Author: Cynthia Low

Finalists for 2009 Global Project of the Year Award

Written by Cynthia Low on October 6, 2009. Posted in Articles. 3 Comments on Finalists for 2009 Global Project of the Year Award

Toronto, ON, October 7, 2009 – Finalists for the Project Management Institute 2009 Global Project of the Year award are: British Airports Authority, the Colorado State Patrol and Fluor Corporation. The award recognizes superior project team performance through standardized superior project management techniques

The Project of the Year selection process consists of three progressively more competitive evaluations. Submittals from both PMI chapters and the profession at large are considered and evaluated against established criteria by a team of project management experts. The PMI Project of the Year Award Winner will be announced during the annual awards ceremony at PMI^® Global Congress 2009-North America in Orlando, this coming Saturday, October 10.

British Airports Authority

British Airports Authority, owner of seven airports in the United Kingdom, successfully managed the refurbishment of the Terminal 1 arrivals and departures concourse at London Heathrow Airport. The complex terminal renovation project avoided imposing on the travel experience of the millions of passengers who used Terminal 1, which remained operational during the upgrades. Concurrently, the project team met the various requirements of stakeholders, including the aviation industry, customers, employees, government, local communities, non-governmental organizations, regulators and suppliers. Challenges such as increasing project scope and partner delays were successfully managed and the project delivered under the original budget.

Colorado State Patrol

The Colorado State Patrol’s (CSP) strategic planning and execution of law enforcement services for the 2008 Democratic National Convention (DNC) ensured no disruption to this high-visibility event. The DNC project plan linked tactical law enforcement procedures to the business of running a comprehensive project. CSP adopted many of the most common practices from A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK^® Guide) and incorporated them into their Incident Command System.

Fluor

Fluor Corporation, a Project of the Year winner in 2007, is a finalist again in 2009 for its engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning of the TS Power Plant (TSPP) near Dunphy, Nevada. Commissioned by Newmont Nevada Energy Enterprises, Ltd., the facility has exceeded performance guarantees already resulting in significant fuel savings and added profit.

First Resident Canadian PRINCE2 Trainer

Written by Cynthia Low on September 16, 2009. Posted in Articles. 5 Comments on First Resident Canadian PRINCE2 Trainer

Toronto – In March 2009, Julie Grabb B. Math, PMP, P2RP became the first resident Canadian to become a PRINCE2® certified trainer. “After teaching for the Masters Certificate in Project Management program across Canada for five years, I felt I needed to find out what else was going on in the project management world. PRINCE2 seemed to be the natural next step. I was pleasantly surprised to see that many of the best practices that I had been using as examples in my training were actually documented in the processes of PRINCE2, “Julie remarks. She continues “PRINCE2 documents all the detailed how to’s that supplement the knowledge areas of the PMBOK”

PRINCE2 is a process-based approach to project management, providing an easily tailored and scalable project management methodology for the management of all types of projects. The method is the de-facto standard for project management in the UK and is practiced worldwide. Early adaptors of PRINCE2 in Canada include Manitoba eHealth at the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and the CIO branch of Environment Canada.

“Until this spring, we had to use PRINCE2 trainers from the UK. They know PRINCE2 exceptionally well but they could not always relate to the prior PMBOK knowledge of our participants.” Says Elaine Gutmacher, Director, Operations. Schulich Executive Education Centre. “Julie’s background as a PMP and practical experience in both the private and public sectors is invaluable to our PRINCE2 training programs.”

Schulich Executive Education Centre has partnered with Advantage Learning in the UK. Advantage is a specialist PRINCE2 Accredited Training Organization. Paul Atkin, President of Advantage Learning says “Advantage Learning ran the first PRINCE2 classes in Canada in 2007. We know from our experience that PRINCE2 achieves strong project control and a clear focus on the organization’s business case. We are proud to have trained Julie Grabb as Canada’s first PRINCE2 Approved Trainer.”

Julie will be teaching PRINCE2 classes this fall in Victoria BC (Sept 14-18), Toronto ON (Oct 5-9) and in Winnipeg MB (Oct 19-23).

Global Knowledge Acquires Nexient Learning

Written by Cynthia Low on September 1, 2009. Posted in Articles. 5 Comments on Global Knowledge Acquires Nexient Learning

Cary N.C. 2009 – Global Knowledge has completed the acquisition of the assets of Nexient Learning Inc., Canada’s largest corporate training provider. The combination of Global Knowledge’s Canadian operations with those of Nexient establishes Global Knowledge as one of Canada’s leading providers of business analysis, project management and general business skills training. With the integration of their complementary product portfolios, customers will benefit from an expanded and unparalleled range of learning solutions.

The Nexient acquisition supports Global Knowledge’s successful business strategy of securing key acquisitions that enable the company to provide quality training products, services, and solutions across a worldwide market. In 2007, Global Knowledge joined forces with Synergy Professional Services to expand across the Middle East and Africa. In 2006, the acquisition of Azlan Training established Global Knowledge as the largest IT training provider in Europe.

“We’re excited to join forces with Nexient,” said Brian K. Branson, Chief Executive Officer and President of Global Knowledge. “Their assets include a loyal customer base, a robust portfolio of products and learning solutions, a strong management team, and the proven ability to drive revenue. This is a unique strategic opportunity to expand Global Knowledge’s market presence in Canada and leverage Nexient’s portfolio throughout our worldwide organization.”

The combined company’s portfolio includes award-winning curricula, expert instruction, and training solutions in information technologies such as Cisco, Microsoft, VMware, Citrix, Red Hat, business analysis, project management, ITIL®, and award-winning programs for leadership business solutions.

Think Carefully Before You “Friend” Your Boss on Facebook

Written by Cynthia Low on August 24, 2009. Posted in Articles. 6 Comments on Think Carefully Before You “Friend” Your Boss on Facebook

TORONTO — Thinking about “friending” your boss on Facebook? You may want to reconsider. According to a recent survey, approximately seven in ten executives are uncomfortable being friended by the employees they manage (72 per cent) or their bosses (69 per cent). Clients and vendors are also uncomfortable.

The survey was developed by OfficeTeam, a leading staffing service specializing in the placement of highly skilled administrative professionals. It was conducted by an independent research firm and is based on telephone interviews with 100 randomly selected senior executives across Canada.

Executives were asked, “How comfortable would you feel about being ‘friended’ by the following individuals on Facebook?” Their responses:

	Your boss	Your coworkers	People you manage	Clients	Vendors
Very comfortable………….	10%	5%	7%	4%	3%
Somewhat comfortable….	16%	36%	18%	16%	8%
Not very comfortable……	21%	18%	23%	27%	25%
Not comfortable at all…..	48%	38%	49%	49%	60%
Don’t know………………	5%	3%	3%	4%	4%
	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%

“The line between personal and professional has grown increasingly blurred as more people use social networking websites for business purposes,” said Robert Hosking, executive director of OfficeTeam. “Although not everyone is comfortable using sites like Facebook to connect with professional contacts, it’s wise to be prepared for these types of requests.”

Hosking advises employees on Facebook to be sure they are in compliance with their employer’s social networking policy. They should then familiarize themselves with privacy settings and create different friend lists to control how — and with whom — information is shared. “Individuals should classify their professional contacts into a ‘work’ list and limit what personal details this group can view,” said Hosking.

Following are some common Facebook situations professionals may encounter and how to handle them:

You’re tagged in an embarrassing photo. Untag yourself and change your privacy settings so photos are viewable only by your close friends

You’re friended by someone you don’t want to connect with. It might be best to accept friend requests from colleagues to avoid slighting them, but add them to a “work” list and adjust your privacy settings so you can effectively separate your job from your personal life.

You’re considering friending your boss. It may seem like a natural extension of amiable office small talk, but think twice before proactively friending your boss. It could become awkward for both of you.

You want to join various groups. You should join groups that interest you. But if you have colleagues in your network and don’t want them to see the groups you join, remember to adjust your application settings.

You would like to be a fan of certain pages. Becoming a fan of pages on Facebook is visible to anyone who can view your profile, so you should avoid becoming a fan of any page you are uncomfortable sharing with coworkers or business contacts in your network.

You love quizzes. Stop and think for a moment before taking online quizzes and posting the results to your Facebook page — unless you want professional contacts to know which Gilligan’s Island character you most resemble.

Project Stoppages and Layoffs Continue

Written by Cynthia Low on August 18, 2009. Posted in Articles. 3 Comments on Project Stoppages and Layoffs Continue

A recent PMI USA survey indicates that, while the number or companies canceling or delaying projects has remained steady each month in 2009, the cumulative number continues to grow as the economy struggles to recover.

In the past month, has your company cancelled or delayed scheduled projects due to the current economic conditions?

	July 2009	June 2009	May 2009	April 2009	Mar 2009	Feb 2009	Jan 2009
Yes	53%	53%	56%	54%	57%	50%	56%
No	31%	33%	31%	30%	30%	31%	32%
Don’t Know/ Not Sure	16%	14%	12%	16%	13%	19%	12%

Half or more of those surveyed over the past seven months indicate that their companies have cancelled or delayed projects. Of the more than half who said their firms had cancelled or delayed projects in the past month, just over one in seven characterized those projects as “very significant” relative to their entire project portfolio.

For full details of this survey which was conducted by Project Management Institute among 1,000 PMI members and credential holders, go to PMI Pulse Surveys at www.pmi.org.