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The Monthly Milestone, September 2006

Message from the President
Upcoming Events
Original Article - Effective Communication
A Message on Sponsorship
Article of the Month - Reducing the Cone of Uncertainty
Meet the new PMP's
Job Notices

Message from the President

Sharon Sikes, PMP, Chapter President

Summer is almost over, schools are starting, fall sports are in full swing and Chapter Dinner Meetings will begin again on September 19 at Tyee Conference Center.

Exciting things have been happening during these last 2 months. The new Chapter Board of Directors has been busy planning for new activities for our membership. Some of the new activities forthcoming will be PMP Prep Courses, Professional Development opportunities, exciting dinner meeting speakers, expansion of Chapter project management library, new online registration tool, increased community support through event sponsorship and much more to be shared in later newsletters.

I hope to see you at our September meeting to learn more about our Chapter and the Project Management Institute, enjoy our networking activities before dinner, meet the Board of Directors, partake in an Italian dinner and listen to a great speaker.

Washington is home to me and I returned back to this great state in April of 2004 after 35 years on the project management road of projects. It was a tremendous learning trip watching the field of project management grow from hand drawn schedules, projects costs reported on ledger sheets to project management tools run on computers taking up whole office floors - requiring winter parkas if you stayed in the room too long; to today's market with multiple software tools, running on handheld computers talking to countries throughout the world and even our men and women in space. Not to mention the huge changes that happen in the Olympia area…where did all this traffic come from? Laughing, this from someone who maneuvered around in Los Angeles traffic to attend PMI Chapter meetings. The point I am making here is that the basic difference between LA and Olympia is the license plates. The same applies to project management throughout the world…the basic difference in project management from country to country is the language…core project management basics are still the same.

That is why I get so excited about our Chapter's future and the future of project management. We plan to offer opportunities through Chapter events for ideas/tips/tools to enhance your existing knowledge, to help you build new knowledge and ways to apply knowledge.

But in order to make this all happen successfully in the timeframe we want, we will be asking for volunteers to help make our events successful. So when the time comes and you have the time, please be a volunteer to help us. For PMPs, this is a great way to get valuable PDUs.

See you September 19th!!

Other Upcoming Events

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Space Needle

PMI Global North American Congress

October 21-24, 2006

Seattle, WA

Microsoft is the official host sponsor of PMI Global Congress 2006—North America, project management’s biggest gathering of the year. Come to Seattle, Washington, USA, 21–24 October, for an unparalleled immersion in education, discussion, networking, exhibition and awards for your profession. See the newly-launched congress website to find out about the PMI Awards Ceremony and Reception, areas of focus, keynote and breakfast speakers, hall of over 100 exhibitors and more. Online registration is open.

Take advantage of this great opportunity!

http://congresses.pmi.org/NorthAmerica2006/

Original Article - Effective Project Communication

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Sharon Sikes, PMP, Chapter President

During a Troubled Projects Specific Interest (TPSIG) Members Meeting in Toronto, Canada attended by 30 TPSIG members from around the world, a productive "brain storming" session was conducted by identifying 2 types of project characteristics: 1) what made projects successful? and 2) what made projects fail? One key characteristic appeared on both lists: EFFECTIVE PROJECT COMMUNICATION.

Let me clarify two definitions. Project Communication is the sending and/or receiving of project-related information. The Project Team is anyone assigned a responsibility on a given project such as: project manager, stakeholder, sponsor, project champion, finance, procurement, or any team member specifically assigned to assist with completion of a given project.

Back to why communication was listed as a reason for both successful and failed projects. I would like to share with you something that may appear to over-simplify the situation, but I think sometimes we forget that it is the simple things that are at the very core of our successful project or our failed project. Let me explain further. I was researching effective communications methods in my own personal library ( I have over 150 project management related books) when I re-discovered a fun little book called "Winnie-the-Pooh on Management" by Roger Allen (1994). There is a chapter in the book that addresses "Rules for Effective Communication". The steps are simple and yet how many times do we run into trouble when we don't practice the most basic of communications steps?

"RULES FOR EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION"

To communicate there must be an exchange of information.
All information exchanged should be as clear and complete as possible.
The information should be meaningful to the individual who is receiving it.
Always get confirmation that the message you are communicating has been understood.
Information can be given in many ways. The more ways you use, the clearer and more believable it will be. However, the message must be the same in all ways. It is vital to be consistent. Remember, actions speak louder than words."

I can hear some of you reading these five steps and going "duh…everyone knows that". Then why are such a high percentage of our projects suffering from ineffective communications practices?

I can't pretend to understand all your project communication problems, but I do know after 30 years in the project management industry that I have a significantly higher level of success when I practice the most basic of communication practices.

In the project world of today, project communication is more likely to be in written form via emails and status reports than face to face. Here are some key tips that could help to improve your project communications:

Choose your words wisely.
Avoid acronyms or spell them out at least once in your text.
Assume that information from your email or status report will go beyond your team members.
Talk to your project stakeholders to find out how they want project information given to them, what type of information is important to them, and what aspects of your project your stakeholders will be measured by.
Ensure consistent frequency in sharing your project's status.
Identify metrics at the beginning of your project to measure project success. Add metrics if necessary.
Where possible, ensure your project information is stored in a common area that is accessible by Project Team
Re-evaluate project risks monthly and discuss in monthly meeting with key stakeholders.
For international projects - agree to a single language for written and oral reports.

This is just a small list that could go on for pages. The items chosen above are the most frequently occurring contributors to either a project failure or a project success.

A Message on Sponsorship

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Glenn Briskin, PMP, Vice President of Sponsorship

PMI Olympia wants your employer/your business to sponsor us for the 2006-2007 program year. Sponsorship shows that you recognize the value of project management to your organization, and that you support your project managers developing professional level skills. There are many ways an organization can sponsor the Project Management Institute's Olympia Chapter.

Be a Sustaining Sponsor:

We would like all of our supporting organizations to be a sustaining sponsor. This means that you are making a direct contribution to the operations and growth of the chapter. PMI Olympia recognizes organizations as sustaining sponsors for a contribution of $200.00 or more. This covers the program year from September 1 to August 31. This is something all organizations can do, and it makes a big difference in the chapter's ability to bring in programs, organize project management oriented events, and support its members. Your organization will receive a certificate of recognition for their support of PMI Olympia. All sponsors are recognized on our web page and in our newsletters.

Be a Chapter Meeting Sponsor:

Each month an organization contributes at least $300 to support our chapter meeting. Chapter meetings benefit our members through networking, exchange of ideas, educational presentations, and fellowship at a nice meal. These are priced to break even. It really helps us break even if we have a chapter meeting sponsorship. Chapter meeting sponsors are given the opportunity to speak briefly to those in attendance about their company. This year, we are seeking two (2!) sponsors per meeting. Our intent is that one sponsor will contribute to the cost of the evening, and that the second sponsor's contribution will go to a Professional Development Fund to help us finance a professional development event later in the program year. Your organization will receive a certificate of recognition for their support of PMI Olympia. One person from the sponsoring organation is hosted for the meeting registration and dinner.

Support your Project Managers:

An extremely important way your organization can sponsor our chapter is to sponsor you! Many employers pay the cost of their project managers' participation in PMI Olympia. This may include yearly PMI national and chapter dues, monthly meeting costs, and costs for preparation and payment for Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. Organizations that sponsor their people increase participation in the chapter and that is a great sponsorship for the chapter. We want to encourage every organization to sponsor its employees' participation in PMI. Please let the chapter VP of Sponsorship, Glenn Briskin at sponsors @ pmiolympia.org or 360 561 0897 know if you would like help promoting the idea of sponsorship to our employing agency or business.

We want to continuously improve our sponsorship program. If we can make it easier for your organization to be a sponsor, or make it more attractive to be a sponsor, please share your ideas with Glenn. Thanks.

Article of the Month - Earned Value Management

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This month's Article of the Month at Pivotal Insight for Agile Government. It describes the Cone of Uncertainty, its effects, and how to plan for it

Reducing the Cone of Uncertainty

http://www.pivotal-insight.com/insight/august2005/program_management.php

Please send your suggestions for articles to highlight in future Monthly Milestone editions to the Editor.

Meet our new Project Management Professionals

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The section is dedicated to congratulating and highlighting the achievement of our members who recently passed the Project Management Professional (PMP) exam.

If you have recently achieved your Project Management Professional (PMP) credential or know someone who has, please contact the Editor to be recognized. This recognition helps promote project management as a profession, the Project Management Professional credential as a desirable item for any project manager, and gives the recipient proper recognition for a true achievement.

Project Management Job Announcements

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Send an 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. In the meantime, job postings can be made and found in our Online Community.