I get to the less tangible items like project team motivation or relationship management I usually begin to lose the listener. It gets even worse if you have to explain the value of project management to your senior management. It is very difficult to find solid facts that we can use to show that there really is value in our work.

This problem has puzzled our profession for a long time. That is why the PMI has funded a study on the value of project management and it’s results have been released.

We can finally and with scientific certainty say that there is indeed value in what we do.

Our guest today is Mark E. Mullaly, PMP, President & Chief Organizational Therapist of Interthink Consulting Incorporated. He is the co-lead investigator on this study and you can look forward to hearing a great interview.

And don't forget to stop by at http://www.pmopinions.com to write a short review for The PM Podcast. Even just one sentence will help!

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of OSP International LLC. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by OSP International LLC 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by http://boeing.com/careers

Episode 108: How Peer Reviews will Keep You Honest and Your Project on Track

Sat, 08 Nov 2008 19:15:50 GMT

Has your project ever been audited? Was it a good experience or would you much rather spend 2 hours at the dentist instead? We met up with Elizabeth Harrin, author of Project Management in the Real World , at the PMI Global Congress in Denver last month and we discussed not project audits, but its cousin Peer Reviews.

We define what a peer review is and how it compares to a formal project audit. We shine a light onto the fact that peer reviews will help you as a PM to keep honest. In particular during the more hectic times of a project, when it’s easy to say that “I just don’t have the time to have the risk management meeting this week”.

And of course, we look at how you should prepare for a peer review both from the perspective of someone who is giving and someone who is receiving such a review.

We also introduce you to a new Gizmo: It’s a new website called PM Opinions (http://www.pmopinions.com) where you can read and write reviews on project management products and services.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of OSP International LLC. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by OSP International LLC 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by http://boeing.com/careers

Episode 107: The PMI's Virtual Communities Project - Part 2

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 18:32:13 GMT

In part 1 of this Episode you heard the voice of Brantlee Underhill, who heads up PMIs Virtual Communities Project. Since this project aims at replacing the current SIG structure with a centralized model and thereby dissolving the SIGs this means that the one voice we definitely want to hear is that of the SIGs.

That is why we got together with Derry Simmel, who is the PMO SIG’s Vice Chair Membership. We met Derry at the PMI Global Congress in Denver and - as you might suspect - we get to hear a slightly different view of the VCP project than in part one.

If you happen to be a board member of another SIG and you would like your voice heard then please let us know. We’ll be happy to put you on.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of OSP International LLC. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by OSP International LLC 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by http://boeing.com/careers

Episode 107: The PMI's Virtual Communities Project - Part 1

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 15:23:03 GMT

Are you by any chance a member of a PMI Specific Interest Group (SIG)? If so, then you will definitely be interested in what today’s interview guest has to say. We had a chance to speak with Brantlee Underhill at the PMI Global Congress 2008 in Denver, Colorado. Brantlee heads up the PMI’s Virtual Communities Project. In a nutshell, this project aims at creating a unified and centralized infrastructure for all SIG activities. The bold step that the PMI is taking in creating this centralized approach is that the independent SIGs will be dissolved and reintegrated into the PMI itself.

As you can imagine, there are many viewpoints on such a move depending on which side of the fence you are on. Some think it’s a good idea and some don’t.

The voice that you hear today is that of the PMI. We also had a chance to speak with a board member from one of the SIGs that is affected by this move and we’ll get to hear him in part 2. And there will probably be a part 3 and 4 as we look for other voices on this topic.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of OSP International LLC. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by OSP International LLC 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by http://boeing.com/careers

Episode 106: How to Control Yourself when Working with Jerks

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 16:53:28 GMT

This episode is a few days late because I have been on a week long business trip. I am now all relaxed and ready to once again face my colleagues at work. But of course, in the first meeting that I have to attend today, there is the (grrrr) jerk who every time manages to push my buttons. If there were only a way to deal with this guy!

Well… we have all been in this situation on our projects and luckily, there is help there is help just around the corner. And that help comes to you in the form of Margaret Meloni, MBA, PMP. She has been a regular guest here on the Podcast and because all of us know a jerk or two (or have sometimes been a jerk ourselves) Margaret is going to open up her resource toolkit for us and help us deal with the jerk on our project team.

We also take a quick look at Margaret’s two blogs and we announce the winners of two copies of the PM Lecture “Dealing with Difficult People”.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of OSP International LLC. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by OSP International LLC 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by http://www.free-pm-exam-questions.com

Episode 105: Using Teleconferencing as an Effective PM Tool

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 19:47:39 GMT

Did you by any chance participate in a teleconference this week? And if so, how was it? Did people participate? Were they on time? Was there an agenda and follow up? Could you hear and understand everyone clearly? And did the teleconference begin and end on time?

If your teleconferences are in any way like the ones that we participated in on past projects, then you probably answered “no” to a number of these questions. But it doesn’t have to be this way, says Gene Dutz, business systems analyst and project management consultant. In this interview we discuss a number of soft and hard tools that will improve the overall quality of teleconferences on your projects. In most cases, these are easy to implement and come at little to no cost.

But we also have a very exciting announcement: We are launching Project Management Lectures, where we offer online project management training by the worlds brightest minds in project management today. To celebrate, we are giving away 2 copies of the first lecture called Dealing with Difficult People by Margaret Meloni, MBA, PMP. To participate, simply go to www.pmlectures.com and sign up to receive our newsletter. We will draw a winner on October 11th and everyone who signs up after the publication of today's episode gets a chance to win. This prize is worth $60 and 2 PDUs. Good luck!

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of OSP International LLC. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by OSP International LLC 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by The PMO Summit 2008

PMO Summit 2008 PDF Flyer

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 19:45:17 GMT

This brochure is from our sponsor, The PMO Summit 2008. We don't usually include a documentation from our sponsors in the downloads. We make an exception this time because our show host Cornelius Fichtner, PMP is the chairperson for this event. Even though his name is spelled wrong throughout the document... :-)

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of OSP International LLC. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by OSP International LLC 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by The Project Management PrepCast

Let's Meet at the PMI Global Congress in Denver

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 16:43:19 GMT

Cornelius Fichtner is going to the PMI Global Congress in Denver and wants to meet you. Send an email to pmpodcast@gmail.com and we will set up a luncheon, dinner or you can even discuss project management for the show.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of OSP International LLC. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by OSP International LLC 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved.

Episode 104: The Role of your Boss in Project Management

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 15:55:05 GMT

Every project manager has a boss whom he or she reports to. At the end of the year this boss will be responsible for our performance review and decides whether or not we get an increase in salary. But during the year, most of us are wrapped up in our projects.

We have deadlines and budgets to meet, customers and other stakeholders to satisfy, risks to manage and then there are always these pesky project team members that are acting up. So what do our bosses do during all this time? Do they just sit back, sip coffee and enjoy the fruit of our labor when we successfully deliver the project end result?

Wayne Turmel from the Cranky Middle Manager Show (http://cmm.thepodcastnetwork.com) doesn’t think so. He sees the role of our boss more along the lines of… but why don’t you listen in and hear him tell it in his own voice?

We also announce the winners of our MPMM giveaway, where two lucky listeners receive a copy of this project management methodology. And we speak to Josh Nankivel about his new Gizmo that give a personal blog to any PM Student.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of OSP International LLC. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by OSP International LLC 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by Project Insight

Episode 103: Improving Project Team Performance (And Their Morale, Too...)

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 15:55:01 GMT

Have you ever had a project that was 7 months late? Today’s episode of The Project Management Podcast is such a project. In January of this year, our show host Cornelius Fichtner was on a cruise in the Mexican Riviera. During this cruise he recorded a number of Podcast episodes that were supposed to be published in February. But for some reason, today’s episode was forgotten and is now finally being published. In this episode, we focus on improving your project team performance by focusing on the project team members themselves. We have a number of helpful resources (click on the link below) that discuss how you can focus on your team members and we look at a specific example in which Cornelius helped one Podcast listener to support one of his team members and thereby keep a project on track. We are also giving away 2 licenses of the MPMM Project Management Methodology. Listen in to hear how to participate.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of OSP International LLC. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by OSP International LLC 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by PM Connection

Episode 102: Five Steps to Implement a Project Management Methodology

Sat, 09 Aug 2008 23:07:42 GMT

Having a solid project management methodology that everyone in your organization follows is one of the most basic building blocks that any company needs. Jason Westland (www.mpmm.com) is joining us on the program today to discuss how to first select and then implement a project management methodology that fits your company needs and also your corporate culture. Jason will introduce you to a simple 5-step process that will guide your project management methodology implementation from start to finish. And because Jason has such a vast project management experience we also wanted to know from him why it is, that so many methodology implementations fail and give us his recommendations on what can be done about it.

We also announce the lucky listener who wins 1 professional edition of Insight Tree.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of OSP International LLC. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by OSP International LLC 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by Project Insight

Episode 101 Overtime: Implementing a PM Methodology Tool

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 19:28:17 GMT

Our Overtime episodes are normally reserved for the paying subscribers of The Premium PM Podcast. To give everyone an idea of what you get by susbscribing to the premium feed, we are making this episode available to everyone.

Jeff Berkel and his team from Metafuse, Inc (www.projectinsight.net) implement their project management software across the USA for their customers. In our interview we are taking a step back and we are looking at one of their implementations from a procedural point of vew. We learn about the problems that their customer had and how step-by-step Jeff and his team helped them to improve their PM processes and improve their approach to project management.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of OSP International LLC. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by OSP International LLC 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by The Project Management PrepCast

Episode 101: How to Manage a CMMI Implementation Project

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 15:54:37 GMT

The Capability Maturity Model Integration is known to most simply as CMMI. It is a process improvement approach that provides organizations with the essential elements of effective processes. The goal of CMMI was to improve the usability of maturity models by integrating many different models into one framework. It was created by members of industry, government and the SEI. Our guest today is Jeff Berkel from Metafuse, Inc (www.projectinsight.net). He and his team have lead projects helping their customers implement CMMI. We start out by giving you a CMMI overview, learn how it compares to other capability maturity models and then take you step by step through the general process of a CMMI implementation project.

We also announce the winners of our 100th episode giveaway who both win a copy of the Alan Parsons Project CD The Turn of a Friendly Card, and we have a new giveaway starting and you can win a copy of Insight Tree. Listen to the episode to learn how to participate.
The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by The International Community for Project Managers

Episode 100: Alan Parsons - The Alan Parsons Project

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 15:51:16 GMT

For our 100th episode we are leaving the realm of “traditional” project management. We are taking a one-legged sideways step into the music business but we will still keep one foot firmly grounded in our own art. I am extremely pleased to welcome Alan Parsons (www.alanparsonsmusic.com) on our show today. Alan is a record producer, audio engineer and musician, who is probably best known for his engineering work on Pink Floyd’s legendary Dark Side of the Moon album and of course he is the founder of the Alan Parsons Project. From the late 70s to the late 80s the group produced 10 successful albums and their most played song is probably Sirius. Alan and I discuss the roles & responsibilities of a record producer in the production of an album, how the role has changed over the years, we discuss the processes involved in creating a successful album and you’ll be very surprised to hear what Alan thinks is the most important skill of the job.

As part of today’s 100th episode we are giving away two Alan Parsons Project CDs: The Turn of a Friendly Card. Listen to the episode to learn how to participate.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by Project Insight

Episode 099: Measuring and Managing Project Quality

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 21:01:33 GMT

Several Quality-related problems are unique to projects. For one, it is difficult to measure. In fact, often key stakeholders cannot evaluate the true quality of the results until the delivery day, and then it is too late to do anything to resolve gaps. Also projects often produce something new. So there are few standards against which to evaluate “good” results. This means we are faced with the problem of having to measure something that is difficult to define and nobody has seen before. It's a problem. Stacy Goff, president of Project Experts (http://www.projectexperts.com), recently wrote a paper on exactly this issue. We welcome him back on the program to discuss his definition of quality, how using measures and indicators can help, learn about his favorite quality indicator and you'll hear a number of tips from his quality management toolkit, enabling you to measure quality on your projects.

In our Gizmos section we look at Insight Tree (http://www.visionarytools.com/) and we announce the winners of Jack Ferraro's book The Strategic Project Leader .
The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by The Project Management PrepCast

Episode 099: Measuring and Managing Project Quality (PDF)

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 21:00:22 GMT

This Article is © 2008 by Stacy Goff, asapm® co-founder and ProjectExperts® President.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by The Project Management PrepCast

Episode 098: The Strategic Project Leader

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 20:18:25 GMT

In addition to overseeing projects, today's project managers are expected to provide creative input and use their leadership to create an environment that can respond rather than react to changing parameters. And then there are also these continuously moving objectives and requirements that need to be managed. According to Jack Ferraro from www.myprojectadvisor.com this new landscape calls for a service based project manager, which he discusses in his book titled The Strategic Project Leader. In our interview with Jack we explore the attitudes and behaviors that define successful leaders, the importance of a service view in project management and most importantly we discuss and give you tools & tips on how to go from being a certified project manager to the point where you are a strategic leader. It's actionable advice on how to grow your leadership skills.

Click here to read Jack Ferraro's white paper titled Self Directed Leadership Development (*.PDF)

Our other features: In our Gizmos section we introduce you to Processes On Demand by BOT International, a tool that will help you set up your Project Management Office (PMO) and improve your organization's project management maturity. We announce the winners of the giveaway of Jerry Manas's book Managing the Gray Areas . And we also start a new book giveaway for Jack Ferraro's book The Strategic Project Leader .

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by The Project Management PrepCast

Episode 098: Self Directed Leadership Development PDF white paper

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 20:16:30 GMT

This is a PDF white paper written by Jack Ferraro on the Topic of Self Directed Leadership and presented to you in addition to the interview on Episode 098.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by The Project Management PrepCast

Special: PMPOD.DE Episode 4 - Project Blame Management

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 15:06:39 GMT

This is a special Episode of The PM Podcast in which we introduce you to a new project management related podcast called PMPOD, hosted by Sebastian Stücker at www.pmpod.de. Here is what Sebastian writes about this episode:

Today the PMPOD features its first interview, which I am very proud of. Also it is the first english episode. To all german listeners, who might be surprised, I explain everything in Episode 3. The topic for todays interview is Project Blame Management. Payson Hall, a management consultant based in Sacramento, California, proposes this as new knowledge area for the PMPOK Guide.

I had lots of fun doing the interview with Payson and I hope you have the same while you listen to this episode.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by The Project Management PrepCast

Episode 097: Managing The Gray Areas

Sat, 31 May 2008 18:01:52 GMT

Have you ever managed a project where everything was either black or white, yes or no, approved or not approved? You probably haven’t. If your projects are like mine then most decisions that are made are a compromise. You give a little here, you take a little there. In project management nothing is really ever black and white. So don’t adjust your project plan, for you have entered the gray areas. And “Managing The Gray Areas” is the title of the new book written by Jerry Manas, PMP, who joins us on the podcast today to talk about these gray areas and all the tradeoffs that we project managers have to make every single day.

In our Gizmos section we introduce you to a new project management podcast called PMPOD. You can find it at www.pmpod.de .

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by Spark Internet Marketing

Episode 096: Improving Outcomes on Experimental Projects

Sat, 17 May 2008 16:21:03 GMT

Search for "Experimental Projects" on your favorite search engine and you will find millions of entries. However, most of us "corporate" project manager types will probably never have been involved in this branch of project management. On experimental projects, the outcome is uncertain, the road is bumpy, you will probably take a few detours and failure is part of the plan. Lee Fischman joins us on the program today to discuss not only the concepts behind experimental projects but also to take a look at how you can improve their outcomes. Put your brain into overdrive... especially if you have never been confronted with an experimental project.

And here are the winners who each receive a copy of of our brand new PMP Exam Formula Study: Don Ellis (Premium Podcast Subscriber) and Ozeas Santana Filho from Sao Paulo in Brazil (Free Podcast Listener).

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by Spark Internet Marketing

Episode 096: Improving Outcomes on Experimental Projects (PDF Presentation)

Sat, 17 May 2008 16:18:33 GMT

This is the supporting PDF presentation to our Interview with Lee Fischman on experimental projects. Copyright by Lee Fischman, 2006.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by Spark Internet Marketing

Episode 095: Your Professional Brand, Guard it With Your Life!

Sat, 03 May 2008 17:17:34 GMT

Have you clearly defined what sets you apart from other project managers? Do you understand how your own behaviors make others understand you as a brand? Can you "reap" the benefits of others promoting you instead of having to do it yourself? You will be able to answer all of these questions with a resounding "yes" if you are clear about who you are as a professional. If not, then others will make up their own image for you. Then they will broadcast that image. Wouldn’t it be better if you took control? To help you out with this we are extremely happy to bring back Margaret Meloni (www.melonicoachingsolutions.com) to discuss "Your Professional Brand" and how you can quite easily influence how others see you and help promote you. We give you a definition of the professional brand, we talk about the importance of having one, what benefits you will receive from it and most importantly, Margaret opens up her toolkit to you and gives you a step-by-step overview of how you can manage your own personal brand.

And here are the winners who each receive a copy of Hans Jonassons's book Determining Project Requirements: Adam Torres (Premium Podcast Subscriber) and Michael Potter (Free Podcast Listener).

We are also starting a new giveaway where you could win a copy of our brand new PMP Exam Formula Study Guide. Listen to this episode to learn how.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by Spark Internet Marketing

Episode 094: Determining Project Requirements

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 17:32:56 GMT

At the beginning of 2008 we put up a survey and wanted to know from you what you considered to be your Project Management Hot Topics for 2008. Requirements Management received 70 votes and landed in second place. We looked around and are happy to bring to you today an interview with Hans Jonasson (www.jtcunlimited.com). Hans is the author of a fabulous book called Determining Project Requirements and in our interview today we will be looking at how you should be determining your project’s requirements. I promise, you are going to like this one. You will learn not only about the process of properly determining requirements and the tools that are required for it, you will also be able to win a copy of his book.

In this interview Hans Jonasson and I discuss requirements gathering best practices as well as many of the tools of the trade. I would like to know how close your company comes to this ideal state. Please leave a comment below.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by Spark Internet Marketing

Episode 093: Lean Six Sigma Overview

Sun, 06 Apr 2008 00:38:36 GMT

Lean Six Sigma is a business improvement methodology which combines tools from both Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma. Lean manufacturing focuses on speed and traditional Six Sigma focuses on quality. By combining the two, the result is better quality faster. I recently had the opportunity to attend a one week seminar on the Lean Six Sigma methodology from my employer. In this episode I will give you an overview of what I took away, we will talk about the acronyms DMAIC, DIRFT and SWIM and I will give you my conclusion of what I feel is important about Lean Six Sigma.

And here are the winners who each won a copy of Brian Irwin's book Managing Politics and Conflict in Projects: Alfredo A. Guillen (Premium Podcast Subscriber) Karthik Surya (Free Podcast Listener).

Are you using Lean Six Sigma in your daily work? How is it working for you? Where are its weaknesses and strengths? Please leave a comment.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by Spark Internet Marketing

Episode 092: Ten Things you can Learn about Project Management from Britney Spears

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 02:55:59 GMT

Today we are starting a new series of episodes. My plan is to go back to the basics of project management and revisit books and teachings from the great names in project management. The reason for this is because I feel that we loose ourselves way too much in the detailed nitty-gritty of our methodologies. Agile, Waterfall, RUP, Scrum and Extreme Project Management are all good methodologies, but in order to be able to apply them properly, you have to first understand the underlying fundamentals of our profession. And there is no better way to do this than by going back to the basics. I have a list of great names in project management in mind. And today, we are starting out with the name that ranks at the very top and that is the world-famous singer, songwriter and project manager Mrs. Britney Spears.

How do you feel about the project management abilities of Mrs. Britney Spears? Do you read her books? Do you apply her best practices on your projects? Please leave a comment below.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by Spark Internet Marketing

Episode 091: Managing Politics and Conflict in Projects

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 17:23:56 GMT

Project Politics are very likely the "ugly stepchild" of project management. We know that we have them, but we try to ignore them as best as we can. Because of that we can be sure that they will bite us. And instead of blaming ourselves for not managing them properly, we blame the elusive "company politics" for the fact that our project just failed. This is where Brian Irwin, PMP can help. He wrote the book Managing Politics and Conflict in Projects, which will help you not only understand the dynamics of politics in a company but will also help you manage it. In our discussion with Brian we focus on one important part of managing your politics, and that is your stakeholders. They say that the only project where you don't have politics is a project where you have only one person participating. But since all of us usually have more than one stakeholder we have to know how to manage their project related expectations properly.

We are giving away two copies of Brian's book. Listen in to learn how to participate in this giveaway.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by Spark Internet Marketing

Episode 090: Project Management - Your first step to becoming the CEO

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 17:38:28 GMT

In Episode 62 we spoke with Thomas Cutting, PMP about "How to become a Project Manager". In today's interview with Nehme E. Abuzeid we will be looking more at the middle of your career. You are now an established project manager, you have managed a number of projects, you are (hopefully) respected in your company and you are thinking about your future. Where can you go? What is there waiting ahead of you? Nehme makes the case that because you are a project manager, because you meet and have to work with people from various departments and divisions in your company and because you have seen so many different aspects of the company's processes and workflows you are an excellent candidate to become an executive officer in your company.

And here are the names of the winners of our Leap Year Giveaway: They are Patrick O'Neill (from among the subscriber of the Premium Podcast) and Rajeev Kumar Sharma (from among the registered users of our website). Each has won a license of The Project Management PrepCast™, which will help them prepare for the PMP® Exam.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by Genius Inside

Episode 089: Integrated Process and Project Management Organization

Sun, 24 Feb 2008 14:14:22 GMT

The business environment is changing quite dramatically and also quite rapidly. We project managers are facing new challenges like globalization, more complex projects or shorter project schedules. Often this is a result of a changing global marketplace, which changes our company, which in turn changes the way we run projects. Stefan Hagen is the managing director of startup euregio, a full service provider for project and process management, and he has taken the traditional organizational approaches and theories and combined them with business process management and the processes needed to run enterprise wide projects. The result is the IPPM Organization®. We discuss this model and how it supports projects in large companies.

We also announce the winners of the Mind Manager Pro 7 giveaway and remind you of our Leap Year Contest.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by Genius Inside

Episode 089: IPPM Organization PDF Presentation

Sun, 24 Feb 2008 14:14:03 GMT

This PDF document is copyright by © startup euregio Management GmbH, 2001-2008

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by Genius Inside

Episode 088: Getting Things Done - Get your To-Do-List under Control

Sat, 16 Feb 2008 16:49:29 GMT

In January of 2008 I went on my first cruise, which took me to the Mexican Riviera. Of course, I never leave home without the podcast recording equipment, so it is no surprise that I took a few moments on the ship to record a couple of short episodes for you. This is the first one and I am introducing you to a book titled Getting Things Done by David Allen. This book is all about productivity and how to get your to-do-list under control. However, this is not meant to be a book review in the traditional sense - in this episode I present to you my journey over the past 3-4 months of how I used and implemented this book in order to get my hundreds of tasks under control.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by Genius Inside

Episode 087: A PM Conversation with Mike Graupner, PMP

Sat, 09 Feb 2008 17:09:54 GMT

Would you like to know how to define the value of Project Management? We have an answer for you! Five episodes ago we spoke with Mike Graupner, PMP about Monkey Management. We gave Mike another visit and had a conversation about his current projects. We hear about his involvement in IS governance, how he is dealing with SOX compliance, we follow him as he implements a 1 million dollar computer just for testing and he will also tell you how to define the value of Project Management. As always, we also give you several helpful resources that complement our interview.

But there is more: this week we also have not just one, but two contests and you can win four prizes a total value of $800. You can win one of two licenses of Mind Manager Pro 7 and you can also win one of two licenses to The Project Management PrepCast™. But you will have to act fast, so listen in...

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by www.geniusinside.com

Episode 086: Four Hotel & Casino Projects

Sat, 26 Jan 2008 19:05:28 GMT

Nehme E. Abouzeid is the guest in today’s episode of The Project Management Podcast™ and we look at project management in the hotel, casino and hospitality business. Nehme works for the Las Vegas Sands Corporation in Las Vegas, Nevada, the town that 15 of the 20 largest hotels in the world call their home. Thus, the projects that Nehme was involved in were major, business critical projects. We hear about a ticketing system that he helped build for their entertainment center, next is a convention system for the hotel, then we talk about his process improvement projects and we finally explore a retail system project where the complete retail system for a series of stores had to be replaced. In just one night.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by www.GeniusInside.com

Episode 085: A PM Conversation with Ron Holohan, PMP

Sat, 12 Jan 2008 22:39:25 GMT

Today we feature a Project Management Conversation with Ron Holohan, PMP. We talk about his role as a Program Manager who has 5 project managers reporting directly to him. He works for a consumer electronics company in a weak matrix organization, which offers challenges of it’s own. We take a look at his company’s processes, how they came to have their current PM methodology and how a project budget is created. We also introduce you to a new Gizmo. This week we look at the 20 Minute IT Manager, a training and mentoring program that works almost like a podcast.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by www.pmprepcast.com

Special: PM411.ORG Podcast on PM Web Resources

Sun, 06 Jan 2008 03:30:44 GMT

In Episode 19 of the PM411.org podcast, Ron Holohan, PMP, Sean Futterer, PMP and Cornelius Fichtner, PMP get together for a roundtable and we discuss our favorite web resources:

* http://www.maxwideman.com/
* http://projectmanagementlearningcenter.com/
* http://groups.yahoo.com/mygroups
* http://forums.pmhub.net/
* http://www.manager-tools.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=10
* http://www.websitetoolbox.com/tool/mb/pmfwebmaster
* http://www.allpm.com/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewforum&f=6
* http://projectmanagement.ittoolbox.com/groups/career/projectmanagement-career
* http://groups.google.com/
* http://www.kadonk.com/ (Live project free viewer)
* http://www.pmconnection.com/
* http://podcast.amanet.org
* http://www.pmhut.com/
* http://www.pmstudent.com/
* http://www.cuttingsedge.com/
* http://projectized.blogspot.com/
* http://techrepublic.com
* http://www.chiefprojectofficer.com/
* http://www.gantthead.com/
* http://www.techrepublic.com/
* http://tenstep.com/
* http://www.managementhelp.org/
* http://www.12manage.com/
* http://www.controllingchaos.com
* http://www.mindjet.com
* http://freemind.sourceforge.net/
* http://www.openoffice.org/
* http://www.projity.org
* http://www.e-projectmanagers.com
* http://www.pm411.org

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by www.pmprepcast.com

Episode 084+5%: Out Takes

Sun, 30 Dec 2007 19:39:03 GMT

On the last day of the year we are not going to worry about project management. Instead we are going to have some fun. Unfortunately for me (but fortunately for you) not every episode and interview that we record is perfect on the first take. Sometimes my tongue or the tongues of my guests and helpers gets twisted and the strangest things come out. And more often than not, they are rather funny. And here they are: All the bleepers and bloopers that got cut out of our normal episodes as a 5 minute potpourri for you.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by www.pmprepcast.com

Episode 084: A Small, Troubled Project and What to do About it

Sat, 22 Dec 2007 18:29:31 GMT

One of the projects that our show host Cornelius Fichtner, PMP is managing is showing signs of trouble. It is a small, offshore software development project and the quality of the code returned is not good. Because it is a small project that is in trouble there are one or two things that you need to do differently in order to rescue it than you would do on a large troubled project. In today’s episode Cornelius talks about the three steps that he took in order to begin turning things around.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by www.pmprepcast.com

Episode 083: A PM Conversation with Thomas Cutting, PMP

Sat, 15 Dec 2007 18:22:14 GMT

Today we feature a Project Management Conversation with Thomas Cutting, PMP from The Cutting's Edge. Thomas has been a guest on our program twice before. The topics that we discussed with him then were "Authority" and "How to become a Project Manager?" In this episode we take a peek into his life as a project manager, consultant and speaker on project management. We are also launching a new show segment called Gizmos in which we introduce you to a variety of tools that help make your everyday life as a project manager easier. Our featured Gizmo is a free Microsoft project viewer called Live Project from Kadonk at http://www.kadonk.com.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by www.pmprepcast.com

Episode 082: Monkey Management for Project Teams

Sat, 01 Dec 2007 16:30:54 GMT

Wait... what's that on your back? Could that be a Monkey? In the course of our working days all of us acquire duties, chores and tasks. Some of them are important and they need to be addressed so that we can finish our deliverables. Others must be considered as "Monkeys" - tasks that we got stuck with and now don't seem to be able to get rid of even though we might not be the right person to take care of them. And we all wonder - how did I get stuck with this? Mike Graupner, PMP (http://ww.pm-mind.com) describes to us today the techniques he uses to address the Monkeys in his life. We talk about Monkey Management in general and we also look at how this translates into managing the Monkeys on your projects.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by www.pmprepcast.com

Episode 082: Monkey Management for Project Teams PDF Presentation

Sat, 01 Dec 2007 16:17:33 GMT

This is the accompanying Presentation in PDF format to episode 082 of The Project Management Podcast™. This document was created by Mike Graupner, PMP - mike.graupner@marlai.com - www.pm-mind.com.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by www.pmprepcast.com

Episode 081: The PMO - A Business Solution

Sun, 18 Nov 2007 18:54:58 GMT

When you ask 10 Project Management Office (PMO) Managers about the functions that their PMO offers internally then you will very likely receive 10 answers. That is nothing unusual or unexpected because a PMO has to be built to fit the requirements of each company. The PMO does what the company needs it to do. Some PMOs are small, some are large. Some offer limited project support some are all encompassing. But now ask: What is truly the primary function of a PMO? In his book “The Complete Project Management Office Handbook” (Second Edition) Gerard Hill of The Hill Consulting Group (www.hillconsultinggroup.com ) proposes that the PMO is really a Business Solution. So in our interview with Gerard we not only discuss the PMO Model from his book which consists of the 5 PMO Capabilities and 20 PMO Functions but we also look at how to set the focus of your PMO, so that it truly becomes a business solution.

Gerard Hill is offering four free copies of his book "The Complete Project Management Office Handbook (Second Edition)" to the listeners of The Project Management Podcast. Listen to the episode to learn how to participate.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by www.pmprepcast.com

Forest Fire Special

Tue, 06 Nov 2007 23:42:07 GMT

Have you been wondering, why there have been no new episodes of The Project Management Podcast in the last 3 weeks? The answer is "Forest Fires". Listen to this episode to hear what happened to us in the past 3 weeks. Please excuse the awful sound quality. We also tell you why it is so awful.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved.

Episode 080: Ron Holohan on studying for and passing the PMP Exam

Sat, 20 Oct 2007 15:22:51 GMT

Are you currently studying for the PMP Exam? Wouldn’t it be great if you could listen to someone who just recently passed their PMP Exam talk about it? You can! Today’s episode of The Project Management Podcast™ features an Interview with Ron Holohan who just recently passed his exam. In today’s episode we learn how he studied, what he would do differently if he had to do it again, his recommendations for all those among you who are currently studying for the exam and many other golden nuggets of information from and about the PMP Exam. We also have 3 helpful resources to support you in your PMP Studies.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by www.pmprepcast.com

Episode 079: A Project Management / Auditing Conversation with Joy Gumz, PMP

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 00:55:23 GMT

Today we feature a Project Management Conversation with Joy Gumz, PMP. While most of us are project managers, Joy Gumz focuses on project audits. Her company is Project Auditors LLC and she travels the world as a project auditor helping companies identify troubled areas on their projects before they become real problems. Would you like to know what issues she encounters most often during her project audits? Listen in. We also introduce you to several Helpful Resources that will help you to explore the topic of Project Auditing in more detail.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by www.botinternational.com

Episode 078: The Fiddler on the Project

Sat, 29 Sep 2007 14:17:55 GMT

How many project management books do you read per year? 1, 2, 3, 5 or even more? If you do read them then you will know the value that new books have in our profession: they take us to the next level. Whether it is a book on Napoleon on Project Management or one that is called Surprise now you are a Software Project Manager they all move our profession forward. So what kind of thoughts would a new project management book titled “The Fiddler on the Project” evoke from you? From me, it evokes that if I were a rich man, I would probably invest in it. Our guest today is Rich Maltzman, PMP and he would like you to write this book for him. Yes… you read right – he wants you to write his book. At least parts of it. Listen to the interview to learn more and get involved in some project management social networking.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by www.botinternational.com

Episode 077: A PM Conversation with Randy Magdaluyo

Sun, 23 Sep 2007 14:55:58 GMT

Today we are featuring a Project Management Conversation with Randy Magdaluyo whom we already met in Episode 73. This time we get a glimpse of the complexities that he as a project manager in the financial industry is faced with. I always found this aspect of project management to be one of the most fascinating facets. We all do the same thing, which is managing projects. But our industries are so different that by talking to a PM in engineering or the financial industry it almost seems that we are not working on the same general discipline. But in the end it is our job to get one task after the other completed, so that when all the tasks are completed, the project is done. And that is the beauty of project management - it may not look like we have the same job but we do.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by www.botinternational.com

Episode 076: A PM Conversation with Cindy Sabin, PMP

Sat, 08 Sep 2007 14:32:35 GMT

Today's Project Management Conversation is with Cindy Sabin, PMP. We talk about the lessons learned from one of her past, worldwide projects. We hear about the importance of keeping the communications flow on such a project going as well as the need to understand who the decision makers & sponsors are. Then we move on to Cindy's current project. At the moment Cindy is in transition to a new job and she views her situation as a very large project. The product is herself and she discusses with us the three steps she identified for this journey.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by www.botinternational.com

The PM411.ORG Interview with Cornelius Fichtner, PMP

Sat, 01 Sep 2007 23:58:00 GMT

This week, The Project Management Podcast™ proudly presents to you Episode 10 of the PM411.ORG Podcast, produced by Ron Holohan. This episode is an interview with our very own Cornelius Fichtner, PMP. Here is what Ron writes about this interview:

Today’s episode is an interview with the person I consider to be the “Father of the Project Management Podcast”, Mr. Cornelius Fichtner. Cornelius is the host of The PM Podcast and the Project Management PrepCast. During the interview we talk about project management in his native Switzerland, how his project management podcast and PrepCast got started, and what new things he is currently working on for his listeners. We even make time to talk about his ears and feet!

This episode is copyright by Ron Holohan at www.pm411.org.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

Episode 075: Project Monitoring

Sat, 25 Aug 2007 23:59:36 GMT

Monitoring and Evaluation has been used by nongovernmental organizations for evaluating programs for decades. For the European Union, the United Nations, the World Bank and other development banks, it is embedded in their organizational processes. Many have even published toolkits to promote understanding and adoption. For projects, processes for monitoring progress are far less established. Therefore, it is of little surprise that the quality of those monitoring processes can vary widely. For projects quality means at a minimum timeliness, relevance, reliability, accuracy, usability and credibility. Unless monitoring processes demonstrate these characteristics, they are unlikely to improve performance and enhance accountability. Our interview guest Joy Gumz from Project Auditors (www.projectauditors.com) has been working in the field of project auditing and project monitoring for quite some time. She wrote a paper titled "Why use a hammer when you need a wrench: Results-based monitoring and evaluation of projects" which she presented at the PMI Global Congress in Budapest. Today, we discuss her findings.

We also introduce you to two helpful resources in the field of project monitoring and we announce the winner of our contest who will win one free license of the MPMM Project Methodology.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by www.botinternational.com

Episode 075: Project Monitoring Presentation PDF

Sat, 25 Aug 2007 23:00:25 GMT

This is the accompanying Presentation in PDF format to episode 075 of The Project Management Podcast™. This document is © 2006 by Joy Gumz and Project Auditors LLC.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by www.botinternational.com

Episode 074: A PM Conversation with Shawn Futterer, PMP

Sat, 11 Aug 2007 02:58:04 GMT

Back in Episode 070 we tried something new. Instead of an in-depth interview on a particular topic, our host Cornelius Fichtner invited Dina Henry-Scott to a Project Management Conversation. The feedback on that particular episode was so encouraging, that we decided to do more conversations just like it. We will of course continue to have our in-depth feature interviews but going forward you can expect many more Project Management Conversations.

Today's Project Management Conversation is with Shawn Futterer who is a certified project management professional with a broad range of experience. He started his career in 1992 managing quality control projects for a small manufacturing company and is currently working in a PMO for a Fortune 50 telecommunications company where he supervises project managers for the North region. Over the course of his career, Shawn has managed projects of all shapes and sizes with budgets of up to $100M. Shawn has a keen interest in the methodologies, strategy, planning and operations. He has over fifteen years of hands-on project management experience and has led, consulted on or contributed to: process development efforts, various methodologies and multiple training programs. Shawn attributes a project managers success to their ability to provide a strategic view and a demonstrated ability to interact and communicate effectively with all levels of an organization.

As usual we also have our helpful resources and we give away a license to the project management methodology of our sponsor www.mpmm.com. The giveaway ends on August 27, 2007. Listen to this episode to learn how to participate.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by www.mpmm.com

Special: PM411.ORG Podcast on Engaging China

Sat, 04 Aug 2007 02:47:08 GMT

This week, The Project Management Podcast™ proudly presents to you the episode 5 of the PM411.ORG Podcast, which is produced by Ron Holohan. Here is what Ron writes about the episode:

A few weeks ago I had the great fortune of traveling to Suzhou, China to provide training at one of my company’s manufacturing locations. Being my first time to Asia, it was a great experience to get a chance to see a different side of our business and how the Chinese culture is different from that of the West.

In this podcast, I offer some general tips on how to best understand and navigate the Chinese culture and how to best understand their customs in order to form long lasting business relationships with the Chinese.

And before we forget, until August 15th 2007 PM411.ORG has a contest going on, where you can win one free subscription to The Project Management PrepCast™. Surf on over to participate...

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

Episode 073: Managing a large, international project

Sat, 28 Jul 2007 16:34:42 GMT

Having himself worked on projects in several countries our host Cornelius Fichtner was very much looking forward to this interview with Randy Magdaluyo. Randy works for a financial services provider in the USA and was given the opportunity to work as the IT lead on a project in Europe. This project brought together a team from 3 continents. We are discussing the project itself, its cultural and communications challenges, the success factors and what Randy did to overcome his personal culture shock. As usual we also have our helpful resources that complement this interview and we give away a license to the project management methodology of our sponsor www.mpmm.com. The giveaway ends on August 27, 2007. Listen to this episode to learn how to participate.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by www.mpmm.com

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Episode 072: Authority

Sat, 14 Jul 2007 19:28:22 GMT

When your project fails, your sponsor will only call one person into his office to discuss this failure... you. As the project manager you are responsible for the success and failure of your projects. And that holds true, even if the reason for this failure was outside your span of control, even if you work in a matrix environment in which project managers normally lack formal authority. Yes, we all know that responsibility and authority should be in balance, but more often than not, your responsibility outweighs the formal authority that you receive. You have to fall back to other forms of authority - referent authority, expert authority, reward authority and penalty authority. Thomas Cutting, PMP, has written a series of articles on authority in his blog at www.cuttingsedge.com and we are happy to have Thomas on the program today. We look in detail at the various types of authority, how they apply in a matrix organization and in a projectized organization and we look at what you can do to regain your authority if you think that you have lost it. As project managers, we don't think about authority often enough. It seems to be something that sort of "just happens". This discussion will give you a lot of food for thought and you will look differently at your personal authority next time that you accept a project.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by www.mpmm.com

Episode 071: Effective Virtual Management

Sat, 30 Jun 2007 14:46:21 GMT

You will probably have noticed that communications technology seems to make the world smaller and smaller and that our project teams are suddenly all over the planet. Your sponsor is in Germany, your customer is in Chile, your engineer in Togo, two designers are in Sidney and you yourself are leading this team while sitting with your laptop on the beaches of Tahiti. What a great life we PMs have! But unfortunately, these virtual teams are quite demanding. You must deal with a multitude of cultures, several time zones and the fact that your team doesn’t have a chance to meet face to face. That is not an easy task. Adrienne Keane can help. Adrienne is a PMP and manages virtual teams for Cisco systems. She also teaches a seminar on Effective Virtual Management at the University of California Irvine. And today you will hear her best practices.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by www.mpmm.com

Episode 071: Effective Virtual Management PDF Presentation

Sat, 30 Jun 2007 14:45:25 GMT

This is the accompanying PDF Presentation to episode 071 of The Project Management Podcast™. This document is © 2007 by Adrienne Keane, PMP.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by www.mpmm.com

Episode 070: Everyday, Real Life Project Management

Sun, 17 Jun 2007 14:51:00 GMT

In today's episode of The Project Management Podcast™ we welcome back Dina Henry Scott, PMP, who is the host of the Controlling Chaos podcast (www.controllingchaos.com). We discuss our successes and failures, what we like and don’t like about our projects, we discuss our PMOs and we look at the the methodologies that we use. We finish it off with with the one thing that we wish we could change in our company. Oh... and we are having a lot of fun with it, too. This is everyday, real life project management brought to you by our combined experience.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by www.pmprepcast.com

No Episode This Week...

Sat, 2 Jun 2007 12:53:26 GMT

Due to a death in the family, there will be no episode of The Project Management Podcast™ this week. We will resume our program in 2 weeks.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by www.pmprepcast.com

Special: The PMO Podcast Episode 100

Fri, 25 May 2007 22:38:30 GMT

This week, The Project Management Podcast™ proudly presents to you the 100th episode of The PMO Podcast™ , which is produced by Mark Perry from BOT International. Here is what Mark writes about the episode:

The PMO Podcast™ Featured Story
This week The PMO Podcast™ Featured Story presents, "Project Portfolio Management Deployment Guidelines, an interview with Dr. Ginger Levin", presented by Mark Perry, host of The PMO Podcast™. Is your organization considering implementing project portfolio management or refreshing its approach to PPM? Dr. Ginger Levin provides deployment guidelines for PPM, insights, and ideas helpful and applicable to just about any organization seeking to manage project portfolios.

The PMO Podcast™ Points Memo
The PMO Podcast Points Memo suggests, “It's not luck." Whether a competitor in sports, a leader of a business, or a head of a PMO, success or lack there of is seldom an act of chance. It takes a lot of work and no sooner do you get things going well, than you are faced with change and the need to refine that which you have just spent quite a bit of time and effort defining in the first place.

The PMO Podcast™ Mailbag
The PMO Podcast Mailbag provides the ninth in a series of ten tips for setting up a PMO.

This episode is sponsored by www.pmprepcast.com

Episode 069: Six Sigma... at a Bank?

Sun, 20 May 2007 20:05:02 GMT

Sigma is the 18th letter of the Greek alphabet and the lower case sigma, which looks sort of like an o with a line at the top, is the symbol used to depict the quality management approach Six Sigma. Six Sigma is a system that was originally developed by Motorola to systematically improve manufacturing processes by eliminating defects. It was defined as a metric for measuring defects and improving quality as well as a methodology to reduce defect levels below 3.4 defects per million. Six Sigma has come a long way and is a respected methodology. Our guest today, is Steven West, who is a Six Sigma Black Belt and works for a financial services company. We explore the Six Sigma program of his company, the projects that he has worked on and learn what being a Black Belt has done for him.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by http://www.pmprepcast.com - The First True PMP© Podcast

Episode 068: There is a Project Management Book Inside of You!

Sat, 05 May 2007 20:56:47 GMT

Who defines what project management is? We all do. Some of you may have a blog and you publish your thoughts on project management that way. Or you discuss a methodology with a friend over lunch. Some introduce papers with exciting new ideas to attendees at conferences or give a presentation at their professional organization's monthly meeting. Others again write articles for newsletters or magazines. Then there are those who produce podcasts like this one here at http://www.thepmpodcast.com/ or discuss project management through other media. All of us define the current and future state of project management. And then there is Jerry Manas, PMP, President and founder of The Marengo Group, LLC (http://www.manasbooks.com and http://www.pmthink.com) who like many others decided to write a project management book. And it's the process of writing a project management related book that we are going to explore with Jerry today. Being a good project manager, he has a lessons learned file that he opens up for us. We hear how he came up with the idea, how he organized it, how he found a publisher, what it takes to publicize the book and what it felt like to hold the first copy in his hands.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by http://www.pmprepcast.com- The First True PMP© Podcast.

Special: PM Lessons Learned Episode 4 on Scope Control

Sat, 28 Apr 2007 13:27:33 GMT

This week, The Project Management Podcast proudly presents to you the latest episode of the PM Lessons Learned Podcast, which is produced by Henry Will. Here is what Henry writes about the episode:

The Conference Call from 17Aug 2006 was on the subject of "Scope Control - Handling The Scope Creep That Plagues Us All" as presented by Steven Blais, PMP. Our PM Resources:

* SdB+PM Forum - www.sdbpluspm.com
* Projectsatwork.com
* Ways to get PDUs
* Ways to study for the PMP
* Job seekers: www.jhacareers.com

Career Segment: The Four Steps of Career Management as presented by Rod Colon of the ETP Network (ETPNetwork.com)
Join our Yahoo group for details and reminders of the call and other information to help you.

PMLessonsLearned.com is all about PMs helping PMs and is open to all. Visit us at pmlessonslearned.com

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by http://www.pmprepcast.com

Episode 067: PMI's PDU Secrets

Sat, 21 Apr 2007 15:49:57 GMT

As a project manager you have to be many things. You have to be a great communicator, a leader, a visionary, and be able to both build and inspire the team, to name just a few. First and foremost, however, you have to be proactive. You employ strategies to plan the future in order to proactively minimize risk on your projects so that you can deliver on time and on budget. Why then is it that when November comes around you can hear a collective groan rise from the community of PMPs as they ask, where they could quickly get 20, 30 or even 40 or more PDUs before the year is through? Is this simply a case of the cobbler’s children having no shoes? No. I think that this is an acute case of not proactively trying to understand the PMI’s re-certification requirements. As we publish this episode on The Project Management Podcast™ (http://www.thepmpodcast.com), it is about seven months before the end of the year, and we want to help you today to understand the PMP recertification process and how you can very easily gain those PDUs before year’s end.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by http://www.pmprepcast.com- The First True PMP© Podcast.

Episode 066: I hate my project - I hate my colleagues. Please motivate me!

Sat, 07 Apr 2007 22:33:20 GMT

Listener Alexander Maslyukov wrote in and said "In my company there are functional managers who have the power. Functional managers assign salary, bonuses and have responsibilities for promotion of the employees. PMs don't have any instruments to force stuff to do everything. The only way to make the team to do something is to persuade them. But how can we motivate people?" In response to Alexander's question we are going to delve into motivation today. We review the various motivational theories, look at how to see if motivation is a problem on your project, what you can do to motivate and energize your project team on a shoestring and we end it with James R. Chapman's very elegant Motivation Triangle. Please consult the Helpful Resources to find links to the white papers and presentations mentioned in today's episode.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by www.projectmanagementlearningcenter.com/

Episode 065: BS and MBA in Project Management

Sun, 25 Mar 2007 17:45:56 GMT

In Episode 062 we asked Thomas Cutting to answer the question “How can I become a Project Manager?” Today, we continue this topic with our interview Guest Josh Nankivel. In his career Josh found a love for project management and decided to go back to school and get academic training in PM. He is currently going to school and will receive his Bachelors degree in PM in about a year. After that he will continue with his studies and begin his MBA with a focus on project management. In our interview, we look at how Josh applies his academic training to his everyday work, discuss if there are differences between what he is being taught and what he actually sees in the workplace, take a look at his blog www.pmstudent.com, and want to know from him what academia and the private sector can do in order to help the PM profession grow as a whole.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by www.projectmanagementlearnincenter.com

Special: Controlling Chaos Pocast Episode 032 on Agile Estimating

Sun, 18 Mar 2007 03:48:26 GMT

This week, The Project Management Podcast™ proudly presents to you the latest episode of the excellent Controlling Chaos Podcast, which is produced by Dina Henry Scott. Here is what Dina writes about the episode:

The long awaited interview with Mike Cohn from Mountain Goat Software and author of Agile Estimating and Planning has arrived! Thank you to you all for hanging in there with me and coming back for a listen. In today’s episode, Mike and I chat a bit about his book, Agile Estimating and Planning, and get into more specifics around estimating the agile way. If you’re interested in checking out Planning Poker for yourself, you can find Mike’s fun on-line application at www.planningpoker.com.

This episode is copyright 2007 by Controlling Chaos & Dina Henry Scott.

Episode 064: Avoid Communications Chaos - Use the Communications Plan as a Strategic Tool

Tue, 13 Mar 2007 02:37:30 GMT

Too often in our rush to produce deliverables the communications plan is overlooked. This happens everywhere, even in companies that have formal project management methodologies. On the outset of your project you might have all the best intentions and take the time to create a communications plan. But as the project progresses and day to day issues come your way the communications plan is drifting ever more into the background. Your communications aren’t managed, new stakeholders aren’t added to the list of recipients and all that remains is a nagging feeling that you are forgetting something. That’s the story, when you use the communications plan as a tactical tool. But what if you approached it strategically? What if you took the time and really managed your communications against the plan? Might there even be benefits? Margaret Meloni (http://www.melonicoaching.com ) answers this question with a resounding “Yes!”, which is why she is our guest today. And to help you along with your communications management plan, we have three helpful resources that help you define that plan for small, medium and larger projects. But most importantly, we announce the winners of the giveaway for two one-year subscriptions to The Project Management PrepCast™ .

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by http://www.pmprepcast.com- The First True PMP© Podcast.

Episode 064: Avoid Communications Chaos Article

Tue, 13 Mar 2007 01:37:32 GMT

This is the accompanying PDF Article to episode 064 of The Project Management Podcast™. This document is © 2007 by Margaret Meloni and Meloni Coaching Solutions.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by http://www.pmprepcast.com- The First True PMP© Podcast.

Episode 063: How do Risk Attitudes Affect your Project?

Sat, 24 Feb 2007 01:40:00 GMT

A Risk is an uncertain event or condition that, if it occurs, has a positive or negative effect on a project’s objectives. There are many hard tools out there that tell you how to identify your risks, how to quantify them, how to define their impact on the project and what you can do in order to avoid or mitigate them. But how do you and the stakeholders on your project react to risks? Do risks frighten you or do they invigorate you? And what risk approach will a frightened project manager take versus the approach that an invigorated one takes? This discussion is at the core of Risk Attitudes. We are honored to welcome Janice Preston, PMP, on our program today to explore the four basic risk attitudes. Janice was a contributor to the risk section of both the 1996, 2000 and 2004 version of the PMBOK Guide and as such very qualified to look into this with us. As always we have Helpful Resources that complement this interview.

If you are currently studying to take the PMP exam, then listen in and learn how you can win a free, one-year subscription to our sister podcast The Project Management PrepCast™, where you can learn the tools & techniques you need to know in order to prepare to take the PMP exam.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by http://www.pmprepcast.com

Episode 062: How can I become a Project Manager?

Sun, 11 Feb 2007 19:09:31 GMT

"How can I become a project manager?" This is the question that we get asked most often here at The Project Management Podcast™. We tried to answer each email individually, but also decided that this would be a great topic for our program. We looked and found Thomas Cutting (http://cuttingsedgepm.blogspot.com) who discusses this question with us today. We look at his own career but also take a generic look at possible PM career paths. We discuss the value of experience vs. certification and working as a PM in-house or for a consulting firm. And of course, we once again provide links in our Helpful Resources Section that complement this interview by looking at PM basics. If you are currently studying to take the PMP exam, then listen in and learn how you can win a free, one-year subscription to our sister podcast The Project Management PrepCast™, where you can learn the tools & techniques you need to know in order to prepare to take the PMP exam.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by www.pmprepcast.com

Episode 061: The Value of Quality

Sun, 04 Feb 2007 17:05:43 GMT

Most often business applications do not have to achieve the same level of quality, accuracy, and consensus or be as fault free as many aerospace, defense or medical-related systems. That isn’t to imply they don’t strive for excellence and accuracy, only that it can be tolerated better. As a result, there are different priorities placed on quality and the use of disciplined approaches that demand a lot of up front time. In today's episode of The Project Management Podcast™ we welcome Inez Marino to discuss with her approaches that employ such an up-front time commitment that many businesses do not believe they can afford to spend. We also look at the importance of high quality requirements on your projects. Our two Helpful Resources complement this discussion.

We apologize for the "hiccups" in the recording at the start of the interview.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by The Project Management PrepCast™ at www.pmprepcast.com

Episode 060: Temporomandibular Joint Syndrome

Sat, 27 Jan 2007 18:47:48 GMT

Our host Cornelius Fichtner, PMP, has fallen ill with Temporomandibular Joint Syndrome (TMJ). This is a condition of facial pain in the joints of the lower jaw. The abbreviation "TMJ" literally refers to the joint itself, although it is often used to refer to the disorder (TMD). This means that he has a difficult time speaking because the jaw hurts when moved. For the host of a podcast, having a hard time speaking is a great misfortune. But what would it mean to you as a project manager, if you were diagnosed with TMJ? Could you still do your job without being able to easily communicate? Listen in to what experience Cornelius has had with this.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by

Episode 059: Overcoming Team Dysfunction

Sat, 13 Jan 2007 22:12:00 GMT

The dynamics of teams can be challenging. So what does it take to get a team to truly work together as a well-oiled machine? This is the question that we explore with Diane Altwies, PMP (http://www.outercoreinc.com/). She brings together the theory of team dynamics and offers some real-world advice in dealing with dysfunctional teams. We look at what the effects of a dysfunctional team are and discuss some ways in which you can change that. Starting this week, our helpful resources not only complement our main topic, we also begin taking a look at the podcasts that our host Cornelius Fichtner listens to in his spare time. Oh.... and did we mention that The Project Management Podcast™ now has over 500,000 downloads?

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

Episode 058¾: Out Takes

Sun, 31 Dec 2006 00:16:03 GMT

Today we are not going to look at project management. Instead, we will be looking at bleepers and bloopers because this is the "Out Takes Show". Have you ever wondered how much goes wrong, when we record an episode? The answer is: Too much. To close out the year, here are a few minutes of memorable and not so memorable moments from The Project Management Podcast™ when things went not according to plan. Listen to all the ahhs and umhs that we had to cut out of the regular program and which you were never really meant to hear.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

Episode 058: Service Oriented Project Management

Fri, 15 Dec 2006 21:57:30 GMT

Ask 10 project managers what they focus on most in their projects to be successful and you will get 10 different answers. Case in point are the 10 final questions that we ask at the end of every interview here on the program. Many of us focus on communication, schedule, relationships or requirements. Jerry Manas, PMP, President and founder of The Marengo Group, LLC and one of the minds behind http://www.pmthink.com would like to redirect our focus on the real client value. What does this mean and how does he propose to do that? The answer is Service Oriented Project Management, a PM framework that he developed and which he will be presenting in today's interview on The Project Management Podcast™. Two of our three helpful resources complement this interview by looking at similar PM approaches and the third one is of interest to everyone who would like to delve into PRINCE2.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by www.3olivesolutions.com.

Episode 058: Service Oriented Project Management White Paper

Fri, 15 Dec 2006 19:02:06 GMT

This is the accompanying PDF White Paper to episode 058 of The Project Management Podcast™. This document is © 2006 by Jerry Manas and the Marengo Group.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by www.3olivesolutions.com.

Episode 057: Critical Chain Project Management

Sun, 03 Dec 2006 00:36:39 GMT

Are you struggling to get your projects done on schedule? Are you looking for a better, more profitable way to get things done? Then maybe you should take a look at Critical Chain Project Management. CCPM was developed based on Eliyahu Goldratt's Theory of Constraints and it is the main topic of today's episode of The Project Management Podcast™. We welcome Allan Elder, PMP, of www.nolimitsleadership.com to discuss Critical Chain Project Management. We look at why our projects are late and how the Critical Chain approach will benefit you. Allan can be contacted at aelder@nolimitsleadership.com. We also announce the winners of our book giveaway who each have won one copy of Quentin Flemings "Project Procurement Management".

PMPs can claim 1 category 2-SDL PDU for listening to this episode.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

Episode 057: The Five Diseases of Project Management White Paper

Sun, 03 Dec 2006 00:34:04 GMT

This is the accompanying PDF White Paper to episode 057 of The Project Management Podcast™. This document is © 2006 by Allan Elder and No Limits Leadership at http://www.nolimitsleadership.com

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

Episode 056: The Boeing C17 Single Line Project

Sun, 19 Nov 2006 01:24:27 GMT

Tim Covington, PMP, was the Project Manager of the Boeing C17 Single Line Project, the largest lean manufacturing project ever attempted on the C17 Program. In today's interview of The Project Management Podcast™ we explore this large project. We discuss the goals and challenges involved, the success factors that enabled Tim and his core team to successfully deliver the project, the awards the project has won and Tim's tips to project managers who are embarking on similarly large projects. And just to break from our usual routine, we asked Tim not 10, but 11 final questions. We also continue our book giveaway of Quentin Fleming's book "Project Procurement Management" and we answer a listener question from our voice mail line.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

Episode 056: C17 Single Line PDF Presentation

Sun, 19 Nov 2006 01:24:16 GMT

This is the accompanying PDF Presentation to episode 056 of The Project Management Podcast™. This presentation is © 2006 by Tim Covington and The Boeing Company.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

Episode 055: What's better... Competence or Knowledge Based Project Management Certifications?

Sat, 04 Nov 2006 05:12:13 GMT

Do you have a PM certification? If not, are you considering to take one? Maybe you would like to become a PMP, or you are looking at the IMPA range of certifications, or maybe you are even looking into a masters degree in project management. In either case, in today’s discussion with Stacy Goff, president of www.projectexperts.com and vice president of the ASAPM , the American Society for the Advancement of Project Management we will be looking at the difference between a competence based certification and a knowledge based certification, with particular focus on the IPMA certifications offered worldwide. We also have several helpful resources and we are giving away two copies of Quentin Fleming's book "Project Procurement Management".

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by www.3olivesolutions.com.

Episode 054: Gathering Requirements: Go Away Please!

Sat, 28 Oct 2006 04:32:29 GMT

In episode 49, The Project Management Podcast™ welcomed Richard Larson, PMP, and Elizabeth Larson, PMP, of Watermark Learning (http://www.watermarklearning.com ) on the topic of Project Without Borders and the issues a PM is faced when gathering requirements on a multicultural project. Today, we welcome Richard and Elizabeth back to discuss some of their best practices of engaging stakeholders in the process of gathering requirements. We will also reveal the winners of our book giveaway and most importantly, we are announcing the launch of The Project Management PrepCast™, which is a new podcast aimed at helping you, if you are currently studying for the PMP Exam. Listen in at www.pmprepcast.com and prepare for the PMP exam with your iPod!

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

Episode 053: "Simple" Earned Value Project Management

Sat, 14 Oct 2006 22:23:42 GMT

The Project Management Podcast™ is pleased to welcome Quentin Fleming (www.quentinf.com ) as our interview guest this week. Mr Fleming is an author, instructor and consultant to management, with over three decades of project management experience within private industry. He has particular expertise in the design of and the assessment of project management control systems and is the co-author of the best-selling book "Earned Value Project Management". We discuss the history and the the basics of Earned Value as well as his approach to "Simple" Earned Value which he outlines in an article that he wrote together with Joel Koppelman. The 10 steps, which the authors define are:

* Step 1: You must define the scope (objectives and deliverables) of the project.
* Step 2: You must determine who will perform the defined work, including the identification of all critical procurements.
* Step 3: You must plan and schedule the defined work.
* Step 4: You must estimate the required resources and formally authorize budgets.
* Step 5: You must determine the metrics to convert planned value into earned value.
* Step 6: You must form a performance measurement baseline and determine the points of management control referred to as Control Account Plans (CAPs).
* Step 7: You must record all direct costs by project consistently with the authorized baseline budgets, in accordance with the organization’s general books of accounts.
* Step 8: You must continuously monitor the earned value performance to determine cost and schedule departures from the baseline plan: both schedule variances (earned value less the planned value) and cost variances (earned value less the actual costs).
* Step 9: Using earned value data, you must forecast the final required costs based on actual performance and keep management apprised so they can take corrective actions if necessary.
* Step 10: You must manage the authorized scope by approving or rejecting all changes, and incorporating approved changes into the project baseline in a timely manner.

We also continue our book giveaway of two copies of Bas de Baar's book "Surprise! Now you are a Software Project Manager" and we have an announcement from PM Lessons Learned.

On a technical side note: We will be changing the location of our RSS feed on October 17. Please listen to the announcement and read about it on the website. Users of iTunes should not be impacted by this.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

The sponsor of this episode is www.botinternational.com

Episode 052: Project Management Methodology for Software Projects

Sun, 08 Oct 2006 17:15:14 GMT

About a year ago I was asked to take over a troubled project in our company. From one moment to the next, I went from being a project manager in charge of organizational change projects to being a PM for a software development project. While I had been working as a PM on website development before, dealing with software development in a controlled environment is a different beast. The dynamics were and are completely different. And what is it like to manage software projects? “Surprise! Now you’re a software project manager” is the title of the book written by Bas de Baar (http://softwareprojects.org). Of course, we will not be discussing his book as such but that there is a big difference between a SW development methodology and a PM methodology to manage SW development projects. Today is also the day that we announce the winners of our book giveaway, we start a new book giveaway, we have a listener comment, a seminar announcement and a few more helpful resources that were recommended by our listeners.

On a technical side note: We will be changing the location of our RSS feed on October 17. Please listen to the announcement and read about it on the website. Users of iTunes should not be impacted by this.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

The sponsor of this episode is www.botinternational.com

Episode 051: Staff Augmentation Through Off Shoring

Sun, 01 Oct 2006 15:45:48 GMT

In today’s episode of The Project Management Podcast™ we continue our look at international and intercultural project management. In episode 48, we heard about the issues that the manager of a PMO in Sri Lanka was faced with in regards to all the customer requests she received. But what about the other end? What about the customer? What issues does a customer face who has chosen to augment their staff through off shoring? This is the discussion that I had with Eric Smith and I have to admit, that I was genuinely surprised by what I found. We also continue our book give away of two copies of the book "Introduction to IT Project Management" by Cynthia Snyder, PMP, and Frank Parth, PMP, and we share a number of helpful resources that were recommended by listeners.

On a technical side note: We will be changing the location of our RSS feed on October 17. Please listen to the announcement and read about it on the website. Users of iTunes should not be impacted by this.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

The sponsor of this episode is www.botinternational.com

PM Podcast 2006/09/23 - Project Management Basics Typically Overlooked

Sun, 24 Sep 2006 04:22:27 GMT

Happy Birthday Project Management Podcast™! Today we are publishing our 50th episode and are also celebrating one year on the air. To celebrate, we invited former PMI president and chairman of the board Max Wideman. Mr Wideman has been in the business for quite some time. He has been involved in a lot of projects, from big ones running many years to little ones lasting only days; in many different types from heavy engineering to building construction, to social and environmental impact studies, to information systems and software. The Project Management Podcast™ first recommended Mr Wideman's website www.maxwideman.com back in episode 7 as one of the leading project management reference websites today. We welcome Mr Wideman to discuss the topic "Project management basics typically overlooked". You will also hear Helpful Resources that are recommended by listeners, a congratulatory voicemail from the Controlling Chaos Podcast and we are giving away two copies of the book "Introduction to IT Project Management" by Cynthia Snyder, PMP, and Frank Parth, PMP.

On a technical sidenote: We will be changing the location of our RSS feed on October 17. Please listen to the announcement and read about it on the website. Users of iTunes should not be impacted by this.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

The sponsor of this episode is www.botinternational.com

PM Podcast 2006/09/16 - Gathering Requirements on a Multi-Cultural Project

Sat, 16 Sep 2006 13:53:16 GMT

One of the most difficult tasks project managers and business analysts face is obtaining customer requirements. Even when business customers and the business analyst work in the same building, misunderstandings are bound to arise. It’s a challenge to ask the right questions, get the right people involved, and document unambiguous requirements, regardless of the backgrounds of those participating. When the project includes multi-cultural stakeholders, particularly if they comprise a virtual team working in geographically dispersed areas, the job becomes much harder. On this week's episode of The Project Management Podcast™ we hear from Richard Larson and Elizabeth Larson of Watermark Learning (http://www.watermarklearning.com/) what interpersonal skills, approaches and tools you as a project manager can utilize to address these issues.

On a technical sidenote: We will be changing the location of our RSS feed on October 17. Please listen to the announcement and read about it on the website. Users of iTunes should not be impacted by this.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

The sponsor of this episode is www.extension.uci.edu/pm

PM Podcast 2006/09/08 - Managing a PMO in Sri Lanka

Sat, 09 Sep 2006 04:37:31 GMT

In this week's episode The Project Management Podcast™ welcomes Thushara Wijewardena, PMP (http://projectized.blogspot.com) who is the general manager of a PMO in a software development outsourcing company in Sri Lanka. We discuss the challenges that she faced in initially setting it up and how she addresses today's needs of her worldwide clientele who require her to utilize multiple project management methodologies concurrently throughout the company. We complement the interview with a look at 3 helpful resources that will make your project management office shine. You will also hear listener feedback from our feedback phone at +1 206 339 6520 and we answer a listener question about the required 35 contact hours needed to apply for the PMP exam.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

The sponsor of this episode is www.extension.uci.edu/pm

PM Podcast 2006/09/01 - Scalable Project Management Methodologies Part 2

Sat, 02 Sep 2006 02:29:37 GMT

This week The Project Management Podcast™ continues the discussion on Scalable Project Management Methodologies with our interview guest Tom Mochal, president of www.tenstep.com. We look at the TenStep line of products, look into the future of project management methodologies and Tom gives us his in-depth answer to our "Final 10" questions. Our weekly Helpful Resources will introduce you to two brand-new project management podcasts that are freely available.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

The sponsor of this episode is www.extension.uci.edu/pm

PM Podcast 2006/08/26 - Scalable Project Management Methodologies Part 1

Sat, 26 Aug 2006 02:58:37 GMT

A project management methodology can be defined as "A documented process for management of projects that contains procedures, definitions and roles and responsibilities". But what do you do, if your company has small projects, medium sized projects and large projects? Do you need three separate methdologies? Our interview guest Tom Mochal, president of www.tenstep.com answered this question several years ago, when he developed the scalable TenStep methodology. We discuss the value of PM in general, the results that companies should expect when implementing a project management methodology and of course the benefits and characteristics of PM methodologies. Our weekly Helpful Resources complement this interview by offering links to various methodology related sites.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

The sponsor of this episode is www.extension.uci.edu/pm

PM Podcast 2006/08/19 - International Project Management - Japan

Sun, 20 Aug 2006 01:38:05 GMT

Project Management is not just different from project to project or company to company but also from country to country. Kay Beewen (Kay.Beewen@gmail.com) has worked as a PM in France, Germany, Japan and the USA. We discuss his experience in general, talk about cultural differences, where to put your focus as a PM in Japan and his advice to foreign PMs working in Japan. While the interview only represents one PM's experience working in a different culture, it will nevertheless give you a glimpse into what hurdles and culture shock you will have to overcome if you leave your own culture and begin working in another. And those lessons learned are valuable whether you are a German PM going to Japan or a Japanese PM going to Namibia. In our Helpful Resources segment we start looking at the upcoming launch of The Project Management PrepCast™ by introducing you to three websites that offer free PMP exam preparation information.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by www.botinternational.com.

PM Podcast 2006/08/12 - Should you use Agile or Plan Driven Methodologies?

Sat, 12 Aug 2006 15:50:51 GMT

What's better - Agile or Plan Driven Methodologies? If you look around and read articles in magazines or on websites the answer almost seems like a religion. This week The Project Management Podcast™ discusses the question of the "correct" approach with Craig D. Wilson, IT Management Consultant. His conclusion will surprise you! Craig can be contacted at craigdwilson@matincor.com and his website is at www.matincor.com. A special welcome goes to all our new listeners who found us either through the recent article in PM Network Magazine or our sponsorship of the August PMNetwork Newsletter . Welcome and keep on listening.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by www.botinternational.com.

PM Podcast 2006/08/05 - Project Portfolio Management Tools Part 2

Sat, 05 Aug 2006 01:06:18 GMT

This week The Project Management Podcast™ continues our discussion with David L. Davis, PMP on Project Portfolio Management Tools. We look at his blog, his passion for project portfolio management, some great implementations he has seen and we discuss Dave's predictions for the future of PPM. A special welcome goes to all our new listeners who found us through the recent article in PM Network Magazine.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by www.botinternational.com.

PM Podcast 2006/07/29 - Project Portfolio Management Tools Part 1

Sat, 29 Jul 2006 01:31:59 GMT

In this week's episode The Project Management Podcast™ welcomes David L. Davis, PMP to discuss Project Portfolio Management Tools. We define what portfolio management is, we look at ease of implementation of modern tools and their benefits, at what company size these tools make sense, best practices for implementation and more. Part 2 of the interview will be available next week. We also announce the winners of the software giveaway for the professional services automation software allocPSA (www.allocpsa.org)

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by www.botinternational.com.

PM Podcast 2006/07/22 - Improve your PMO with The PMO SIG

Sun, 23 Jul 2006 16:49:35 GMT

If you have ever worked in a PMO you know that it can be a lonely job because you are the only one in your company doing exactly what you are doing. You also know that working for or running a PMO is a very challenging task. You need to develop strategies and processes for your company that work and you have to get the buy in from all your stakeholders. It can be difficult to say the least. Joining the PMI's PMO SIG (www.pmosig.org ) is not only a great way of improving your own skills in regards to PMOs but also opens the doors to thousands of PMO managers around the world to you. We explore what the PMO SIG can do for you with our interview guest Derry Simmel, the PMO SIG's Vice Chair of Membership. We also continue our software giveaway for 10 copies of the professional services automation software allocPSA (www.allocpsa.org)

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

PM Podcast 2006/07/15 - PM Certifications around the World

Sat, 15 Jul 2006 16:43:54 GMT

The Project Management Podcast™ has a new home - please visit us at http://www.THEpmpodcast.com/

Allright... you are a Project Manager. What now? In today's episode of The Project Management Podcast™ we look at how you can increase your value as a PM. And that of course translates into training, followed by a recognized PM certification. But which certification? We are giving you an overview of the most common and some not so known PM certificates and training opportunities from around the world with a particular focus on the PMI’s brand new Program Manager Certification. We also have a new giveaway contest and you can win a copy of the professional services automation software allocPSA (http://www.allocpsa.org/)

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The Project Management Podcast™ and its RSS feed are copyright © by ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants 2005 - 2006. All rights reserved.

PM Podcast 2006/06/30 - Organizational Project Management Maturity Models (OPMMM)

Sun, 02 Jul 2006 03:10:55 GMT

Organizational Project Management Maturity Models (OPMMM) are the focus of today’s episode of The Project Management Podcast™. We are looking at what they do for you as a PM, for your company and we give you an executive overview over four of these models. If you have participated in our recent book giveaway, you can tune in to hear, if you have won one of these two books: Neal Whitten's No-nonsense Advice For Successful Projects or Essential People Skills for Project Managers.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

PM Podcast 2006/06/24 - PRINCE2™, PMBOK®, PMP® and Controlling Chaos

Sat, 24 Jun 2006 15:19:05 GMT

In this episode we are giving you great content and lots of fun! First, we go in-depth into our one and only helpful resource, where we discuss an article & presentation from Jay Siegelaub, PMP from www.impstrat.com. In this article, Jay shows how PRINCE2™ can complement your PMP®. The main topic of the show is an interview with Dina Henry Scott from Controlling Chaos, another great podcast about project management that you can find at www.controllingchaos.com. And don't forget to participate in our book giveaway: Brian Irwin (last week's interview guest) and the publisher of his upcoming book on politics have donated two books for us to give away: Neal Whitten's No-nonsense Advice For Successful Projects and Essential People Skills for Project Managers. Listen to the announcement to learn how you can win a copy.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

The sponsor of this episode is www.extension.uci.edu/pm

PM Podcast 2006/06/17 - Project Politics? We don't have no Project Politics!

Fri, 16 Jun 2006 21:31:43 GMT

In this episode, The Project Management Podcast™ is demystifying the "dirty" business of Project Politics. In our interview with Brian Irwin, President of PM Team Dynamics (www.pmteamdynamics.com), we discuss why we have politics on projects and what we as project managers can and must do in order to use politics as an opportunity to make our projects succeed. Brian and the publisher of his upcoming book on politics have donated two books for us to give away: Neal Whitten's No-nonsense Advice For Successful Projects and Essential People Skills for Project Managers. Listen to the announcement following the interview to learn how you can win a copy. We also have a survey on the website that we'd like you to invest 3 minutes of your time in and and we look at upcoming project management seminars around the world.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

The sponsor of this episode is www.extension.uci.edu/pm

PM Podcast 2006/06/10 - Who you gonna call? The eBusiness SIG.

Sun, 11 Jun 2006 04:35:06 GMT

If you manage any eBusiness projects then today’s episode of The Project Management Podcast™ is going to be right up your alley, because "Who you gonna call?" when you need a worldwide support network of eBusiness project specialists? That’s right, you are going to call the PMI’s eBusiness SIG. Our interview with the SIG's Michael Yinger will introduce this great group of people to you. We also have a survey on the website that we'd like you to invest 3 minutes of your time in and and we focus on one single Helpful Resource, an article from the CIO magazine.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

The sponsor of this episode is www.extension.uci.edu/pm

PM Podcast 2006/06/03 - Improve your Team's Skills with CAPM® - Interview with Frank Reynolds

Sun, 04 Jun 2006 15:41:16 GMT

In today's episode of The Project Management Podcast™ we feature an interview with Frank Reynolds, Project Management Consultant, about the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM®). The CAPM® is the PMI's certification for team members, junior project management practitioners or students with an interest in project management. Frank talks about what the exam is like, what the benefits of the CAPM® are and in particular, how an organization will benefit, when its resources who work on projects are CAPM® certified. We have our usual helpful resources and you can find out, if you have one one of two copies of Gerard Hill's book The Complete Project Management Office Handbook.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

The sponsor of this episode is www.extension.uci.edu/pm

PM Podcast 2006/05/27 - Interview with Kristine Hayes Munson on Getting It Done

Sat, 27 May 2006 01:13:53 GMT

Today's episode of The Project Management Podcast™ features an interview with Kristine Hayes Munson on the topic of Getting It Done. We look at what you may call the underlying framework or even philosophy that project managers must employ in order to get things done in a company. Kristine has presented this framework at a seminar for the University of California Irvine and her presentation will automatically be downloaded to your computer if you are a subscriber to The Project Management Podcast™. If you downloaded the episode manually, please write to kristine.munson@sscims.com to get a copy.

The book giveaway for Gerard Hill's The Complete Project Management Office Handbook has been extended for one more week. Listen in to hear how you can win a copy. And in our weekly segments we have listener feedback and "one" Helpful Resource.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

PM Podcast 2006/05/27 - Getting It Done PDF Presentation

Fri, 26 May 2006 22:41:57 GMT

This is the accompanying PDF Presentation to episode 34 of The Project Management Podcast™. This presentation is © 2006 by Kristine Hayes Munson.

The Project Management Podcast™ is a trademark of ScopeCreep Project Management Consultants. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

PM Podcast 2006/05/22 - Methodologies and Templates

Tue, 23 May 2006 04:41:36 GMT

Today's episode of The Project Management Podcast™ comes a few days late and it is focused on project management methodologies. A listener wrote in and asked for help. He is new to the field, finds the various methodologies sometimes confusing and is not really sure what all of these templates are nor where to find them. We look at six helpful resources about project management methodologies and templates. Oh... and don't forget to call the listener feedback line at +1 206 339 6520 and leave a voicemail with your feedback.

PM Podcast 2006/05/13 - Interview with Gerard Hill on Project Management Methodologies

Sat, 13 May 2006 04:18:00 GMT

Today's episode of The Project Management Podcast™ is focused on project management methodologies. I speak with Gerard Hill from The Hill Consulting Group (www.hillconsultinggroup.com). Gerard and I both share a passion for PMOs and project management methodologies. Following his success with The Complete Project Management Office Handbook, Gerard has developed the ProjectPRISM(tm) Methodology for Project Management as his latest in a line of several methodology development efforts. We discuss project management methodologies in general and how his new methodology differs. You will also learn, how you can win a copy of his PMO book and how you can get a free and complete copy of the methodology (single-user license). In our weekly segments we look at four great helpful resources and you will also get a Tip of the Week.

This episode is sponsored by www.projectinsight.com

PM Podcast 2006/05/06 - The Consulting SIG

Sat, 06 May 2006 16:30:38 GMT

The Project Management Podcast now has a phone number where you can leave your feedback that will be played on the show: +1 206 339 6520. The phone number is also listed under "Contacts" on the left hand side on the blog.

The PMI's Consulting SIG is today's main topic. A SIG is a Specific Interest Group, which brings together project managers from all over the world who share a common interest. The PMI currently has about 30 SIGs. We interview the chair of the Consulting SIG, Frank Parth, PMP (President of Project Auditors). We discuss what the SIG does, how it overcomes the obstacle of having a worldwide membership and what benefits you receive in becoming a member of the Consulting SIG. In our weekly segments we look at four great helpful resources and the Tip of the Week was sent in by Sai Prasad, PMP, from Chennai in India.

This episode is sponsored by www.projectinsight.com

PM Podcast 2006/04/29 - Applying the Triple Constraints (All four of them)

Sat, 29 Apr 2006 04:41:02 GMT

If you look up the Triple Constraints in project management methodology books, you will find that they don't agree on just three, but that they list cost, schedule, quality and scope. In today's episode, we don't look at these from a purely theoretical point of view, but from the point of view of how you as a project manager can use the Triple Constraints to manage your customer's expectations. Like every week we have several great resources for you and our tip of the week tells you what you are supposed to do with your PM methodology book.

This episode is sponsored by www.projectinsight.com

PM Podcast 2006/04/22 - Interview with Anthony Chan on Conflict Resolution

Sat, 22 Apr 2006 03:48:06 GMT

As a project manager you will face conflict in your projects. Period. In today's show we take a look at the fundamentals of conflict resolution and we feature an interview with Anthony Chan, PMP, who is talking to us about the conflict situations he had to face in his career, how he solved them and what his lessons learned are. These lessons learned and his key findings to resolving conflicts are available as a PDF document. Like every week, we have several great helpful resources and we announce the winners of our book giveaway.

This episode is sponsored by www.projectinsight.com

PM Podcast 2006/04/15 - Interview with Frank Parth on PMOs

Sat, 15 Apr 2006 21:46:41 GMT

In this week's show, we feature an Interview with Frank Parth, President of Project Auditors (fparth@projectauditors.com). Frank's career as a project manager has spanned the world in many well known organizations. Most importantly, Frank has been involved in the setup of four PMOs. In today's interview, we review these PMOs, how Frank's team approached setting them up and Frank will give us his lessons learned. Like every week, we also take a look at the news, the PM events from around the world and at several helpful resources. This is also your last chance to participate in our book giveaway of two copies of Jerry Manas book titled Napoleon on Project Management - good luck to you!

The sponsor of this show is www.enterplicity.com

PM Podcast 2006/04/08 - No Earned Value? No Problem!

Sat, 08 Apr 2006 04:24:25 GMT

Todays you will find the following items on the menue: First you will hear about some great changes to the show. Next, we have a template to download and a book to give away. In the main section of the show, I will show you the many ways to monitor your project without the sophistcated requirements of Earned Value and finally I’d like to tell you why you should listen to the Cold Fusion Podcast episode 18 (hint: it's on project management.)

The sponsor of this show is www.enterplicity.com

PM Podcast 2006/04/01 - Don't Use Email

Sat, 01 Apr 2006 04:18:45 GMT

In today's show we'll be looking at why a Project Manager should try and stay away from email and I am catching up on my diary. We also look at some feedback I received on the 7 PMO Trends from a couple of shows back and we have two helpful resources for you.

The sponsor of this show is www.enterplicity.com

PM Podcast 2006/03/25 - Introduction to Earned Value Management (EVM)

Sun, 26 Mar 2006 03:24:53 GMT

Earned Value Management (EVM) is a systematic approach to the integration and measurement of cost, schedule, and scope accomplishments on a project or task. We are starting with an introduction to EVM in which you will get a basic overview of how it came to be, how it works and we will discuss its benefits and shortcomings. We also have some great helpful resources, announcements for several PM events around the globe and you can hear a review of a new project management related podcast called The Apprenti Podcast.

The sponsor of this show is www.enterplicity.com

PM Podcast 2006/03/18 - PMO Trends

Sat, 18 Mar 2006 18:26:19 GMT

This week, I am giving you six PMO Trends that will show you where companies will be taking PMOs in the future. As usual, you will get a few great helpful resources, hear what's happening in the PM News and you'll hear the PM tip of the week that was submitted by listener Thomas Weller from Germany. In a new show segment we are looking at various PM events around the world and we will be finishing up the show with a review of the PMI-ISSIG's new podcast.

The sponsor of this show is www.enterplicity.com

PM Podcast 2006/03/11 - Fast Track One

Sat, 11 Mar 2006 02:12:58 GMT

The Fast Track is the fast tracked version of the full lenght Project Management Podcast. It's my way of delivering a show for you even if I don't really have the time for it. Today, we look at what "Fast Track" means in the PM sense and you can also hear the tip of the week. Today's show is sponsored by EnterPlicity Project Management Solutions at www.weneedpm.com.

PM Podcast 2006/03/04 - Soft Skills III - Interview with Steve Kaye on Meetings

Sat, 04 Mar 2006 18:04:48 GMT

We are continuing to look at all the soft skills that you will need in your career as a project manager. Today, the topic is "Meetings". My interview partner is Steve Kaye, who is a professional meeting facilitator. We look at what a meeting is, why so many meetings don't achieve anything and how to set up a meeting to achieve a real purpose. Steve Kayes's website is at http://www.stevekaye.com/ and you can contact him at webinfo@stevekaye.com. Like every week, we have a tip of the week that you can implement in your projects right away and we are reviewing helpful resources and take a quick look at project management in the news.

The sponsor of this show is www.enterplicity.com

PM Podcast 2006/02/25 - Interview with Dale Brown on becoming a PMP

Sat, 25 Feb 2006 19:04:31 GMT

Dale Brown is an IT Executive who decided to become a PMP. In our interview we discuss his motivation and schedule as well as what and how he studied in order to take and pass the exam. The following books are mentioned in the interview: Outercore's Achieve PMP Exam Success, Sybex's Project Management Professional Study Guide, 3rd Edition and Rita Mulcahy's PMP Exam Prep, Fifth Edition. You can contact Dale at DaleBrown06@aol.com or at +1 949 387 2508. We are also announcing the winners of our software giveaway for VIP Team To do List and we are reviewing a new podcast by Jerry Manas that talks about (you guessed it) project management.

The sponsor of this show is www.enterplicity.com

PM Podcast 2006/02/18 - Risk

Sat, 18 Feb 2006 18:48:28 GMT

Today's focus is on Risk Management, which we call "The Black Sheep of Project Management". Risk Management is important, but only a fraction of project managers actively manage risk on their projects. We discuss why that is so and present a simple technique that will enable you to manage risk on your projects without spending hundreds of hours on this task. Don't forget to stop by at Method123, sign up for their newsletter and get the Risk Management Kit for free. Also in this episode: A Good, Bad & Ugly review about TSI's PMP Lunchtime Lecture Series, and we are continuing the giveaway of two free licenses for VIP Team To do List - listen to the show to hear how to participate - time is running out.

PM Podcast 2006/02/11 - Soft Skills II - Interview with Moty Koppes

Sat, 11 Feb 2006 06:42:49 GMT

We continue to look at the soft skills in project management and proudly present a wonderful interview with Coach Moty Koppes. Her website is at http://www.coachmoty.com and you can write to her at motykoppes@cox.net. We are also giving away two free licenses for VIP Team To do List - listen to the show to hear how to participate.

PM Podcast 2006/02/04 - Soft Skills

Sun, 05 Feb 2006 05:59:40 GMT

Our main focus today is on Soft Skills. What they are, how they will help you become a better PM and how to improve your own set of soft skills. Two resources I mention for soft skills are Monster.com's soft skill "Quiz" and a whitepaper titled Accommodating Soft Skills in Software Project Management. A special hello and congratulations goes to my friend Thomas Schmidt in Germany who passed his PMP exam last week.

PM Podcast 2006/01/24 - Interview with Sabrina Mancini-Johnson

Wed, 25 Jan 2006 05:09:49 GMT

Today, the Project Management Podcast is featuring an interview with Sabrina Mancini-Johnson. We are talking about how to turn the search for your next job into a project. With templates, deliverables and all. Contact Sabrina at sabrina@2envisioninc.com to receive a copy of the templates.

PM Podcast 2006/01/07 - Harry Fisher on Groupware Solutions

Sun, 08 Jan 2006 01:13:44 GMT

Listener Harry Fisher submitted an overview of his Groupware Solutions project to The Project Management Podcast and we are happy to feature him today. Listener Michael Witt submitted today's helpful resource and the new year brings several excellent items in the News segment to project managers. The show ends with a review of an episode of Boagworld, where Paul Boag discusses Project Management with Marcus Lillington.

PM Podcast 2005/12/24 - Status Reports

Sat, 24 Dec 2005 05:36:50 GMT

Today's show contains the following show segments: Helpful Resources, News, The Tip of the Week, two Good Bad & Ugly Reviews, and in the main section of the show we are talking about Project Status Reports.
This show is sponsored by www.projectload.com

PM Podcast 2005/12/10 - Interview with Robert Perrine on ITIL

Sat, 10 Dec 2005 06:01:52 GMT

Today's show features an interview with Robert Perrine, PMP, ITIL-SM. Robert and I met for this interview following the monthly PMI-OC Advanced Topics Seminar at which he spoke on ITIL, the Information Technology Infrastructure Library. Learn more about Robert Perrine at www.robertperrine.biz and read up on ITIL at the British Office of Government Service (http://www.itil.co.uk).
This show is sponsored by www.projectload.com

PM Podcast 2005/12/03 - More on Methodologies

Sat, 03 Dec 2005 05:07:28 GMT

The main focus of today's show is the continuation of what we started two weeks ago when we looked at an overview of what project management methodologies are. Today, I am giving you a high level overview of several of these methodologies. You'll also get to hear several new helpful resources and news items.
This show is sponsored by www.projectload.com

PM Podcast 2005/11/19 - Goals

Sat, 19 Nov 2005 06:28:00 GMT

A new segment called "Helpful Resources" is followed by The News in PM. The main focus on the show today is on setting goals the SMART way and I give you my review of the Gantthead website.
This show is sponsored by www.projectload.com

PM Podcast 2005/11/12 - PM Methodologies

Sat, 12 Nov 2005 15:47:23 GMT

Following the news, there are three segments in today's episode: Harry Fisher (author of Microsoft Visual Basic.Net) recounts his experience and success in implementing a workflow tool. We'll take a "Tour de Project Management Methodologies" and I give you my review of The Vision Thing Podcast.
This show is sponsored by www.projectload.com.

PM Podcast 2005/11/05 - Training

Fri, 04 Nov 2005 16:56:35 GMT

In today's show you will get to hear: Listener Feedback. iTunes podcast tip. Project Management News. An interview with Diane Altwies from Outercore Inc. on project management training. And finally my cookbook on how to deliver advanced training to PMPs in your area.

PM Podcast 2005/11/01 - International PM Day

Wed, 02 Nov 2005 04:01:10 GMT

The international project management day on November 3, 2005, is intended to encourage project based organizations worldwide or organizations who utilize project management methodologies to schedule some type of recognition event within their organizations or coordinated locally with others to truly demonstrate appreciation for the achievements of project managers and their teams.

PM Podcast 2005/10/29 - PM Techniques

Sat, 29 Oct 2005 15:05:05 GMT

As always, I get a few things off my chest before the main section of the show. Today, we continue my "Dear Diary" and you can hear what went wrong on my projects this week. That's followed by Chuck Tomasi, who gives us more insights of a junior project manager. Then we discuss several useful and not so useful project management techniques. Furthermore, I humbly apologize to the PMO SIG, the Project Management Office Specific Interest Group, whom I completely forgot to mention during the last show before I finally review the Project Execution Cycle of Cygnet Infotech Pvt. Ltd.

PM Podcast 2005/10/22 - P? M? O?

Sat, 22 Oct 2005 00:57:35 GMT

I start the show by giving away some free stuff and talk about a few items on my chest. I introduce a new show segment "Project Management in the News" (links below) and then move on to the main topic: My experience with PMOs. You'll hear what I learned during setting up three PMOs and I call for you to write in and give me your definition of what P?M?O? actually stands for. Send me an email with your most outlandish, funny or real definitions of the acronym PMO.

PM Podcast 2005/10/15 - I Got A New Project

Sat, 15 Oct 2005 19:06:35 GMT

Tons of "Golden Nuggets of Wisdom" in today's show! Following some listener feedback at the start of the show, I am introducing three new show segments: 1.) Simon Says, 2.) Dear Diary, 3.) The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

PM Podcast 2005/10/08 - Interview with Kristine Hayes Munson

Sat, 08 Oct 2005 04:19:15 GMT

Kristine Hayes Munson is the Chair of the Project Management Institute, Orange County Chapter. Amongst other topics, we talk about her career as a project manager, what the benefits of being a PMI member are, how she became chair of the chapter, her involvement in the PMI Leadership Institute and about why you should become a PMP. And you definitely don't want to miss "The Final 10", the ten questions I ask at the end of each interview.

PM Podcast 2005/09/30 - Podcast reviews

Sat, 01 Oct 2005 04:06:47 GMT

Today I am reviewing five project management related shows of other podcasts and tell you which ones are worth listening to.

PM Podcast 2005/09/23 - At the 2005 PMI Leadership Meeting (Part 2)

Sat, 24 Sep 2005 00:50:23 GMT

This is part 2 of my review of the PMI 2005 Leadership Seminar in Toronto, Canada. In this show, I give a brief overview of part 1, give my review of the seminars that I attended on day two, talk about the nuggets of wisdom from each of the seminars and give a final verdict on the 2005 Leadership Seminar as a whole. This show is full of voices from other attendees of the seminar and they tell you why they attend and what they have learned at the seminar.

PM Podcast 2005/09/17 - Project Failure

Sat, 17 Sep 2005 18:25:54 GMT

In this show we are talking about project failure. We'll look at the numbers of failing projects quoted in various statistics and the critical success factors identified in order to have a successful project. But most importantly, we want to know how project managers who are faced with a failure manage and cope with this failure.

PM Podcast 2005/09/11 - At the 2005 PMI Leadership Meeting (Part 1)

Mon, 12 Sep 2005 00:17:34 GMT

Several times a year, the Project Management Institute (PMI) holds Leadership Meetings all around the globe. These meetings are for component leaders (chapter board members, SIG chairs etc.) to attend and grow as leaders. This is my review of the first two days of the 2005 PMI Leadership Meeting in Toronto, Canada.

PM Podcast 2005/09/03 - Introduction

Sat, 03 Sep 2005 22:15:46 GMT

This is the introductory show of The Project Management Podcast in which I tell you, why you should care, subscribe and listen to the future shows.