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 

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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 

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Written by: Rishea Johnson, MHI, CAPM

Healthcare is undergoing a major transformation, and, in tandem, is at its most vulnerable. Effective project management is the pillar for cybersecurity. Continue reading to discover how you can effectively lead a project and safeguard your company from cyber-attacks!

Presentation Overview 

In this conversational session, Phanishankar Chaganti (Phani) discusses why project management is essential in Cybersecurity and Information Security with a specific focus on the healthcare industry.

Takeaways

• Cyber situation: Healthcare industry by the numbers
  • 47 million people have been impacted by data breaches in the first half of 2023 alone
  • It’s not only the numbers, but the impact of data breaches on healthcare
    • A data breach can shut down an entire hospital, restricting care to patients in need
• Anatomy of a cyber breach
  • Breachers only need to be right one time to access an entire network
  • Breachers look for weaknesses that can be exploited
  • It is the job of the employee to be the gatekeeper of their organization’s data
• Fundamental steps to cyber security in healthcare
  • Get the baseline security posture of your healthcare organization
  • Be an advocate and quickly point out red flags
  • Consider both in scope and out of scope requirements when assessing security risks
  • Develop a detailed risk register and leave no room for ambiguity
  • Frequently assess requirements for risk and impact
• Identifying who is responsible for security and the role of the Project Manager
  • It is everyone’s responsibility to secure ill-intentioned access to data
  • The Program/Project Manager should understand their organization’s security plan as cybersecurity is a critical aspect of PM
  • The PM should not only understand the principles of cybersecurity but also integrate them into the project management process
• Security First Philosophy
  • Security is everyone’s responsibility

Next Event

Join us at the next PMI Atlanta Healthcare forum on Wednesday March 20th, 2024

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

Event Pictures

Written by: Catherine Binuya, Ed.D.

Presentation Overview 

Merlin Solar, founded in 2012, is now a world-wide leader in solar solutions for mobile, transportation, and grid-tied applications. Their products are seen in applications that span commercial transportation, trucking, marine and the military.

The company stress tests their products in all seven continents under vastly different weather conditions and latitudes to enhance performance capacity levels. Merlin Solar operates out of the U.S., Thailand, the Philippines, and India. Their current market valuation is more than $100 million dollars.

Robert Brainard is the Vice President, General Manager, and Co-founder of Merlin Solar. As the co-inventor of Merlin Solar’s innovative interconnected technology, he also manages the company’s IP portfolio of 75 US and international patents. Their patents include how their solar grids are made, special features, and how grids are attached for application.

Robert himself holds over 50 patents and has written for numerous publications in the fields of solar technologies, optical and telecoms components, materials chemistry, and high TC superconductors.

Takeaways

• Unique patented design overcomes the rigidity and brittleness of traditional solar panel construction and is lighter weight because it eliminates the need for a glass panel overcoat.
• Their designs allow the company to manufacture portable, mobile panels such as those carried by soldiers to set up in mobile command posts and have been used in emergency disaster relief events.
• Their copper webbing design creates more electrical connections (up to 2000+), greater structural integrity, provides more protection.
• Real-life applications address challenges of generating and storing solar energy under scattered light, shady, hazy, night-time conditions as well as a wide range of extreme climates.
• The company’s innovative design perspective begins with the consumer’s specific needs in mind, “what problem are we solving for the client?”
• Merlin Solar’s business model focuses on business operators to achieve a faster path to market.

Next Event

Join us at the next PMI Atlanta Architectural, Engineering, & Construction (AEC) forum on Tuesday, March 12, 2024

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

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