Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Speaker Spotlight: Paul A. Capello, P.M.P.

Leading up to the Project World and World Congress for Business Analysts conference, we're featuring the outstanding bios of some of our speakers. Today let's take a look at Paul A. Capello, PMP, Project Office Manager, Bayfront Health Systems. Paul will be presenting "Managing the Increase in ARRA-Focused Projects: A Real Success Story with the Bayfront PMO Workbook" on Monday, November 14, 2011 in the Annual PMO Summit.

Bayfront Medical Center has established a Project Management Office to facilitate, educate and demonstrate Project Management principles and methodologies. Bayfront Medical has realized the benefits of putting work into projects within the organization; however the large number of projects and the complexity of the projects have resulted in difficulties around collaboration and communication. As the organization tries to transform itself from a reactive organization to a proactive organization and realize efficiencies and cost savings to meet the needs of an evolving marketplace certain tools are created. Thus, the project workbook was born.

In this session you'll learn:
• How to effectively communicate across project teams using a project workbook
• How to have Project Milestones documented
• How to introduce team members to Project Management methodologies

Paul Capello has extensive experience in a wide range of project management duties involving high technology systems development and integration projects, with particular expertise in project leadership and cost and schedule management. Paul is conversant with state-of-the-art technologies and complex technical subjects.

Paul’s recent activities include project management training and mentoring, project management presentations to large groups, leading a 35 person software development team to achieve client acceptance of a client/server budgeting system, writing a complete project management methodology for a health system, developing and delivering a 5 day project management training course, writing a software development methodology, managing a software engineering department and project teams delivering real-time embedded machine control systems, developing recommendations to strengthen a company's software development methodology, using MS-Project to provide planning and performance tracking for a large healthcare clinical implementation project, developing a scalable methodology to tailor project management disciplines to projects of different size and complexity, and conducting training courses in project management.

Prior to that, Paul was an IT manager and financial manager providing project management support to a multi-million dollar integrated software and hardware development project for Avco Financial.

In 2000, Paul was certified as a Project Management Professional by the Project Management Institute. Paul also sat on the Board of Directors for PMI South Florida from 1999-2003. Paul has recently been lauded in the Metropolitan Who's Who for Project Management.

To hear from Paul join us this November PW&WCBA! Learn more about Project World and the World Congress for Business Analysts by downloading the brochure here. Readers of our blog receive an exclusive 15% discount off the standard registration rate with code PW11BLOG. Register here.


Monday, August 29, 2011

Filling the "Air Sandwich"


I recently had the pleasure of moderating another one of our Project World and The World Congress for Business Analysts year-round webinar series. Our featured speaker was Mark Morgan, founder of StratEx Advisors. Mark has a 30 year history of work with individuals, teams and organizations helping them clarify what they want and focus on getting it. His belief is that solutions to organizational challenges are best constructed to match the unique DNA of the organization. His career has covered engineering, line management, leadership development, business start-up, project management, program management, portfolio management, strategic planning, workshop facilitation and public speaking. Mark has worked with individuals and companies in the high-tech, bio-tech, construction, consumer goods, high volume manufacturing, software, healthcare and internet industries.

Mark raised one point during the webinar that I found particularly applicable to a lot of situations.
How can we fill the void or avoid the disconnect between strategy and individual projects? Or as Mark put it, how can we put content in the "air sandwich"? He identified several key characteristics that can help an organization with this goal: Traceability, Sufficiency, and Capacity.


Is this a challenge you have faced in your company? How did you address the issue? Share with us in the comments.

To enjoy year-round learning benefits such as the webinar series throughout 2012, register for the event today. Readers of our blog receive an exclusive 15% discount off the standard registration rate with code PW11BLOG.

Michelle LeBlanc is a Social Media Strategist at IIR USA with a specialization in marketing. She may be reached at mleblanc@iirusa.com.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

See Who’s Attending PW&WCBA 2011


We hope that you're planning to join us for ProjectWorld® & World Congress for Business Analysts® this November. The industry's leading companies will be attending - don't get left behind - gain the skills, insights and techniques you need to be more valuable to yourself and your organization.

Take a look at the companies who've already signed on to attend:
280 Group
Adobe
ALSAC/St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
American Chemical Society
American Water
Aseco Integrated Systems
Atmos Energy
Bank of Canada
Bayfront Health Systems
BECU
BMC Software
Boeing
Bright House Networks
CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield
CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield of Maryland
Caterpillar
Cisco
Citibank
Costco Wholesale Corporation
Covidien
Cubic Corporation
Cultural Mixology
Cushman & Wakefield
Defense Contract Management Agency
EBG Consulting, Inc.
Education Credit Management Corp
Erie Insurance
Farm Bureau Insurance
Follett Software
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Humana, Inc.
General Dynamics IT
IBM
IMF
International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA)
Innovative Management Solutions
IRS
Kaiser Permanente
Landsbankinn
Leadership CoP
Liberty Mutual
Lisa DiTullio & Associates, LLC
Mandalay Entertainment
Marathon Oil Company
Meta Payment Systems
Microsoft
National Insurance Product Registry (NIPR)
Newfield Exploration
North Highland
Novartis Pharmaceuticals
NYSTEC
Oracle America PetSmart
Pfizer
Physicians Mutual
Plains All American Pipeline
Project Management Institute (PMI)
Prudential
Raymond James
SAS Institute
Scripps Networks
The Smart PMs, Inc.
Sunlife Financial
Synovus Bank
TG
Thinqube Network
TMG Health
Travelers Insurance
TriZetto Group
TVA
United Parcel Service
United States Olympic Committee
U.S. Cellular Corporation
Vermont Information Technology Leaders
Walt Disney World
WEA Trust
Wells Fargo Insurance
Yankee Candle Company

Hear from a speaking roster filled with project management and business analysis practitioners, as well as industry leading CIO's and IT executives sharing stories from the trenches.

Keynotes include:
• Dr. Terry Barnhart, Senior Director Global R&D, Pfizer
• Carlos Dominguez, Senior Vice President, Office of the Chairman and CEO, Cisco
• Peter Guber, Founder & CEO, Mandalay Entertainment, Author, Tell to Win - Connect, Persuade, and Triumph with the Hidden Power of Story
• Chuck Millhollan, MBA, MPM, PMP, PgMP, Innovative Management Solutions
• Disney Institute
• Plus more than 40 additional world-class speakers. Download the brochure for the full speaking line-up and session description.

Plus, within one conference package you'll receive exclusive access to the 2011 on-demand Web Seminar Series AND access to the live PW&WCBA conference in November. That's up to 36 PDUs/CDUs in just one package!

Join us November 14-16 at Disney's Contemporary Resort in Orlando, register now to secure your spot. Readers of our blog receive an exclusive 15% discount off the standard registration rate with code PW11BLOG.

All the best,
The ProjectWorld® & World Congress for Business Analysts Team
Visit the ProjectWorld® & World Congress for Business Analysts webpage
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Friday, August 19, 2011

Friday Flicks: "What The Heck is a Tech Nowist?"



Carlos Dominguez
is a Senior Vice President in Cisco’s Office of the Chairman of the Board and CEO and a technology evangelist, speaking to and motivating audiences worldwide about how technology is changing how we communicate, collaborate, and especially how we work.

He describes himself not as a "futurist," but as a "Tech Nowist," which is to say someone who is interested in understanding what technology is available today and then using it to it's best advantage.

Dominguez will be presenting the keynote presentation "Becoming a Change Maker: What Technology Can Do to Bring You into the Future" on Wednesday, November 16th, 2011 at Project World and the World Congress for Business Analysts. In this session you'll gain insights on how to become a change-maker and create a culture that’s adaptable, agile and understanding of the virtual and global work environment and how you can leverage technology to advance your projects, portfolios and value to your organization.

Check out this video for a sneak peek of his presentation style:


To get started on improving your collaboration technique now, try these seven tips from a post on his blog:
  1. Experiment – Many large enterprises have very strict processes and guidelines on the adoption of new company-wide technology deployments. I suggest adopting an approach of experimentation. Without experimentation you may miss a game changing technology.
  2. Start Small – Engage in three to four small technology deployments and see what works.
  3. Measure / Learn – At the onset of these experiments make sure you figure out a way to capture and measure the impact of these technologies. The data/results are key in gaining support from the executive team.
  4. Executive Sponsor – Find an executive sponsor who is interested in technology or can gain the most from it. Keep them informed on a regular basis.
  5. Expect Failure - Not everything will work. Keep documentation on what failed and why.
  6. Trust – This is one of the key things to understand. Nothing replaces face-to-face meetings. The key human characteristic that enables or hinders collaboration is trust. Technologies like high definition video will have a significant impact on trust since facial expressions and body language are recognized. That makes HD video a valuable tool if the teams have never met or if their personal relationships are limited. Inversely, audio conferencing has very little impact on building trust. Use the right tool for the job!
  7. Inside/Outside Company – To maximize the potential of any collaboration effort, consider how to get people outside your company to participate. Consider suppliers, partners and customers as potential participants and contributors. Some great things may happen!
Read the whole post here for more.

To learn more about Project World and the World Congress for Business Analysts, download the brochure here. Readers of our blog receive an exclusive 15% discount off the standard registration rate with code PW11BLOG. Register here.

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Tuesday, August 16, 2011

#PWWCBA Speaker Spotlight: William J Purpura of The Boeing Company

This November at Project World and the World Congress for Business Analysts, William J. Purpura, MSME, MBA, PE, & PMP; Senior Project Engineer at The Boeing Company will be presenting "Earned Schedule (ES), Correcting Earned Value Management’s (EVM) Errors in Cost & Schedule Predictions on Complex Projects"

Over his 35 year career, (including 28 years at Boeing), Purpura has served in both Senior Project and Senior System Engineering roles on a widely diverse range of programs. Bill has been awarded BS and MS degrees in Mechanical Engineer, an MBA, as well as four post graduate Certificates in Software Engineering from California State University Fullerton. He is Project Management Professional (PMP) certified, a registered Mechanical Professional Engineer (PE) in the state of California, and a SEC certified Registered Investment Advisor.

Bill is currently supporting Boeing’s Strategic Development & Experimentation organization, focusing on the creation of next generation Net-Enabled architectures and environments as well as development roadmaps for technologies critical to Boeing’s new business thrusts. Bill has been awarded 13 US patents (2 more pending), 3 International patents, and one Boeing trade secret. He has also authored/presented scores of papers and training courses within Boeing as well as workshops at Project World in 2006, 2007, 2008, & 2009.

This year's session will focus on Earned Schedule (ES). Called out in the 2005 PMI Earned Value Management Practice Standard as an “emerging practice”, Earned Schedule provides analytical tools to address known EVM errors in predicting cost & schedule for complex projects. Drawing on the same data underpinning EVM systems ES Schedule Performance Indicators (SPIs) are calculated based around time, not cost. This allows management to better understand the true progress being made on complex systems in terms aligned with today’s most important project constraints; time-to-market and/or contracted product delivery. This one day workshop will provide attendees with the essential understanding of the theory of ES as well as a working knowledge of the tools and process required to implement it on current/future complex projects.

To learn more about Project World and the World Congress for Business Analysts, download the brochure here. Readers of our blog receive an exclusive 15% discount off the standard registration rate with code PW11BLOG. Register here.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Friday Flicks: Get Inspired by Peter Gruber, author of Tell to Win

Sometimes getting a team on-board with a project, or inspiring those around you is all about finding the right story to tell and the right way to tell it. Peter Guber, Founder & CEO, Mandalay Entertainment, Author of Tell To Win has made his career by finding success through storytelling. Guber will present "Connect, Persuade, and Triumph with the Hidden Power of Story" this November at Project World.

In this session, you’ll hear how this entertainment industry executive has achieved success through purposeful story telling to motivate, win over, shape, engage and sell. After listening to his speech, you’ll know how to craft, deliver – and own – a story that is truly compelling, one capable of turning others into viral advocates for your goal.

Get some quick inspiration this Friday with Guber's Winning Voices video series. In these videos, Guber sits down with influential guests such as Magic Johnson, Tony Robbins and Deepak Chopra to talk about telling stories and gleaning insight into the most important skills we have at our disposal.


View more videos like this on Guber's website here. To learn more about Guber's presentation and the Project World and World Congress for Business Analysts, download the brochure here.

Register for the 2011 Project World & World Congress for Business Analysts event and receive an exclusive 15% discount off the standard registration rate as a reader of our blog with code PW11BLOG. Register here.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Don’t Miss Your Chance to Save on PW&WCBA

Can you believe it's already the second week of August? Summer sure goes by fast, and so is your chance to register for the premiere conference brand in project management and business analysis ProjectWorld® & World Congress for Business Analysts® at a substantial discount. So if you haven't already checked out PW&WCBA in Florida this November, download the brochure today here. It's a summer read that may excite you, inspire you and even help advance your career.

The PW&WCBA Difference:
MORE VALUE
• Earn up to 36 PDUs/CDUs plus earn your way toward the new Agile certification
• Learning year round with a continuing education series of on-demand web seminars, offering you up to 12 PDUs/CDUs
• Continuous networking through an exclusive networking site

SUPERIOR CONTENT
• 90% session led by corporate practitioners
• All new keynotes, sharing enterprise-wide leadership
• 4 immersive tracks with 90-minute in-depth sessions
• Newly expanded and customizable Agile Summit
• Advanced PMO Summit

MORE TOOLS
• 45+ new tools from each speaker
• Pre-event Agile kit to help maximize training time
• Proprietary corporate matchmaking tool to connect you with your peers

See for yourself why PW&WCBA has consistently garnered near perfect satisfaction and referral scores and the highest company retention rates over any other event of its kind. Whether this will be your first time or you are a veteran attendee, you will have an experience incomparable to any previous events you have attended

Join us November 14-16 at Disney's Contemporary Resort in Orlando, register now to secure your spot, receive an exclusive 15% discount off the standard rate as a reader of our blog with code PW11BLOG. Register here.

We hope you will join the leading PM & BA community at the industry's annual gathering. All the best,
The ProjectWorld® & World Congress for Business Analysts Team
Visit the ProjectWorld® & World Congress for Business Analysts webpage.
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Friday, August 5, 2011

Friday Flicks: Three Project Management Videos

This week I came across a number of interesting videos on the Project World twitter account. Here they are in case you missed it.

First, I found this video about the program that Disney Institute offers.

Disney Institute will be presenting "The "Magic" Behind Great Teamwork: Disney's Approach to People Management" on Monday, November 14th at Project World.

Next, check out this new program "RedCritter Tracker."

RedCritter Tracker - Agile Gamification from Mike Beaty on Vimeo.

We've been discussing the influence of social media on project management software recently and this software takes that to a new level with Foursquare-style badges and a rewards store. What do you think, would you ever use a program like this? (If so, check out our track on "The New Era of Social Communication, Leadership & Collaboration.")

I also came across this video of PW&WCBA keynote speaker Carlos Dominguez, Senior Vice-President, Office of the Chairman and CEO, Cisco discussing collaboration tools and Cisco technology.



Like this content? Follow us on twitter for more or register for the 2011 Project World & World Congress for Business Analysts event. Receive an exclusive 15% discount off the standard registration rate as a reader of our blog with code PW11BLOG.