President’s Letter May 2012

Our April chapter meeting was a little crowded due to some calendar issues with the hotel.  To make a long story short, we worked with them to provide the best space available and I think we succeeded. Not optimal, but fortunately Scott Carbonara was an excellent speaker.  The deserts and coffee bonus after the meeting didn’t hurt either. I was disappointed in the participation for our first social outreach event.  After talking with several attendees it seems that the avenues of communication we rely on are not sufficient to meet the needs of our members.  Something we will take away and work to improve.

Previously, we announced 2 social outreach programs that are starting in 2012.  The programs provide 2 kinds of opportunities to earn PDUs in the Giving Back category: either by providing PM training/skills/assistance to non-profits (via our PMIEF program) or by volunteering time to assist non-profits in a non-PM role (via our VOICE program). Later in the newsletter is a list of planned social outreach events.  May is a food drive – please bring non-perishable food items to the chapter meeting!  If you have questions or want to participate, reach out to PMIEF-Charlotte@pmi-metrolina.com or to Voice@pmi-metrolina.com. 

Did you know the chapter supports the UNC Charlotte SIFE members with volunteer mentors? Did you know the chapter supports the Appalachian State University PM Club and their participation in the annual PM Bowl?  Did you know the chapter has a scholarship at Western Carolina University for student studying Project Management? Recently, the UNC Charlotte SIFE team won the Regional competition (for the 9^th consecutive time) and are heading to the National Exposition in May to compete against 160 other universities! The AppState PM Bowl team earned a 1^st place and two second place finishes!  This kind of success make me proud to be an active member of the chapter, and proud of our volunteers to help make this type of success for our future project managers a reality.  Kudos to all of the volunteers, faculty and student participants!

Our annual PDD will be September 15^th at CPCC Main Campus.  We have been able to lower the rates and offering a special price for students with ID and anyone unemployed.

As we look for our venue for 2013, we have examine a trend other large chapters employ called satellite meetings.  We will be looking into the possibility of hosting additional chapter meetings in areas around Charlotte, such as Denver, Concord, and Monroe.  A survey is available to all members probing the desire of the membership for this kind of arrangement.  Depending on the interest, we may host our first satellite session in the 4^th quarter as a pilot.

What a busy year for PMI-Metrolina!  Our new community and social outreach programs, coupled with our new mentoring program, opens up significant volunteer opportunities to our members.  Our on-going support of UNCC SIFE, Appalachian State’s PM Club, and adding Project Management to the North Carolina education curriculum for High Schools provide opportunities as well.  Hopefully you will find one that meets your need to give back to your profession or your community.

Thanks for your participation and support

Craig Marek

President, PMI-Metrolina

VOICE 

April Clothing Drive

We want to thank Fontella McKyer from Dress for Success, Denise Moses from Jacobs Ladder of Charlotte, and everyone who participated in our April clothing drive.  Members are encouraged to visit, to donate clothes, and to volunteer at these organizations. 

May Food Drive

We are having a food drive for Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina during our meeting on May 15th. Some interesting facts about hunger and the Food Bank: 

• The Food Bank’s mission is to eliminate hunger through education, advocacy, and partnerships.
• It helps 650 charitable agencies in a 19-county area, including soup kitchens, emergency pantries and shelters, low-income day cares, senior programs, and group homes.
• The food bank inventory is at its lowest in January, February, and the summer months.
• One in every six children is at risk of going to bed hungry.
• During the summer months, children are not receiving the same level of nutrition they received in school.
• General and senior programs:
• Community Food Rescue gathers and distributes perishable foods from restaurants and stores.
• Disaster Relief Program collects food and funds for national disasters.
• The Emergency Food Assistance Program distributes USDA commodities to people in need.
• Second Helping provides supplemental meals to homebound seniors who also get Meals on Wheels.
• Five-A-Day Program provides nutritional meals and information to children and seniors.
• Children’s programs:
• Two programs revolve around the Kids Café.  Kids Café provides food, assistance with homework, and mentoring for children.  The Kids Café Backpack puts food in backpacks for children to take home for weekends and holidays.
• The Chefs Program provides training and mentoring from community resources for would-be cooks.  Johnson and Wales University has an annual Cook-Off Competition and a series of workshops to teach interviewing skills, work ethics, goal setting, and teamwork.
• Ways to donate:
• For every $1, the food bank can provide seven pounds of food.  Make checks payable to ‘Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina’.
• Canned meats, fish, vegetables, and fruit.
• Peanut butter, pasta, rice, soup, and deluxe macaroni and cheese.
• Laundry and dish detergent, shampoo, and deodorant.
• Other foods that are not perishable, condiments, baby food and formula, and in glass containers.
• Volunteer to help with any one or more of their programs. 

Find detailed information about food and volunteer needs at http://www.secondharvestmetrolina.org

Please bring your donated items in a bag to our May 15^th meeting. 

June Golf Classic

We are participating in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Senior Centers Golf Classic on Monday, June 18^th.  Help is needed to distribute flyers prior to the tournament.  And during the tournament, greeters, and help with setup and cleanup, distributing water and snacks, and more are needed.  Send an email to voice@pmi-metrolina.com if you want to volunteer for any of the activities found at http://www.cmseniorcenters.org/GolfVolunteer.htm.
 

Upcoming 2012 Events

Members who want to be VOICE volunteers or have future event suggestions should send their contact information or suggestions to voice@pmi-metrolina.com.

ASU PROJECT MANAGEMENT CLUB STUDENTS WIN TOP AWARDS AT 3^rd INTERCOLLEGIATE PROJECT MANAGEMENT TRIATHLON --
 

Six Project Management Club members achieved one First Place and two Second Place awards for their participation in the 3^rd Intercollegiate Project Management Triathlon hosted by Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA from April 13 through April 15, 2012.

In the Quick Fire Challenge Pairs competition, Dana Churchill (PMC Secretary) won 1^st  Place and Alyssa Robison (PMC Treasurer) took 2^nd place.  Kyle Johnson (PMC President), Samantha Northrup (PMC Vice-President), Daniel Grassel and Tanner Williams placed 2^nd in the Quick Fire Challenge Team competition.  Students were required to show their ability to produce project management work products within a specified period of time based on a project scenario presented to them at the beginning of the time period.  Daniel Grassel received special recognition for his Work Breakdown Structure that scored highest in that category of work products. Nine four-person teams and six pairs participated in the competition from six different universities throughout the U.S.   The students were accompanied by their Coach and Club Advisor, Dr. Carol Pollard, CIS Department, Walker College of Business.  

Participation in the competition was made possible through funding from the Project Management Institute – Metrolina Chapter; WCOB Student Travel Grant Program and ASU Club Travel Grant Program.  Dana Churchill, Tanner Williams, Kyle Johnson and Dr. Pollard traveled to Charlotte on April 16 to present a plaque to Craig Marek, President of PMI-Metrolina and the Board of Directors to show their appreciation for the funding provided by the Metrolina Chapter.

Professional Development

Training for Project Managers and Why It Is Important
By Michelle Symonds

(Edited by Melanie Tindley)

All professionals who wish to be successful need to continually aim to improve their skills through on-going time investment in training.  With project management becoming recognized more and more as an esteemed profession, project managers need to ensure they keep receiving the appropriate training to develop their careers and keep their skills relevant or up-to-date. Continuous professional development (CPD) has always been a part of the career path of those in the well-established professions such as accounting and law; and is now being incorporated as a concept into development training courses for project management career paths.

Project managers are required to fulfill an ever expanding and important role as projects become more complex partly due to new technologies being developed at an increasingly faster pace. This complexity coupled with finding new ways to cope with growing expectations from both clients and employers, makes on-going training a vital necessity versus an option.  The right type of professional training can equip project managers with a broader assortment of skills to successfully deal with these complexities; plan and implement projects; manage risks and change; and interact with people at all levels.

Added benefits of professional training and credentials may in some cases also include higher salaries, better career prospects and improved job satisfaction. This is an abbreviated but key list of incentives for project managers to engage in a regimen of on-going training.  Employers are mutually incented to provide top notch training programs in order to achieve the benefits of retaining well-trained and motivated employees who are capable of delivering complex projects successfully.

For project managers who are self-employed or employed by small companies with limited to nonexistent training budgets (or worse, a company without the desire to train its employees), there are plenty of excellent training options designed to help individuals gain access to top quality training that can lead to well-regarded qualifications and credentials (Local PMI Chapters, certified project management training providers, etc.).

One frequently overlooked benefit of a training course (or at least, traditional classroom-based learning) is learning about the successes and failures of both the trainers and the other training participants. It is highly likely that someone else attending the course has experienced, or is experiencing similar project challenges. Being able to discuss these issues with others while in the company of a professional trainer, can be a fantastic learning experience in itself.

So why is professional training worthwhile?

• Planning and Managing

The approach one might take to plan and manage a project will be determined by the type of methodology the individual has been trained to use and is most familiar with (PMP Methodology, PRINCE2, APMP, etc.). Regardless of approach, one factor remains constant and sure…All projects require planning and managing key metrics such as schedules. Training will equip a project manager to understand the best approach to take in response to multiple influences (industry, sector, economy, geography, function / professional discipline, etc.). For example, one’s approach to the schedule may by nature require more flexibility before the project is completed.  This seems to be characteristically true in software development projects. Nevertheless, every project will start with some sort of schedule, and the well-trained project manager will have the knowledge to fine tune it by taking into account all necessary tasks, their interdependencies, estimations, milestones and resource tracking while allowing for flexibility where appropriate.

• Dealing with Risks and Change

Methods can be learned to better anticipate risks or mitigate those risks along with the related implications. Training will also promote the importance of a good change management process in terms of how to establish one and how to ensure it is followed in a way that the management of change requests does not become a full-time job and change requests do not obscure the original purpose of the project.

• Dealing with People

With the help of training, a project manager can learn team-building skills, including how to develop a motivated, committed team that will work co-operatively together. Training will also give insight on how to communicate effectively with everyone involved in the project, including the stakeholders.  Training enables a level of confidence to stick with the plan when the plan is right, change the plan when it is wrong and be prepared to make unpopular decisions when necessary.

• Dealing with Documentation

Finally, training will ensure every project has established and documented the criteria for success, which can be used to confirm that a project has been delivered to the satisfaction of all stakeholders.

Go to the Job Board to see recent postings.

Volunteer Name: David M. Gadalla, PMP  LEED DB+C

Volunteer Position: Controller (Chair)

Aides Finance VP and helps manage budgets. Also working with Craig Marek on 2013 Meeting RFP.

Years with PMI Metrolina Chapter: Two years.

One unique fact about yourself: I can say all 50 states in alphabetical order in under 60 seconds. 
 

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