A SUPPLEMENT TO PM NETWORK® PUBLISHED BY PROJECT MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE MARCH 2018

PMI® EMEA Congress 2018

It’s Time for PMI® EMEA Congress 2018

Difference Makers
7–9 May 2018
Berlin, Germany
PMI.org/emea-congress

INSIDE
Customers—How to Be the 3
Central Point of Their Success

T
PMIEF Touches Lives Worldwide 9 he PMI® EMEA Congress 2018 This year’s PMI EMEA Congress will
Through Innovative Grants will give you the tools, knowledge help you deliver. Over three days,
E-Commerce Giant JD Group 11 and contacts to stay ahead in an you’ll learn and share experiences with
Hosts PMO Roundtable ever-changing world. project, program and portfolio managers
Events Calendar 12 from around the world, as well as hear
Why Should You Attend? from innovative speakers and experts.
Chapter Links 14
As a project, program or portfolio Continued on page 10
management practitioner, it’s your job
Collaboration and to bring about positive change. But it can
Teamwork Help Global be challenging to do that when change
Volunteers Launch is a constant—and you’re expected to
2018 Tasks See page 6
deliver it at a moment’s notice.

Available online for PMI members only at PMI.org

PMI-650 PMITodayMarch2018NewSpeaker.indd 1 2/23/18 11:05 AM

 Page 2 PMI Today March 2018
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PMI GLOBAL EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
PMI and members of the influential Global Executive Council believe that project, program and portfolio management
deliver a strategic advantage that helps organizations do more with less. The elite organizations selected for
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To learn more, please visit PMI.org/Business-Solutions/PMI-Global-Executive-Council.aspx.
PMI-650 PMITodayMarch2018.indd 2
2018 PMI
Board of Directors
Chair
Caterina (Cathy) La Tona, BCS, PMP, PfMP
+1 248 703 9810 cathy.latona@bod.pmi.org
Vice Chair
Project Management Institute Jennifer Tharp, PMP
14 Campus Blvd., Newtown Square, PA 19073-3299 USA
+1 415 385 1749 jennifer.tharp@bod.pmi.org
Tel: +1 610 356 4600; Fax: +1 610 482 9971
Email: customercare@pmi.org Secretary-Treasurer and Chair, Audit and
Website: PMI.org Performance Oversight Committee
Tony Appleby, MBA, PMP
PMI Asia Pacific Service Centre +1 510 468 9658 tony.appleby@bod.pmi.org
Singapore
Tel: +65 6496 5501 Chair, Strategy Oversight Committee
Randall T. (Randy) Black, P.Eng., PMP
Email: customercare.asiapac@pmi.org
+1 587 988 9917 randy.black@bod.pmi.org
PMI Europe, Middle East and Africa
(EMEA) Service Centre DIRECTORS
Dundalk, Ireland
Tel: +353 42 682 5610 Margareth Carneiro, MBA, MSc, PMP
Email: customercare.emea@pmi.org +55 61 8175 3455 margareth.carneiro@bod.pmi.org
Mark Dickson, MBA, FAICD, PMP,
PMI India Service Centre
Immediate Past Chair
New Delhi, India
+61 407 933 110 mark.dickson@bod.pmi.org
Tel.: +91 124 4517140
Email (membership-related queries): J. Davidson Frame, PhD, PMP, PMI Fellow
customercare.india@pmi.org +1 703 623 0035 davidson.frame@bod.pmi.org
Other Locations Teresa A. (Terri) Knudson, MBA, PMP, PgMP, PfMP
n Beijing, China
+1 507 259 9568 teresa.knudson@bod.pmi.org
n Bengaluru, India
Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez, MBA, PMP
n Brussels,Belgium +32 479 80 94 18 antonio.nieto.rodriguez@bod.pmi.org
n Buenos Aires, Argentina
n Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Kathleen P. Romero, MBA, PMP, CSM, and SPC
+1 804 677 7674 kathleen.romero@bod.pmi.org
n London, England
n Mumbai, India Tejas Sura, MS, MBA, PMP, PfMP
n Rio de Janeiro, Brazil +91 91672 37828 tejas.sura@bod.pmi.org
n São Paulo, Brazil
Roberto Toledo, MBA, PMP
n Shanghai, China
+52 55 5416 7214 roberto.toledo@bod.pmi.org
n Shenzhen, China
n Sydney, Australia Thomas Walenta, Dipl.Math, PMP, PgMP, PMI Fellow
n Washington, D.C., USA +49 171 3358938 thomas.walenta@bod.pmi.org
See PMI.org/AboutUs/Pages/Customer-Care.aspx for Cecil White, EdD, MBA, PMP
contact details. +1 876 507 1248 cecil.white@bod.pmi.org
Al Zeitoun, PhD, PMI-RMP, PMI-SP, PMP
© 2018 Project Management Institute, Inc. +1 202 215 9809 al.zeitoun@bod.pmi.org
All rights reserved. “PMI,” the PMI logo,“ “CAPM,”
“PMP,” “PMBOK,” “PM Network,” and “Project
STAFF EXECUTIVE
Management Institute” are registered marks of
Project Management Institute, Inc. President and Chief Executive Officer
For a comprehensive list of PMI marks, please refer Mark A. Langley
+1 610 356 4600 mark.langley@pmi.org
to the PMI List of Marks found on our website at
pmi.org/~/media/PDF/Media/PMI_List_of_Marks.ashx
or contact the PMI Legal Department.
2/8/18 3:04 PM
 PMI Today March 2018 Page 3

from the Board

Customers—
Tejas Sura, MS, Al Zeitoun, PhD,
MBA, PMP, PfMP PMI-RMP, PMI-SP,
PMP

How to Be
THE Central Point
OF Their Success
PMI Today: What does “customer Customers need to see that you PMI Today: A project manager can have
centricity” mean to you, and why is it are passionate about the personal many customers, both internal and ex-
so important? relationship you are developing with ternal. Who, to you, are the customers?
them, regardless of the form of these
Mr. Sura: Customer centricity means Mr. Sura: A customer is any individual
relationships in this digital era. Without
understanding the needs of the or organization that one chooses to
this level of focus on the customer,
customer to such an extent that you tell serve and satisfy their needs. In a typical
success of any initiative is questionable.
them what they need before they know Continued on page 4
it themselves. It is not about selling
the products and services we have, but
it is about solving a set of customer
problems that we want to own. It is
about understanding what drives value
to customers.
Dr. Zeitoun: It means connectedness
to the mission’s purpose. We all do
things to create an impact. Focusing on
a particular target gives you and your
organization the ability to adjust easily
and continually. That way we ensure
that we are not losing a sense of where
the customer’s inclinations are at any
given point in time.

PMI-650 PMITodayMarch2018.indd 3 2/8/18 3:04 PM

 Page 4 PMI Today March 2018
From the Board Continued from page 3
organization, internal customers would
include the human resources manager,
the finance manager, senior executives,
colleagues, the project team and the busi-
ness development manager.
External customers would be clients,
suppliers, subcontractors and partnering
organizations. The business of securing cli-
ents drives revenue and is essential to the
success and survival of an organization.
Dr. Zeitoun: In my different roles as a
project manager, I have had a changing
landscape of diverse customers. To me, I
respect every stakeholder as a customer!
They could be internal (the marketing
team receiving my newly designed curricu-
lum when I was managing talent develop-
ment programs) or external (organizations
receiving my material handling system
components when I worked in a corrugat-
ed box plant). In either case, the custom-
ers need to know that they are the central
point of our dedication to their success.
PMI Today: Do you use any priority
ranking for customers (in other words,
are some customers more important
than others)?
Mr. Sura: To me, internal customers are
as important as external customers.
It is definitely very important to satisfy
external customers. Satisfied external
customers will remain loyal to the
PMI Fact File
TOTAL MEMBERS
514,726
…in 207 countries
and territories
PMI has 291 chartered and
15 potential chapters
PMI-650 PMITodayMarch2018.indd 4
company longer, make repeat purchases
or supply repeat products or services,
and will refer the company to others.
Conversely, an external customer who
suffers through a negative experience
with the company can harm an
organization by discouraging others from
patronizing it. With the advent of social
media, negative comments and reviews
can be devastating to an organization.
A negative customer experience can be
the result of poor internal customer ser-
vice. This could happen if one of our em-
ployees is unhappy and that unhappiness
is deflected onto the external customer
by way of poor service. In my opinion,
there is definitely a direct correlation be-
tween internal employee happiness and a
positive external customer experience.
Clients who are more important than
others are those who not only give repeat
business but also evangelize and refer us
to other clients. Because these customers
are better connected and more influen-
tial, their ability to attract other custom-
ers is disproportionate to their share of
your business. Also, I would give priority
to clients who pay on time.
Dr. Zeitoun: Since there is ultimately one
customer at any given point or interac-
tion, theoretically a priority ranking would
not be needed. Obviously when it comes
to the portfolio level, one must prioritize
PMI Has Passed the Half-Million Member Mark!
CERTIFICATIONS
Total Active Holders of:
CAPM® Certified Associate in Project Management
PMP® Project Management Professional
PfMP® Portfolio Management Professional
PgMP® Program Management Professional
PMI-RMP® PMI Risk Management Professional
PMI-SP® PMI Scheduling Professional
PMI-PBA® PMI Professional in Business Analysis
PMI-ACP® PMI Agile Certified Practitioner
using such a ranking. I prefer to keep that
ranking simple and transparent so as
many decision makers as possible are on
the same level of understanding for how
we reached that ranking.
For the ranking, I usually put a slightly
higher weight on the factors that
contribute to changing the business
(growth, innovation, stretching
organizational capacity) over the ones
that are part of running the business
(financials, support to ongoing operations
and fit to current capabilities).
An Emotional Connection
PMI Today: In your career, what have
you found is the best way to focus on
the customer?
Mr. Sura: Understanding their current
and potential needs and catering to those
needs is the best way. Also, companies
should strive to listen and recognize
existing customer concerns.
Companies should have two-way
conversations and emotional connections
with their customers. Showing concern
for the customer and addressing their
problems brings them greater satisfaction
and loyalty. Having a customer
experience that is easy, enjoyable and
convenient makes all the difference.
Another way of being customer focused is
to price the offering in such a way
Statistics through 31 January 2018
PUBLISHING
34,599
833,025
523
2,198 5,845,709
4,513 Total copies of
all editions* of the
1,795 PMBOK® Guide
2,076 in circulation
*includes PMI-published
19,634 translations
2/8/18 3:04 PM

that clients perceive it as fair against the
value offering.
Dr. Zeitoun: Open communication is the
key to achieving focus on the customer.
It is easier and more critical in this digital
era to have this direct conversation. What
works best is asking the right questions in
a timely manner and staying forthcom-
ing with changing assumptions or any
constraints affecting expectations.
Just like when I led project management
offices throughout my career, sensing the
maturity of the organization, the readi-
ness of the stakeholders and the complex-
ity of strategic initiatives are all key to
deciding how comprehensive and detailed
our strategic execution processes need
to be. Staying open, dynamic, passionate
and responsive to the customer is a key
recipe for sustaining this focus.
PMI Today: Have you had any “difficult
customers” in your career? How did you
manage those situations?
Mr. Sura: With the good comes the bad,
and in business this means dealing with
difficult customers every now and again.
Regarding internal customers, in an
infrastructure company I have noticed the
procurement managers can be the most
difficult customers for project managers
and vice-versa, especially when there is a
centralized procurement function. I have
dealt with this challenge through setting
processes defining the lead time required
by the procurement manager. However,
in case of emergency, the project man-
ager is authorized to make purchases with
prior approval from the procurement
manager regarding the pricing.
Similarly, external customers are
demanding in today’s world. They have
high expectations and sometimes that
leads to disappointments in projects. The
best way to deal with such customers
is to allow them to communicate how
they feel and their viewpoint. By offering
an explanation and being willing to help,
customers are more likely to embrace
PMI-650 PMITodayMarch2018.indd 5
your support instead of shunning your
business. Providing an immediate
response to the problem at hand does
help control the situation. This may mean
breaking the rules every now and again to
satisfy the customer.
The reality is that problems do occur,
people do complain and businesses do
move forward. Learning from difficult
customers is a way to help strengthen the
overall business and success.
Dr. Zeitoun: This is an interesting
question. Yes, there are many instances
of difficult customers. If predictability
was easy, all of us would be robots and
all businesses would be able to play and
compete in all niches.
Internal customers used to be the most
difficult ones I dealt with. They tended to
take the work of my teams for granted,
not communicate as clearly or expect
a higher degree of freedom to disrupt
processes. External ones seemed to be
more predictable and interactions used
to be more formal.
In this digital era, the tables have turned.
With fast changes and a greater expecta-
tion for organizational agility, it does not
matter any longer where the difficult
customers come from. In fact, customer
challenges should be taken as critical,
strategic opportunities for learning.
Lightning speed and almost-real-time
feedback to outcomes along the project
journey now define the way we work.
This also requires that we develop a
much stronger level of emotional intel-
ligence, as none of the feedback and
possible critiques are personal.
PMI Today: What are some metrics
that can be used to measure customer
centricity?
Mr. Sura: Some of the metrics that our
organization uses to measure customer
centricity include peer-to peer-review for
internal customers, repeat business from
existing customers and referral business
from existing customers.
PMI Today March 2018 Page 5
Dr. Zeitoun: Raving fans! Whether it
is directly reflected in customer survey
data or the number of likes and reviews
on social media, the key is their strong
belief that we are customers’ true
partners. The ultimate metric is repeat
business coupled with recommending
the organization or the team to others.
Unhappy Customers
PMI Today: If the customers don’t
appear to be coming back or are
otherwise unhappy, what can you do?
Mr. Sura: This is a critical situation for a
business. It could mean reorganization.
Internally, organizations should get
employees to think of themselves and
their coworkers in the same manner as
they do their external customers—as
very important. We all need to provide
our employees and coworkers the same
high level of service that we give our
clients, and make sure the staff feels they
are important and bring value.
The first thing the company should check
about external customers is feedback.
Ask what is keeping customers away,
what does the company need to change
in terms of customer experience, what
are competitors doing and how can we
win back customer loyalty.
Henry Ford once said, “Coming together
is the beginning, keeping together is
progress, working together is success.”
Dr. Zeitoun: Change! Doing the same
thing and expecting different results
does not go a long way. This is critical
in dealing with unhappy customers.
If customers are not returning, it is
an opportunity to be humble, show
willingness to learn and step up our
game. Offer the customer the chance
to share what the missing ingredients
exactly are, where we can improve
and confirm we are truly listening.
Rebuilding the organizational learning
culture is the greatest opportunity
when we have failed.
2/8/18 3:04 PM
 Page 6 PMI Today March 2018

Continuing the Transformation

Collaboration and Teamwork Help

Global Volunteers Launch 2018 Tasks
I t has been said that the value of
individual contributions is amplified
by a team. That principle was
shown many times over during the
PMI® Leadership Institute Volunteer
Planning Meeting (LIVPM), held
in January in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, USA.
The general session for LIVPM
included a workshop aimed at
aligning attendees to our strategic
transformation. Fifteen randomly
organized teams of volunteers
undertook the exercise to understand
the transformation efforts and help
PMI move from strategy development
to execution.
Dave Garrett, vice president,
transformation, asked the volunteers
to put themselves into “day job”
(career) mode in an exercise to help
PMI learn how to translate needs of PMI Chair Cathy La Tona, BCS, PMP, PfMP
the profession into ways we can help.
The aim was to see what mattered to Each team then read out their best integration following an acquisition,
attendees along their own personal stories. Themes included: the volunteer was able to get a seat
journeys and what led them to identify n When a consultant came into this on the integration team.
themselves as project managers. volunteer’s organization to discuss Following a 360-degree assessment,
n

this volunteer worked with a coach

to gain empathy, communication
Who Are PMI’s Global Volunteers? skills and a better understanding of
people and their behavior.
This year, 145 global volunteers from 34 countries made the trek to Philadelphia
Several volunteers mentioned
n
in chilly weather to meet the other members of their groups, plan the groups’
having mentors to help them learn
agendas for the year and network with fellow attendees.
about certifications such as the
The groups advise staff and other volunteers on PMI programs and services such Project Management Professional
as chapters, standards, professional awards, Registered Education Providers and (PMP)®. And several said they would
technology. Other groups directly support the Board of Directors in areas such as not retire, becoming mentors
ethics, certification, accreditation and nominations for director elections. instead to newer practitioners.
Addressing and thanking the global volunteers at a networking reception, PMI Others used the term “jobtold”
n

President and CEO Mark A. Langley noted that “when you work in your teams at (similar to “voluntold”) to describe
your job, you help your organization succeed. When you work in your PMI teams, how they were required to earn a
you help improve an entire profession.” PMP® certification.

PMI-650 PMITodayMarch2018.indd 6 2/8/18 3:04 PM


n One volunteer brought up the
increasing use of independent
contractors and noted certification
was needed if one found oneself in
freelance mode.
n A college professor expressed pride
in helping influence how project
management is viewed by those
going into the profession.
Big Birthday
Several speakers at the general session
pointed out that PMI will turn 50 years
old next year. A video graphically
displayed the changes the world and
PMI have seen over the last 50 years.
Change will continue, pointed out
Volunteer Programs and Services
Manager Joanne Lynch, and “all of you
will be key parts of the transformation.”
PMI President and CEO Mark A. Langley
PMI-650 PMITodayMarch2018.indd 7
Workshop exercise.
PMI Chair Cathy La Tona, BCS, PMP,
PfMP, told her story of obtaining
her PMP certification back in 2001,
when customers were asking for
the certification. She pointed out
that one purpose of LIVPM was to
gain a shared understanding of PMI
strategy. She urged that decisions
made by the groups align with the
new strategy, noting that “there is
power in alignment. This direction will
sustain us well into the future and keep
us relevant,” Ms. La Tona continued.
“The Board of Directors embraces this
direction and asks everyone to do
the same.”
Ms. La Tona reviewed the three pillars of
our strategy: strategic focus, customer
centricity and organizational agility.
She also noted goals for enhancing
new operational capabilities, including
sensing and responding, partnering,
business development, career
development and customer experience.
Looking Into the Future
PMI President and CEO Mark A. Langley
centered his remarks on increasing
PMI’s relevance in the future. He
PMI Today March 2018 Page 7
said we expect to double our current
number of certification holders and
have many more in the pipeline.
“Volunteer networks and relationships
will get stronger and become more
important to career development and
critical to PMI,” he said.
Referring to the forthcoming golden
anniversary, he noted PMI started with
25 members and with the founders
thinking they would be successful if
membership grew to 1,000. Now PMI
has 500 times that amount and is
still growing.
Mr. Langley said the future might
consist of bringing other skill sets
into PMI, like design thinking. “PMI
has always been about change, it’s in
the DNA of PMI and the profession,”
he said. “It’s all about continuous
improvement. We can do better.”
He promised attendees that while they
maintain focus on delivering near-term
value, “we’ll maintain our focus on
supporting you. We will be in Davos
[Switzerland, at the World Economic
Forum] representing PMI, the profession
and all of you.”
Continued on page 8
2/8/18 3:04 PM
 Page 8 PMI Today March 2018
Collaboration and Teamwork Help Global Volunteers Launch 2018 Tasks
Continued from page 7
Some Global Volunteers and Their PMI Journeys
Dr. Vittal Anantatmula, PMP, is a
director for the PMI Global Accreditation
Center for Project Management Educa-
tion Programs (GAC). He has had a long
academic career in the project manage-
ment field, currently serving as the pro-
gram director for project management
programs at Western Carolina University,
Cullowhee, North Carolina, USA.
He has also had a
long tenure vol-
unteering for PMI.
Dr. Anantatmula
participated in the
task force that
created PMI
Curriculum and
Resources
(accessed on
PMITeach.org), served on the PMI
Research Grants Proposal Review
Committee for several years and has done
on-site university visiting for GAC for
accreditation purposes. He worked with
the North Carolina Department of Educa-
tion at the PMI Educational Foundation’s
request to help develop a statewide high
school project management curriculum.
With this last initiative, Dr. Anantatmula
noted that some of his graduate students
mentored high school teachers involved
in being trained on the curriculum.
Dr. Anantatmula, who was attending
LIVPM for the third time, was enjoying
seeing the passion of his fellow attend-
ees. He praised PMI’s transformation as
an opportunity to identify and refocus.
Merete (Me) Munch Lange, PMP,
is a shadow
mentor for
Region 8,
Northwest
Europe. She
will become
the region
mentor for this
area in 2019.
PMI-650 PMITodayMarch2018.indd 8
Ms. Lange’s first encounter with PMI was
when her boss encouraged her to go to
an activity catering to project managers,
and she attended a PMI global confer-
ence. The fact that volunteers running
the conference invited her to a volunteer
dinner and the family feeling of that
event made a big impression, “and I
wanted to be a part of it,” she said.
Ms. Lange served as an officer of the
PMI Norway Chapter in roles of increas-
ing responsibility all the way to chapter
president before being named a shadow
mentor. She also was a part of the 2016
Leadership Institute Master Class (LIMC).
This was her first LIVPM.
“It’s fascinating being a part of the
senior volunteer team and working
with the staff,” said Ms. Lange. “I have
big shoes to fill in the region mentor
role.” Regarding LIVPM, she is taking
advantage of insights gained from
“picking the brains of long-term
region mentors.”
Lynn Shannon, PMP, is a member
of the Chapter Member Advisory
Group (CMAG). Her PMI journey
began when she attended a chapter
meeting in Toronto,
Ontario, Canada to
meet others in the
profession. At the
time, Ms. Shannon
was working in the
publishing industry,
and “no one in this industry was doing
project management. So the meeting,
for me, was like group therapy.”
She volunteered for the chapter’s com-
munications committee and then was
“voluntold” to run for the chapter’s
board of directors. Over nine years, Ms.
Shannon worked her way up the ladder
from secretary/treasurer, president, past
president, shadow region mentor, region
mentor and now the CMAG.
Ms. Shannon gave high marks to the PMI
volunteer experience. “Volunteering ex-
posed me to other professionals. I gained
experience and training that I could use
in my professional life, such as running
meetings, working across functional
teams and presenting to a variety of
audiences. It has been great to practice
these skills as a volunteer without worry
of failure,” she said.
“PMI volunteer activities also helped
me through a transition to another
industry,” Ms. Shannon continued.
She noted that LIVPM is “the premier
event for experienced volunteers. I am
always gobsmacked at the number of
attendees and their seniority. It makes
me really understand that PMI is run by
volunteers from around the globe.”
Laura Davidson, PMI-RMP, PMP, is
also a member of the CMAG. This was
her first LIVPM. She
became aware of PMI
in 2006 when, after a
layoff, she joined the
PMI Atlanta Chapter
after volunteering for
other professional
associations in the
area. That's because
PMI offered a community. To build her
professional network, she volunteered
“for anything the chapter needed to do,”
said Ms. Davidson. “I networked to learn
about working as a project manager
in the Atlanta job market.” She then
pursued certification, and moved up
through the volunteer ranks, eventually
becoming chapter president. She is an
LIMC alumna.
“The greatest value of volunteering
for PMI is the community, and
understanding the various resources
available to you,” she said. “Every time
I moved up the ranks, PMI rose to the
challenge, exceeding expectations for
Continued on page 16
2/8/18 3:05 PM
 PMI Today March 2018 Page 9

PMIEF Touches Lives Worldwide

Through Innovative Grants
T he PMI Educational Foundation
(PMIEF) has awarded more than
US$6 million in grants since
2012 to ensure project management-
knowledgeable youth, to develop project
n DiscoverE deeply integrated project
management into the curriculum
of Future City, the preeminent
engineering competition for U.S.
middle-school students. It now
n Junior Achievement Ireland
is taking its PMIEF-funded Project
Management Skills for Life initiative to
scale to reach more than 550 young
people nationwide. In addition, P3M
management-capable nonprofits, and includes a project plan as a key Global, a PMIEF corporate donor, re-
to prepare a project management- component. Future City reaches over cently delivered three days of project
ready workforce. The foundation 30,000 young people and challenges management fundamentals training
frequently funds multi-year initiatives them to problem-solve environmental to a small cohort of Irish teachers who
to permit ample time for their ideation, and social issues by designing a city of will also participate in a study abroad
implementation and analysis. The results tomorrow using SimCity software and experience at the Buck Institute’s 2018
are as impressive as they are meaningful, recycled materials. PBL (project-based learning) World
and these grants touch lives in ways n Helen Keller International secured conference in Napa, California, USA.
people appreciate. funding from the World Bank Group Furthermore, they will aim to earn
Highlights of the numerous successes for 20 large-scale projects for which PMIEF’s microcredential for teachers.
of PMIEF’s grants over the past five its PMIEF grant delivers project n Médecins Sans Frontieres USA
years include: management training and mentoring (Doctors without Borders USA)
to build capacity to mitigate Côte chartered and executed multiple
n The Asia Society created an interac- d’Ivoire’s pandemic malnutrition. projects—including establishing the
tive, online course and accompany- PMIEF’s grant enabled the organization infrastructure necessary for customer
ing toolkit for U.S. secondary school to establish and fine-tune the key relationship management, grants
career and technical education (CTE) performance indicators necessary for oversight and financial systems—
teachers to build their project man- support from additional sources.
Continued on page 16
agement capabilities and global com-
petence. The organization will soon
pilot the course in Asia in addition to
designing a new course and toolkit for
CTE teachers of science, technology,
engineering and mathematics
(STEM)-related pathways.
n The Buck Institute for Education
developed a project management-rich
framework for high-quality, project-
based learning and will launch it at the
world-renowned South by Southwest
Conference in Austin, Texas, USA
in March 2018. A series of strategic
media placements in Education Week
and Huffington Post preceded the
launch in January and February to
showcase PMIEF’s grant. PMIEF’s grant to CARE USA delivered project management training to the organization’s worldwide
staff in Zurich, Switzerland, thanks to Cadence Management.

PMI-650 PMITodayMarch2018.indd 9 2/8/18 3:05 PM

 Page 10 PMI Today March 2018
It’s Time for Difference Makers
Continued from page 1
But you won’t just be taking notes in a
conference room. We’ve designed the
congress to blend immersive, “learning-
by-doing” workshops and educational
outings with presentations on real-world
case studies, new research and trends in
our profession. And because we’ve based
the topics on what last year’s attendees
told us was important, you know they’ll
be relevant.
The result? You’ll emerge with techniques
you can apply straight away to solve your
challenges and develop your career. You’ll
earn at least 17 professional development
units (PDUs) to help maintain your PMI
certification(s) (more if you decide to
stay on for SeminarsWorld®, which takes
place in Berlin on 10 and 11 May). And,
of course, you’ll be able to share what
you’ve learned with your colleagues and
wider organization. So a lot of people will
benefit from a single ticket.
What Will You Learn?
The theme of this year’s congress is
“It’s Time for Difference Makers.”
That means that you won’t only learn
new concepts, skills and behaviors—
you’ll practice them too.
You’ll expand your knowledge and experi-
ence in a wide range of topics, including:
n Organizational leadership: Learn to
define problems, draw conclusions,
assess complex systems and provide
technical leadership.
n Customer focus: Understand what
customers need and what will make
them happy, using that knowledge to
create customized solutions.
n Project administration: Know how to
use strategies, practices and tools for
running projects.
n Consulting: Develop the knowledge
and skills to build consultative
relationships with senior managers
and executives.
n Problem solving/decision making:
Be able to recognize, anticipate and
PMI-650 PMITodayMarch2018NewSpeaker.indd 10
resolve problems, and assess the He’s a top
most complex systems and models. speaker and
n Effective communications: Build management
presentation and communication educator in
skills that will help you influence 62 countries
senior management. across the
globe, and
n Accuracy and attention to detail:
has been a
Learn how to process complex infor-
“strategic
mation with high levels of accuracy.
secret
n Analytical thinking: Understand weapon”
techniques and tools that will help and change
you to diagnose what causes some catalyst for
project activities to fail, and help you a long list
present alternatives. Rowan Gibson
of Fortune
500 companies. Mr. Gibson is also
Who Will You Meet?
the international best-selling author
Many attendees at the PMI EMEA of three major books: Rethinking the
Congress deliver projects and programs Future, Innovation to the Core and
as their main role. This means you’ll be The Four Lenses of Innovation.
able to ask for fresh perspectives on any
particularly sticky problems, as well as Inma Martinez is a pioneer in the
gain valuable new contacts. mobile and data analytics industries.
She has been described as one
To help you tap into this great of Europe’s top talents in social
resource, we’ve built several networking engagement through technology.
opportunities into the schedule. These Ms. Martinez was involved in a
include city tours in the evening of company that pioneered visual and
Day 1, happy hours on Days 1 and 2, music
and networking activities over lunch. streaming
You can also schedule a chat with on mobile
the various solution providers in the devices.
Provider Kiosk area. You’ll gain first- Since then,
she has been
hand information from specialists in
behind the
everything from change management
creation and
and scheduling to software and
launch of key
IT solutions.
technological
What Will Inspire You? innovations,
We want you to leave feeling not both at
just equipped to do your job better, startups
but inspired to do it. This year, that and at large
Inma Martinez corporations
inspiration will come from two exciting
keynote speakers: worldwide. From 2001 she has served
as an independent technology
Rowan Gibson: “Making change advisor to the European Union
happen and making strategy matter” Technology Commission.
Mr. Gibson, awarded in 2015 as a
global leader of innovation, is “one of Want to be part of the experience?
the most recognized thought leaders Visit PMI.org/emea-congress and
in business innovation” (Forbes). register today.
2/23/18 11:05 AM

PMI China News
E-Commerce Giant JD Group Hosts
PMO Roundtable
M ore than 40 project
management office (PMO)
leaders attended a PMI China
PMO Network Group roundtable. The
event was hosted and supported by
JD.com, a major e-commerce company
in China. Participating were PMO leaders,
senior project managers and experts from
13 organizations.
The session kicked off with a tour
of JD.com’s headquarters, which
touched on the latest developments
in e-commerce, including big data
analytics, drone delivery and new O2O
(online to offline) business models. After
the tour, speakers from a variety of
organizations shared experiences in their
respective professional areas, including
organizational project management, PMO
development and capabilities, program
management, organization culture and
talent cultivation. Lili Yao of PMI China
shared the latest research findings from
PMI’s Pulse of the Profession® research and
elaborated on the 10 prominent features
of high-agility organizations.
Nan Zheng from the JD.com R&D
management department introduced
JD’s PMO development stages from
basic development, strategic project
support through further improvements
for high value. He noted that the
company’s talent requirements focused
on professionalism, communication skills,
leadership and positive influence to the
team, technical skills, certifications and
position performance. Most important
is the value that “the customer always
comes first.” Mr. Nan said the core
essence for success is to embrace
changes and extend responsibilities.
PMI-650 PMITodayMarch2018.indd 11
Baozhong Zhang from ZTE Corporation
said that one of most important values
of a PMO is to sense the changing
market/environment and enable change
across the organization to maximize
performance. Leading transformation
should be in the DNA of every PMO,
he said. Mr. Zhang shared his PMO’s
experience to illustrate that too much
management and process results in
opportunity loss.
Jiancai Zhang from Neusoft Group
contended that many traditional
companies’ ways of working are so rigid
that flexibility and innovation are nearly
impossible, causing talent loss to other
organizations. To help end this vicious
cycle and stop the talent loss, Neusoft’s
PMO, using the PMI Talent Triangle®,
developed its own talent requirement to
find the best-fit capabilities for its market.
Chunxuan Wei from Huawei Technologies
gave a talk on Huawei’s transformation
program, which is called “Project Cen-
tricity.” Project management is not only
a methodology or tool, she said. It is a
combined system that includes process,
Event participants.
PMI Today March 2018 Page 11
methods, organization structure, capabil-
ity and tools. It is critical to integrate
these elements at the organizational
level, along with improving project,
program and portfolio management to
attain better business results.
The second part of the roundtable
featured a group discussion using a
“brain writing” technique. This allowed
attendees to quickly apply what they
learned from the presentations and
generate new ideas for their peers. The
brain writing session collected over 200
suggestions to address 26 questions,
which helped the PMO managers
to effectively exchange practical
experiences. The roundtable received
very positive feedback. Attendees were
highly engaged and took advantage of
this experience-sharing opportunity.
PMI China will continue to build
interactive platforms for organizations,
helping PMO leaders to solve critical
issues, strengthen core competencies
and enable PMOs to better manage
projects, programs and portfolios to
maximize business objectives.
2/8/18 3:05 PM
 Page 12 PMI Today March 2018

Events Calendar

PMI Today Deadlines:
MAY 2018......................................... 15 MARCH UPCOMING >
PMI EVENTS
JUNE 2018........................................... 16 APRIL ®
Free listings in the PMI Today Events ®

Calendar are reserved for activities organized

by PMI, its communities and its cooperating PMI® EMEA
organizations. For information on how to Congress 2018
purchase a paid advertisement in this
calendar, email advertising@pmi.org.
Berlin, Germany • 7–9 May 2018
Please see PMI’s online Events Calendar at PMI.org/emea-congress
PMI.org/events/calendar for more events.
PMI® Global
MARCH 2018
Conference
Los Angeles, California, USA
9 March 6–8 October 2018
PMI LaCrosse – Rochester Chapter PMI.org/global-conference
Project Conference: Making a Difference
Rochester, Minnesota, USA. Conference will
focus on three tracks: leadership, technical
project management, and strategic and
business management. Business analyst SeminarsWorld® Events 12–15 M
sessions also offered. Join us for motivating Leading subject matter experts share their Atlanta arch
keynotes, excellent breakout sessions and experience and deep knowledge on a variety , Georgia
, USA
networking. pmilacrosse-rochester.org. of topics. Whether you are looking to build 9–12 Ap
Seattle, ril
12–13 March your leadership skills, work on soft skills such Washin
gton, US
PMI Sweden Chapter as communications and collaboration or 23–26 A A
Minnea p ril
Passion for Projects delve deeper into agile, these events provide polis, M
unique opportunities to learn and connect innesota
Göteborg, Sweden. Passion for Projects is 7–10 M , USA
with the project management community. Dallas, T
a y
Scandinavia’s largest meeting place for project,
exas, US
program and portfolio managers. The theme
Learn more about SeminarsWorld courses 10–11 M A
for this year’s congress is “Organizational
being held in these locations and throughout Berlin, G ay
Agility,” represented by 28 seminars and four ermany
keynotes. passionforprojects.org. the world. Use PMI’s search tool for project 25–28 J
management training matched to your Mega Se une
specific needs. Visit learning.PMI.org. Orlando minarsWorld
, Florida
, USA
Interested in having a FREE
PMI Today® event listing on this
page? Please go to
PMI.org/events/calendar
and click on the link for submitting
events. Your listing will be
considered for both the
PMI.org online calendar and
the PMI Today calendar.

PMI-650 PMITodayMarch2018.indd 12 2/8/18 3:05 PM


22–23 March
PMI Mass Bay Chapter
Professional Development Day—North
Bedford, Massachusetts, USA. Each year
we bring together talented speakers and
quality product and service firms to produce
a high-caliber professional development
conference, and increase awareness of the
positive impact of project management
on profitability, competitive advantage,
strategic change and employee engagement.
pmimassbayevents.org.
22–23 March
PMI Singapore Chapter
13th Regional Symposium
Singapore. Theme is “Disrupt or Disappear:
Connect, Innovate and Transform.” This
prestigious event will be attended by
more than 700 project professionals and
government and industry leaders. There will
be about 20 world-class speakers speaking on
topics related to the symposium theme.
pmi.org.sg/symposium-2018-overview.
APRIL 2018
20 April
PMI North Saskatchewan Chapter
2018 Professional Development Day
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. “Sharpen
Up!” will feature Hugh Culver delivering a
keynote “Think, Plan, Act” and a workshop
“Reclaiming the Clock,” Daniel Simair
discussing managing work at high growth rates
and Dr. Janice Thomas delivering a workshop
on risk management. Earn 8 PDUs as you
join us for this event filled with learning,
networking, great professional development
and fun! pminorthsask.com.
MAY 2018
20–22 May
PMI Chapters in Australia
PMI Australia Conference 2018
Melbourne, Australia. PMIAC is Australia’s
premier project management conference
and showcases the latest ideas and thinking
around project management topics key to
the Australian market. The theme “Diversity,
Performance, Well-being” will be underpinned
by four streams: Academic insight, plus the
PMI-650 PMITodayMarch2018.indd 13
PMI Today March 2018 Page 13
c on gre sse s | c on fe re n c e s | se mi n ars | symposi ums | e- Learning
Live Webinars from ProjectManagement.com
As a valued member of the ProjectManagement.com community, you can access
webinars that provide insight from the industry's most respected voices on the most
relevant and important topics today—and earn PDUs.
6 March, 12:00 p.m. EST (UTC –5)
Shaping your Intercultural Project Leadership: How to
Leverage Cross-Cultural Challenges in Your Project
This webinar will highlight which levers project managers can use to identify and
proactively manage intercultural factors within the project, and suggests practical ways
to develop an intercultural leadership style that can be effective at both the personal
and team levels. Presented by David Colliquet, PMP, and Robert de Quelen.
28 March, 12:00 p.m. EST (UTC –4)
How a Canadian Project Recognized for Excellence
Freezes Challenges for Icy Results
The Gahcho Kué Project created the largest new diamond mine constructed in the
world since 2003. In one of the world’s harshest climates, the project was successfully
completed two months ahead of schedule. This project was named a 2017 PMI Project
of the Year Finalist. Learn about its challenges, best practices and lessons learned.
Presented by Kato Lone.
For more information and to register, visit ProjectManagement.com/Webinars.
PMI Talent Triangle® skills of technical project projects in one of the world’s most diverse,
management skills, leadership capabilities and resource-rich emerging markets—Africa!
strategic and business management expertise. pmiafricaconference.com.
pmiaustraliaconference.org.au.
NOVEMBER 2018
SEPTEMBER 2018
3–4 November
9–11 September 2018 PMI MENA Conference
PMI Chapters in Africa Kuwait City, Kuwait (3 November) and
2018 PMI Africa Conference Manama, Bahrain (4 November). Many
Port Louis, Mauritius. Hundreds of visionaries international speakers will share the latest
who manage Africa’s projects will meet in topics ranging from project excellence
in September 2018 to share ideas and to strategic PMOs to business analysis, and
build relationships on how to harness the many more. A unique learning and networking
power of project management in building opportunity. www.pmimenaconference.org.
2/8/18 3:05 PM
 Page 14 PMI Today March 2018
Chapter Links
PMI Valencia, Spain Chapter pmi-valencia.org
Conference Focuses on Relationship Between
Strategy and Project Management
T he PMI Valencia, Spain Chapter’s
14th Conference on Project
Management retained its key role
as a meeting point for project managers
in the region to maintain contact with
the profession and discover current
trends in project management. Following
the trend of recent years, the event again
exceeded its audience record, with more
than 100 attendees.
In this edition of the meeting, the
chosen subject was the relationship
between corporate strategy and
project management. The title of the
conference summed it up: “Business
Strategy and Project Management:
A Winning Connection.”
Chapter board members, volunteers and speakers.
PMI-650 PMITodayMarch2018.indd 14
news | people | projects
Continuing with the format of previous
years, the conference was divided into
three main tracks: a practical workshop
held the afternoon of the first day,
a series of seminars given by highly
decision making. Through interesting
exercises, Mr. Borja shared with the
attendees some hints about the
importance of information in making
strategic decisions.
qualified speakers on the morning of
To end the workshop, a ceremony took
the second day, and a lunch focused
place to recognize project managers
on dynamic networking at the end of
earning the Project Management
the event.
Professional (PMP)® certification in 2017.
The workshop introduction was given
The seminars session held the next day
by Amparo del Baño, the chapter’s
was inaugurated by Chapter President
director of professional development,
Miguel Femenia, PMP, and by Juan Pardo,
and masterfully directed by Jordi
academic director, on behalf of the host,
Borja, senior manager of business
Cardenal Herrera University. During
performance improvement consulting,
this presentation, the fundamental
Atos. More than 50 professionals
role played by project managers in the
gathered to learn and practice strategic
Advertisement
2/8/18 3:05 PM

María Solana, CEO and senior legal project manager, Wolf Project Solutions.
implementation of any strategy was
discussed, as well as the evolution of key
indicators of the profession worldwide.
The conclusion was that although
there is improvement compared to the
previous year, there is still room for
further improvement.
Shortly after the introduction,
participants were able to enjoy the
first seminar, entitled “Do Not Tell
Me What to Do, Tell Me What You
Want to Achieve,” presented by Antonia
Ogallar, PMP, chapter director of
volunteers, and developed by Gemma
Torruella, PMP, manager of programs at
Caixa Capital Risc. This session showed
the value that project managers can
provide to their organizations supporting
the preparation and implementation of
strategy, thanks to their knowledge of
the company business.
PMI-650 PMITodayMarch2018.indd 15
In between sessions there was an
emotional ceremony in which the
chapter recognized the work of the
chapter’s volunteers, especially that of
Raoni Spyker, PMP, the project manager
in charge of organizing the conference.
Chapter board members, from left, Ampano del Baño, Chapter President Miguel Femenia, PMP, and
Juan Bardo.
Advertisement
PMI Today March 2018 Page 15
The next session featured José Vicente
Romero, a chapter volunteer, presenting
“Practical Application of Project
Management Principles to Carry Out
Strategies.” It was developed by María
Solana, CEO and senior legal project
manager at Wolf Project Solutions, and
again highlighted the value of project
managers’ knowledge in the development
of any organization’s strategies.
Following this was a roundtable
moderated by José Paredes, another
chapter volunteer, bringing together
Mr. Borja, Ms. Torruella and Ms. Solana
to go over key themes that emerged
during the workshop and the seminars,
and take questions from the attendees.
Besides highlighting project managers’
opportunity to participate in strategic
processes, the panelists noted the need to
abandon the more technical vision of the
project management processes in pursuit
of a more global vision of the business.
The conference ended with an animated
lunch where the participants had the
opportunity to exchange opinions, points
of view and experiences in a friendly and
relaxed atmosphere.
2/8/18 3:05 PM
 Page 16 PMI Today March 2018
Collaboration and Teamwork Help Global Volunteers Launch 2018 Tasks
Continued from page 8
the task and the personal satisfaction
of what I’m getting in giving back to the
community. I am a PMI poster child.”
Ms. Davidson enjoyed the collaborative
teamwork done at this LIVPM. “The value
of coming together is discovering that we
are more alike than different,” she said.
“Using PMI resources and connections
makes my contributions stronger and
more valuable.”
Liam Dillon, PMP,
PgMP, PfMP, is
part of the PMI
Professional
Awards Member
Advisory Group.
He has traveled
down the PMI
volunteer path
PMIEF Touches Lives Worldwide Through Innovative Grants
Continued from page 9
Mission Possible participants visit United Nations
headquarters.
through its PMIEF-funded “Making
Systems Fundamentally Work”
initiative that helped build its
capacity to deliver life-saving services.
n The World Federation of United
Nations Associations created
Mission Possible, its flagship global
citizenship program for youth, thanks
to its PMIEF grant. The initiative
teaches them project management
PMI-650 PMITodayMarch2018.indd 16
for 17 years, becoming an officer for the
PMI Ireland Chapter in 2003 and rising
through the ranks and becoming a global
volunteer. This was his seventh LIVPM.
The benefits of volunteering, said
Mr. Dillon, include meeting other
professionals who are embracing project
management or becoming project
managers. At the global level, you can
work with fellow volunteers and PMI
executives to contribute to strategy. “It’s
advising, not directing,” he noted.
“It was great to see how PMI is moving
forward,” he said. Being at LIVPM shows
him that PMI “is not just a network—
it’s an organization with governance
structures, roles and responsibilities.”
But the networking “is invaluable for
becoming a leader.” Workshop read-out.
and sustainable development goals ensure it makes a difference where the
to prepare them to execute projects PMI global community lives and works.
that benefit their communities. First To learn more about PMIEF, please visit
launched in Bangalore and Hyder- pmief.org.
abad, India, Mission Possible now
reaches students nationwide in India
as well as in Armenia and Singapore.
It also brings participating students
and teachers to a once-in-a-lifetime,
behind-the-scenes visit to the United
Nations headquarters in New York,
New York, USA.
In addition, the staff of multiple PMIEF
grantees, including the American Red
Cross, CARE USA, MBAResearch &
Curriculum Center, Plan International
and Special Olympics, have received
extensive project management
fundamentals training thanks to the
long-time, pro bono support of Cadence
Management Corporation.
PMIEF’s grants reflect its staunch
commitment to leverage project
management for social good even as
the foundation continuously strives to
2/8/18 3:05 PM