hugolacasse/Shutterstock.com June 2016 Newsletter...Grew membership and PMP certifications 18%...

PMI Emerald Coast Florida Chapter

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Copyright ©2015

Newsletter June 2016

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Highlights In this Issue:

Goodbye from Holly

Ten Ways to Increase

Group Participation in Team

Meetings

The Three Cs of Success:

Collaborate, Coordinate &

Communicate

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June 2016 Issue 6 PMI Emerald Coast Florida Chapter

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©CanStockPhotoInc./Denchik

Mission: W e endeavor to provide value to our m em bership, local industry and the community, through professional

development, certification support, networking, personal enrichment, and free PDUs.

A Message From Our President...

As I write this, I must reflect on the last 18 months of this organization. Just like a project, my time on the PMI Emerald Coast FL board had a beginning and end date with specific requirements that had to be achieved. The board began immediately with a strategy meeting defining specifically what needed to be done and developed a mission statement which was the anchor of all our efforts: We endeavor to provide value to our membership, local industry and the community, through: Professional Development, Certification Support, Networking, Personal Enrichment, and Free PDUs.

Since that meeting our board has worked tirelessly and achieved many amazing accomplishments:

Established Ft. Walton as a branch to better serve its membership Created updated bylaws to reflect the role of the Chapter as a strategic board to serve the needs

of the branches Established a document sharing system for all Chapter and branch board members Consolidated finances, updated financial processes and provided branches credit cards so they

no longer spent personal monies Grew membership and PMP certifications 18% Offered 7 PMP Bootcamp classes Two very successful Spring Symposiums with increased numbers each year Deepened our partnership with Northwest FL State College by establishing a PMI student

organization All of these accomplishments and many more (actually 68 completed action items) were completed by the best board I have ever had the pleasure of working with. I would like to thank the following board members and volunteers for their past, present and continued hard work and dedication to further Project Management on the Emerald Coast:

Jamie McDonald Ron Reed Gerson Cedeno Sandra Berkley

Dennis White Jeralyn Rittenhouse Randy Smith Bob Kirsch

Joanna Scott Nicole Lawson Nick Berry

Scott Peters Mylinda Johnson Lori Beaver

Isabelle Thompson Steve Williams Mike Cary

I am so excited about the future of this organization and thankful to be able to support Jamie McDonald in

her role as President!

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Mobile Branch - Gold Sponsor

Special Thanks To Our Sponsors

Your support is a great vote of confidence in our mission!

Panama City Branch – Silver Sponsor

Pensacola Branch – Gold Sponsor

Event Sponsors

Your PMP Instructor, LLC, Juan Martinez

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2016/2017 Chapter Board of Directors and Support Staff

Below is the 2016/2017 PMI Emerald Coast, FL Chapter Board of Directors. This group of volunteers is

here to support you in your project management professional development and beyond.

We encourage you to be part of the events held each month at any of our four branches. These exciting

events provide you with PDUs as well as educational and networking opportunities. Check out our

chapter website at pmiemeraldcoastfl.org. for all local information.

We are always looking for volunteers at events and on our boards. If you're interested in joining us (and

earning more PDUs), please contact any of the board members.

Name Position

Jamie McDonald, PMP Chapter President

Vacant President Elect

Holly Smith, PMP Past President

Vacant Secretary

Steven Williams, PMP VP Finance

Gerson Cedeno, Jr., PMP VP Professional Development

Dennis Michael White, PMP VP Membership

Richard Longhurst VP Governance & Policy

Gene Cobb, PMP VP Technology and Social Media

Sandra Berkley VP Volunteers

Board of Directors

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Name Position

Joe Lavelle, PMP Director at Large

Joanna Scott, PMP Director, Fort Walton Branch

Bob Kirsch, PMP Director, Mobile Branch

Mylinda Johnson, PMP Director, Panama City Branch

Isabelle Thompson Director, Pensacola Branch

Board of Directors Cont’d

Newsletter

Name Position

Nicole Lawson, PMP PMI Emerald Coast Chapter Newsletter Editor

https://www.pmi.org.uk/index.php?option=com_contact&view=contact&catid=12&id=18-irene-bayliss

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Branch Highlights

Our partnership with the Northwest Florida State College PMI student branch continues to strengthen with additional PMP prep courses offered at the Niceville campus. This fall, courses are scheduled for the following dates:

Session 1: Sept 17-18 & 24-25 Session 2: Oct 8-9 & 15-16

Courses meet Saturday and Sunday, over two consecutive weekends to complete four days of training.

PMI student branch meetings will resume in the August/September timeframe. Please check the student website for details. Any questions regarding the student branch or the PMP prep courses and pricing can be sent to Mr. Mike Cary at [email protected].

May and June Meeting Recap

In May, Destin City Councilwoman, Prebble Ramswell, spoke with the FWB branch about the project management aspects associated with maintaining the structural

integrity of Norriego Point, a strategic waterway in Destin. We discussed the complexities of dredging to allow boats adequate access to the harbor and planned future phases of the project to refurbish the foundation of Norriego Point. Challenges such as scheduling around the tourist season and logistical

coordination were also addressed. In June, Juan Martinez presented to the chapter on the application of PMI principles on a daily basis. As a PMP instructor, Juan is well-versed on the PMBOK and extremely knowledgeable on all things PMI-related. He outlined

6 of the 10 knowledge areas that he considered essential to every project as well as several of the processes that were applicable to everyday situations. For those interested in learning more about his upcoming courses, please visit www.yourpmpinstructor.com.

Fort Walton Branch

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.yourpmpinstructor.com

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Branch Highlights (Cont’d)

Pensacola Branch

Mobile Branch

The Pensacola Branch continued to experience unprecedented growth with roughly a dozen newly minted PMPs in the second quarter. We would like to congratulate all of our new PMPs on their milestone and express our sincere thanks to the fabulous Juan Martinez from Your PMP

Instructor, LLC for continuously providing the highest quality of PMP Boot Camp training in Pensacola. In an effort to offer a wider variety of membership meeting options and expand the reach of the

meetings, the Pensacola Branch has partnered with ITT Technical Institute to start planning for the first membership meeting to be hosted at ITT Technical Institute's Pensacola campus. The first meeting was held in July with thirteen attendees from the PMI and ITT student communities and a virtual speaker. We are looking forward to many more great events at ITT.

Fall is vast approaching and the Pensacola Branch is planning an evening networking event at the Pensacola Brewery in August to celebrate summer. We will be discussing the topic of “Project Management Across Generations” in a relaxed and comfortable environment. We hope to see all of you at this event. Please be ready to enjoy a cold beverage and share your best practices in

engaging team members across multiple generations in your projects.

During the past quarter, the Mobile Branch held three monthly meetings which included

presentations covering the following topics: “Project Evaluation and Control”, “So you have

your PMP?”, and “Gordhead Project Management software”. We also sponsored the “Secret

Meals for Hungry Children” charity during our quarterly networking event.

The chapter’s annual membership meeting will be in Mobile this year. Plans are already being

made to host the event in our area this year. Be watching for your "SAVE THE DATE" notice in

the coming weeks.

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Leaders have found that meetings where team members openly communicate on business topics and participate in

problem solving yields better results than those where people sit and listen. There are different levels of participation

in meetings; the most desirable is a fully interactive environment. Voting in a meeting to make decisions is a level of

participation, but consensus decisions or compromise building results in more active involvement. Where meetings

require increased participation, there are a few things a leader can choose from in order to increase group participation

and member involvement.

1. Get their input on agenda topics prior to the meeting. This can be done outside the meeting by sending the

proposed agenda in an email asking for comments or with a phone call to each person after it is sent. Another

way to get their inputs is to always plan the next meeting agenda together at the end of each meeting.

2. Encourage active participation by writing it into the team's ground rules. Jointly creating ground rules and posting

them at all meetings will emphasize the need for complete involvement.

3. Use short icebreakers or team-building exercises at the beginning of the meetings to get people talking right

away. Icebreakers help team members to get to know each other and increase comfort levels. Group or paired

exercises can be related to a problem within the team to overcome or to the primary topic of the meeting.

4. Always explain the purpose of the meeting and tell members and how it affects them or their job. This helps

the meeting meet the "what's in it for me" question and encourages their aid to accomplish the best results in the

meeting.

5. When doing idea generation in the meeting, always use the round robin brainstorming technique. This technique

insures everyone takes turns contributing until most people begin to run out of ideas.

6. Create a safe respectful environment for open exchange of ideas and opinions. One way to do this is to never allow

belittling of a person's questions or input - everyone can add value even the devil's advocate.

7. Use structured activities or processes when problem solving to focus everyone on equally participating. This

includes taking visible notes of what is said during the meetings because seeing their thoughts captured lets

members know their contributions are valued and encourages others to build upon things they see and hear in

the meeting.

8. For any meeting topics that warrant discussion, plan extra time to allow everyone 2-3 minutes of talk time each. Be

sure to encourage everyone to share thoughts, opinions, pros and cons during the discussion time.

9. Consider changing meeting times to wake up the group. If always meeting after lunch, perhaps people are too tired

to focus and participate. Whereas if meetings are just prior to lunch, people may be too hungry to think and interact

appropriately.

10. Ask the group for ideas to make meeting more interactive. Members may have particular exercise they want to try

or techniques they have used before that the team may benefit from. Be sure to try some of the different ideas in

following meetings.

Ten Ways to Increase Group Participation in Team Meetings

By Shirley Lee

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Consider and choose different ways to increased participation in meetings. Another idea often suggested to increase

participation is providing treats or meals during the meetings. Refreshments at a meeting may encourage attendance,

but remember attendance does not mean active participation. For active participation in problem solving and decision

making, leaders should build an environment where team members feel comfortable communicating and participating.

NOTE: Find free team-buidling activities at http://www.shirleyfinelee.com/FreeTeam.htm

Shirley Fine Lee has considerable training and expertise in leading effective meetings and projects, as well as training others within the corporate

world to be able to do the same. Her book, "R.A!R.A! A Meeting Wizard's Approach" This is a must-have guide that demonstrates effective

meeting planning and management. Sign up for Shirley's free productivity newsletter on her website or visit her leadership blog. Find out more about

her, her books, and learning options she provides on her website at http://www.shirleyfinelee.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/2301823

Ten Ways to Increase Group Participation in Team Meetings (Cont’d)

By Shirley Lee

http://www.shirleyfinelee.com/FreeTeam.htm

http://www.shirleyfinelee.com

http://EzineArticles.com/2301823

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We now live and work in a highly complex and competitive world that is very demanding. Substantial research has

been conducted on how best to proceed given the magnitude of change that is expected in the next three to five years.

Our organizations must advance and adopt new technologies and business practices in order to remain relevant within

our operational space.

As they strive to adapt, we as project managers must make the same efforts and update our skills, techniques and

approaches used throughout the project management process. Each project management environment is different.

One industry is different from the next, and entrepreneurial start-ups and new technology environments are unique

unto themselves.

While there is no 100 percent guaranteed formula for success, the three “Cs” seem to have been the most widely

applied within the project management profession: collaborate, coordinate and communicate. This triad creates a

robust, interactive environment that is far different from the command-and-control environment that many project

managers used in the past. The three Cs require formal and informal relationships within and external to the

organization. They require the application of soft skills in order to be successful.

Collaborate

Collaboration is a levered means to an end. It is a process that spans the enterprise and has external elements as well.

A professional program or project manager would not go about their duties without seeking the input from others and

discussing that input openly. While collaborating isn't always easy, it does provide valued input to project managers.

Today, many program and project managers leverage a closed (not open to the public), social media-style application

to connect the various stakeholders and seek input.

Coordinate

Coordination is required if a program or project manager is to be effective. It is a process with a highly diverse set of

stakeholders, both internal and external. Researchers have found that coordination is a core competence that drives

program and project manager performance. Like an orchestra leader, a highly effective program or project manager

must coordinate the various aspects of a program or project if they are to be effective. Researchers have stated that

timing is perhaps the most challenging aspect of coordination.

Communicate

Proper communication is part art and part science. It is a process that transfers information from one entity to another,

and ensures that it is received and properly understood. Researchers believe that all too often, communications are

taken far too lightly. In order to collaborate and coordinate, program and project managers must be able communicate

in a manner in which all those involved can clearly interpret the meaning. It appears that the context of the information

that is communicated is the most frequently missing component of communication.

Insight: I was told early on in my career that fear is the enemy of good communications. To combat fear, many profes-

sionals use online resources. There is no shortage of high-quality materials covering the art and science of good com-

munication.

The Three Cs of Success: Collaborate, Coordinate & Communicate

By Kevin Coleman

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While important, the 3Cs do not receive a lot of attention in project management standards. Stop and think about

that for a moment. If a program or project manager was ineffective when it comes to the 3Cs, how likely would their

projects be at being successful? In a 150-page project management guide, “collaboration” was mentioned once,

“coordination” was mentions 20 times and “communications” was mentioned 32 times. While the collaboration aspect

of project management was barely addressed, communications and coordination was fairly heavily addressed. Some

professionals believe that we must take bold new steps if we are to truly improve the state of workforce collaboration,

coordination and communication in many organizations. That is why many modern workflows and tool sets include the

3C capabilities.

Insight: At a recent conference, one professional stated that teamwork requires collaboration, coordination and com-

munications--these are not optional.

The 3Cs are one block in the foundation for modern project and program management. Project management is a

non-exact science in that much of what it takes to be successful are often described as soft skills. While they may

be soft skills, they are the hardest to acquire, adapt and fine-tune. This website facilitates the 3Cs--it brings program

and project managers together and provides a foundation for communications that creates the opportunity to share

experiences, ask questions and learn from one another. The community can critique rather than criticize, contribute

rather than just consume, collect knowledge rather than just converse. There are plenty of Cs that can and should be

applied to the art and science of program and project management.

In today’s highly challenging environment, program and project management are under increased pressure and

challenges to meet expectations. The best way for PMs to respond to challenges is to bring together all the resources

they have to deal with them. Clearly, collaboration, coordination and communication allow PMs to muster these

resources and effectively engage them in the organization’s efforts to overcome the challenges they face.

As organizations become more distributed around the world, the 3Cs will surely increase in importance and become

a life-long learning mandate. As professionals, we all must strive to improve and expand our skill set. Collaboration,

coordination and communications should be high on the list of training topics.

Many programs and projects now employ virtual teams. The highly distributed nature of virtual teams further demands

that teams collaborate, coordinate and communicate effectively. Do you think you could be successful if you did not

have proper collaboration, coordination and communications skills?

Copyright © 2016 ProjectManagement.com. Reproduced by permission of ProjectManagement.com

The Three Cs of Success: Collaborate, Coordinate & Communicate (Cont’d)

By Kevin Coleman

http://www.projectmanagement.com

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There is plenty of advice in the project manager's secret handbook about managing your team, your clients,

and managing up - and almost nothing is written about managing sideways. Likely because a sideways

relationship within your organization is not about managing a project - it's about rallying your colleagues

to a common cause - even if that common cause is you.

So as a first-time project manager, make three sideways friends immediately - one friend from Human Resources, one

from Accounting and one from Systems (or IT, Computing Services, etc.). These new friends will save you hours of

additional work, grief, and embarrassment and allow you to stay focused on hitting your milestones and keeping your

clients happy.

Making friends is easy when you are a new PM, and it’s the perfect time to start building relationships with your Big

Three. They likely know that you are new to the role and will welcome an opportunity to connect, even if it’s for their

own selfish reasons. Each of their areas, Accounting, HR and Systems are largely rule-based and protecting the

organization, it’s data, and employees is one of their main responsibilities. They see you, as a new project manager,

as someone they can influence to do things their way. The right way. Take this opportunity then, to do just that, and

you will establish a reputation as a PM that respects and works with the support teams within your company.

Your relationship with these friends should be built like any relationship within your project team itself, through a regular

series of business specific meetings mixed with more personal interactions to allow each of them to know, like, and

trust you. The business meetings should be conducive to their style, at their convenience, and on their home turf. It is

respect that support units often don’t receive, and it will make you stand out in a positive way.

If your friend in Accounting likes a written agenda ahead of time to allow them to prepare, make it so. When the

systems manager only wants a quick meeting, pare down your items to the critical few and save on the stories and

embellishments. If you have to schedule a little extra time with HR, because they want to chat about the team – then

do it. Allowing each of them to work with you in a style that suits them will make them want to work with you more.

While the business oriented meetings are important to allow the Big Three to get to know you, it’s in the more personal

interactions where they will actually start to like you. As long as you listen; we are hard-wired to like people who like

the same things we do and the best way to demonstrate that is to listen, carefully. You don’t have to have the same

passion for classic cars, beanie babies or baseball that they do, but listening while they talk about their passions, their

hobbies, and their kids will create a relationship that is more than “just business”. That’s the kind of relationship that

comes in handy when you need a special favour, a little extra time or maybe some forgiveness for an error in process.

Most days, however, you won’t need your Big Three resources for anything special, but you can still make them feel

like superstars. One of the great joys of being a project manager is giving other members of your team a chance to

shine in their area of expertise. Sideways managers or their staff are definitely part of your team and like anyone else

they want to be recognized for doing good work.

Your friends in Systems can make or break the success of project because they control communications. Respect that.

Don’t try to Control, Alt, Delete your way out of a software, hardware, network, Slack, Skype or conference calling

mess. In fact, get ahead of the curve by reviewing your specific needs ahead of time and asking for recommendations

on what hardware, software, apps, and connections are best. Respect their knowledge of the organization’s capabilities

and limitations and play within the guidelines they give you.

3 Friends a New Project Manager Should Make

By Jason Scriven

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Accounting staff spend their days, by choice, knee deep in spreadsheets, debits, credits and invoices. Some problem

that seems complex and foreign to you, the new project manager, is likely right in their wheelhouse and can be banged

out in no time. I’m sure you can spend time tracking receivables, calculating FTE’s and reviewing each item on the

project budget, but why would you? That is not the important work of a Project Manager. Not the work that finishes a

project on time. Not the work that receives recognition when they are handing out medals and promotions. Leave it to

the experts, even if you think you are the expert.

Your HR friend is the same, spending their days with vacation policies, dress codes, workplace standards,

terminations, disciplinary meetings, and FTE planning. Since building a high-performing, cohesive team is the most

important work that you will do as a manager, having a partner in HR is crucial to your long-term success. It’s likely that

none of your team members will report to you directly, which makes having an HR partner even more important. They

can identify the performers from the malcontents and prevent a toxic person from poisoning the team and the project.

Since each of these groups is rules oriented, the biggest thing you can do to earn their trust is to support them - in front

of your team and your clients. Don’t allow an end run around the technology because a member of your project team

thinks they know better because they used to be a developer. Don’t try to sneak in another FTE. Keep your receipts

and make your team do the same. Without this public support, your new Friends won’t trust you and will see you as

someone that is “all hat and no cattle.”

When the project is done, make sure that your Big Three and their staff receive the same waves of praise that your

team does. The first wave should be in public, verbally, and in front of the project team. A second wave of verbal praise

should be in person to your friend specifically, over a one-to-one celebratory lunch or coffee. And the final wave should

be in writing to the boss of each of your friends, formally praising their support and the part they played in making your

project succeed.

When you find a friend, or Three, you give yourself and your project the best chance to have the biggest impact on your

organization.

Jason Scriven is a career coach that works with project managers to help them Become Better People Managers, sooner. He has a Master’s Degree

in Executive Leadership from the University of San Diego, where he studied under Dr. Ken Blanchard, author of The One Minute Manager. Jason will

be speaking at PM World in Vancouver in October 2016 and can be contacted via his website, The Accidental Mgr.

Article compliments of www.projecttimes.com

3 Friends a New Project Manager Should Make (Cont’d)

By Jason Scriven

https://www.projecttimes.com/articles/3-friends-a-new-project-manager-should-make.html

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Do you have any article submissions, comments or ideas for the next newsletter? Please email us

at [email protected].

Highlights From Next

Issue:

Highlights from the Board Strategic Planning Meeting

More articles from the Meeting Management series by Shirley Lee

Upcoming networking events and training

Upcoming volunteer opportunities

See You Next Quarter!

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hugolacasse/Shutterstock.com June 2016 Newsletter...Grew membership and PMP certifications 18%...

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