The Project Management Podcast

Listen Now: {audio}http://traffic.libsyn.com/pmpodcast/PM_Podcast_229_2013_03_01_-_PMO_tactical_guide.mp3{/audio} This episode is sponsored by The Agile PrepCast for The PMI-ACP Exam: Building a PMO is a daunting task. Wouldn’t it be nice if you had a “simple” 12 step approach that would guide you through the process from start to finish? We can help you there. My guest today is Bill Dow who wrote The Tactical Guide for Building a PMO. The book will provide PMO Managers with the knowledge and skills to develop, refine, and enhance their Project Management Office. In todays interview Bill and I will will discuss the 12 steps he recommends you must go through in order to build your PMO and then next week we’ll look at aspects of implementing and growing it If you want to learn the tactical for building a PMO then today’s episode is for you Download a copy of the 12 steps as a MS Project file here: http://www.pmotacticalguide.com/products/default.html

Listen Now: {audio}http://traffic.libsyn.com/pmpodcast/PM_Podcast_228_2013_02_11_-_pm_interview_questions.mp3{/audio} This episode is sponsored by The Agile PrepCast for The PMI-ACP Exam: Today’s discussion with Andy Makar (www.tacticalprojectmanagement.com) is about his book “Project Management Interview Questions Made Easy” that will help you get ready for your next job interview. If your finger is now already hovering over the Stop button because you are currently employed and you don’t have to take a job interview anytime soon and you think that you don’t need to listen to this, then give me just a moment longer to tell you why you should still listen to what Andy has to say anyway. Well... in fact, let me read a review written by Tim Cermak on Amazon about the book. He says. "Dr. Makar delivers easy to read information; valuable whether you're new to the PM industry or a seasoned professional. Often PM's find themselves interviewing for positions even when they are fully employed; as companies worldwide hire professional PM's to consult. This is not a one-time read. This book should be a reference source in the desks and bags of every PM out there." Well then.... have we changed your mind and you’re not going to press stop? Good.

Click to download the video: {youtube}SsgeuzJGSLQ|640|480|0{/youtube} http://www.pducast.com The PDU Podcast is the easiest and most convenient way for certified Project Management Professionals (PMP) to earn their Professional Development Units (PDU): Download and watch the webinars - Earn PDUs - Repeat. And we have just introduced the "Buy Now" option. So if you are in a hurry you can buy the 12 webinars each from Year 1 and Year 2 for immediate download. Earn 20 or 40 PDUs in a flash. Just press Play. Find out more at http://www.pducast.com/index.php/order

Listen Now: {audio}http://traffic.libsyn.com/pmpodcast/PM_Podcast_226_2012_12_22_-_Recover_from_Mistakes.mp3{/audio} This episode is sponsored by The Agile PrepCast for The PMI-ACP Exam: According to a study published in the Journal of Business and Psychology, leaders who make mistakes are seen as less competent, less desirable to work for and less effective than leaders who do not. However, in a complex business world, mistakes are unavoidable. What separates us project managers from everyone else is that we often aren’t afraid to make mistakes, are resilient and know how to rebound from them. But how? Carla Fair-Wright (Optimal Consulting - www.opc-houston.com) is a long-time listener of The PM Podcast. She got in touch with me and asked if her presentation, "How to Recover from Mistakes and Keep the Project Moving" might be a good fit for us. Of course it is. In our interview she explains five of the top ten most common mistakes project managers make and how to avoid them. We’ll discuss techniques from positive psychology and competitive sports that focus on how to quickly rebound from mistakes and, how to cultivate and use a strategic system for mitigating them. You will also learn how to manage your own reaction along with the loss of trust or damage to one’s reputation that can happen.

Listen Now: {audio}http://traffic.libsyn.com/pmpodcast/PM_Podcast_225_2012_11_16_-_PMI-ACP.mp3{/audio} This episode is sponsored by The Agile PrepCast for The PMI-ACP Exam: This is part 2 of our interview with Kevin Reilly and how he prepared for and then also passed the PMI Agile-Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)® Exam. Hearing him speak is a great reminder for us all that having a plan and sticking to it as we prepare is paramount in our exam preparation. But almost more importantly, hearing someone else talk about how they managed to pass their exam serves as a boost for all of us who are also on the path of becoming PMI-ACP certified. (Disclaimer: Kevin Reilly works as a contractor for OSP International LLC, who produce both The PM Podcast and The Agile PrepCast). As you know, the rules of all PMI exams are such that we are not allowed to discuss specific questions from the exam. But we can discuss his overall experience, general thoughts on the process and his recommendations to you. During the interview you will hear us make several references to The Agile PrepCast. So if you yourself are interested in becoming PMI-ACP certified, then sign up to The Agile PrepCast newsletter at www.pm-prepcast.com/agile and be among the first to prepare for your exam using our new sister podcast. We’re furiously working to get it finished.

Click to download the video: {youtube}Bqcf7CqbGYA|640|480|0{/youtube} The Project Management Podcast is late due to a death in my family. But I'm back at the office now and we'll be bringing you new PM Interviews soon.

Listen Now: {audio}http://traffic.libsyn.com/pmpodcast/PM_Podcast_224_2012_11_10_-_PMI-ACP.mp3{/audio} This episode is sponsored by The Agile PrepCast for The PMI-ACP Exam: As we are recording this episode there are about 1,500 project managers around the world who have passed the PMI Agile-Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)® Exam. Last year around this time there were zero. This is because the PMI-ACP certification is the newest exam offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI)®. In today’s episode we have our first interview for you, in which a successful PMI-ACP exam taker opens up to you and talks about what it was like for him. His name is Kevin Reilly and we’ve had him on the program earlier this year. (Disclaimer: Kevin Reilly works as a contractor for OSP International LLC, who produce both The PM Podcast and The Agile PrepCast). As you know, the rules of all PMI exams are such that we are not allowed to discuss specific questions from the exam. But we can discuss his overall experience, general thoughts on the process and his recommendations to you. And since Kevin has changed his career and is now a trainer himself, who teaches others as they are preparing for their exam, you can look forward to a great discussion and some excellent advice. During the interview you will hear us make several references to The Agile PrepCast. So if you yourself are interested in becoming PMI-ACP certified, then sign up to The Agile PrepCast newsletter at www.pm-prepcast.com/agile and be among the first to prepare for your exam using our new sister podcast. We’re furiously working to get it finished.

Listen Now: {audio}http://traffic.libsyn.com/pmpodcast/PM_Podcast_222_2012_10_26_-_CustomerCentricPM.mp3{/audio} This episode is sponsored by The PDU Podcast: There have been many changes in the focus of organizations - whether private or public - away from a traditional product-or service-centricity towards customer-centricity and projects are just as much a part of that change. Projects must deliver value; projects must involve stakeholders, and as you will hear in our interview Elizabeth Harrin and her co-author Phil Peplow demonstrate convincingly that stakeholders are the ones who get to decide what 'value' actually means. Today’s episode is based on their book Customer-Centric Project Management. It is intended as a short guide explaining what customer-centricity means in terms of how you work and its importance for project performance; using tools and processes to guide customer-centric thinking will help you see the results of engagement and demonstrate how things can improve, even on difficult projects. We’ll define what the problem is with how we do things today and then we’ll move quickly into the new paradigm.  

Click to download the video: {youtube}Xf3ULiddxig|640|480|0{/youtube} I have to take a 3-4 week emergency leave from creating new episodes for The PM Podcast because of my father's health.

Click to download the video: {youtube}zWElYjtdL7o|640|360|0{/youtube} In this Episode of The Project Management Podcast, Cornelius Fichtner, PMP, CSM introduces us to The Situational Leadership Theory by Hersey and Blanchard and then shows us on a real life example how the model fails when being used in his current environment and he offers two solutions to address the problem.  

Click to download the video: {youtube}ji96YaWznTE|640|480|0{/youtube} In this episode of The PM Podcast we introduce you to The PDU Insider at www.pdu-insider.com, which is our website and newsletter where we teach certified PMPs all there is to know about Professional Development Units (PDU). We’ll show you some of the features of the website, point out the #1 article called “12 Easy Ways To Earn PDUs” that every certified PMP should read and we’ll explain why subscribing to the free newsletter is more than “just another newsletter” about PDUs.

Listen Now: {audio}http://traffic.libsyn.com/pmpodcast/PM_Podcast_220_2012_08_23_-_Volunteering.mp3{/audio} This episode is sponsored by The PMP Exam Simulator: I have always said that one of the most beneficial actions that I took to further my career and success as a project manager was to become involved with PMI. I started out as an event volunteer and worked my way all the way up to becoming the president of my local PMI Chapter. This volunteering not only helped me to find a job, it also introduced me to colleagues in my field put me on the path of becoming PMP certified and it was the starting point of this here, The Project Management Podcast where I’ve expanded my volunteering efforts out towards a world audience of project managers. The good news is that I’m not the only one who has seen such great results from volunteering. Kevin Reilly, PMP has seen very similar results. Every since he started volunteering a little over a year ago doors have opened up for him and an incredible number of opportunities have opened up for him. Kevin has now gone ahead and he has taken his approach and turned it into a process for you. A step by step process that you can follow towards your professional success as a project manager: Understand the benefits Analyze your skills Determine your goals Select an organization Leverage your time Market your skills We first review these 6 steps in detail and then Kevin tells his personal story of volunteering and networking to illustrate how powerful a driver this approach was in his career and will help you do the same.

Listen Now: {audio}http://traffic.libsyn.com/pmpodcast/switzerland_announcement.mp3{/audio} I'm going to be in Switzerland for the next 3 weeks. If you happen to be there as well, then drop me a line at info@pm-podcast.com and let's meet for a drink and chat!

Listen Now: {audio}http://traffic.libsyn.com/pmpodcast/PM_Podcast_218_2012_07_20_-_Intercultural.mp3{/audio} This episode is sponsored by The PMP Exam Simulator: What would you say, if I told you that any project you lead is an intercultural project? Even if you have grown up in Paris and all the other project team members and stakeholders are native Parisians... you will still have to deal with culture on your project. Karin Brünnemann (http://www.4cee.eu) specializes in consulting, project management, and training in intercultural and multi-national contexts on a worldwide basis. She has lived in and lead projects in more countries than I have fingers. So when it comes to projects, culture and how to deal with that, she knows what she is talking about. In our interview, Karin and I will be: Answering the question: What is culture? Discuss some myths and mistakes in regards to culture. See how the iceberg model applies in this context Review the two high level challenges that projects face in regards to culture And we will look at three tools that will help you to thrive in managing culture on your project

Listen Now: {audio}http://traffic.libsyn.com/pmpodcast/PM_Podcast_Special_Gazzas_Corner_2012_08_10_-_Kick_Off.mp3{/audio} This is a Special PM Podcast Episode, in which we introduce you to Gazza's Corner, a new podcast about project management by Gary Nelson, PMP. Here is what Gary has to say about the episode: You cannot underestimate the importance of the Project Kickoff. It sets the tone for the rest of the project, and it is often the first time all of the key players on the Project will be face to face. In some cases, it may be the only time they all get together - so make it count! It may also be the first time that you get to review the project objectives as a team, and it is where you will build the collective understanding of what you are trying to achieve - and the first stage in Project Team Development. But what exactly is a Project Kickoff, and why do we really need it? In this session we will explore what it is - and why it is so important.