RHODE ISLAND'S PREMIER PROJECT MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATION

 

 
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Meetings & Events

OSPMI holds monthly dinner meetings, normally at the Marriott hotel at One Orms Street in Providence, RI. If the meeting is at a different location then directions to where will be included in the description. Members and non-members are welcome to attend. Registration is recommended to guarantee your attendance and meal selection. Please review the Meeting FAQs for directions to common meeting locations, cancellation policies, etc.

To find codes from reporting PDU's from past meetings or to download meeting presentations and attendance lists, visit the Past Meetings & PDU section of the web site.

If you are a PMP with questions about how to report your PDU's - we have instructions listed here. Feel free to email us with any other questions you may have.

The table below includes our monthly dinner meetings. Board of Directors meetings are also open to the membership. Email the VP of Administration for more information about the date and location of the next board meeting.

Dinner Meetings and Events

Date Speaker & Topic Summary
Jan. 12, 2008

Speaker: Mark C. Hall, PMP
Title: "Project Portfolio Management; flying by instruments instead of the seat of your pants"

Synopsis:
Less than 5% of all organizations understand and use best practices for Strategic Portfolio selection, optimization, and prioritization. This talk covers the required processes to be addressed to comport with Portfolio Management Best Practices. A Case study for Portfolio management will be put forth to reinforce the key messages for the audience.
This talk also addresses the integrated application of best practices in the context of the three elements of improved Portfolio Management: People Process, and Tools.
 
Speaker Bio:
Mark C. Hall, PMP is the president and co-founder of William George Associates Ltd (WGA), a New England based Portfolio and Project Management consulting and training firm. He began his career in aviation working for Eastern Airlines in various management positions ultimately filling the role of Base Manager Boston/Washington for the Eastern/ Trump Shuttle. Mr. Hall is acknowledged in the History of Eastern Airlines (From the Captain to the Colonel, by Robert Serling) and draws many parallels between aviation and the project management profession in his client work.
 In the semiconductor industry, he was Manager of Customer Commitments for Eaton Semiconductor (now Axcelis Technologies) and Director of Program Management for PRI Automation.

With WGA, Mark is responsible for the quality of all WGA training and consulting products and spends half of each year developing and implementing portfolio solutions for clients.

Sponsor:
University of Rhode Island MBA Program

Feb. 21th, 2008

Event: Chapter Meeting
Speaker: Mark C. Allman, PMP
Title: "Project Management Challenges in the Space Shuttle Flight Design Program"

Synopsis:
Many of the same competing project forces which are common in the business world are also well represented in the Shuttle Program.  The Space Shuttle has always been a work-in-progress, constantly being reviewed, revised, studied, and improved.  How is this constant change managed?  Projects compete for scarce resources (knowledgeable staff, funding, time, etc.).  Complicating the management of these competing forces is the nature of the program: America's National Space Transportation System.  Although the day-to-day work becomes as routine as it does in most environments, what we all work on everyday (designing Space Shuttle missions) requires a special attention and thoroughness.  This presentation will discuss Space Shuttle flight design and the challenges, risks, and opportunities unique to driving projects in the shadow of Apollo and the rarified air of mission control.
 
Speaker Bio:
Mark C. Allman is an independent consultant specializing in all things relating to IT, especially project management.  Mark focuses on adapting project management best practices to the different environments, challenges, and personalities which make each client unique.  He has managed many projects in a wide variety of industries, including NASA, biotechnology, financial services, and healthcare.  Mark has authored several papers and co-authored a graduate textbook on astrodynamics ("rocket science").  He has also received a NASA New Technology award and is listed in several Who's Who publications.  Mark is also an entrepreneur and is completing the Graduate Certificate in Entrepreneurship program at Boston University.

Sponsor:
The Eliassen Group

Mar. 13th, 2008

Event: Chapter Meeting
Speaker: Chuck Moulter, MBA, PMP
Title: "How to Manage Virtual (Remote) Teams"

Synopsis:
The days of collocated teams working a standard 40 hour work week are long gone.   We are now in an era where the standard is quickly approaching a 24/7 global workforce.   While many project managers had a difficult time managing a local team, they most certainly will be even more challenged in managing and building a productive global team.  While the techniques for managing a team have not change greatly, the execution of these techniques to be successful with a global or virtual team have definitely changed.  In addition to the standard set of team management tools, there needs to be more of a focus on the so-called "soft skills" of project management and for many these are the difficult skills to master.  This presentation will explore these techniques and tools: communications, goals, expectations, trust building and cultural differences to name a few.   At the conclusion, I am hopeful that the attendees will understand they already possess many of the skills required to succeed in this new age of business, but they may just need to modify the execution of these skills.
 

Meeting Location:

CVS Store Support Center
One CVS Drive
Woonsocket, RI 02895

Sponsor:
Visit the web site
Note: Corporate recruiters will be at the meeting to discuss exciting career opportunities at CVS!

Apr. 10th, 2008

Event: Chapter Meeting
Speaker: Gregg Brett
Title: "The Meeting Information Management Lifecycle: The Missing Link In Effective Project Management"

Synopsis:
The presentation is focused on helping project managers to become even more efficient and skilled at running highly productive meetings - before, during and after they take place. The presentation will focus on showing you how to improve your meetings and the way that you capture, track and manage the information and action items shared in those meetings. Through Deep industry knowledge and experience, coupled with that of our partners, several best-selling meeting productivity authors, we have created a complete learning experience that demonstrates through example how to manage meetings more effectively.
We will cover:

  • Overview - Problem Defined
  • Meeting Fundamentals
    • Meeting Information Management Begins with Productive Meetings
    • Bringing together meeting practices and information management
  • Meeting Logistics
  • Structured Working Sessions
    • One to One Meeting
    • Information Distribution
    • Information Collection
    • Facilitated Meetings
  • Meeting Information Management
    • The Meeting Information Management Life-Cycle
    • Meeting productivity tools
  • The Links to Project Management
    • Tracking meeting information across the planning, launch, configure, rollout and close phases
With the proliferation of distributed project environments, developing new methods to manage these areas is absolutely critical to the success of your projects. Your ability to master all aspects of "The Meeting Information Management Lifecycle" is the 'Next Big Thing' in project management.
 

Sponsor:
Peak Strategies

May 1st, 2008

Event: All-Day Seminar
Speaker: Gwynne N. Dawdy, Ph.D.
Title: "The Social Compass: Time Tested Methods to Better Communication, Understand Others and Coach Your Project & Team to the Top"

Synopsis:
Approximately 33% of a project manager's time is spent troubleshooting poor communication issues. Communication differences and disengaged employees may be big issues within project management.

  • Enhanced communication: Keep your project at the top
  • Keep members engaged & productive
  • Recognize behavioral & communication styles, strengths and weaknesses
  • Coach your team to greater performance and results; how to coach through problems
  • Build effective interpersonal relations
  • Much More ...

"This was the best class I've taken. I walked away with a feeling of accomplishment."
Rita Neveu, PMP, Verizon Business

PDUs: 8

Location:

Johnson & Wales Inn
213 Taunton Ave
Seekonk, MA 02771

May 8th, 2008

Event: Chapter Meeting
Speaker: Bob Wysocki
Title: "Adaptive Project Framework: A Common Sense Approach to Managing Complex Projects"

Synopsis:
The contemporary information technology (IT) landscape can be characterized as a two-dimensional grid. Those projects for which both the goal and the solution to reach it are clearly defined are well-supported by traditional project management (TPM) approaches. Those projects whose goal and solution are not clearly defined are well-supported by extreme project management (xPM) approaches. But what about those projects whose goal is clearly defined but whose solution is not? A new approach called Adaptive Project Framework (APF) is designed specifically for those situations.

APF is an iterative and adaptive five-phase approach designed to deliver maximum business value to clients within the limits of their time and cost constraints. The fundamental concept underlying APF is that scope is variable, and within specified time and cost constraints, APF maximizes business value by adjusting scope at each iteration. It does this by making the client the central figure in deciding what constitutes the maximum business value and how scope should change to achieve it. A very good example of an APF project was given to us by President John Kennedy when he said to NASA: "Your mission is to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade and return him safely." There can be no confusion or ambiguity about that goal. But how would it be done? When the challenge was issued we can be certain that NASA didn't have a clue how they would do it. The IT discipline abounds with examples of APF projects. Until APF was first defined, IT didn't have an approach that worked well. Trying to fit TPM into an APF project was just courting disaster and outright project failure.

APF represents a shift in thinking about projects and how they should be run. Here are a few tidbits to get your APF juices flowing:

  • It is a new mindset - one that thrives on change.
  • It is not a "one size fits all" approach - it continuously adapts to change.
  • It utilizes a just-in-time planning approach.
  • It adapts tools and processes from TPM and xPM to the APF project.
  • It is based on repeatable principles and therefore can be integrated.
  • It is based on the principle that you learn by discovery.
  • It guarantees "if you build it they will come."
  • It seeks to get it right every time.
  • It is client-focused and client-driven.
  • It is grounded in the following set of immutable core values:
    1. Client-focused
    2. Client-driven
    3. Incremental results early and often
    4. Continuous questioning and introspection
    5. Change is progress to a better solution
  • It delivers maximum business value.
  • It eliminates all non-value added work.
  • It is less costly and requires less time to execute than TPM.
  • It meaningfully and fully engages the client as primary decision maker.
  • It is based on a shared partnership between client and team.
  • It works - 100% of the time! No exceptions!

Do I have your attention?
 

Meeting Location:

Twelve Acres
445 Douglas Pike,
Smithfield, RI 02917

June 12th and 13th, 2008

Event: Neal Whitten Seminar and Chapter Meeting Presentation

Seminar #1, June 12th (full-day)

Title: "Neal Whitten's No-Nonsense Advice for Successful Projects"

Synopsis:
Successful projects don't just happen--they are made to happen. Popular speaker and best selling PM author Neal Whitten takes leadership and project management to a personal level and reveals leading-edge best practices that make all the difference between leading consistently successful projects and playing the victim with troubled projects. Focusing mostly on leadership and soft skills, but including hard skills and life skills, this seminar reveals choices to make and behaviors to adopt that are invaluable in helping a person become a successful project manager and leader. Based largely on Neal's latest best-selling book, Neal Whitten's No-Nonsense Advice for Successful Projects, Neal has collected practices from among his favorite and most effective--many learned too slowly and painfully. Adopting one can benefit your project; adopting many can benefit your career. It's not about the ability of those around you to lead; it's about your ability to lead, despite that which is happening around you.

Topics include: leadership styles, being too soft, managing priorities, fostering interpersonal communications, boldness, escalations, integrity, accountability, professional behavior and recognizing professional immaturity, dealing with criticism, how to make long-term project commitments, running an effective meeting, duties of the effective project manager, the need to fail, dealing with difficult people, three critical actions that are overlooked on most projects, and many more specific leadership tips for promoting project success.

No theories here! This stuff works! Come prepared to rethink what constitutes effective leadership and project management. You won't want to miss this!

Materials include the book: Neal Whitten's No-Nonsense Advice for Successful Projects.

Learning Objectives:

  • Identify best practices that will cause your behavior, decisions, and actions to become more deliberate, effortless, and natural as you lead.
  • Identify personal attributes--leadership and soft skills--that contribute to your success and the success of your project.
  • Recognize how to boost your confidence in taking charge and making things happen.
  • Create a culture that fosters the success of your project.
  • Identify ideas that promote the advancement of project management/organizational concepts.

Seminar Times: 8:30AM to 5PM.  Registration opens at 8AM.

PDUs: 7

Chapter Meeting, June 12th (evening)

Title: "Behaviors to Master When Dealing with Your Leaders"

Synopsis:
Your leaders want you to know--need you to know--the behaviors they consistently expect from you. Just because you have a leadership role doesn't mean you are living up to their expectations. Not only will Neal identify what your boss expects from you ... but he will articulate what you expect from those under your direction. Topics include: don't take it personally, don't dump and run, make it brief, offer professional criticism, bring solutions with problems, wear one face, and many more. Come learn how you can enhance your image, effectiveness, and career--while making your leaders look good.

Meeting Location:

Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites
194 Fortin Drive
Woonsocket, RI 02895

Seminar #2, June 13th (full-day)

Title: "Neal Whitten's Let's Talk! More No-Nonsense Advice for Project Success"

Synopsis:
Success is born of behaviors and choices that lead to exceptional performance. When we understand what is expected of us in the workplace, our performance rises to the occasion. How would you like to ask--and listen-in as others ask--a recognized PM authority questions regarding best practices in behaviors and other project and organizational issues that you are facing today?

Leadership, accountability, and professional maturity issues are common on projects--too common. This highly interactive seminar addresses specific aspects of these issues head-on. Through a Q&A venue, attendees pose short problem scenarios from either a seminar-provided list or their personal list. Neal Whitten then provides best-practice solutions to handling these situations effectively.

The problem scenarios can encompass a wide range of issues including accountability, dependencies and commitments; leadership styles, attributes and behaviors; sharing power; interpersonal communications and relationships; resolving conflict; mentoring; ethics and integrity; promoting change in your organization; project culture; quality; roles and responsibilities; clients; management; business analysts; project sponsors; performance of stakeholders; authority; escalations; domain of responsibility; and much more.

Attendees will gain insights and concrete guidance on how to demonstrate professionally mature behavior that will enable them to perform at their best, benefiting their projects, organizations, and careers. The seminar experience is intensive, revealing, and focused, aimed at providing participants lessons that can be applied on the job immediately and that will have long-term impact. This seminar will also help project managers, other leaders, and team members promote and actively contribute to an effective business culture.

Neal Whitten is a seasoned practitioner and instructor who can get to the heart of personal and professional issues while treating all attendees with respect and dignity. This unique seminar can positively affect your performance, projects, and career. Come prepared to learn what you personally need to know!

Seminar materials include the book: Neal Whitten's Let's Talk! More No-Nonsense Project Advice.

Learning Objectives:

  • Examine your current professional behaviors
  • Discuss and resolve common behavioral issues
  • Learn professional-maturity best practices
  • Become a more effective leader and coach
  • Get personal advice and mentoring on your particular issues and questions.

Seminar Times: 8:30AM to 5PM.  Registration opens at 8AM.

PDUs: 7

Seminar Pricing:

  • Single Session: $230 per session
  • Both Sessions: $330 total

Seminar Location:

Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites
194 Fortin Drive
Woonsocket, RI 02895

Sep. 11th, 2008

Event: Chapter Meeting
Speaker: Ms. Dale Beyer, PMP
Title: "Tricks for Dealing with Unrealistic Schedules"

Synopsis:
If someone told you that being given an unrealistic project schedule was nobody's fault but your own, would you believe them? You will after this session! You'll also learn how to push back, as well as how to come to agreement on a project schedule that everyone can live with.

Chapter Meeting Location:

CVS Store Support Center
One CVS Drive
Woonsocket, RI 02895

Sep. 12th, 2008

Event: RMC 1/2 Day Seminar
Title: "Common Risk Management Errors That Can Ruin Your Career"

Synopsis:
Through presentation, exercises and examples this course will cover the process of risk management, explain the errors people make each step of the way and provide Tricks of the Trade® from around the world for advanced risk management. Based on Rita Mulcahy's award winning book Risk Management Tricks of the Trade for Project Managers, this captivating course is full of real world information.

Learning Objectives. At the end of this course you will be able to:

  • Describe the risk management process
  • Improve your ability to identify risks for your real world projects
  • Identify gaps in your knowledge that may hurt you and your projects
  • Identify errors others are making so that you can avoid them
  • Apply many new Tricks of the Trade® to your projects
  • Be a better project manager

Target Audience:
This course is ideal for people who need advanced project management training or who already have an understanding of risk management and wish to focus on the tricks of the trade and common errors. It is also an excellent way to learn something useful while collecting PDUs.

For more information visit the RMC website.

PDUs: 4

Seminar Time:

Registration begins at 7:30 (along with breakfast).
Seminar runs from 8-12.

Seminar Pricing:

Register before 8/15 - the cost is $375 pp
Register after 8/15 - the cost is $395 pp

Seminar Location:

Twelve Acres
445 Douglas Pike,
Smithfield, RI 02917

Sponsor:
Visit the web site

Oct. 9th, 2008

Event: Chapter Meeting
Speaker: Tony Lapreste
Title: "Managing Project Requirements"

Synopsis:
The Requirements Planning and Management Knowledge Area defines the resources and tasks associated with the planning and management of requirements activities throughout the requirements process. How the Business Analyst defines the requirements activities that will be performed and how those activities will be performed on a project. This includes the identification of key roles, selecting requirements activities, managing the requirements scope and ongoing communication of the requirements status will be discussed.

Meeting Location:

Twelve Acres Banquet Hall
445 Douglas Pike,
Smithfield, RI 02917

Nov. 13th, 2008

Event: Chapter Meeting
Speaker: Mark Kozak-Holland
Title: "Project Lessons from the Great Escape"

Synopsis:
The Great Escape from the prison camp Stalag Luft III is widely regarded as one of the most audacious and daring escape attempts of the 20th century. But as an event in March 1944, set in dire circumstances, what actually happened? How was the escape planned and executed as a project? How did it get around numerous obstacles in a habitat designed to be escape proof? How was the project tracked? In today's world business people are grappling with numerous obstacles in planning and executing projects in a climate of rapid changes. What can be learned from this event and put into practice today?

The topic is based on my latest book "Project Lessons from the Great Escape."

[ Online Registration for the monthly meeting. ]

 


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