Projectified

Project professionals know anticipating the need to pivot is a mainstay on any project. But what warning signs should you look out for? How can project managers identify them? And how should you inform the C-suite of major red flags? We discuss this with Mary Hladio, PMP, senior productivity and program leader at GE Aerospace in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA, and Franziska Höhne, PMP, project manager for international internal auditing at ALDI in Essen, Germany.  Key themes 01:25 Spotting red flags in data and how people communicate and act 04:48 Common red flags on projects: resource misallocation, scope creep and misalignment with organizational strategy 11:28 How to handle overly ambiguous—or extremely constrictive—project specs 15:24 Good practices for communicating red flags to the C-suite  17:00 Creating team cultures with transparency and trust  

Today’s project professionals are feeling the pressure. And when they don’t manage it well, it could steamroll into full-fledged burnout. What’s the difference between burnout and regular stress? How can burnout effect project outcomes? What early warning signs might show that you or your teams on are the verge of burnout? And what can project leaders do to reset and recharge? We discuss this with Michele Badie, PMP, CPMAI, a program manager in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, and Valerie Carmel, a mental health therapist based in Orlando, Florida, USA.  Key themes 00:57 What’s the difference between stress and burnout? 03:19 Facing burnout in yourself—and your team—as a project professional 06:04 How mental health professionals can help project managers amid burnout 09:14 How burnout can affect project outcomes 12:01 Warning signs for burnout: Lack of boundaries, sleep disturbance and irritability  14:27 Tips to keep burnout at bay on project teams 18:21 Recognizing burnout—and when it’s time to rest and recharge  

The Project Management Professional (PMP)® certification can be a career game-changer. What’s the best way to study for the exam? How do you stay motivated through months of preparation? What’s the difference between taking the exam in-person or online? We discuss this with Kelly Heuer, PhD, CAPM, VP of learning at PMI in Brooklyn, New York, USA; Fernanda Sa, PMP, procurement coordinator at Meta Reality Labs via Mackin Talent in Bellevue, Washington, USA; and Prabhjeet Singh, PMP, project manager at MedStar Health in Washington, D.C. Key themes01:09 Why earn the PMP certification? 04:52 How to create a study plan for the PMP exam09:07 Ways to stay motivated while studying for the PMP12:01 How PMI can help you prepare for the PMP exam17:03 Taking the PMP exam online or in-person20:40 How the PMP certification affects project careers23:41 Advice for the PMP certification exam

Join Krista McCalley, a project coordinator with CAPM and PMP credentials, and Albert Cayuela, a technical project manager from Banco Sabadell, as they share their inspiring journeys into project management. They discuss the importance of mentorship and overcoming imposter syndrome early in one’s career. Both guests highlight the benefits of obtaining CAPM and PMP certifications to boost confidence and open doors. They provide valuable advice for aspiring project managers, emphasizing the need for continuous growth and seizing new opportunities.

Gigaprojects aren’t hard to spot: deep complexity, massive stakeholder groups, wildly ambitious scopes and a major boost to national economies. We discuss two gigaprojects with: Ryan Banas, project director for the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel expansion project and VP at HNTB in Norfolk, Virginia, USA; and Chris Hall, district engineer at the Virginia Department of Transportation in Hampton, Virginia, USA: Banas and Hall discuss how their teams prepared for the years-long bridge and tunnel project, how they keep teams aligned across multiple hand-offs, and the clever ways they engage stakeholders—including community members affected by construction.  Mohammed Almutlaq, project management office VP at the Royal Commission for AlUla in Riyadh: Almutlaq shares how teams are turning the historical site of AlUla into an archaeological tourism destination. He discusses how the PMO keeps teams across portfolios aligned to a singular strategy, ways teams best communicate and keep track of progress across projects, and builds flexibility into projects through solid change management practices.Key themes01:42 Managing a multibillion-dollar infrastructure overhaul in Virginia04:42 How teams collaborate to tackle years-long projects07:41 Good practices for hand-offs across the project life cycle10:12 Keeping the community informed—and building buy-in for the long haul15:44 Transforming the ancient city of AlUla into a tourism hub18:18 How a PMO keeps multiple teams aligned to one strategic vision21:19 Building adaptability into projects with change management25:06 Top challenges: continuous value delivery and retaining the right talent  over long timelines 

Success is in the eyes of the beholder. For projects, that means winning over the top decision makers in the C-suite. How can project management office leaders best share project progress with executives? How can you better engage the C-suite to manage their POVs? We discuss this with Douglas Pulini, PMP, PMI-PMOCP, head of the strategic management office at SPC Brasil in São Paulo, and Stephan Wohlfahrt, PMI-ACP, DAVSC, PMP, head of the project management office at Bosch Mobility in Stuttgart, Germany. Key themes00:56 The C-suite’s role in project success02:33 How PMO leaders decide what information to share with executives05:24 Ways to engage executives to benefit project success10:26 Choosing how to best present project updates to the C-suite14:28 Must-have skills for PMO leaders to effectively manage stakeholder perceptions

Every project—no matter the sector or region—can be led and managed more sustainably. How can project professionals gain executive buy-in for sustainability efforts? How have they put environmental and social responsibility front and center in their work? And how can other project leaders further develop their knowledge of sustainability in their sectors? We discuss this with Pratik Mishra, PMP, senior strategic portfolio manager at Zalando in Berlin, and Michael Mylonas, GPM-b, PMP, director of project management at the Xeni Gwet’in First Nations Government in Tsilhqot’in Title Land, Nemaiah Valley, British Columbia, Canada. Key themes00:52 Why you should embed sustainability into every project phase04:29 Gaining stakeholder buy-in for sustainability on projects08:49 Building environmental and cultural sustainability into a community center project12:16 How project professionals can develop their sustainability knowledge 15:26 Ways you can boost sustainability in your projects

Project professionals across the globe deliver meaningful work in myriad ways—all with a goal to make the world a better place. So how did two project managers start their careers, one producing concerts across the globe and the other inspiring teams at LEGO? We discuss what makes them proud to be project managers, some of their favorite projects and more. Our guests are Jim Digby, PMP, project manager and tour and production director at Show Makers in Philadelphia, and Liliana Janette Gómez Castrejón, PMP, project manager at The LEGO Group in Herning, Denmark.  Key themes01:03 Delivering projects, from major music tours to LEGO06:32 The project management skills that help deliver creative projects08:40 Overcoming challenges with stakeholder management and finding your leadership style12:39 Bringing creativity into leading creative projects 17:55 Project manager pride: Creating healthy, diverse team environments 

Projects and products are becoming increasingly entwined. That ramps up the need to build greater collaboration between project managers and product managers. What’s similar—and different—about the roles? What strategies can you use to boost collaboration? And how does agile help everyone stay aligned? We get insights and tips from Adam Motiwala, a product manager at Google in Irvine, California in the United States, and Meg Sawachi, PMI-ACP, PMP, a senior project manager at GlobalLogic in Lund, Sweden.  Key themes02:14 Today’s must-have skills for product managers and project managers06:04 The biggest similarities—and differences—between product and project managers 08:29 Building a strong partnership between a project manager and product manager12:56 How agile helps project and product managers stay aligned16:51 Words of advice to product and project managers to boost collaboration

Iterating has become the business norm—but project teams are struggling to keep up with the relentless pace of change. How can change management professionals and project leaders help? We discuss this with: Sharon Casey, director, change management, Adobe, Austin, Texas, USA: Casey discusses how the persistent pace of change is affecting project teams and contributes to change fatigue. She also explains how change practitioners can support project professionals and teams going through change—sharing how her team’s “service tiers” offer assistance—and ways to ensure project teams and senior stakeholders buy into change initiatives. Plus, how artificial intelligence is helping leaders at Adobe learn to better manage change.  Senkodi Murugesan, CPMAI, PMP, previously a project manager at Howden, a Chart Industries company, Chennai, India: Murugesan discusses how change has evolved through his career, how to find opportunities amid sudden change on a project, and he shares an example of how he led teams through a major tech change. He also explains why an agile mindset is crucial when it comes to leading project teams through change.Key themes[02:08] How the increasing pace of change affects teams[04:02] Building buy-in for change—and avoiding burnout[09:16] How Adobe change practitioners support teams during change[11:18] Using AI to assist project leaders during change initiatives [16:15] A project professional’s perspective on how managing changed has evolved[18:51] Helping teams through major tech changes [21:38] An agile mindset: A must-have for project leaders handling change