By Mike Ososki, PMP

“This wasn’t in the PMBOK,” is what Teresa Durham said. And it shouldn’t be, because the perspective of her presentation was the much bigger picture, encompassing more of the whole person package and her personal journey.

Early on, Teresa decided that she wanted in to project management, and specifically PMI Atlanta. Part of her method was to be a super-volunteer, offering help pretty much anywhere and everywhere. Naturally, this endeared her to many, and soon she was on the high road, elevating into more and more responsibilities to drive success for PMI Atlanta.

All of that was on top of her full-time jobs, year after year, with plenty of big name companies. With her hyper-can-do attitude, it eventually began catching up with her emotional/spiritual side, to the point of overwhelm. So in October 2021, Teresa pulled the plug. She resigned and left the country, embarking on an adventurous sabbitical, traveling in Europe, North Africa, and the Caucasus, for cultural immersion and creative exploration.

Returning a year later, Teresa has been reinventing herself as a self-employed entrepreneurial “Fractional Director of Transformation” for Teresa Durham LLC.

And what wisdom can she share now? Always the Project Manager, Teresa goes for Lessons Learned:

Chapter One

• Start where you are
• Look for opportunities
• Get in the room
• Learn the language
• Don’t be afraid to follow people around (nicely)
• Don’t underestimate what you already know. You’re more ready than you think.
• A PMP doesn’t make you a great PM, but it shows you’re serious about the craft.
• Sometimes, it’s the credential that gets you in the door—or gives you that edge over the competition.
•  And never judge a mentor by their cover.

Chapter Two

• Don’t underestimate what you already know. You’re more ready than you think.
• A PMP doesn’t make you a great PM, but it shows you’re serious about the craft.
• Sometimes, it’s the credential that gets you in the door—or gives you that edge over the competition.
• And never judge a mentor by their cover.

Chapter Three

• Project Management is a ‘good’ job.
• Adaptability is key and that is powerful in a world of constant change.
• Don’t let layoffs shake your confidence - they're about business, not your worth.
• Versatility = Value.

Chapter Four

• Burnout is real. And it’s not weakness—it’s your body/soul asking for change.
• You are not your job. You are more than a PM.
• Prioritize your health, your joy, your peace.
• You can always rebuild—but only if you’re still here.
• The most important project you’ll ever manage… is yourself.

Chapter Five

• You’re never too old to pivot.
• Reinvention is a project worth managing.
• Your next move is up to you.
• You can define—and redefine—success.
• Flexibility, freedom, and fulfillment are valid goals.
• Don’t wait for permission to choose you.

Chapter Six

• Project management is evolving—but it’s not going anywhere.
• AI can support you, but it can’t replace you.
• Emotional intelligence, adaptability, and leadership will always be in demand.
• Learn to use AI as a tool to get stuff done effectively and strengthen your human skills.

And finally, here are Teresa’s Take Aways:

• There’s no one right way to become a PM. Start where you are. Say yes to opportunity. Don’t wait until you feel ready. You’re probably already doing more than you realize.
• Generalist or specialist – both are valuable. But adaptability is true gold. Business is business. Know your worth and demonstrate your value.
• Burnout isn’t failure—it’s a sign. Listen to it. Pivot if you need to. But don’t wait to make yourself the priority.
• You’re never too old to recreate yourself. Never too experienced to learn something new. Don’t let AI scare you into paralysis. Learn it and use it to enhance your human-ness.
• Project Management - It’s still relevant, still powerful, and yours to shape.

By LeDerrick Bouknight

How can Artificial Intelligence be used to automate workflows by using Intelligent Automation

After a brief opening and introduction, the presenter, Oliver Yarbrough, began his discussion of Intelligent Automation. He described it as a "close cousin to artificial intelligence" and makes use of technology to complete repetitive processes in industry. He continued his presentation to discuss the three major components of Intelligent Automation: Artificial Intelligence (analyzes data to make predictions), Business Process Management (optimizes workflows), and Robotic Process Automation (automates manual tasks). Next, Yarbrough discussed how to select which workflows to automate. The main characteristics of these selected workflows are those that are well-defined and can be easily repeated. These workflows are simple/straightforward, have little process waste, but time consuming. At a high level, he reviewed a five step process to Integrate and Automate Project workflows. Once this five step process is followed, one is well on their way to realizing the benefits of Intelligent Automation! Overall, this was an informative meeting providing tools for improved processes utilizing the latest technological developments.

Takeaways: Integrate & Automate Project Workflows

• Step 1: Optimize project workflow in four primary areas (Rules, Resources, Responsibilities, and Redundancies)
• Step 2: Take inventory of the tools and systems needed
• Step 3: Integrate optimized project workflows into your systems
• Step 4: Use pre-built workflow templates & pre-trained models
• Step 5: Test your automated workflow

Next Event

Join us at the next PMI Atlanta Chapter meeting on May 12, 2025.

Keynote Presentation: "Creating a Leader: An American Story" presented by Dr. Abhay V Trivedi.

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

by Mike Ososki, PMP

We started with 4-5 people letting others know of Project Manager openings at their workplaces—a great beginning for gainful employment! Next, we looked at 9 PMI logo components to guess their meanings. Check ‘em out—lots of great PM practice, work and life concepts!

Finally, we reviewed the 9 PMI Atlanta Special Interest groups, volunteer opportunities, and upcoming events.

Then, Mr. Oliver Yarbrough came on, being introduced as, “If AI and project management had a baby, Oliver would be their firstborn.” As a long-time trainer, speaker, and author focused on project management and growth strategies to raise competitiveness, he is well-credentialed academically and professionally.

Mr. Yarbrough’s theme title was, “Streamline Workflows with Intelligent Automation (IA),” to which AI is a close cousin. IA uses cognitive “thinking” technologies to streamline processes that are prone to errors, and includes 3 major components: AI to analyze and predict, business process management to optimize workflows, and robotic process to automate manual tasks.

As we proceed with IA and AI tools, Oliver asserts to always put in more time to optimize at the front end, to avoid replicating bad elements and processes. And to prevent complexity overwhelm, it’s always good to break down the big idea into small manageable tasks, carefully doing them one at a time, building to make the idea big again.

What is a workflow? Here, it’s a sequence of tasks that occur in a predetermined order. Oliver recommends to first define the tasks, then the resources and tools needed to complete them. Look for workflows that are simple, yet time-consuming, have well-defined processes that can easily be repeated, plus where and how automation can help improve productivity. Maybe create a diagram to help visualize the sequential steps.

You can optimize project workflows in 4 primary areas:

1. Rules : pre-defined instructions set by you or your team.
2. Resources : humans & machines that perform, support, or influence work.
3. Responsibilities : roles assigned to resources and who’s accountable.
4. Redundancies : tasks being done more times than necessary.

The specific digital tools are super-important early decisions. Do the deep research and choose the best ones for you and your team. For example,

1. Digital HUB (Microsoft 365 & Google Workspace)
2. Collaboration software (Slack & Microsoft Teams)
3. Project management software (Microsoft Project & Jira)
4. Workflow automation software (Make.com & Power Automate)
5. Dashboard & business analytics software (Power BI & Tableau)

Then integrate optimized project workflows into your systems. Use pre-built workflow templates and pre-trained models. And before cutting your automation fully loose, always thoroughly test it. After proving it’s working well, capture and retain documentation to curate a workflow automation library. Keep an eye out for trends, and adjust accordingly.

Some common work areas where your organization may benefit applying these tools include employee expense reports, work change requests, and work status updates.

And what about AI? Oliver uses generative AI a lot. He likes to start by feeding info into it. Then, as an iterative process, he goes back and forth between prompt and refine. Finally, when he’s generally happy with the near end result, he personalizes to get the final product. He says that AI is and will continue to replace people’s jobs, particularly those that are repetitive. To keep your job, you must be creative and proactive to reimagine your work to include AI collaboration as an integral part of it. So be creative using AI as a coach to help and prompt you. As a one-of-a-kind, you are irreplaceable.

by Mike Ososki, PMP

Another delicious PMI dinner at Maggiano’s. While most of us indulged in a nice variety of Italian culinary delights, we networked by telling everyone two truths and one lie. The trick was to pick out the lie—not easy! Then came announcements—see them all on our Event Calendar.

Srinivas Jalla, P.E., PMP then shared from his 25+ years of high level private and public business leadership experience. He spoke to us about “Tailoring PM Skills to Maximize Public Sector Effectiveness,” especially in the areas of change management. He asserts that, as a Project Manager, “You are a Change Agent,” and helped us see how to create the conditions required for the desired change and develop the metrics to monitor it.

As a springboard, Srinivas used a Gwinnett County public sector case study: OPA : Operational and Performance Assessment. This is an objective and comprehensive assessment to ensure future sustainability. It addressed the current state, and the enablement of positive change operational excellence to maximize efficiency and effectiveness. 

Phase 1 was an assessment completed in December 2022. It included review of existing processes and policies in (14) County departments, 100s of interviews. 1000+ survey responses, plus job shadows and field verification. These resulted in 500+ recommendations and a 1,300-page report. Interestingly, 61% of those involved were staff/non-supervisory personnel whose contributions and observations resulted in 41% of the recommendations.

Phase 2 was implementation—”to break the mold.” Diverse cross-functional teams of County employees led the charge, with no department leaders involved. The expectation was to provide regular updates and address every observation and recommendation.

Voila! – we have a project: scope, authority/charter, approach, team, roles & responsibilities, schedule and risks. The operating environment included the organization, OPA teams, and front-line employees. Some elements were financial (do more with less), institutional resistance, no external help or model to follow, more responsibility with no change in workload, and long-term engagement with no tangible incentive. It was especially challenging for the front-line, who had no incentive to change, with limited trust in government and prioritizing job stability for themselves.

So the game plan was to have a consistent approach with one voice, to be decentralized and employee-driven, and again, achieve operational excellence. Perhaps the toughest nut to crack was culture change.

Good news! It mostly worked, with over 30% of recommendations being addressed. The OPA teams earned trust from the frontline employees. They felt heard, with a sense of belonging, and brought up new issues and ideas. The OPA teams worked hard to sustain energy and passion, knowing that success feeds passion, which is contagious.

Dissatisfaction leads to desire for change—the primary fuel. It makes a compelling case and often requires encouragement from leadership. The vision must be clear and succinct, aligning with values and beliefs. The first steps must be practical, clear and easy, emphasizing to retain motivation and celebrate progress. All of these must then add up to be greater than the resistance to change. Gwinnett’s approach was People FIRST and take time to build trust. 

Finally, monitor the metrics. Focus on leading metrics that are measurable, influenceable, and predictive. Focus on behavior such as autonomy, engagement and exploration. Reach acceptance and support objective solutions. Guide everyone through the Kübler-Ross change curve:

by Mike Ososki, PMP

As usual, our meeting opened with networking and announcements of lots of high value activities and upcoming events for PMI Atlanta members. You can see all of these on our Calendar of Events. Then came the main event:

Your career is like a chess game, not checkers. It’s complex, requires thoughtful positioning, and can result in a myriad of scenarios. It requires advance planning that attempts to encompass 5-10 years and 5-10 moves ahead at any given moment over a lifetime. Who better than you to decide and guide how to do this as best you can?

Chris Carter kindly shared sage wisdom in our February Chapter meeting at Georgia Tech last month. Perhaps his #1 question for everyone is, “What do you want to do?,” a question we all answer every day in every way. It’s an inescapable paradox: choosing to not make a choice is making a choice.

Mr. Carter is a strong practitioner of servant leadership. Nothing lights him up so much as developing and inspiring others. Throughout his 21 years with Toyota and more recently as a Georgia Tech professor, he’s had ample opportunities to mentor, coach and sponsor his co-worker professionals and now university students. He currently works with nineteen mentees at Toyota. Encouragingly, he emphasized how both he and Georgia Tech want to plug in and do more with PMI Atlanta. Education has been a life-changer for Chris, and he adamantly asserts that he would “do it again and again and again and again.”

Here are the 3 E’s : Experience, Exposure, and Education. Experience is your job titles and work history—the resume basics. Exposure means “the things that people really care about, and will remember you for,” which = marketability or sell-ability of self as a valuable resource to advance business. As you progress through your career, be sure to capture and document your WOW elements, aka achievements and accomplishments. Be sure to also get these in your resume—don’t sell yourself short!

Be decisive with your career design elements. Form the shape and function of what your career should look like. Lock your 3 E’s firmly in your mind, but also be adaptable and flexible for their evolution. One size does not fit all—you never know what doors will open and there will be career steps you never saw coming. 

Chris exhorts us to be brave and bold, take on challenges, and never shy away from learning more. He says to “go after it, take it by the reins, and see what happens.” He especially loves the Q&A part of the events, telling us at the beginning to “prepare your juicy questions now.” At one point, he said to one audience member, “You’re thinking, ‘He’s speaking to my soul,’” and it’s evident that Chris strives to do so in a fun and engaging manner that can propel inspiration in others. 

One of the most super-valuable universal elements of success is getting out there and networking. Do it with SME’s, contractors, supply chain, purchasing, designers—pretty much all of your co-workers that make good stuff happen as a TEAM. Build relationships based on loyalty. Take the time to dig the right-size holes, prepare the nutritious soil, plant the beautiful trees, then water, fertilize and sometimes prune them as they healthfully grow.

Career sponsorship is golden. This comes after and along with being a mentor and coach. It’s general advice first, then more specific coaching, then a sponsor relationship where you are both all-in for the duration. Have 3-5 sponsors for where you want to go. They will validate your WHAT that brings business value, and be the WHO for you that opens doors.