The Project Chatter Podcast

In this episode, Dale and Val take a trip in time and discuss the most impactful and their best bits from season 3 of the Project Chatter Podcast. They talk about the topics, guests and some new exciting features, additions and guests coming in Season 4!  This is also a chance for the lads to say thank you to the podcasts previous guests, specialists and passionate people.  Proudly sponsored by:  JustDo.com PlanAcademy.com InEight.com 

In this episode, Dale and Val talk about training, learning and capability partnering in projects. As projects become more complex and the need for competency across. many fields increase, we need to look at learning and development differently. We are joined by capability expert Michael Chachaty to talk about the different ways in which the past, present and future of learning needs to be addressed. Not one to be missed! Michael Chachaty joined blueVisions in 2001 some 19 years ago and has since managed major projects and grew and lead the Institute of Management to achieve the success that it has reached today. As a Director of the Institute of Management, Michael oversees all areas of its business from winning long term, major training contracts with large Government departments to ensuring quality delivery is provided by each of the team members. Michael has 19 years of experience providing project management capability and training services. This includes project management maturity assessments, capability building initiatives, process development and delivery of large scale technical and business projects for both Government and private sector clients, as well as Rail, Infrastructure, Construction and Telecommunication. Michael is an experienced facilitator, assisting clients in developing best practice methodologies, processes and systems tailored to meet strategic and organisational needs at a portfolio, program and project level. Project Chatter podcast is proudly sponsored by:  JustDo.com       InEight.com      PlanAcademy.com - save $75 on any course with this link - www.planacademy.com/chatter/ 

In this episode Dale and Val lift the wrapper on Responsible Project Management, and how we can help support responsible and environmentally aware and conscientious project managers.  So what is Responsible Project Management? Their aim is to transform beliefs about project management.   Achieving project success is increasingly challenging and ensuring a project is successful requires attention to the project context as well as the parameters of cost, time and quality.  New understandings and new competencies are needed for project professionals to navigate the complexities of the social, environmental and economic context of a project.  Our purpose is to contribute ideas, events and resources to support the development of the profession of Project Management. Dr Karen Thompson is a Senior Academic at Bournemouth University Business School in the UK.  She is an innovative, award-winning educator who researches at the intersection of Project Management and Sustainable Business. Before joining academia, she worked in the field of information systems and technology in financial services, local government, and the voluntary sector. As an academic, Karen is co-founder of the Responsible Project Management movement that brings together researchers, educators, and project management practitioners from a range of industries. Her current research interests include the development of competencies for sustainable development, how projects are managed in refugee camps, and educational use of Lego® Serious Play®, Ketso Connect® and virtual reality. She is a Fellow of the Association for Project Management, Member of the Project Management Institute (UK), Associate Editor for Project Management Research and Practice, Fellow of Advance HE and Project Management Expert for the Centre for Project Management at the University of Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Dr Nigel L. Williams, PMP is the Reader in Project Management and Research Lead in the Organizations and Systems Management Subject Group at the University of Portsmouth. Born in Trinidad and Tobago but now resident in the UK, Nigel worked in industry before starting his PhD in 2006 at the University of Cambridge. He has since worked in UK Higher Education. He is also the co-founder of Responsible Project Management (www.responsiblepm.com) and is co-editor of the forthcoming Handbook on Responsible Project Management. Nigel is an editorial board member of the journal "Project Management Research and Practice" and a member of the Education working group for Project Data Analytics. Dave is the UK Head of Programme & Project Management at Gleeds, a leading global property and construction consultancy. He is a Chartered Project Professional (ChPP), a Fellow of the Association for Project Management (FAPM) and an ex Chartered Engineer (MCIBSE). Before joining Gleeds, he was with WYG for 20 years and is experienced in a range of building and infrastructure sectors. He is the APM Wessex Branch Committee Vice-Chair and a keen supporter of the wider APM Education Group. He is also a volunteer for the youth section of his local rugby club. Proudly sponsored by:  JustDo.com      InEight.com      PlanAcademy.com - save $75 on any course with this link - www.planacademy.com/chatter/ #projectmanagement #projectcontrols  #projectmanagement #responsibleprojectmanagement #futuremanagement

In this episode, Dale and Val talk about what it takes to effectively implement and a project management system, and more so how organisations need to adapt, adopt and grow with their chosen tool suite. Additionally, with so many tools out there, how to know when and what to implement. James Crowell shares his views all the way from Bangkok, Thailand.  James is an Industry Consultant for Hexagon, based in Bangkok. In this role, James supports companies in their evaluation of EcoSys, Hexagon’s enterprise project performance software. He has a proven track record of working with leading project delivery companies to eliminate disparate spreadsheets and point solutions in favour of an enterprise project performance system that provides a consistent platform to standardize processes and boost project outcomes. James has international experience implementing the project management systems and holds a bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, a master’s degree in Business, and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). JustDo.com     InEight.com     PlanAcademy.com - save $75 on any course with this link - www.planacademy.com/chatter/ #projectmanagement #projectcontrols #projectplanning #projectriskmanagement #projectledaership

In this episode, Dale and Val talk about adaptive projects management and how skills and demands are changing, as well as how we should perceive the needs. We talk to Gary Wong and Hendrik Lourens about their vast knowledge in this area and how adaptive project management can truly improve project performance.  A bit about our guests; Gary Wong has over 45 years of experience starting with his career in an electrical utility where he worked in engineering, line operations, business consulting and training roles. PM responsibilities included managing electric utility construction and maintenance projects and running a PMO for Business Process re-engineering initiatives. He later joined Ernst & Young Consulting (now Capgemini Consulting) as a Senior Manager in Strategy & Transformation. Gary has operated his own independent consulting practice over the past 15 years focusing on complexity thinking and safety. He is a training associate with Cognitive-Edge Inc. and co-authors and delivers complexity courses and workshops. Gary has an engineering degree from UBC and an MBA from SFU. He also has held roles as a certified FranklinCovey 7 Habits facilitator and an Edward de Bono Six Thinking Hats and Lateral Thinking instructor. Hendrik Lourens is the owner of Stratflow, a company that provides solutions to project focussed companies that are looking to mitigate risk and to deliver immediate and significant results. He helps his clients to achieve breakthrough performance by clarifying the inherent simplicity in complicated and pressured environments and focussing their effort on the few critical leverage points that affect their system. Hendrik is a physicist by training with advanced qualifications in Polymer Science, accreditation in Theory of Constraints (Critical Chain Project Management, Finance, Operations and Supply chain, Thinking Processes) as well as an MBA. Hendrik has worked at the Director level in manufacturing businesses and for a number of Tier 1 companies.  He has worked with companies such as Aurizon, Qantas, John Holland, CPB, Downer, BHP & Anglo American and published widely on productivity, digitisation and social licence. This podcast is brought to you by:      JustDo.com    InEight.com     PlanAcademy.com - save $75 on any course with this link - www.planacademy.com/chatter/ #projectmanagement #projectcontrols #projectplanning #projectriskmanagement #projectledaership

In this episode Dale and Val talk about cost overruns and risk. Estimating projects can be challenging, but the maturity of contingency, risk and estimate management is considered decades ahead in other sectors, so why not infrastructure? We talk to risk and estimating expert John Hollmann on his views about what makes Infrastructure projects more challenging, as well as the opportunity of technology to help alleviate cost challenges on infrastructure projects.  A little about John: He helps owner companies improve their cost engineering competencies and capabilities. This includes projects involving engineering and construction in most sectors (e.g., process, power, mining, infrastructure, transportation, etc.). John is passionate about the field of Cost Engineering and has been a leader in developing technical standards. John has been on the Boards of AACE and ICEC, as well as lead author and editor of AACE's "Total Cost Management Framework" text, authored "Project Risk Quantification" text, authored many AACE Recommended Practices plus many papers and led the development of AACE's Decision and Risk Management Professional (DRMP) certification. Most recently, working with Koff & Guerrero Consultants, launched the ValidRisk cloud-based risk quantification software.  You can check out more by visiting www.validest.com and validrisk.com    This podcast is brought to you by:     JustDo.com   InEight.com    PlanAcademy.com - save $75 on any course with this link - www.planacademy.com/chatter/ #projectmanagement #projectcontrols #projectplanning #projectriskmanagement #projectledaership

In this episode Dale and Val talk about the software PERTmaster, its origins, features and its progression with Andrew Wicklund. Andrew shares his personal account of his journey with PERTmaster, including challenges he was facing with health issues, challenges a lot of people on projects face, due to the stresses and pressures of our line of work.  Andrew Wicklund is the owner of PRC Software with offices in the USA, India, and Canada. Andrew has a Masters of Science in Technical Project Management from the University of Houston, Texas, USA. He created the PRC Cloud for project and risk management. Andrew spent most of his career consulting, conducting risk workshops, project controls, and training for Fortune 500 clients in construction, oil & gas, aerospace, defense, IT, pharmaceutical , etc. He is active with charities for the homeless population in the USA, building infrastructure in West Africa, and Children's Bone Cancer research. This podcast is brought to you by:   JustDo.com  InEight.com   PlanAcademy.com - save $75 on any course with this link - www.planacademy.com/chatter/ InEight.com - Construction Software 

In this episode, Dale and Val take Fusion to the next level with Anne Bamford and Steve Wake. A follow-on from episode 66, Val and Dale lift the hood and really understand how fusion skills, training, and inclusion could change the very success of projects.  Professor Anne Bamford OBE is Strategic Director of the Education and Skills for the City of London. Anne has been recognized internationally for her research in creativity, lifelong learning, and technology. She instigated the term, ‘fusion skills’ to describe the competencies needed for flourishing now and into the future. Through her research, she has pursued issues of innovation, social impact and equality, and diversity. A world scholar for UNESCOs, Anne has conducted major national impact and evaluation studies for the governments of Denmark, The Netherlands, Belgium, Iceland, Hong Kong, Ireland, and Norway. Amongst her numerous articles and book chapters, Anne is the author of the “Wow Factor: Global research compendium on the impact of the arts in education” which has been published in five languages and distributed in more than 40 countries. Steve Wake is at the forefront of the development of national and international standards in Project Controls and Management. A genuine thought-leader. A super-connector. A maven. He is a member of the Management Standards committee of the BSi. Currently progressing Project Controls and Benefits Management. He is an internationally acknowledged expert on Earned Value Project Management.. Most recently on the newly published ISO standards for EVM and WBS, and currently he is working on an ISO EVM Implementation Guide. Steve works with government, national and international bodies and academia as a subject matter expert as well as on matters of governance. Steve was one of the authors of Agile Portfolios with ABC. With his Guild of Educators hat on he is working with OECD and the City of London to introduce Fusion Skills internationally to children aged 7-70+ He is also currently working on a Think-Thank for Major Sporting Events. In the afternoons he is championing Circular Economies and Sustainability to combat Climate Change. He has worked in the automotive, print aerospace, defence, insurance, and I.T. industries as a project manager and consultant. He led the Association for Project Management to their award of Royal Charter. He is the Chief examiner for EVM and Planning with APMG. He curates and chairs his own highly-regarded EVA conferences - now in its 25th year and also curates the PMI’s major Synergy event now in its 10th year. He is a visiting lecturer at Warwick WMG, Cranfield, and UCL as well as the Moscow School of Economics. He has an MA in Manpower specialising in the sociology and psychology of organisations and is a member of the London Mozart Players Development Group. His long passion for all kinds of music is almost matched by his continued appreciation of silence. Links: About Fusion Skills Fusion Assets  Learn about Fusion Findings and Creative Outputs from Fusion Cities 2 virtual meeting Fusion Cities of the Future Fusion Event REGISTER HERE This podcast is brought to you by:  JustDo.com  InEight.com  PlanAcademy.com - save $75 on any course with this link - www.planacademy.com/chatter/

In this episode, Dale and Val get geeky about resources and workforce planning! Dive into #resourcemanagement from a potentially new angle with their guest Alex James who is passionate about effort management and #wellbeing on projects.   About Alex James; Educated as a civil engineer, Alex has 30 years of experience in construction, design, project, and business case management, fortunately working on signature projects and assets like The Sydney Harbour Tunnel, Sydney Airport, Cross City Tunnel, and Sydney’s rail network. Alex’s frustration with the carnage of poor-quality product, delivered late by stressed people, or low utilisation eroding margins, drove him to better understand the ‘resource management’ enigma.  This led to his creation of the ‘Effort Management Theorem’ used in solutions and analysis offered by his startup RESRODEL. Alex is the Project Leader of an international team developing a ‘Workforce Allocation’ standard, representing the Institute of Management Consultants at Standards Australia and the International Standards Organisation - Human Resource Management Committee.  Show notes from Alex James:  Advanced Effort Management analysis offered by RESRODEL is called ResroOPT See www.resrodelcom/resroopt with videos Wellbeing analysis (is being developed in conjunction with Dr. Adrian Medhurst at www.bennybutton.com) Alex is also presenting at the next - Integrated Project Engineering Congress is at https://ipecongress.com.au    27 - 28 May, Virtual Congress. This podcast is brought to you by: JustDo.com InEight.com PlanAcademy.com - save $75 on any course with this link - www.planacademy.com/chatter/

In this episode, Dale and Val talk about skills from other professions and how the application of fusing new skills could provide improved ways to manage projects. We're joined by two experts in this field, Carole Still and Jamie Hannon. Carole is an award-winning International Educator, United Nations Executive Coach, Chartered Manager, Mediator, and NLP Master Practitioner, Carole has worked in the public and private sectors, spanning the NHS, Accountancy, and Higher Education for 40 years.  Her lecturing expertise spans Leadership, Workplace Psychology, Change management, Mediation, the Art of Networking, and Conflict Resolution.  In 2009 she co-founded Simply Business Skills, a skills-based training company before closing the company in 2014 and donating all its learning resources to Coventry University London.    Since 2010, as one of the first members of staff in Coventry University London, she has held various senior management and academic roles including leading the MBA and Undergraduate Business programmes.  A passionate advocate of experiential and self-reflective learning, Carole’s work in this field, on behalf of Coventry University London, has led to the creation of effective feedback methods and the design and implementation of award-winning business simulations focused on developing the graduate skills employers seek.    As an educationalist, Carole is intensely interested in exploring long-term solutions to the delivery of education, particularly Higher and Further, and how such solutions can cascade down through the education system.    Her Ph.D. research is investigating the common and different understandings of graduate skills, among academics and employers, and how can these impact learning design to develop agile and capable graduates.    She participates in the City of London’s Fusion skills work to bring an understanding of what skills employers want and how they can be articulated in a way in which educators can teach, practice, and assess them.    Carole is a Freeman of the City of London and Court Assistant in the Worshipful Company of Educators. Jamie leads an arts-based learning programme that simulates knowledge sharing through the fusion learning model with an emphasis on curiosity, generosity and bravery.  With a career that has drawn on different areas, including performance, theatre producing, and commercial development, Jamie is a living example of this multi-disciplined approach.  Jamie is now designing and piloting new fusion learning programmes for Culture Mile, the Barbican and the City of London Corporation. This podcast is brought to you by: JustDo.com InEight.com PlanAcademy.com - save $75 on any course with this link - https://www.planacademy.com/chatter/