By Karen Jacobs, PMP

PMI Atlanta’s first in-person Chapter meeting at Maggiano's, held on March 11, served up a warm welcome for newcomers and a keynote address full of lessons from great leaders past and present. 

Our members and guests enjoyed a delightful meal with rigatoni, baked cod, and eggplant parmesan served family style at Maggiano’s Little Italy at Perimeter Mall—the Chapter’s new venue for in-person Chapter Meetings. Dessert was strawberry cheesecake and a rich chocolate layer cake.

Dick Teters, founder and executive director of The Center for Accountable Leaders and a professor at Kennesaw State University’s Coles College of Business, delivered the keynote address focused on Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle concept of inspiring action and its applicability in project management.

He highlighted the importance of knowing “the why” behind ambitious goals, pointing out the examples of notable figures such as former President John F. Kennedy, who led the charge for the US space program to land a man on the moon, and entrepreneur Elon Musk’s current goal to build a Starship rocket that could transform space travel. He discussed the differing approaches of explorers Roald Amundsen and Robert Falcon Scott to their 1911 expeditions to the South Pole, with Amundsen’s team using better navigation and traveling every day regardless of weather in the freezing Antarctic, while Scott’s team operated only in good weather. The efforts of Amundsen’s team ended in triumph with his team being the first to reach the Earth’s southernmost point, while Scott’s team died on the return journey home. Teters’ point was that planning and preparation can make a difference.

The meeting included announcements of available volunteer positions, including in-person and virtual meeting facilitators for the operations team; facilitators for newcomer sessions for the engagement team; and social media and content managers for the marketing team.

Our next in-person Chapter Meeting will be held Monday, May 20, 2024 at Maggiano's Little Italy. Be sure to register today!

Written by: Kayla Burrell, MS, CMS

Skilled project leadership is essential for guiding initiatives toward success and meeting goals and intentions. Capable leaders are crucial for keeping projects on track and delivering on their promises, underscoring the important role of experienced project managers in managing the complexities of diverse project resources.

Presentation Overview

On March 14, 2024, Marcia Brown-Rayford presented to the PMI Atlanta Clinical Research Forum attendees on "Why 65% of Project Executions Fail & How to Mitigate Costly Pitfalls". During this event, Marcia explained that for most mission-critical projects in life sciences today, missed deadlines and project failures have massive consequences that can result in billions of dollars in lost revenue. These projects fail largely due to challenges with people resources and process tools.

According to leaders in the field, the coordination of remote and office workers is the number one challenge, with the second challenge being the coordination of people from multiple firms onto one project team. Without capable project leaders at the helm, initiatives go astray, and a project's original goal or intent gets lost.

Among life science survey respondents in North America, 58% said teams composed of individuals from multiple organizations are important to successful project execution, but 63% expressed that managing such diverse and distributed team members made critical projects more difficult to execute. This observation highlights the need for experienced project managers who are adept at managing diverse project resources. The key to project execution is the "PEOPLE" (team); changing the composition of a project team (as needed) is essential to success.

Takeaways

• Clinical trial delays are costly, but they can be mitigated.
• For successful project execution, leaders must focus on how best to coordinate their team.
• There are seven (7) ways to win in a new project execution environment:
  1. Invest in or become project quarterbacks (i.e., leaders)
  2. Upskill and get equipped to excel in the new environment (i.e., bridge the skills gap)
  3. Centrally coordinate and effectively prioritize the project portfolio
  4. Remember and trust the power of the WBS (work breakdown structure)
  5. Leverage external and/or supplemental expertise
  6. Conduct team readiness assessments
  7. Foster a collaborative work culture

Next Event

Join us at the next PMI Agile Forum on Thursday, May 09, 2024

Keynote Presentation: TBD

Register at www.pmiatlanta.org/events/event-calendar 

Event Pictures

Written by: Rishea Johnson, MHI, CAPM

According to MarketsandMarkets, the global cloud computing market may reach as much as $832.1 billion by 2025. According to Gartner, SaaS (Software as a service) dominates as the largest segment of global cloud spending, at 34%.

Presentation Overview 

A Google search for SaaS Project Manager or SaaS Program Manager jobs shows thousands of posted positions (e.g., between 1000 to 6000) on SimplyHired, Indeed, Glassdoor, LinkedIn, etc. This calls for strong project managers who have acquired the additional skills to lead implementations of cloud computing initiatives. During this month’s Tech Forum, SaaS was demystified, and information was shared to encourage project managers and leaders to pursue roles implementing cloud-based solutions that operate on third-party servers via the Internet.

The rise in SaaS implementations since the 2000’s is largely due to its promise of cost efficiency, agility, seamless integration, and innovation. The presenter spoke of the big wave of integrating AI (Artificial Intelligence) and ML (Machine Learning) in cloud-based applications. Project managers armed with the knowledge shared in this forum are better prepared to lead transformative initiatives and drive SaaS programs.

Takeaways

• Examples of Top Companies in U.S. SaaS Market:
  • Alphabet Inc.
  • Amazon.com, Inc.
  • Microsoft Corporation
  • Salesforce Inc.
  • ServiceNow, Inc.
• Pros of SaaS (Customer View)
  • SaaS provides a scalable infrastructure supporting multiple locations/geographies
  • SaaS providers are responsible for maintenance, updates, and security
  • SaaS products have built-in reporting and analytical capabilities

Next Event 

Join us at the next PMI Atlanta Technology Forum on Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Keynote Presentation:  "Improving Employee Performance During Change Initiatives" by Glen Hasling

Register at www.pmiatlanta.org/events/event-calendar 

Event Pictures

Written by: Alex Leonard, PMP

Presentation Overview 

On February 20th, the PMI Atlanta Chapter reconvened for the first time in 2024 at Motion Recruitment (formerly Matrix Resources) for the Agile Forum titled “Cultivating Product Mindset”, which was presented by Mr. Raju K. During the forum, Mr. Raju K. discussed those key areas of focus that should be top of mind for Project Managers and Product Owners alike to have “successful” projects and products.

Mr. Raju K gave an incredibly interactive presentation with multiple “Break-Out” points in the session. These “Break-Out” points gave the audience a chance to get comfortable and think with a product mindset. Raju asked ice-breaker questions such as “What is a successful product according to you?

Raju provided insights into what makes a product successful, and what makes one unsuccessful, using the launch of the Ford Edsel Project as an example. The Ford Edsel Project was unsuccessful because it was not received well by the public. However, Mr. Raju K noted that the project did introduce new and innovative technologies that would be utilized by Ford and others to revolutionize the car experience. He argued that because of the advances in technology and the residuals that came from this product, there were successes seen in this project as well.

Near the end, Mr. Raju K discussed the relationship between a project and a product, and which team role should take ownership of specific responsibilities. Lastly, Mr. Raju K emphasized that although Project Managers and Product Owners may sometimes have overlapping responsibilities, it is up to the individuals to ensure they are fulfilling their respective roles. Most importantly, Product Owners own the product, and therefore they need to maintain a product mindset.

Takeaways

• Product Owners and Project Managers are often unclear about each other’s respective responsibilities. Ensuring both sides are aligned on who is supposed to take ownership and make key decisions is important for the success of any project or product.
• A successful product can come in many forms, even amidst a failed project.
• Product Owners own the product and require a “product mindset” to succeed in their role.

Next Events

Join us at the next Agile Forum on Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Keynote Presentation: “Social Impact Agile: How Agile is Used to Improve the World” by Rocío Briceño

Register at www.pmiatlanta.org/events/event-calendar 

Event Pictures