By:  Glenn Boylan, Technology Forum Volunteer

The January Technology Forum meeting was an interesting one – in fact it could more accurately be called the January meeting for all the PMI Atlanta Industry Forums. Titled “Your Industry … Your Forum", it brought together the Program Managers of the five forums to show what each of their forums offer.

Nancy Berlin kicked off the meeting thanking the Technology Forum volunteers and introducing Nara Acharya, a PMI Atlanta Board member. The program started with an introduction to the forums from Marcia Trajano, VP of Industry Forums. Marcia told the audience that the Atlanta Chapter puts on approximately 50 forum events per year in the five forums: Agile; Architecture, Engineering and Construction; Governance; Healthcare; and Technology. A sixth forum, Consulting, will be starting soon.

All the forums are designed to provide an opportunity for project professionals to network, learn, and share their experiences in a more intimate setting than the full chapter meetings. The forums enhance the attendees’ professional experience.

Written by Karen Powell, PMP, CSM

Are Carrots for Horses? Are metrics good motivators? Why use metrics?

As Matt Badgley from VersionOne explained in the February PMI Atlanta Agile Forum, the answers depend on your teams, the type of work being done, and the metrics you use. Per Matt, “Metrics are something that some to react with the proverbial angst. The reality is that everyone likes to know where they stand and good teams look for as many feedback mechanisms as they can to help them improve. Many people love metrics. Many cringe at metrics. Sometimes metrics drive really bad behaviors and cause bad results to happen.”

If all metrics aren’t created equal and some people like metrics while others don’t, how can your organization introduce metrics that will foster positive engagement, support your Agile team’s desire to continuously improve, and deliver the results you want?

Congratulations, Cheryl Henry!  Cheryl has been selected as the February Volunteer of the Month.  Her efforts as editor of our chapter publications not only keep members informed about the PM profession, but also serve as a source of revenue through sponsorships.  Read on to learn how PMI Atlanta has impacted Cheryl's professional development and see what little known fact she was willing to share with us.

What has been your favorite or most rewarding volunteer experience with PMI Atlanta?

As I reflect on my tenure as a volunteer editor for the PMI Atlanta Chapter, my most rewarding experience was developing genuine friendships with a diverse group of professionals. I looked forward to the personal interaction at the networking events, which I will always treasure. The gem was in finding a diverse group of project management professionals, but also like minded individuals who shared outside interests. Being a member of the largest chapter in the southeast, with a little over 4,500 members, you’re bound to connect with positive individuals, who can enrich your personal and professional journey.

Written by Donya Sabaghi, PMC

Sameer Bendre, an Engagement Manager with Outsystems and Judith Mills, with Judith Mills Consulting, kicked off the evening with a very collaborative session to a room full of PMI Atlanta Agile Forum attendees on Tuesday, January 20. Right off the bat, the two individuals had the audience's attention as Judith asked, “Does anyone know what Agile is?” While most of the audience remained quiet as they knew what Agile was, a couple hands were raised. Judith explained that a backlog is a list of items prioritized by business value. She also mentioned in order to be a good agile coach, you have to be a good facilitator. Judith then proceeded to explain what to expect from the evening in the short hour by presenting a very detailed and time boxed schedule. The primary goal of the night was to create a backlog of topics, created and prioritized by the audience for future PMI Atlanta Agile Forums events in 2015. The schedule for the evening was as follows: