Olympia
Washington ChapterMessage from the President
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Glenn Briskin, PMP, Chapter President
It's an honor for me to be able to make the first "presidential" remarks in this first edition of the PMI Olympia Chapter Newsletter.
Since I'm not feeling very presidential today (probably because I just got back from vacation), I'm thinking about what other presidents have said. The first presidential remark I remember was JFK saying "ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." We remember this remark because it sounds true and right. I can't help but wonder, though, what can we do for our country? It's sort of a paradox. After all, our country was created by people seeking personal freedom. We are always trying to balance how much we should give to our country with how to be free from it's inevitable demands. Is it true that the more we give, the more we get?
Ouch! My head hurts. Too much thinking too soon after vacation. So, where am I going with this? Maybe I'm thinking 'ask not what your profession (or PMI) can do for you, but what you can do for your profession.' But, what can little old me do for my profession, much less do for my country? Let's come up with some ideas:
- Do the very best job I can on my projects. If I do a great job and people recognize that project management is important, then project management grows. Using PMI tools like the PMBOK and the PMI website can help.
- Share what I've learned about project management with others. Talk with other project managers and share ideas. Going to chapter meetings and educational sessions can help. Hearing what others have to say can help with #1.
- Improve my personal skills to the point where I can get certified as a Project Management Professional. My commitment will help me grow, may inspire others, and what I learn may help with #1.
- Offer my opinion on the development of project management professional standards and tools. This may be at my work, in my community, or through PMI's participative process to improve the PMBOK. My involvement means that I am trying to make things better for others and for my projects too - see #1.
This year, your PMI Olympia Chapter is looking for specific ways you can answer the question 'what can I do for my profession?' Not because we want you to give more, we want you to get more. Our job is to communicate specific actionable things you can do. The rest is up to you.
Let us know how you think the chapter is doing and what else we can do.
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Welcome to the first Monthly Milestone newsletter. We hope you find this to be a premier source of information for PMI and local Olympia project management. We will have one original article a month focusing on local news or chapter information. We want to start with an overview of the PMI Olympia Chapter.
The Olympia Chapter of the Project Management Institute (PMI) was founded in 2004. The founding members were looking for an opportunity to network and learn from each other. Some founding members were already members of PMI traveling to Seattle to attend meetings. It seemed only common sense to form a local chapter and provide the great benefits of the PMI to South Puget Sound locals.
PMI International has been around since 1969 facilitating the growth of project management as a profession. In this time they have grown to a network of more than 200,000 members and through that network have developed the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). The PMBOK is a collection of 30 years of project management best practices put to a practical framework that project managers from any industry can apply. The PMBOK is just one point of success of the PMI and helps to demonstrate what 30 years and 200,000 members can do to share information and best practices.
The Olympia Chapter of the PMI strives to bring this level of cooperation and information to local project managers. Our vision is "Our communities’ project managers, organizations, and their clients value the Olympia Chapter of PMI because it brings project professionals together to build relationships and enhance their skills, experience, and project results." With approximately 140 members from many industries from state information technology to construction, to banking, it is the largest and most diverse local network dedicated to the advancement of project management as profession.
The Olympia Chapter Board will be working very hard in 2006 to increase our networking opportunities to collaborate with current members, other local chapters, and PMI International, thereby bringing our local members even greater benefit from the larger audience.
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Each month we will provide information on an article that we found on the Internet that we believe will be beneficial to all members. We will try to vary the sources of the articles to provide variety and gain exposure to online resources that may have not previously been found. If you have an article you would like to see linked here, send your request to the Editor.
This month's Article of the Month was discovered on 4pm.com. It provides a humorous look into a serious project management issue, sponsor who try to control the project. It tells the story of Chris, the prudent project manager, and how she was able to refocus her sponsor on thinking strategically and leaving the project details to herself. We hope you enjoy!
http://www.4pm.com/articles/pmtalk4-15-99.pdf [To Top]
The section is dedicated to congratulating and highlight the achievement of our members who recently passed the Project Management Professional (PMP) exam.
Our first honor goes to Michelle Huggins, PMP. Michelle is a Projects Control Specialist with Parametrix, Inc. currently working on the Hood Canal Bridge Project as part of an integrated Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT)/Parametrix team. She is responsible for project controls during construction of the East Half replacement, with a focus on schedule control and change management.
In addition to her newly acquired PMP, Michelle also holds a Master's Construction Management from the University of Kansas, AS Architectural Technology from Fayetteville Technical Community College, and a BS Zoology from North Carolina State University.
I asked Michelle two very important questions in preparing for this article.
Why did you want to do the PMP?
I wanted to become a certified PMP in order to validate my education and professional experience and to improve my professional credentials. Project management is a growing field but can often mean many different things in different professional circles. By becoming a certified PMP, it clearly identifies your professional capabilities against a set of standards for possible employers and professional peers.
Most important thing I learned studying for it?
Studying for the PMP allowed me to clarify many of the different processes within project management and has allowed me to be more confident in implementing project management theories professionally.
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Send and e-mail with link or original posting to the Editor to include in the next edition. Please keep in mind that publication is targeted for the fourth week of each month.
Other Upcoming Events
Original Article
Vicki Rummig, PMP, Editor
Olympia Chapter Beginnings
Article of the Month
The Impudent Project Manager: Act One - The Project Planning Session
Meet our new Project Management Professionals
Project Management Job Announcements