Project Management Office Hours

In this episode of Project Management Office Hours Joe Pusz, PMO Joe, and his guests Ruth Pearce and Michael Donnelly discuss using Strengths Based Project Management, progressing from good to great project management, building successful PMOs, and Ruth's book, "Being a Project Motivator, Unlock the Secrets of Strengths-Based Project Management." Ruth and Michael have great chemistry and the discussion flows easily between them as we get insights, tips, techniques, and tools. This is a can't miss episode to learn Why you need to be more than a technically competent project manager.

Ruth shares with us the essence of her book, that building effective teams and leading successful projects is made easier utilizing Character and Strength-based Project Management. Ruth guides us in practical application such as how to observe the 24 character strengths within your team and how to engage your team. The natural powers of observation allow us to share character strengths and help our teams connect and grow through appreciation.

Michael shares his story and career path which has led him to his current PMO leadership role. Along his journey he has had many successes and he provided several examples which PMO leaders can easily adopt. Are you a Partner of Choice within your organization? Listen to Michael's powerful story on his courageous leadership to engage his stakeholders. He also shares barriers he has encountered and how to overcome these challenges.

Tune in for upcoming shows with Project Management leaders and also Subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcast, iHeartRadio, Spotify, Stitcher, Spreaker or your favorite podcast platform! Our next show will be April 4th with Judy Umlas and Jason Kwolek.

In this episode of Project Management Office Hours Joe Pusz, PMO Joe, and his guests Danielle Crop from American Express and Dana Brownlee from Professionalism Matters take a deep dive into Agile Transformations discussing the AMEX Portico project, Managing Up from Dana’s new book and also the new Women in Product group in Phoenix.

Danielle shares her unique story working her way through various industries and careers prior to landing at American Express. She details the history of the Portico project to complete an Agile Transformation at American Express. Danielle shares many insights and lessons from the 4 year journey including the origination of the Portico name. We also hear of the new Women in Product group Danielle helped found here in Phoenix.

Dana shares the story which led her write her recent book, “The Unwritten Rules of Managing Up: Project Management Techniques from the Trenches” We learn the different types of bosses and techniques to deploy when working with these different types of bosses. Dana also shares the importance of building a “Culture of Candor” and how a collaborative work environment, as with Agile teams, is beneficial and necessary.

During this episode we also shared a great offer from IIL, the International Institute of Learning to Veterans providing free access to the 2019 Leadership and Innovation Online Conference. The conference runs from March 7 – June 9 and Veterans get free access using code VETMENT. Register athttps://www.iil.com/leadership-and-innovation-conference/

Tune in for upcoming shows with Project Management leaders and also Subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcast, iHeartRadio, Spotify, Stitcher, Spreaker or your favorite podcast platform! Our next show will be March 21 with Ruth Pearce and Michael Donnelly.

In this episode of Project Management Office Hours Joe Pusz, PMO Joe, and his guests Jan Schiller from Berkshire Consulting and Kevin Jacobs take a deep dive into what makes a PMO successful, challenges in building a successful PMO, how to properly scope a PMO and much much more!

Jan shares her story working her way up the ranks, serving in varying roles across multiple industries. It is a common career path that many of us have followed. Jan has used these experiences to help build a very successful consulting practice supporting clients with PMO buildouts, Agile Transformations and more. Visit her LikedIn Profile to get access to free tools to help in scoping and building your PMO - https://www.linkedin.com/in/janschiller/

Kevin helps us understand the challenges of leading a successful PMO in a corporate setting. We discuss his experiences, challenges, successes and importantly his real-world, proven recommendations. We also hear Kevin discuss the importance of the PMP certification and how a personal experience changed his view on this popular industry certification.

Listen in to the episode to hear the stories Kevin and Jan share which paint a picture of a rewarding yet challenging career as a PMO leader. We covered a lot of ground in this chat and learned valuable lessons, heard shared experiences, and gained access to available tools and insights to help solve some of your PMO challenges.

Tune in for upcoming shows with Project Management leaders and also Subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcast, iHeartRadio, Spotify, Stitcher, Spreaker or your favorite podcast platform! Our next show will be March 7th with Danielle Crop and Dana Brownlee.

In this episode of Project Management Office Hours Joe Pusz, PMO Joe, and his guests Dale Richards from Swattage and John Baley from PMI Phoenix discuss innovative PM/PMO tools, PMI focus in 2019, and Project Management Leadership.

Dale shares his story behind Swattage, the Project Innovation Lab and tools they offer the PM community. Swattage offers the Circuit app connecting Executive Sponsors with Project Managers. They also have the PMO Value Perception Topography a method for measuring the landscape of how your PMO is perceived. Get a free report sample at http://swattage.com/pmovalue/

As a returning guest, John shared all the benefits that the PMI Phoenix chapter provides to its members including, regular dinner and breakfast meetings throughout the Valley, industry training, networking, and special events. John talked about PMI's focus on the practitioner in 2019. Dale and John also have a great in-depth discussion on Project Management leadership and the necessary skills to become a stronger Project Manager.

Listen in to the full episode to hear the details from both of these Project Management leaders. We covered so much in this episode on Project Management Leadership and Innovation and I wish we had more time to continue the discussion. You can learn more about Dale and Swattage by visiting www.swattage.com. To learn more about John and connect with him, visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-c-baley-612567.

Tune in for upcoming shows with Project Management leaders and also subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcast, iHeartRadio or your favorite podcast platform! Our next show will be February 21st with Kevin Jacobs and Jan Schiller.

In this first episode of Season 2 of Project Management Office Hours Joe Pusz, PMO Joe, and his guests Andy Kaufman from the People and Projects Podcast and Derick Brownell from Slalom Consulting take a deep dive into what is required to be a successful Project Manager and PMO Leader.

Andy shares his unique story starting out as a software developer and the journey to become a leader in the Project Management industry as a gifted speaker, author, podcaster and thought-leader. He reflects on 2018 providing a retrospective of events within the PM space as well as giving a glimpse of the what we might see in 2019 and beyond.

Derick provided us an interesting perspective on Project Management and Coaching. We had a fantastic discussion about coaching techniques and trends in the US Soccer Program and how Derick is able to leverage these as a Consultant with Slalom Consulting. Andy, Derick and I shared experiences and challenges with this discussion and how we can utilize athletics, coaching, and personal experiences to advance our Project Management careers.

Listen in to the full episode to hear the details from both of these industry leaders. We covered so much on Project Management Leadership and Coaching in this hour and I wish we had more time to continue the discussion. You can learn more about Andy and the People and Projects Podcast by visiting www.peopleandprojectspodcast.com. To learn more about Derick and connect with him, visit www.linkedin.com/in/derickbrownell/.

Tune in for upcoming shows with Project Management leaders discussing a wide range of current topics and events! Our next show will be January 17th.

In our final 2018 episode of Project Management Office Hours Joe Pusz, PMO Joe, and his guests Mark Price Perry and Don Hardenbrook discuss the Business Driven PMO and viewing Project Management and PMOs through a business lens.

Mark shares his story of finding Project Management after starting his career within Sales and Marketing. His perspective led to the birth of the Business Driven PMO mindset. Hear Mark share some of his experiences working with organizations across the globe to improve their PMO and Project Management practices using his Business Driven PMO mindset.

Don shares his insights on Project Management as a PMP certified PM but as a leader over multiple business functions interacting and working in collaboration with PMOs. As Don explains, we are all working on projects and there is importance to understanding how PMOs and project management work but we need to understand the business reasons and challenges we face when working on projects.

Listen in to the full episode to hear the details from both of these industry leaders. You can learn more about Mark and BOT International by visiting www.botinternational.com. To connect and learn more about Don visit www.linkedin.com/in/donovanhardenbrook/.
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Tune in for upcoming shows with Project Management leaders discussing a wide range of current topics and events! We kick off 2019 on January 3rd with Andy Kaufman and Derick Brownell.

In this special episode of Project Management Office Hours Joe Pusz, PMO Joe, and his guests Naomi Caietti and Raoul Encinas discuss Leadership and how to be a better Project Manager by improving your Leadership skills.

Naomi shares the details of her new book, Transform Your Project Leadership! She discusses the 10 key leadership competencies - Brainstorming, Coaching and Mentoring, Conflict Management, Emotional Intelligence, Influencing, Interpersonal Skills, Listening, Negotiating, Problem Solving, and Team Building. We dig into these competencies and how they are beneficial to you, the Project Manager, to grow and advance your career. We also hear from Naomi some of her experiences as a consultant to capture her thoughts on the benefits of improving your leadership skills.

Raoul steps us through his experiences as an Executive Coach and utilizing Leadership exercises/techniques to assist clients on their Leadership Journey. Knowing we are not all at the same spot in our career, Raoul shares different starting points for improving leadership for a new Project Manager or a more season PM professional as well as for a PMO leader. A key for both Raoul and Naomi is to recognize that becoming a Project Management leader goes beyond just improving your technical skills. We must dedicate time to improving soft skills and leadership skills to advance our careers.

Listen in to the full episode to hear the details from both of these industry leaders. We covered so much on Leadership in this hour and I wish we had more time to dig even deeper. You can learn more about Raoul and PhosLabs by visiting https://www.phoslabs.com. To learn more about Naomi and her book visit https://www.naomicaietti.com.

Tune in for upcoming shows with Project Management leaders discussing a wide range of current topics and events! Our next show will be December 20th with Mark Price Perry and Don Hardenbrook.

In this special episode of Project Management Office Hours Joe Pusz, PMO Joe, has a thought provoking discussion with Project Management Industry leaders Dr. Harold Kerzner from the International Institute for Learning and Belinda Goodrich from PM Learning Solutions.

Much of our hour-long conversation was focused on the future of project management and learning from our collective experiences. Dr. Kerzner and Belinda both highlighted how Project Managers and the role they perform are evolving. We no longer focus our metrics on just the Triple Constraint. We utilize Frameworks rather than Methodology. We have re-defined project success. Our training techniques and tools are changing to meet these new expectations. We discuss differences in project management in the US compared to abroad and challenges with teaching project management at higher educational institutions.

Belinda speaks in detail about the A.C.I.D. Approach; Agility, Change, Innovation, and Disruption. Using this Approach, project managers are more prepared and skilled to lead organizations through growth by running programs and projects critical to overall organizational success. She also shares how Project Management Training has become more behavioral and less technical which provides project managers with essential tools to become successful. Belinda also shares her own story as a young woman starting in a male dominated field, how that has changed and the role that has played in her life with her daughters.

Innovation and Project Management are two terms not often associated. As a leader in our field, Dr. Kerzner is examining innovation in project management through understanding our past as well as understanding the future needs of our organizations and customers. He shares stories of working at the beginning of modern project management and the impetus and limitations of Earned Value, also his personal experiences with his daughter as a project manager facing challenges leading IILlogoUSpnginternational projects. We hear how measuring success on projects has changed from on time, on budget to now over hundreds of available metrics. He shares how and why project success is now defined as “did you create business value.”

Listen in to the full episode to hear the details from both of these industry leaders. We covered much in our hour and I wish we had more time to dig even deeper.

Tune in for upcoming shows with Project Management leaders discussing a wide range of current topics and events! Our next show will be December 6th with Naomi Caietti and Raoul Encinas.

In this special episode of Project Management Office Hours, Joe Pusz, PMO Joe has a great discussion with guests Eric Wright, CEO of Vets2PM and Trevor Stasik VP External Relations and Paul Martin, AVP Military Relations from PMI Phoenix.

As we honor our Veterans this month, we dedicated this episode to Project Management topics for our Veterans. We discussed the Veterans Project Management Mentoring Program offered by THE PMO SQUAD and Vets2PM. In less than a year this Program has over 100 participants across 30 states and continues to grow. To learn more about the Program visit: https://www.thepmosquad.com/veterans- mentoring.html

Eric shared his story which lead to founding Vets2PM and eventually on to building VetStone. Both of these organizations serve our Veterans in the Project Management space offering training, career services, and prep for certifcation. Thank you to Eric for his multiple tours of duty and now for providing tools and services to assist Veterans transitioning into civilian PM careers!

Trevor and Paul are both Veterans as well. Now with their roles within the PMI Phoenix chapter they are leading efforts to give back to our Veterans. Listen to hear Paul discuss the Project Language Learner initiative and plans to launch a Veterans Mentoring Program from the PMI Phoenix Chapter. Trevor shares his experiences in the military and how those activities and skills translate to his role as a BA and PM leading projects for the Make A Wish Foundation.

We honor our Veterans for the service they provided to our country. We get to honor a second time on this show for their service post military career. Eric, Trevor, and Paul are all Veterans who continue to serve, as Project Management Leaders working to assist our Veterans!

Tune in for upcoming shows with Project Management leaders discussing a wide range of current topics and events! Our next show will be November 15th with Dr Harold Kerzner and Belinda Goodrich.

In this episode of Project Management Office Hours, Joe Pusz, PMO Joe has a great discussion with special guests Thor Thomsen and Jim Watkinson from THORFeed and Jeanne Barry from RGP.

We don’t often think about Project Management within the Farming industry. However, in this episode we get insights from Thor and Jim about the benefits, challenges, and growth opportunities farmers are experiencing through use of project management principles. Jeanne shares her experiences within traditional project management and compares those to the stories shared by Thor and Jim.

Requirements gathering, planning, monitoring and execution are discussed, but when working with farmers who haven’t been exposed to project management principles unique challenges are identified. This is a fantastic episode to understand the wide reach and benefits project management provides to business across all industries.

Tune in for upcoming shows with Project Management leaders discussing a wide range of current topics and events! Our next show will be November 1st.