This podcast currently has no reviews.
Submit ReviewThis podcast currently has no reviews.
Submit ReviewIn todayâs ever-evolving project environment, project professionals need to be flex-ready problem solvers. But how do they learn to choose the right ways of workingâor know when to anticipate the need to adapt to change? Guests discuss how they empower project professionals at their organizations to become strategic decision makersâwhether it means tailoring ways of working to fit projects and teams or implementing new tech tools.Key themes
[02:19] Updating CDWâs PMO for greater collaboration, knowledge sharing and upskilling among project professionals [05:34] How continuous learning encourages greater autonomy [08:21] Empowering project professionals with clear guidelines, expectations and ownership of initiatives [13:13] Delegation and trust: Two must-haves for empowering project and program managers [14:52] How Airbusâ engineering PMO focuses on tailored, empathetic project support[17:42] Why empowerment leads to better engagement and project outcomes[19:56] What you need to know to choose the right ways of working for your team[21:46] How PMO leaders can encourage teams to embrace unknowns in new tech or ways of working
Thereâs a glaring gender gap, in both artificial intelligence and project management. But as demand for AI talent surges, thereâs an opportunity to close those gaps. Ahead of International Womenâs Day, our guests discuss the gender gaps theyâve experienced in their careers in tech, how greater team diversity helps minimize algorithmic biases in AI projects, what theyâve learned from leading AI initiatives and building their AI expertise, and ways to help more women pursue careers in AI.Key themes[02:36] Bridging the gender gap: How diversity benefits AI initiatives[05:21] Identifying and mitigating risks in generative AI projects[07:52] Top advice to women in tech: Know your worth, be yourself and continue to learn[12:55] Building AI knowledge in a changing business landscape[16:15] Minimizing AI algorithmic biases with multiple perspectives[19:08] Ways to help more women kickstart their careers in AI
Continuous learning helps project professionals keep up with the skills they need to excel in the professionâbut it has to be done strategically. Guests discuss how to create a flexible and durable continuous learning strategy, how to balance upskilling with day-to-day project and personal responsibilities, which skills they see as must-haves for project professionalsâtoday and in the futureâand how PMO leaders can help project professionals in their continuous learning journeys.Our guests include Alfred Maina, PMO-CP, PMI-ACP, PMP, technical project manager, Thunes, Nairobi; and Americo Pinto, PMO-CC, PMO-CP , PMP, managing director, PMO Global Alliance at PMI, Rio de Janeiro.Key themes[02:13] How to craft a continuous learning strategy[06:12] Where to find upskilling opportunities[07:19] Balancing work, personal time and continued learning[10:20] Top skills to improve: technical and power skills, plus artificial intelligence know-how[15:33] Why your continuous learning strategy should be flexible[18:18] Using formal and informal education opportunities to upskill[20:17] How to determine which skills to improveâand how much organizational objectives should be a factor[24:27] Ways PMO leaders can help project professionals create and meet their continuous learning goals
Volunteering helps communities and organizations. But it also helps the volunteers who donate their time and skills. In a roundtable discussion, guests share how they started volunteering, how it has affected their careers and helped them grow as project professionals, the different ways they have taught project management skills to make initiatives run more efficiently and their advice to others looking to start their own community volunteering journey.Our guests include Lebogang Ngoato, PMP, program manager, Absa Group, Johannesburg; Priya Patra, PMP, director, Capgemini, Mumbai, India; and Silvana Tovar, international trade coordinator, Kenvue, SĂŁo Paulo.Key themes[01:52] Why start volunteering? Three professionals share their stories[06:57] How volunteering can boost project professionalsâ careers[11:25] The value of sharing your project management skills[14:07] How volunteering can help professionals upskill[18:20] Keeping volunteers motivated to work on outside projects[20:44] Advice for potential volunteers: share your knowledge, be honest about your availability and keep an open mind
Artificial intelligence is now a mainstay for organizations. But given the lack of widespread use across enterprises, thereâs room for growth. And project teams are leading the way, developing AI solutions that deliver value to their companies and customers. We discuss this with:Â
Mohammed Nabtiti, PMI-RMP, PMP, project management office and governance manager, Beeah Group, Dubai: Nabtiti discusses how his company created its âOffice of the Futureâ with sustainability, AI and smart office technologies as the driving forces, how the team mitigated and managed risks to integrate several AI systems, how the organization determines accountability for AI outputs, and how heâs taking lessons learned about scoping and planning into future AI projects.
Sanjukta Ghosh, PMP, data and AI leader, Siemens AG, Munich: Ghosh discusses how she started her AI journey by solving customer problems, the knowledge project professionals need to manage AI initiatives and how sheâs working to standardize AI projects across Siemensâ business units. Plus, Ghosh talks about a project to create digital twins for assets in the process industry using AI and engineering documents.
Key themes
[02:01] Creating a sustainable, AI-driven âOffice of the Futureâ
[04:49] From smart meeting rooms to a digital concierge: Building the business case for which AI tech to use in the workplace
[07:44] Identifying and managing risks when integrating multiple AI systems
[10:43] Determining who is accountable for AI systemsâ decisions
[14:08] How scoping and planning affect AI projects
[17:34] Skills and knowledge project professionals need to lead AI initiatives
[18:33] Standardizing AI projects across an enterprise
[22:05] Creating digital twins from AI tech and documentation
[26:52] Project professionals must stay up-to-date on tech advancements
We know that projects drive change, and today, more and more project professionals are managing initiatives to deliver positive impacts across the globe. Two 2023 PMI Future 50 leadersâJohnnie Stark, PMP, a project manager at BP in London, and Nuha Hashem, co-founder and CTO at Zywa in Dubaiâdiscuss why the world needs project professionals, what sparked their passion to lead the innovative projects theyâre managing today and their top advice for future project professionals.
Key themes
[01:59] Igniting a passion for project leadership
[04:33] Developing a low-carbon energy solution to help the U.K. decarbonize its electricity grid
[07:11] Creating a payment platform to boost financial literacy for Gen Z in the Middle East and North Africa
[10:20] How project management is changingâand how project professionals can adapt
[11:47] Advice for future project leaders: Be flexible, be willing to dive right in and care for team membersâ well-being
Space projects push boundaries, aiming to give teams a better understanding of our own planet and to explore whatâs beyond. But these efforts are full of complexity, with evolving risks, new innovations, long timelines and fluctuations in funding. We discuss this with: Â
Kenneth Harris II, PhD, senior project engineer, The Aerospace Corporation, Upper Marlboro, Maryland, USA: The 2020 Future 50 leader discusses how the increasing number of crewed missionsâand missions closer to Earthâs orbitâhave changed the risk landscape for space projects, how he and his teams manage fast-paced change and tech innovations throughout years-long initiatives, what he sees as the top project management challenge for project professionals in the space sector, and how impact, curiosity and exposure have driven him throughout his career as a space project leader.Â
Kay Lingenauber, project manager and system engineer, Institute of Planetary Research at the German Aerospace Center, Berlin: Lingenauber discusses how he and an international team created the Ganymede Laser Altimeter, or GALA, over 15 years, how he and the team managed changing resources and technology with a fixed launch date, good practices for collaborating with institutes and agencies across the globe, and his advice for other project professionals managing initiatives with plenty of complexity.Â
Key themesÂ
[02:30] More crewed missionsâand more missions closer to Earthâare changing the risk landscapeÂ
[05:51] Managing fast-paced change and innovation with years-long timelinesÂ
[09:56] Top project management challenges in space projects: Collaboration with new and established agencies and contending with tight budgetsÂ
[14:17] Creating GALA, an instrument now headed for Jupiterâs moonsÂ
[16:34] Leaning into adaptability and problem-solving in space projectsÂ
[18:21] Boosting collaboration through requirements management, trust-building and transparencyÂ
Diversity and inclusion are now mainstay focuses for organizationsâbut it can be challenging to find the right strategies to achieve diverse and inclusive team environments. We discuss this with:Â
Victoria Toney-Robinson, PMP, senior program manager at Google in Hamburg: Toney-Robinson discusses how a teamâs diversity and inclusion affect not only the team environment but also the solutions the team develops, which strategies and practices sheâs found are the most effective for building diversity and inclusion into team culture, and how the Black Googler Network, which she co-chairs, helps create not only better products but also a more inclusive environment at Google. Â
Nikky Chen, PMI-ACP, PMP, previously a group manager in the project management department at Rakuten in Tokyo: A 2023 Future 50 leader, Chen discusses why project professionals should promote diverse and inclusive team environments, how a diverse team improved communication on a project, how active listening and empathy can boost inclusivity and why sheâs passionate about DE&I.
Key themesÂ
[02:01] How team diversity affects productsâ inclusivity
[04:43] Strategies to create diverse and inclusive team environments
[06:32] The role of the Black Googler NetworkÂ
[09:43] How project professionals can advocate for diverse teams
[14:48] What is at risk if project teams lack diversity
[16:32] How team diversity boosted communication on a project
[18:11] Boosting inclusion with active listening and empathy
Project professionals can help promote well-being in the workplace, making a positive impact on not only their own and their team membersâ performance but also their overall mental health. We discuss this with:Â
Marilena Koliavasili, PMP, project manager, Intracom Telecom, Athens: Koliavasili discusses how she defines employee well-being, practices she uses to maintain her own and her team membersâ well-being, and how emotional intelligence, empathy and psychological safety can help people better promote well-being for teams. Plus, she shares how project professionals can support team members who are struggling with wellness and well-being. Â
Jonas Ng, PMP, project coordinator, Exos, Singapore: Ng discusses how each project team member faces different challenges to maintain their well-being, ways he boosts his own and his team membersâ wellness and well-being, why project professionals should prioritize their teamsâ health and strategies to do so. In addition, he explains how to balance getting project work done with caring for his and his teamâs well-being.
Key Themes
[00:52] Employee well-beingâs impact on performance and overall mental health
[02:03] What is employee well-beingâand what elements can make it difficult to maintain it?
[05:02] Practices to promote positive well-being on project teams
[10:10] How emotional intelligence, empathy and psychological safety help build strong relationships with team members
[13:37] Ways to support team members struggling with well-being
[16:08] Well-being challenges are different for each project team member
[18:13] How leaders can boost their own well-being
[20:08] Why project professionals should prioritize well-being for their teams
[23:17] Ways to help remote team members
[24:05] Balancing project deadlines and deliverables with team well-being
Teams are delivering projects no matter their location. As team members continue working in remote and hybrid environments, project professionals must find ways to develop their skills and grow their careers outside of an office. We talk about this in a joint discussion with Adriana PavĂłn Navarrete, PMP, a project manager at Hitachi Vantara in MĂ©xico City, and Meena Nandelli, CAPM, a masterâs student who at the time we spoke was a project manager at Microsoft in Hyderabad, India.
Key Themes
[02:00] Adapting leadership styles to manage projects remotely
[04:18] Leaning into adaptability, flexibility and empathy to lead remote teams
[06:25] Top power skills when leading remote teams: Communication, collaborative leadership and strategic thinking
[08:38] Upskilling outside an office? Use online trainings, free resources and self-reflection of on-the-job challenges
[13:42] Tips to resolve conflicts in remote and hybrid work environments
[19:12] Top challenges to remote upskillingâand strategies to overcome them
[22:03] Networking while remote: Join project management communities and organizations, or reach out to other project professionals
This podcast could use a review! Have anything to say about it? Share your thoughts using the button below.
Submit Review