PMI Tucson Chapter | Board Blog

New Talent Gap Report: Opportunity Abound

2017-07-06T10:09:00.002-07:00

PMI’s recent Talent Gap report shows that by 2027, the project management-oriented labor force is expected to grow by 33 percent in project-oriented industries across 11 countries. Skills in project management are what employers need—in fields as diverse as manufacturing and construction, management and professional service, finance and insurance, information services and publishing, and health care. Even industries that are not highly project-oriented will experience growth in project management-related openings.

Access the report.

Coming Soon: The PMBOK® Guide – Sixth Edition

2017-07-06T10:06:00.003-07:00

The PMBOK® Guide – Sixth Edition will be published both online and in print in American English and 10 additional languages simultaneously in the third quarter of 2017.

New to the Sixth Edition, each knowledge area will contain a section entitled Approaches for Agile, Iterative and Adaptive Environments, describing how these practices integrate in project settings. Other content enhancements include more emphasis on strategic and business knowledge, including discussion of project management business documents, and information on the PMI Talent Triangle® and the essential skills for success in today’s market.

2017-04-29T07:52:00.002-07:00

April PMI Newsletter

Dear Chapter Stakeholders –

This newsletter will not be as newsy as previous editions as I have only topic to discuss this month. I am pleased that my personal and professional obligations are proceeding in new and exciting ways, but it means I have less time to devote to other worthwhile activities. Unfortunately, my term as the PMI Tucson President falls into the category of important obligations that I can no longer support as it requires. It isn’t fair to the chapter to continue in a reduced capacity when there is so much going on! I am pleased that under my tenure we have:

Launched a successful book club – Book Buzz -- that met during 2016 and discussed All Hands on Deck, Balanced Scorecard Evolution, and Mission Critical Meetings.
Identified some incredible and passionate talent to fill important roles in the Chapter including Director of Volunteers (Neil Jones), Director of Professional Development (Ty Chang), Pat Branch and Jerry Brown (Joint VPs of Programs).
Submitted a major revision to the Chapter Bylaws, a document that had not been updated in five years. The document was reviewed and approved in 2016 by PMI and PMI-Tucson chapter members. (It’s available on our website.)
Held our first CAPM/PMP preparation course.
Held numerous networking events outside of the regular meeting cadence.

In terms of who will replace me in this position, there will be an election. Please contact any of the current board members if you have questions or concerns about this process.

My best to the chapter – I look forward to everything that will be accomplished in the months and years ahead.

Eve

President's Blog – January 2017

2017-01-03T12:39:00.003-07:00

Dear Chapter Stakeholders –

Happy New Year! My best wishes to you and your families for a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2017.

In this edition of the President’s Blog:

Board Elections
University of Arizona Continuing and Professional Education Sponsorship
Program Management Improvement and Accountability Act
Miscellaneous

Board Elections

The Board fulfills a very important role for PMI-Tucson, such as filing PDUs for members, organizing three monthly events, and performing various administrative duties such as revising the Bylaws and renewal of our nonprofit status. If it were not for the volunteers who give their time we would not have monthly meetings or even a chapter. Therefore, I am grateful to the following individuals who have graciously agreed to run for Board positions:

VP of Programs – Patrick Branch and Jerry Brown
VP of Membership – Valerie Obie
VP Communications – Jason Falter

One position still remains open, and that is President-Elect. (Interested? Click hereto read a brief description of the role as well as the anticipated time commitment required.)

When you receive the email regarding elections, please respond promptly. And, when you see a Board member, thank them for volunteering (and ask how you can help)!

Sponsorship

As a small chapter, sponsorship funds are vital to pay for token speaker appreciation gifts, gas money for travel to Sierra Vista from Tucson (or vice versa), and raffle gifts for the holiday parties. These are the nice touches that help us attract presenters and also make PMI-Tucson a fun chapter for members. We are thankful for all sponsorships, and gratefully acknowledge a new alliance for December 2016 and January 2017: the University of Arizona’s Continuing and Professional Education office.

Continuing and Professional Education offers Fundamentals of Project Management and also PMP Exam Preparation courses in February of 2017. For more information, check out the Continuing and Professional Education website or call 520.626.5091.

Program Management and Accountability Act

In my September blog post, I discussed the Program Management and Accountability Act. In case you haven’t already seen the news, this piece of legislation was unanimously re-approved by the Senate in early December and signed by President Obama on December 16^th. Read all about this act here.

Miscellaneous

Volunteer Opportunities

A Message from Ty Chang: Happy New Year, Members! Welcome 2017! Professional Development has a few exciting events plan for this year - Professional Development Day (PDD) and CAPM/PMP Workshops. If you would like to participate in the chapter’s first PDD or shape the future of aspiring project managers by becoming a CAPM/PMP instructor please contact Ty Chang (ty.chang.ee.mba.pmp@gmail.com)or Neil Jones (jonesneilp@gmail.com).

Speaker Leads

A Message from Pat Branch and Jerry Brown: We hope all of you welcome 2017 with a positive outlook. After all, so much of being a PM has to do with us as people, and the relationships we create and maintain, both personally and professionally. For this year’s programs, we seek to obtain new approaches and examples of how to interact better during the course of executing our project management duties and functions. We’re keen to hear your ideas for how to increase connections and input about the direction of our upcoming speakers.

Please contact Pat Branch (patrickbranch@hotmail.com) or Jerry Brown (jlbrown41@comcast.net) if you have topic and/or speaker ideas.

* * *

The University of Arizona spring term begins January 11, 2017, which means I am unable to attend any Tuesday evening meetings from then through May. (I will attend as many breakfast meeting sessions as my work schedule permits.) However, my absence does not mean I don’t want to hear from you! Please contact me at evecran@gmail.com if you have questions, concerns, or suggestions.

Hope to see you at the first meeting of the year on January 10, 2017 when Dr. Vincent Del Casino from the University of Arizona will discuss Organizational Performance Management.

Eve

President's Blog – October/November 2016

2016-11-08T05:52:00.002-07:00

Dear Chapter Stakeholders –

In this edition of the President’s Blog:

Board Elections
Fourth Quarter Board Meeting
Speaker Leads

Board Elections

It’s that time again!

As a member of PMI-Tucson, this is your chance to influence chapter activities. We’re looking for people who aren’t seat warmers but are anxious to contribute meaningfully to the chapter. Members can nominate someone (or yourself) for any open position.

The following roles are open for a two-year term that begins January 1, 2017 and ends December 31, 2018:

President-Elect – This is a new position for PMI-Tucson this year, created to provide one year’s overlap between the current President and the incoming President. Responsible to represent the President in her absence, assume the role of President the year following successful completion of the President Elect’s duties in his/her role, and step into the role of President if the current occupant is unable to perform her duties at any time. (Estimated Time Commitment = 6 – 10 hours per month)

VP of Programs - Responsible to engage speakers for all monthly chapter meetings, organize the December holiday parties, and oversee the establishment of the Professional Development Program. (Estimated Time Commitment = 11 – 20 hours per month)

VP of Membership – Responsible to maintain accurate membership records, develop and execute outreach programs, and attend monthly chapter meetings (or recruit a surrogate to do so). (Estimated Time Commitment = 6 – 10 hours per month)

VP Communications – Responsible to manage the chapter’s web page, LinkedIn presence, and advertising programs. (Estimated Time Commitment = 6 – 10 hours per month)

Everyone is encouraged to participate in this year’s election process even if your only action is to vote. Please let me know if you wish to run for one of these positions no later than Saturday, November 26.

Fourth Quarter Board Meeting

The PMI-Tucson Board of Directors met October 16th for our fourth and final meeting of the year. Our agenda was:

Introductions and Farewells
2017 Strategic Plan Development
VP Finance Update
Elections
Holiday Party
Professional Development
Twenty Years a Chapter!

Given space limitations, I am going to focus on the agenda items highlighted in red font.

Introductions and Farewells

There were a few new faces at the table including Neil Jones and Ty Chang, both fantastic additions to our Chapter. We’re lucky to have their efforts on our behalf in the area of Director of Volunteers and Director of Professional Development, respectively. I have introduced both of them in this space in previous blog posts.

We also accepted the resignation of Mari Diffley, who has served us well as the Director of Networking for the chapter. She extends her gratitude to the board and volunteers for their support. Given she hasn’t left Tucson, we will hopefully see her at future PMI-Tucson meetings.

2017 Strategic Plan Development

Regular readers of this space know that the Board has been working on its 2017 Strategic Plan at every quarterly meeting, and I am pleased to report that we now have a defined path forward in terms of the direction of the Chapter and for each Board position.

We have developed a vision, mission/purpose, critical success factors, and values for the Chapter. During the last meeting, each Board position defined SMART goals to be achieved in 2017. Here’s an example, and it’s a goal I own:

By March 31, 2017, establish and analyze metrics to measure Board performance to 2017 goals.

The proposed metrics will be trackable and contain at least two that are applicable to each Board member’s area of responsibility. There will also be at least two trackable metrics for the Board as a whole.

Link attainment of metrics to eligibility to travel to LIM or regional meetings.
Steps to Achieve:

Obtain metrics from other chapters.
Identify potential metrics to track performance to 2017 PMI-Tucson Strategic Plan objectives.
Present to Board at Q1 Board Meeting for review/approval.

Early next year, I will present a more in-depth overview of the Strategic Plan to the Chapter.

2017 Strategic Plan Development

Ty Chang and I presented a proposal to the Board for a Professional Development Day (PDD) in 2017. This would be a one-day event featuring many speakers on a variety of Project Management topics. The purpose of a PDD is to provide an additional opportunity for members to earn PDUs and network.

The Board provided approval to begin development of preliminary deliverables such as budget development and the collection of bids.

However, our entrance criteria to further development is that we must have six volunteers to help us with this effort. In previous blog posts, I’ve discussed the different roles needed, and those positions are posted in VRMS.

If the chapter wants this to happen, please demonstrate your commitment and volunteer to help Ty with this project!

For more information about the PDD, contact Ty Chang. To discuss volunteer opportunities, contact Neil Jones.

Twenty Years a Chapter

Wow! Next year we will celebrate twenty years as an official Chapter of PMI. Look for special events in 2017 to commemorate.

Speaker Leads

We’re always interested in ideas for speakers -- please contact Jason Falter if you have suggestions.

* * *

As a reminder, school is in session at the UA and that means I will be unable to attend any Tuesday evening meetings. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to hear from you! Please do not hesitate to contact me at evecran@gmail.com if you have questions, concerns, or suggestions.

Eve

President's Blog - September 2016

2016-10-02T14:20:00.000-07:00

Dear Chapter Stakeholders –

In this edition of the President’s Blog:

Book Buzz
Board Vacancy: Vice President of Finance
Highlights from the September PMI Leadership Institute Meeting (LIM)
Reminders

o Speaker Ideas

o Professional Development

Book Buzz

Last month, we had a terrificBook Buzz meeting due to the engagement of those in attendance as well as the presence of the author of our chosen book, Mission Critical Meetings: 81 Practical Facilitation Techniques. We had great conversations about this topic and got to ask specific, individual questions of Ava Butler. Thanks to Ava as well as to our fantastic members: Robert Mitchell, Jessica Rickenbach, and Susan Turcotte.

The next book has not yet been selected. I have contacted the company who published Ava’s book and asked for a list of local business authors who would be interested in appearing at an upcoming meeting and attending Book Buzz. Stay tuned: I’ve got some meetings scheduled next week to discuss details with the folks who have expressed interest.

Board Vacancy: Vice President of Finance

Many of you who follow this space regularly attend our meetings know that we’ve been searching for a replacement for our Vice President of Finance. Now I have great news! Marcela Delgado has re-evaluated her personal situation and has offered to complete her term on the Board; we’re very glad to have her back.

Highlights from the September PMI Leadership Institute Meeting (LIM)

Jaime Gomez (Vice President of Administration) and I attended last month’s PMI Leadership Institute Meeting (LIM) in San Diego. The conference was wonderful and I took at least 50 pages of notes. I assigned myself way too many action items, but I’ll work through them in the coming year.

In this space, I want to highlight some of the things I learned. This month, I call your attention to the efforts of PMI to reform federal government program management practices and policies. On September 22^nd, the U.S. House of Representatives approved S.1550, the “Program Management Improvement and Accountability Act of 2015” or “PMIAA.” The purpose of the legislation is to: create a formal career path for program managers in the federal government; develop a standards-based program management policy; recognize the importance of the role and engagement of the sponsor; and collect and share best practices and lessons learned throughout the federal government.

The bill now returns to the U.S. Senate – where it was already unanimously approved -- for final passage.

Read more about it hereon the PMI website.

Reminders

Professional Development

Reminder that Ty Chang -- our Director of Professional Development -- needs a few volunteers. Opportunities have been posted to VRMS: We need a Course Director, Course Manager, Course Coordinator, and several Course Instructors. (Volunteers may claim PDU credit for their efforts.) If you have specific questions about the Professional Development initiative, please contact Ty (ty.chang.ee.mba.pmp@gmail.com).

Speaker Ideas

We’re always interested in ideas for speakers -- please contact Jason Falter (jason.falter@outlook.com) if you have suggestions.

* * *

Eve

President's Blog - August 2016

2016-08-25T07:47:00.000-07:00

Dear Chapter Stakeholders –

In this edition of the President’s Blog:

Professional Development
Board Vacancy: Vice President of Finance
PMI-Tucson Bylaws
Book Buzz
Speaker Ideas
Presentation Materials

Professional Development

Last month, PMI-Tucson was fortunate to gain a transplant from the San Diego Chapter, Ty Chang. In California, he served as Vice President of Professional Development, and was instrumental in the success of that Chapter’s program. Thankfully for us, he’s ready to assist the PMI-Tucson Chapter in the development and implementation of Professional Development program here. (At this time, PMI-Tucson Bylaws do not provide for a Vice President of Professional Development role, so Ty has been approved by the Board to function as our Director of Professional Development.)

I am very excited about this because I know it’s something our members will value.

Of course, the launch of this ambitious project will require volunteers to support. Be on the lookout for opportunities posted to VRMS: We’ll need a Course Director, Course Manager, Course Coordinator, and several Course Instructors. (Volunteers may claim PDU credit for their efforts.)

Please welcome Ty to our Chapter, and be sure to contact him (ty.chang.ee.mba.pmp@gmail.com) if you have ideas about this initiative!

Board Vacancy: Vice President of Finance

Unfortunately, our proposed Vice President of Finance had an unexpected personal situation arise and she had to withdraw from consideration. If you’re interested in serving on the Board, please review the VRMS posting for the position, and/or contact Neil Jones (jonesneilp@gmail.com) or Eve Cran (evecran@gmail.com).

PMI-Tucson Bylaws

Final news item regarding our PMI-Tucson Bylaws – the recent revisions have been approved by our membership. Thank you for taking the time to review our old and revised Bylaws, and then for voting to approve them. If you missed the opportunity to vote but still want to review the Bylaws, they are located on the PMI-Tucson website under About Us\Bylaws.

Book Buzz

Quick reminder about Book Buzz! We’ve had a good response to this quarter’s selection: Ava S. Butler’s Mission Critical Meetings: 81 Practical Facilitation Techniques. Please join us on Saturday, September 17^th at Caffe Lucé (4205 N. Campbell) to discuss this book – with the author! Ava has graciously agreed to attend, so don’t miss this opportunity to further explore the topic of meeting efficacy with the author! Register on the PMI-Tucson Events page.

Speaker Ideas

We’re always interested in ideas for speakers -- please contact Jason Falter (jason.falter@outlook.com) if you have suggestions.

Presentation Materials

Looking for the materials presented by a speaker at one of our meetings? If the speaker provided permission to post them, they can be found on the PMI-Tucson website under Chapter Members\Presentations.

* * *

By the time this blog is published, classes will have started at the University of Arizona. Many of you know that I am an adjunct lecturer of Project Management at the school. My schedule this term is Tuesday and Thursday evenings, so unfortunately I will not be able to attend any of the Tucson dinner meetings until the end of the year. I regret this inaccessibility, but as my schedule permits I will attend other PMI events. If you have an idea for the Chapter, wish to volunteer, or ask a question of me, please do not hesitate to contact me at evecran@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you!

Eve

President's Blog - July 2016

2016-07-31T20:19:00.000-07:00

Dear Chapter Stakeholders –

In this edition of the President’s Blog:

Speaker Ideas
Director of Volunteers
VP of Finance Board Position
PMI-Tucson Bylaws
Book Buzz

Speaker Ideas

VP Programs is a challenging and exciting position because the incumbent is responsible for securing speakers for our three monthly meetings.

We could use your ideas for speakers and/or topics. Do you know someone who has an interesting project management story to tell? Are you aware of someone who has some valuable lessons learned to share?

If so, please contact Jason Falter (jason.falter@outlook.com) at your earliest opportunity!

Director of Volunteers

I am thrilled to announce that Neil P. Jones has become our new Director of Volunteers! Neil joined the Chapter in May, and when he did, he knew he wanted to make a difference straightaway. We had the perfect role for him: Director of Volunteers. The Board is excited to have someone manage the volunteers and volunteer opportunities. Any volunteer opportunity the Board has will be funneled through Neil and posted in PMI’s VRMS (Volunteer Relationship Management System) for all to review. He’ll also ensure opportunities are announced at regular Chapter meetings.

Welcome to the Chapter, and thank you for your immediate contribution!

VP Finance

As many of you are aware, we have a vacancy at the VP Finance position. I’m pleased to report another recent transplant to Arizona (and the Chapter) has volunteered to assume this role. Julie Sharpless is no stranger to Tucson or to PMI, having worked at Raytheon for a number of years before moving to Charlotte, North Carolina. Now she’s back and ready to get involved!
Although the Board has reviewed her impressive resume, they have yet to meet her. So, we’ve approved her on an interim basis to allow the Chapter and the Board to get to know her better, and also to enable Julie to assess if this role is the right fit for her. If you meet her at a regular Chapter meeting, please introduce yourself and make her feel welcome!

PMI-Tucson Bylaws

As discussed in the June 2016 President’s Blog, the Bylaws are ready for your review and vote. If you’re a member of the Chapter, then you received an email requesting you to vote on the proposed revisions by 8 August 2016. Please don’t miss your chance to weigh in on this important document.

Book Buzz

We’ve had a recommendation to adopt Ava S. Butler’s Mission Critical Meetings: 81 Practical Facilitation Techniques book as our next selection. Many of you may recall that Ava presented at our February dinner breakfast meetings in Tucson. She has graciously agreed to attend our next Book Buzz meeting on Saturday, September 10th to discuss the book, its ideas, and other topics related to meetings. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet the author and (most importantly) learn a few things about how to improve the efficacy of your meetings.

See you soon!

Eve

President's Blog, June 2016

2016-06-05T22:01:00.000-07:00

Dear Chapter Stakeholders –

In this edition of the President’s Blog:

PMI-Tucson Bylaws
VP of Finance Board Position
Book Buzz!
Next GeekMeet/PMI-Tucson Networking Event

Bylaws

The Bylaws for our chapter haven’t been revised since 2010, and it’s time to do so. The Board has worked hard to update the Bylaws in a variety of ways such as to address the role of students in the chapter and also to define a new position on the Board: President Elect. Before they may be approved, we need your review and feedback. That’s why we’ll post them on our website for 30 days. They’ll be available under the “About Us” page (or use this URL: http://www.pmi-tucson.org/bylaws) beginning on 06/6/16. After this review period, we’ll update based on your feedback, as appropriate. Then there will be a membership vote to adopt them.

VP Finance

As I wrote about in the May blog post, we’re poised to lose our dynamic VP of Finance, Marcela Delgado. If you want to take a greater role in the Chapter, earn additional PDUs, and work with a terrific board, please contact me at eve.cran@gmail.com to throw your hat into the ring.

Book Buzz

The June 4th meeting of Book Buzz was a wonderful start to the conversation about Balanced Scorecard Evolution: A Dynamic Approach to Strategy by Paul R. Niven. None of the participants had finished reading the text, but nonetheless they had a terrific discussion about the first several chapters and how this tool for managing strategy execution could be used for an organization, department, or project. We decided to extend our rich dialog into another session. So, if you wanted to participate but were unable to do so on June 4th, you have another opportunity: July 23rd. Mark your calendars! Networking starts at 8:30 and our discussion begins at 9.

Remember, if you attend Book Buzz, you get to suggest the next book for consideration…

Next GeekMeet/PMI-Tucson Networking Event

The next GeekMeet /PMI-Tucson combined happy hour is scheduled for July 20 from 5:30 to 8:30 at Borderlands Brewing Company, 119 E Toole Ave.  Although PDUs are not available for this event, it’s another great evening when our two groups come together to mingle with other technical and project management professionals in a fun and inviting atmosphere. Come hungry – food will be provided by TekSystems! Register at http://www.pmi-tucson.org/events

See you soon!

Eve

President's Blog - May 2016

2016-05-15T18:55:00.000-07:00

Dear Chapter Stakeholders –

In this edition of the President’s Blog:

Opportunity Knocks: Open Board Position for VP of Finance
Book Buzz Meeting Coming up on 6/4
The First Networking Event
Update from Second Quarter Board of Directors Meeting

VP Finance

For the last several years, the Board has been privileged to have Marcela Delgado function as our VP of Finance. It’s not surprising that her time is at a premium and Marcela has requested to step down after the July Board meeting. We will be sorry to lose her passion and productivity on the Board, but appreciate all of her efforts on our behalf.

Interested in a challenge? Think you can fill Marcela’s shoes? (They’re pretty big – she was a big contributor to our Chapter.) Want to earn extra PDUs? Please contact me at eve.cran@gmail.com to throw your hat into the ring.

Book Buzz

Don’t forget! The next selection for the quarterly PMI-Tucson Book Buzz meeting is Balanced Scorecard Evolution: A Dynamic Approach to Strategy Execution by Paul R. Niven. The text is rather lengthy, so to encourage involvement, each participant need only come prepared to discuss one case study. Coordinate case selections via email with me prior to the event on Saturday, June 4th. Grab a pastry and some coffee at 8:30 a.m. because at 9 sharp we’ll start our discussion. Finish up your reading, and I’ll see you there!

First Networking Event – Success!

In April, we held our first combined social event with GeekMeet Tucson, an organization whose mission is “to help technologists succeed as thinkers, strategists, communicators and leaders of the future.” The happy hour, sponsored by TEKSystems at Reilly’s Craft Pizza downtown, was very well attended. The atmosphere was casual and people enjoyed meeting other professionals, having light discussions about business and personal interests, and exchanging business cards. We will do another combined event with GeekMeet in July. Big thank you to TEKSystems for their continuing support. If you attended, drop me an email and let me know what you thought about it.

Second Quarter Board of Directors Meeting

The Board held its second quarter meeting on April 30th. I provide the agenda below and a brief sentence about the content / discussion. If you want more information about a particular topic, please email me.

2016 Strategic Plan Current State Review and Alignment

Continued refinement of strategic plan for deployment in 2017.

Sponsorship Update / Sponsorship Budget

Update on sponsorship pursuits.

North American LIM (San Diego – September)

Eve Cran will attend for the Chapter.

Website Redesign

Coming soon!

VP of Finance Updates

Financial Policies and Finances

Development will be ready for Board review at July meeting.
Board Members owe VP of Finance their proposed budgets by May 15.

Membership Strategy

Guest Pass Program

Updates

Chapter Survey Results

As always, I welcome your feedback on the direction of our chapter.

Eve

President's Blog - April 2016

2016-04-12T06:55:00.003-07:00

Dear Chapter Stakeholders –

In this edition of the President’s Blog:

our first networking event on April 28th;
the opportunity to provide feedback on PMI-Tucson professional development opportunities;
how to update your member information on the PMI-Tucson website;
volunteer opportunities;
the next selection for Book Buzz.

Inaugural Networking Meeting

In January of this year, I presented the PMI-Tucson goal of establishing quarterly networking events to provide increased value to chapter members. Given the limited amount of networking time we have before our regular meetings and also that we usually have a set of people interested in job opportunities, this seemed the natural way to expand our available services to members. Under the direction of new Director of Networking Mari Diffley, I am pleased to report our first event has been scheduled!

Register here for a social at Reilly Craft Pizza and Beer (on Pennington) on Thursday, April 28th from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. TEKSystems has graciously agreed to sponsor the event, which will be jointly attended by members of GeekMeet.

We welcome your feedback on this event, even if you are unable to attend. Please feel free to contact any board member to give us your input. Tell us your thoughts about the format, location, and/or anything else about the event. Also, please feel free to suggest other networking ideas.

Professional Development Opportunities

Jason Falter, our VP of Programs, would like membership feedback on desired professional development opportunities. For example, if the Chapter sponsored a day-long event where participants attended a series of one-two hour lectures on a variety of different topics – and received PDUs -- would that be of interest? What about PMI-Tucson sponsored PMP-prep courses? Send Jason your feedback.

Member Records

We are in the process of reviewing the data integrity of our member data. We often receive notification that our communications haven’t reached some members, or that our data is out of synch with the corporate PMI database. Also, there is a lag in time between when a member renews online with PMI and when the chapter receives notification of the renewal. So, please take a moment to verify that your profile on the PMI-Tucson website is accurate. To do so, login to the website, then choose View profile. Please check your email address, phone number, organization, and job title, and make corrections, as needed. If you have any issues, please send your changes to our VP Membership (Dr. Elizabeth Lugosi). You may also want to check your PMI profile on the PMI corporate website. Log in, then choose myPMP and then Profile. We appreciate your help!

Volunteer Opportunities

As always, we need volunteers to help us expand our programs and provide more benefits to members. One of the goals of VP Membership is to develop a PMI-awareness campaign. This could involve mail contact or in-person visits to local companies. It would also be wonderful to have more company representatives present at our meetings as so many organizations are interested in project management and PMI-Tucson members would benefit from learning more about Tucson businesses. We would also like to have conversations with college leaders/student group leaders in order to introduce them to PMI-Tucson and to explain the benefits of joining our Chapter. If you would like to be a volunteer to engage with students or faculty members, please contact our VP Membership -- Dr. Elizabeth Lugosi. (Remember, volunteers earn PDUs!)

Book Buzz

We have a winner! The next selection for the quarterly PMI-Tucson Book Buzz meeting is Balanced Scorecard Evolution: A Dynamic Approach to Strategy Execution by Paul R. Niven. The text is rather lengthy, so to encourage involvement, each participant need only come prepared to discuss one case study. Coordinate case selections via email with me prior to the event on Saturday, June 4th. Start reading, and we’ll see you there!

Eve

President's Blog - March 2016

2016-03-12T09:11:00.000-07:00

Dear Chapter Stakeholders – 

It’s been an eventful month and first quarter!  In this edition of the President’s Blog, I’ll talk about our Chapter Bylaws, volunteer opportunities, the inaugural meeting of Book Buzz, provide an update on the proposed Brown-Mackie College collaboration, and extend an offer from the organizers of the upcoming TechJunction conference to PMI members to attend the event for free.  Hang on!  Here we go… 

PMI-Tucson Chapter Bylaws 

PMI-Tucson has not reviewed or updated our Bylaws since 2010, and it’s time to do so both to ensure they reflect our current needs and situation, and also because PMI requires it. 

Both PMI and the Board have reviewed and made suggested changes to the Bylaws.  We have a few outstanding questions to resolve, but once we do, the approval of them will go through the following process: 

The proposed Bylaws will be made available on the chapter’s website for a designated review period
Members can vote on the Bylaws using Votenet (not yet available)
If the Bylaws are approved by the members, the new version will be updated to the website.

Note: the current version of the Bylaws is available on the website under the About Us link.  (Access here.) 

Volunteer Opportunities 

Good news and bad news.  First the good news:  Mari Diffley has offered to serve as the Director of Programs (Dinner Meetings), reporting to Dr. Elizabeth Lugosi, our VP of Membership.  The entire Board thanks Mari for volunteering to make sure registration and logistics operate smoothly at the dinner meetings.  It’s a very important role and contributes to our success as a chapter as this person is often the chapter’s first contact with new and potential members, in addition to welcoming our existing membership to the meeting. 

The following must be filed under the heading of good news/bad news:  The good news is that Sami Hall has accepted a position with a great organization in town.  Congratulations!  However, that means Sami is not available to serve as our Director of Networking.  This position is responsible for developing our networking events, initially proposed at once a quarter.  This is an important service, and part of the Board’s commitment to provide more value to our membership.  If you have the bandwidth, please consider taking on this vital position.  Contact me (evecran@gmail.com) for any additional information. 

Book Buzz 

The inaugural meeting of Book Buzz was held on Saturday, March 5th.  Although some might consider the turnout of four people low, those who attended had a great discussion about Peter Boni’s book, All Hands on Deck.  (We’ll post the discussion questions online in the Chapter Members section of the PMI-Tucson website in case you or your organization want to read and discuss the book at some other time.)  Thanks to Cecilia Esguerra, Barry Fowler, and Sherri Yandell for their thoughtful, engaged, and spirited discussion of this book. 

Those who attend Book Buzz have the privilege of nominating options for the next PMI-Tucson selection.  Here are the choices for next quarter’s Book Buzz meeting, tentatively slated for June 4th: 

Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World by General Stanley McChrystal

Balanced Scorecard Evolution: A Dynamic Approach to Strategy Execution by Paul R. Niven
Lessons Learned in Project Management: 140 Tips in 140 Words or Less by John A. Estrella

Please send me an email at evecran@gmail.com with your choice or submit a Doodle vote here.  The selection will be made by March 31, 2016 and announced in the April President’s Blog. 

Brown-Mackie College Update 

Regular readers of this space may remember an announcement in the February edition of the President’s Blog about a potential collaboration with Brown-Mackie College.  There was an Advisory Board meeting scheduled for February 19 that was cancelled.  I understand it may be rescheduled for April, but no date has yet been confirmed.  I’ll keep you posted.   

I did receive some feedback that it was unclear how this association will benefit PMI-Tucson.  The short response is:  I don’t know either until the meeting and further discussions are held.  From my perspective, it represents a chance to explore how we can grow our membership specifically in the student population and also expand our Tucson presence.  Stay tuned! 

TechJunction – 3/16, Tucson Convention Center, 8:30 A.M. – 4 P.M. 

TechJunction is a series of educational conferences focused on the latest developments in information security, IT infrastructure and enterprise communications (6.5 CPEs/PDUs available). 

TechJunction Director JR Cantrell extends PMI members a complimentary invitation to you, your staff, peers, and colleagues to the TechJunction Conference.  

Event Info: http://techjunctionevents.com/events/tuc16/ 

Register Here: http://www.techjunctionevents.com/evites/tuc/jrcantrell.htm 

As an invitee of the PMI, admission is complimentary and lunch is served as well at an afternoon reception.  

* * * 

If you have reached the end of this long blog, thank you.  I appreciate your engagement and interest.  I know there is a lot to digest above, but I prefer to keep you abreast of all of our current activities rather than write a short, pithy, but ultimately less newsy bulletin. 

Next month, we may have some exciting sponsorship news! 

I hope to see all of you soon. 

Eve

President's Blog February 2016

2016-02-08T13:11:00.001-07:00

Dear Chapter Stakeholders –

I am so pleased with the way 2016 has started for the Chapter. Our membership has provided (and continues to do so) input on the future iteration of PMI-Tucson. We have a good foundation, but it is time to define a new level of maturity within the community and to add value to our members.
In this month’s blog, I have nothing but good news:

• VP Programs and VP Membership positions have been filled!
• The selection for the inaugural Book Buzz meeting.
• Brown-Mackie College wants to collaborate with PMI-Tucson.

VP Programs

I am thrilled to announce that Jason Falter, PMP has agreed to become the VP Programs for our Chapter. Many of you know that Jason has been our Director at Large for a number of years, and that his residence is in Sierra Vista. I am excited Jason has volunteered for this position because it strengthens the bond between the members who reside in Tucson and those who make Sierra Vista their home. One of Jason’s goals this year is to promote cross-city collaboration, and I hope our members will support this objective. Remember, members who give a presentation in the other city will receive $75 in compensation for gas, plus extra PDUs for preparation and delivery of your presentation. Even if you don’t make a presentation in a sister city, try to make a meeting. Members in each location are welcoming and would love to meet you.

VP Membership

PMI-Tucson has been lucky in that we have often had good luck filling board positions with new members. Such is the case with Dr. Elizabeth Lugosi, PMP, who is on sabbatical to Tucson from Hungary. Elizabeth has volunteered to be the new VP Membership. She also operates as the Director of Programs for the Breakfast Meetings, so please introduce yourself to her. In Hungary, Elizabeth was a member of the Budapest Chapter, where she was Leader of the Scientific Program of the conference "Art of Projects" as a volunteer last year.
Project Management is one of her passions: she has given numerous PM presentations and also wrote articles published on Hungarian portals and on the PMI Knowledge Shelf. Elizabeth recently gave a presentation on 1/22 at our Mimi’s Breakfast Meeting.
She would like volunteers to work together with her on a committee to increase the value of being a member of the PMI-Tucson Chapter. Dale Whetzel has already accepted the "Director of Valuing Chapter Members” position in the committee. Elizabeth and Dale encourage other members to join this committee in order to represent a broad swath of the membership. Contact Elizabeth at dr.e.lugosi@gmail.com if you want more information.

Inaugural Book Buzz Selection

The votes are in and have been tallied, and here are the final results:
• All Hands on Deck (Peter Boni) – 12
• Critical Knowledge Transfer – 5
• Networking for Nerds -- 3

Thank you to everyone who voted. Now it’s time to read!

Please mark your calendars for Saturday, 3/5 for a PMI meeting (location TBD) to discuss the book. Also, we’ll decide then which of Peter Boni’s panels we’ll attend at the Tucson Festival of Books. He is scheduled to appear on Saturday, 3/12 at 10 a.m. and also Sunday, 3/13 at 11:30 a.m.

Brown-Mackie College Collaboration

Recently I was contacted by a professor of Project Management at the Brown-Mackie College in Tucson about a possible collaboration with PMI-Tucson. I’ve agreed to attend their upcoming, mid-February advisory board meeting and suggested possible ways we can strengthen ties between our organizations. What do you think about holding a meeting or two at Brown-Mackie College to promote our chapter to students? Drop me a line at evecran@gmail.com.

One final note: Even though our official Board positions have been filled, please message me if you would like to volunteer in some other way. The Board has lots of good ideas and needs help on committees - but only a few people to make anything happen! If we’re going to change the value members derive from this chapter, it’s going to take all of us.
I hope to see all of you soon!

Eve

evecran@gmail.com

President's Blog - January 2016

2016-01-02T10:00:00.001-07:00

As 2016 opens, the Board and I wish all of you a happy new year and sincere thanks for your participation, engagement, and interest in the Chapter and Project Management during 2015.

At our first Tucson dinner meeting of the year, the Board and I will discuss the vision and goals for 2016, solicit your feedback, and share some insight about how we developed our strategic plan. Please reserve the evening of Tuesday, 1/12 in Tucson for this event. The same presentation will be made in Sierra Vista in January on Wednesday, 1/20.

Good News

I’m pleased to announce that TEKSystems has agreed to become the Chapter’s first official Bronze sponsor. Thanks to Marcela Delgado and Lynett Westergard for their help in defining the Sponsorship Program, and TEKSystems for their support.

Also, thanks to Dr. Elizabeth Lugosi for volunteering to assume the role of Mimi’s Breakfast Meeting Coordinator. Elizabeth is a new member, and we appreciate how she has jumped into Chapter involvement. In addition, she will also give a talk at the Mimi’s Breakfast Meeting on 1/22 entitled, “Role of the 12-Point Maturity-Value-Success Metric in Achieving Corporate Success.” If you attend this event, please introduce yourself to her.

Now some requests of you!

Board Openings
Book Buzz Selection – Your Input Needed
Tucson Dinner Meeting Location – Your Input Needed

First, our incoming Vice President of Membership has regretfully had to withdraw from the position due to an exciting job offer in Phoenix. Although I am ecstatic for him, I am sad for the Board and our Chapter. This means we have two positions open:

Vice President of Membership
Vice President of Programs

Please contact me at eve.cran@gmail.com if you are interested in either of these opportunities. There are many benefits to the volunteer including networking opportunities, the possibility of travel, and PDUs for your service to the Chapter.

Second, for those who attended our Annual Holiday party on December 8th, you know there will be a new quarterly event scheduled in 2016, and that is Book Buzz. With input from membership, we will select a business book to read and discuss. For the March meeting, here are the three options:

All Hands on Deck by Peter Boni
Critical Knowledge Transfer by Dorothy Leonard, Walter Swap, and Gavin Barton
Networking for Nerds by Alaina Levine

The above titles were selected because the authors will appear on panels at the Tucson Festival of Books in March of 2016. We’ll read and discuss one of the above, then attend the lecture to ask questions of the author(s)! It’s a great opportunity!

Please send an email to eve.cran@gmail.com with your first, second, and third choices for Book Buzz. I’ll make the announcement of the selected book at the Tuesday Tucson dinner meeting on 1/12 and the Sierra Vista dinner meeting on 1/20.

Third, the Board is exploring new venues for the Tucson dinner meeting held on the second Tuesday of every month. We would like your input! Give us your suggestions for restaurant locations, but please know we need a place that has a separate area for us to meet that is reasonably quiet. (Think about the space at Old Pueblo Grille). Please send me an email if you have some ideas.

I hope to see all of you soon!
Eve

Continuing Certification Requirements (CCR) Changes:

2015-10-19T20:53:00.001-07:00

Have you heard? Effective December 1, 2015, the CCR program will be aligned with the employer-identified skills depicted in the PMI Talent Triangle (Technical Project Management, Strategic and Business Management, Leadership) to ensure you are equipped to remain relevant in a continually changing business environment. The changes affect how PDUs are earned and tracked against a certification. Check out the table below to understand how it impacts you depending on your certificate expiration date. For more information about the PMI Talent Triangle and CCR updates, visit PMI’s website https://www.pmi.org/certification/ccr-updates-pra.aspx .

Beginning 1 December 2015:	Certification Expiration Date:
	1 December 2015 – 30 November 2017	1 December 2017 and Beyond
Classify PDUs according to new CCR format.	Yes	Yes
Meet minimum number of PDUs in Education category and each of the three skill areas. This is required for renewal.	No	Yes
Limit Giving Back category PDUs to new maximum requirement.	No	Yes

Tom Peters on Project Management

2014-12-31T21:39:00.000-07:00

Best-selling business author Tom Peters was recently the keynote speaker at PMI’s Leadership Institute Meeting (LIM). Among the wisdom he shared with the audience:

If you don’t like politics or meetings, don’t be a project manager. Politics is life. Relish it. It’s our fellow human beings.
Your emotional quotient is much more important than your intelligence quotient.
Agile is key. Whoever tries the most stuff, wins. Forget “do it right the first time.”
Thanks to social media, one bad mistake can undo 25 years of branding activity.
Have lunch with your colleagues from other areas of the organization.
Spend 80 percent of time finding and maintaining allies.
“Idiots suck up for success. Geniuses suck down.”
Give constant recognition, especially for smaller achievements. Micro-milestones matter. “Nobody died from too many thank yous.”

Excerpt from PMI Friday Facts, 14th November 2014

$1000 Jerry King Memorial Scholarship for Project Management Excellence

2013-09-24T10:40:00.002-07:00

Number of scholarships: 1
Value of each scholarship: $1,000 (US)
Submission Deadline:1 April for the Spring, 1 October for the Fall

Criteria

The friends of Jerry King are sponsoring the Jerry King Memorial Scholarship for Project Management Excellence in the amount of US$1,000.

The criteria is as follows:

Preference is given to PMI Chapter members, active volunteers, or family members of a member or volunteer within the PMI Region 7 geography (California, Hawaii, New Mexico, Nevada, and Arizona).
Others who may apply include certificated teachers, school administrators, non-profit staff, or project managers who are unemployed or employed less than 40 hours per week within the PMI Region 7 geography (California, Hawaii, New Mexico, Nevada, and Arizona).
Planning to enroll or currently enrolled in a PMI REP offered certificate or Project Management training program such as a CAPM®, PMP®, PgMP®, or other PMI-certification or re-certification training program.

More details and application form

Public Exposure Review of the New Software Extension to the PMBOK® Guide and OPM3® Third Edition

2012-12-10T15:14:00.001-07:00

PMI Standards is announcing a public exposure review of two standards, the new Software Extension to the PMBOK® Guide, and OPM3® Third Edition.

The Software Extension to the PMBOK® Guide provides guidance to software developers and managers on the application of project management approaches to their development projects. The extension, which has been developed as a joint project between IEEE Computer Society and PMI Standards, describes both the predictive approaches found in the PMBOK® Guide as well as iterative, incremental approaches such as Agile.

Organizational Project Management Maturity Model (OPM3®) -- Third Edition is a revision of the previous Second Edition, and provides a model for organizations to use to measure and enhance their maturity with respect to the use of project management within the organization.

Anyone interested in reviewing and commenting on these two draft standards is welcome to participate in the review. Review and comment on these draft standards between 10 December 2012 and 10 January 2013.

Arizona Project Management Week

2012-10-29T01:16:00.001-07:00

Governor Brewer has proclaimed October 29th to November 4th Arizona Project Management Week.

The Phoenix PMI Chapter will be putting on several events, webinars, etc. that are open for any and all Tucson Chapter members to attend, starting on the 29th. There is the potential to get as many as 12.5 PDUs if you register for all the events.

Please click here to view the website for the events and to review Governor Brewer's proclamation.

Precision Shooting Equipment, Inc. Archery Facility Tour

2012-08-14T10:45:00.001-07:00

In cooperation with APICS Tucson Chapter. Email krcamero@yahoo.com to attend.

Tour Date: Wednesday, August 15th from 5:30 - 7:30pm

Location:

Precision Shooting Equipment, Inc.
2727 N. Fairview Ave.
Tucson, AZ 85703

How It All Began

Back in 1970, Pete Shepley used to receive a lot of good-natured ribbing from his fellow product engineers at Magnavox Corporation about his devotion to designing archery related equipment during his lunch hour. Today, Pete heads the largest privately owned archery equipment manufacturing company in the country, devoting all his time to the development of the most advanced compound bows and related equipment ever produced.

In the early days, Pete experimented with new ideas for bow release aids, developed a plastic, flexible arrow vane to replace feathers, and eventually turned his design capabilities to the perfection of his first compound bow. This first bow was introduced to archers at an Indiana tournament. Within a week, he received orders for 200 just like it. The following two weeks he saw an additional 700 requests from across the country, simply from word-of-mouth advertising.

Born with humble beginnings in a 700-square foot building in Mahomet, Illinois, PSE was one of the first five companies to obtain licensing under the Allen Patent for compound bows. Of the original five, PSE is the only company still manufacturing compound bows.

Presently, William (Bill) Byrd is the V.P. Operations at Precision Shooting Equipment, Inc. Bill has over 30-years in Purchasing, Materials Management, and Operations in AZ, CA, TX, TN, MX. His industry experience includes copper mining, aerospace, automotive tier one electronics, steel fabricating, chemical process plants, medical and wholesale distribution.

He is steeped in Lean Manufacturing, Continuous Improvement,and Supply Chain Management. His hometown is Memphis, TN. with academics at Memphis State University.

Power of In-Person Networking

2012-07-29T15:06:00.001-07:00

Social networks have become de rigueur for working new career contacts. With users that number in the millions, LinkedIn, Mixi and other sites allow professionals around the world to connect with colleagues past and present—expanding networks to numbers never before possible. But project managers should not forget the importance of in-person networking where connections are more personal and impressions longer lasting. The next time you attend a networking event, remember these five tips:

1. Focus on your audience.
2. Go in prepared.
3. Make connections from the executive suite on down.
4. Follow up right away.
5. Never pass up an opportunity to connect.

Read the complete PMI article here.

Input from Chapter Members

2012-07-22T16:47:00.000-07:00

At the last Tucson dinner meeting, we had a lively discussion and Q/A session after Imagine Greater Tucson's presentation. Whether you agreed with their data and conclusions or not, there is no doubt that the topic is an important one for all of us who live in Tucson. So, some follow-on questions:

1. While the IGT presentation did cover project management topics like stakeholder involvement, communications etc., it was not a "strong" project management presentation. Should the chapter offer local-interest presentations relevant to chapter members, even if the project management content is less than normal?

2. As a professional group in Tucson (and Sierra Vista), what can/should we be doing to participate in community based activities, to contribute to the area's future success?

Certfied Construction Manager (CCM) Program Overview

2012-03-20T00:56:00.000-07:00

SAME Luncheon

Wednesday, March 21, 2012
11:30a - 1:00p

SPEAKERS
Mr. Gerard Keigher, PE, PMP, CCM, Construction Department Manager at M3 Engineering, Mr. Willie Paiz, CCM, Construction Manager/Project Manager, Regional Operations Manager for Construction Management Services Group at CH2MHill, and Mr. Sal Boenzi, PE, Senior Project Manager/Construction Management at Psomas.

PROGRAM
The speakers will present an overview of the CMAA organization and discuss the Certified Construction Manager (CCM) program including the benefits to you as an individual as well as our industry as a whole.

LOCATION
El Parador
2744 E. Broadway Blvd.
Tucson, AZ

COST
Gov't Employee - $20
Privately Employed member - $25
Non-Members - $25

RSVP
Contact Robin Raine: rainefamily@comcast.net / 520.388.4264

PMI Hardship Provision

2012-02-19T13:40:00.000-07:00

In these current economic times, we recognize that some of our members will find themselves in changed financial circumstances. To that end, PMI would like to remind members about its hardship provision that is available to qualifying members in good standing.

PMI’s hardship provision is available to any member who becomes unemployed. In order to qualify, a member must be in good standing and must have paid dues for at least three previous continuous years.

Under this provision, a member is granted a waiver for one year of PMI membership dues and one year of dues for membership in any one PMI community of which the applicant was a member the previous year. The hardship provision may be granted for a maximum of two years for each member.

Details about this program are located on the back of the renewal invoice. To apply for a hardship provision, please send an e-mail to membership.services@pmi.org and explain the nature of your hardship. Please be sure to include a copy of your renewal invoice (if possible).

Please remember that any incorrect or untrue statements made by a member are in violation of the Project Management Institute Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct and may lead to the initiation of an ethics complaint.

Successfully Adopting ITIL

2012-02-06T00:08:00.001-07:00

February 6, 2012, 1:00 - 4:00 pm
Desert Diamond Casino, 1100 W. Pima Rd, Sahuarita, Arizona 85629

FREE for itSMF USA Members and Non-members

During this networking and knowledge-sharing event you can expect presentations addressing practical and hands-on how-to’s to ensure the successful adopting of ITIL’s best practices. Whether you are at the very beginning of this endeavor, or far along the way of benefiting from ITIL, you can be assured of many takeaways.

ITIL is the most widely adopted approach for IT Service Management in the world. It provides a practical, no-nonsense framework for identifying, planning, delivering and supporting IT services to the business. ITIL advocates that IT services must be aligned to the needs of the business and underpin the core business processes. It provides guidance to organisations on how to use IT as a tool to facilitate business change, transformation and growth.

"Adopting ITIL based on ISO/IEC 20000"
Mart Rovers, president of InterProm USA and an ITSM veteran, who will share real world success stories of companies adopting ITIL by combining it with the requirements of the international IT Service Management standard, ISO/IEC 20000.

"ITSM Tool Selection and Implementation"
Mark Trubl, Manager Service Support at US Foods, who has extensive hands-on experience with ITSM tool selections and implementations who will share what to look for when choosing the right ITSM tool for you and how to successfully implement it.

Refreshments and Hosting provided by Desert Diamond Casino

For more information please contact: arizona@itsmf.net or visit their webpage at: www.az.itsmfusa.org

itSMF is the worldwide organization for IT professionals focused on IT service management. This meeting is free to itSMF members and non members.