With wildlife populations plummeting, conservation teams are fighting back, using cutting-edge technology to track and protect the world’s flora and fauna. We discuss this with:  

Shannon Dubay, director of conservation technology, Panthera, Cape Town, South Africa: Dubay discusses how teams use camera traps, satellite imagery, AI and other technologies in cat conservation, how teams are analyzing and acting on data faster in Zambia, how tech advancements have changed teams’ success metrics in conservation projects, plus how predictive analytics could transform conservation efforts moving forward. 

Dave Thau, global data and technology lead scientist, World Wildlife Fund (WWF), San Francisco: Thau talks about how the role of AI has evolved in conservation and helped boost efficiency. He also discusses WWF’s ManglarIA Project, which uses  AI and other tech to measure the impact of climate change on mangroves in Mexico. Plus, Thau takes listeners through how the team is leaning into innovation and adaptability as well as working with community members to futureproof their efforts. 

Key themes

[02:33] Using camera traps, drones and AI to conserve cats in the wild

[07:41] How teams are analyzing—and acting on—data faster 

[11:10] Tech’s impact on success metrics for conservation projects

[12:02] How predictive analytics could change future conservation projects

[14:58] The evolution of AI in conservation projects

[17:35] How WWF is using AI to measure the impact of climate change on mangroves in Mexico

[20:26] Focusing on innovation, adaptability and community engagement in conservation 

More and more project professionals are managing artificial intelligence (AI) projects, but teams are struggling to make sure they deliver real value. What makes AI projects different—and what are some common reasons they fail? What does it take to lead successful AI projects—and how do you build those must-have skills? We discuss the big issues with two experts at PMI Cognilytica: Kathleen Walch, CPMAI, director, and Ron Schmelzer, CPMAI, director and general manager. Both are based in Columbia, Maryland, USA. 

Key themes

[02:37] Common reasons why AI projects fail

[07:42] How to make sure your AI project delivers real ROI 

[09:22] What makes AI projects different than others—and what it takes to manage them

[17:05] Ways to keep your AI knowledge up to date 

[19:30] How to set smart metrics for AI projects and the rise of agentic AI 

International Women’s Day is a clarion call for gender equality—and project professionals around the globe are taking bold action to advance the cause. Our guests discuss the projects they’re leading to empower girls and women, how they ensure they’re delivering positive social impact, and how they keep themselves—and their teams—motivated in the face of adversity. 

Our guests include Cecile Pilot, senior project and capacity building officer at Defence for Children International in Geneva, and Marwa Hammad, head of global gender strategy and the Youth Education and Entrepreneurship program at Schneider Electric Foundation in Cairo. 

Key themes

[02:17] Supporting young women to drive change in their local communities and on the global stage

[05:43] Creating Schneider Electric Foundation’s global gender strategy and a program for youth education and entrepreneurship

[09:48] Overcoming funding and legal challenges along with battling stereotypes 

[17:13] How to stay motivated and—resilient—in the face of adversity

[21:25] Measuring success and positive social impact

[23:48] The vision for greater gender equality in the years ahead

What can project professionals around the globe expect to face in 2025? We talk with project leaders to help you prepare.  

Sanjukta Ghosh, PMP, data and AI leader at Siemens in Erlangen, Germany, and Alexandra Schutz, PMI-ACP, PMP, director of the program management office at Appfire in Washington, D.C., discuss what’s next for artificial intelligence in the project sphere, the increasing role sustainability and project management offices (PMOs) will play in value delivery and the must-have skills for 2025. They also share what they’re excited for in the new year.  

Key themes 
[02:31] How AI will dominate projects in 2025 
[11:20] Using AI to elevate sustainability objectives 
[13:07] PMOs stepping up to drive business transformation and deliver value
[16:01] Adaptability, strategic thinking, AI acumen: Skills you need for 2025
[20:40] The biggest surprises from 2024—and takeaways for the year ahead  

To ensure projects deliver real social impact, organizations and their teams need to set clear targets, track progress—and adjust when plans and variables shift. 

We host a joint discussion with Karlijn Sibbel, innovation director at Notpla in London, and Grzegorz Wach, refugee employment initiative lead at NESsT in Warsaw. They discuss their work on two of the PMI 2024 Most Influential Projects, detailing the metrics used to track progress and measure positive social impact as well as the challenges teams face when aggregating this data. They also share their biggest lessons learned when it comes to measuring social impact.

Key themes
[02:46] How Notpla uses seaweed and plants to make biodegradable packaging
[06:23] How NESsT is empowering refugees and migrants to access quality jobs
[08:49] Using multiple metrics to track progress and measure a project’s social impact
[15:03] Top challenges teams face when measuring social impact
[23:04] Delivering positive social impact in the face of increased scrutiny
[27:13] Lessons learned: Embracing partners and pushing industry benchmarks forward

The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an urgent call to action to help people and the planet—and projects aligned to those goals require strong collaboration with stakeholders, whether they’re government agencies, teachers or farmers. We discuss this with: 

Jenny Buccos, CEO of EXPLR and co-director of the National STEM Festival, New York City: Buccos discusses how she and her team worked with the U.S. Department of Education along with corporate and philanthropic partners to bring the National STEM Festival to life. She also talks about the skills she leaned on to build stronger relationships with partners, the festival’s future and how STEM can help make a big impact on UN SDGs. 

Simon Dyer, CEO, Virtual Irrigation Academy, Sunshine Coast, Australia: Dyer shares VIA’s history and how small-scale farmers, their communities and governments are using VIA’s tech and the data it generates to make informed irrigation decisions. He also talks about the importance of face-to-face conversations with stakeholders, cultivating partners within the communities projects are happening in, and his biggest lessons learned from collaborating with stakeholders. 

Key themes
[02:17] Bringing stakeholders together for the National STEM Festival
[07:18] Collaborating with partners without losing sight of a project’s goal
[08:42] Leaning on time management and stakeholder engagement to build partnerships
[13:25] How STEM can help teams achieve UN SDGs
[16:26] How farmers, communities and governments use VIA’s tech to make informed irrigation decisions
[22:09] The power of face-to-face interactions with stakeholders—and embracing community partners
[26:38] Lessons learned: Don’t assume your stakeholders’ pain points and don’t discount your stakeholders’ knowledge

Public and private organizations across the globe are taking action to reach net-zero emissions targets—investing heavily in new technology to build resilient and efficient energy systems. Guests discuss the push for cleaner energy, the tech their teams use to develop cleaner energy solutions and the skills project professionals need to lead these projects.

Key themes
[01:43] What’s behind the global push for a clean energy transition? 
[04:33] Using new tech and operational practices to reduce carbon emissions in oil and gas production
[10:57] The must-have skills to deliver tech-forward clean energy efficiency projects
[15:05] Tech that’s helping connect renewable energy sources to the grid 
[19:02] Executing a tech upgrade to a decades-old binational hydropower plant
[24:33] What’s next for a clean energy transition? Greater digitalization in the energy sector

Today’s creative agencies need to move rapidly, whether they’re executing campaigns, capitalizing on pop culture moments or averting a crisis. Project management helps channel that urgency into strong execution and buzz-worthy results. In a joint discussion, two project leaders at creative agencies discuss which project management skills help teams turn their ideas into reality and reveal how they overcame challenges in high-stakes projects, including a major localization and transcreation initiative and the marketing campaign for Hollywood blockbuster Deadpool & Wolverine.

Key themes
[02:39] The role of project management at creative agencies
[07:05] The project management skills and domain expertise that help creative teams thrive
[11:05] Agile, predictive or hybrid: Picking the approach that’s right for a project
[17:10] How a project manager’s focus on risk identification and tailoring workflows helped a team stay on track
[19:42] How communication and collaboration helped Maximum Effort deliver Deadpool & Wolverine—and the film’s marketing plan
[21:41] Embracing flexibility and adaptability in creative project life cycles

Artificial intelligence (AI) is making one giant leap in the space industry. In celebration of World Space Week, we’re highlighting how project teams are tapping AI for space exploration and innovation. A project leader from the European Space Agency shares how his team created a “flying laboratory” so that other organizations from across the globe could experiment with new tech—including AI—in space. And NASA’s chief artificial intelligence officer shares how teams are using AI on projects and how the U.S. space agency is ensuring ethical, responsible AI use across teams.

Key themes
[02:29] Why ESA created a “flying laboratory,” the OPS-SAT Space Lab service [05:41] How to experiment with AI—and use it in the right projects
[11:27] Why the space industry views AI with heavy interest—and healthy skepticism
[14:32] What NASA’s chief artificial intelligence officer is focused on
[16:42] How the U.S. space agency is using AI on projects 
[22:04] How NASA ensures ethical, responsible AI use across teams
[26:58] How AI could transform space projects 

Artificial intelligence is fundamentally shifting how we work, but it’s imperative to use the emerging tech responsibly. Guests explore the major AI ethics concerns for project professionals and recommend good practices teams can employ to use and create ethical AI. They also share examples of how project teams handle AI ethics concerns—and how those concerns can impact companies’ regulatory compliance, reputation, risk management and even innovation.

Key themes
[03:34] Strategies to create—and implement—AI ethics practices on teams
[07:02] How a team handled ethics concerns of biased data
[11:44] Keeping your AI ethics policies flexible for the tech’s continued advancement
[14:01] AI ethics concerns project professionals are facing today
[15:47] How ethical AI impacts organizations’ regulatory compliance, innovation, risk management and even social responsibility
[18:20] Meta’s good practices for using or creating ethical AI
[22:57] What AI ethics training should include—and how often it should be updated