New Return to Mars Landing site Announced

A new landing site for the Return to Mars advanced online Project Leadership course has been established by PMForum at http://www.pmforum.org/RTM/Palatine.htm. The Return to Mars course is being offered at a discount to PMForum readers and subscribers through a partnership with Palatine Group of New York; the new landing site provides additional information, clarification on the special discount pricing offered, and a link to a demonstration and registration.

PMForum announced the availability and discount pricing for readers and subscribers in September 2008. The online simulation-based project leadership course was developed for NASA by Palatine Group. The negotiated discount, some 9% off the previous pricing, is available only through the new Return to Mars program. The discount climbs to 12% for teams of five or more.

The Return to Mars course was created with a foundation project management skills curriculum merged with an advanced project (case study) -- the Mars Pathfinder. The result is a highly flexible learning solution that develops competencies for project management professionals at multiple levels of experience. Return to Mars blends over 40 movies, 350 screens, state-of-the-art sound, animation, interface facility - and even the legendary actor Leonard Nimoy - into 14 powerful, 45-minute modules. NEAR and IMAGE are modeled on the Harvard Business Case Study Method.

The groundbreaking, interactive, media-rich learning experience recreates many of NASA's innovative projects, including the Pathfinder Mission to Mars (PMI's Project of Year). The course uses an advanced project to create a dramatic context for a learner to build skills and practice project management techniques within a subsystem of the Pathfinder mission/project.

It puts you in the hot-seat of a bold attempt to land a spacecraft on Mars. The budget is tight: $150 million. The schedule is rigid: do it in 3.5 years, or you'll miss the launch window. Participants simulate a real project, gaining information and skills they can immediately apply to their own projects.

The course gives participants an understanding of the dynamics and challenges of project management, and provides tools and techniques for managing the entire project life cycle. Return to Mars helps develop soft skills by immersing participants in a simulation of Pathfinder's unique project environment, stressing performance and creativity, as well as innovation under tight budget and schedule restraints. Alongside insights into the value of such skills as leadership, teamwork, and communication, Return to Mars provides practical tools such as work breakdown structures, lessons learned, and a 60-day scheduling software.

The Return to Mars course is being offered by PMForum in partnership with Palatine Group as a service to project managers and organizations worldwide. Return to Mars is one of the most sophisticated and advanced courses in the world. Benefits of passing the course will include competency improvement, increased knowledge, career advancement, and 14 PDUs for PMP recertification. All graduates also receive a diploma of completion.

For more information, visit http://www.pmforum.org/RTM/Palatine.htm.
To take a test ride, visit http://www.returntomarslearningsite.com/info.html.

International Project Management Seminar for CEOs announced
by I2P2M in New Delhi

The International Institute of Project and Program Management (I2P2M), a not for profit company, is organizing the Second half a day CEO's I2P2M Forum on December 18, 2008. The theme of the Seminar is 'Imperatives of project management in sustaining economic growth'. It is organized in Association with PMA India and International Project Management Association (IPMA).

This half a day's seminar is meant for chief executive officers (CEOs), Presidents, Chairmen and Managing Directors of Commercial companies, Senior Officers of the Central Government of India and Secretary General, Directors General & Presidents of Associations and NGO's.

Three world class speakers will address the delegates of the Second CEO half a day Top management Seminar.

Three speakers are Dr. Hiroshi Tanaka, President of Project Management Association, Japan, slated to speak on “One Step Further in Project Management for India to become a Global Player”, Mr. Veikko Valila, President of International Project Management Association (IPMA), on “Risk Management of Large Projects”; and Dr. Hans Knopfel, Chairman, Certification Validation Management Board (CVMB),Switzerland, on “Competence Assessment for Project, Program and Portfolio Management.”

The CEO’s commitment to Project & Program Management is crucial to strengthening of Project Management. The definition of Mr. Adesh Jain as outlined in Stockholm, Sweden in August 1999 is relevant in today’s context of world economy. His definition of Project Management is shown below :

Registration is open and organizers will provide necessary assistance regarding visas and stay in Delhi. For additional information, visit www.pma-india.org or www.cepm.com, or contact Adesh Jain, President, Project Management Associates, A-48, Sector-5, Noida – 201301, India. Tel.:(91-120) 2420444, 2421757, 2420463, Cell:9999684621 or 9999684630, Fax: (91-120) 2421482, 2421484. Email: adesh@cepm.com or gs@pma-india.org or info@pma-india.org.

The International Workshop for CEOs is being organized by the Centre for Excellence in Project Management (CEPM) and Project Management Associates (PMA), in association with the International Project Management Association (IPMA). PMA is the Indian national association member of IPMA. For more information about PMA, visit www.pma-india.org. For more information about CEPM, visit www.cepm.com.

Program Management workshop announced for February
in Portland, Oregon

The Program Management Academy will sponsor a public workshop on program management in Portland, Oregon, USA during February 18-19, 2009. The instructors will be Russ Martinelli and Jim Waddell, authors of the book Program Management for Improved Business Results (Wiley, 2007). Russ and Jim have designed the course for program and project managers seeking to grow their skills in the Program Management discipline and provide greater value to their companies.

Efficiently executing strategic programs has never been more important. Learning and mastering new skills and approaches is critical for project and program managers, even those with years of experience. Russ and Jim have many years of experience in high risk, high profile programs and offer their own as well as other examples of program management challenges and effective solutions. Their approach is ideal for small group discussions and activities. While participants in the workshop bring their own situations and experiences, participants will benefit from the direct contact with these leading edge experts.

Attendees are expected from around the globe, thus providing the benefit of shared experiences from a wide variety of organizations and industries. Stacy Pritchard, Senior Marketing Program Manager for Autodesk, Inc. recently called this “a great class. I took home a lot of new ideas, tools, tips and tricks".

The new skills, tools and techniques are even more efficiently implemented when multiple people attend from the same company, so a discount price of $795 per student is available when 3 or more people attend from the same organization.

The 2-day workshop will be held in Tigard, Oregon at the Courtyard by Marriott, an easy 40 minutes from the Portland International airport and immediately off the I-5 freeway. This course is offered in collaboration between the Program Management Academy and Innovation Frameworks. For more information, visit www.innovationframeworks.com or http://www.programmanagement-academy.com/.

Click here to register for February 18-19, 2009 or for assistance contact the registrar: rose.marshall@innovationframeworks.com. Early bird discounts are available until Jan 16, 2009; group discounts are available for 3 or more from the same organization. The book is included with the course; meals and refreshments are provided on both days. Upon completion, students can receive PDU credits

The Program Management Academy was created to help companies, organizations, and individuals better understand the principles of program management and to improve their program management practices. The primary goals of the Program Management Academy are: (1) To increase the awareness of program management as a critical business function; (2) To provide training, coaching, and consultation for individuals, teams and organizations practicing program management; and (3) To perform research and continued publication to further evolve program and business management practices worldwide. Additional information available at http://www.programmanagement-academy.com/.

The George Washington University hosts Expert PM Forum
in Washington, DC on 19 December, 2008

In what was billed as the first in a series of Expert Project Management Forums, a group of senior project management experts and leaders met at The George Washington University (GWU) on Friday, 19 December 2008 in Washington, DC, USA. The purpose of the meeting was to identify current "hot topics" among the attendees. As might have been expected, PM in the USA government and especially related to the announced Infrastructure stimulus planned by President-elect Obama's administration was the main point of discussion.

Participants included the following:

• Prof. Frank Anbari, The George Washington University

• Barbara Archibald, Consultant, Archibald Associates

• Russell Archibald, Principal, Archibald Associates & PMForum

• Antonello Bove, Inter-American Investment Corporation

• Valerie Carter, Manager, Government Relations, Project Management Institute (PMI^®)

• John Courmier, Independent Consultant & PMI^® Washington DC Chapter

• Daniel Daly, The George Washington University

• Prof. Young Hoon Kwak, The George Washington University

• Michael O’Brochta, Independent Consultant, Zozer Inc.

• David Pells, Managing Editor, PMForum

• Bob Rovinsky, Director, IT Enterprise Services, Office of the CIO, US Federal Aviation Administration

• Miles Shepherd, MSP Consulting & PMForum

• Lawrence Suda, Managing Director, Palatine Group

• Ron Taylor, Independent Consultant & President, PMI® Washington DC Chapter

• Prof. Stuart Umbleby, The George Washington University

• Robert Youker, Independent Consultant, World Bank (retired)

According to Russ Archibald, PMI^® Fellow (PMI^® member #6) and one of the world’s best known authorities on modern PM, “We took the occasion of being in Washington, DC to invite some PM thought leaders to get together to see what might happen. =I am happy to report that we debated PM in the government, with an eye on the Obama administration’s commitment to invest around $1 trillion in US infrastructure projects next year. If there is some way that we can gain their ear to ensure that the good PM is used for that stimulus package, it would be great!”

The two hour roundtable meeting at GWU began with each participant suggesting a topic that he or she considers important and worth discussion. The topics identified included the following:

• Knowledge management vs. project management

• Integration of project management with systems engineering

• Project management in government

• Mega project management vs. PM for smaller efforts

• A Center of Excellence in PM for the US Government

• Project Management in different industries

• How to get executives to act for project success

• How to overcome hurdles to earned value implementation in government

• Knowledge production on projects and in organizations

• Project management + product creation in industry

• The need for a global & systematic project categorization model

• Human emotions in project management

• How to improve PM in government, non-governmental and non-profit sectors, especially for programs and projects addressing global problems

• Project management profession and professionalism

• Strategic vs. operational project management

• Introducing project management to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs)

These topics were then grouped into three general categories for discussion, as follows: (1) Project Management in Government; (2) Categorization; PM in different industries; PM on different types and sizes of projects; and (3) PM knowledge creation and management. The rest of the meeting was devoted to discussing the first topic, better PM in government and especially related to the US federal government’s plan to inject hundreds of millions of dollars into “shovel ready” projects around the USA next year.

According to Michael O’Brochta, retired former PM leader at the CIA, “The key is to reach the executive level. Unless there is buy-in and active support at the top, it’s impossible to affect serious changes and it will just be business as usual. Better project management could save the taxpayers millions, in my opinion.”

Miles Shepherd, former chair of both the Association of Project Management (APM) in the UK and the International Project Management Association (IPMA), pointed out, “Former PM Tony Blair actually told British ministers and governmental executives that they need to become specialists in project management in order to be successful. The OGC now dictates programme and project management standards across the UK government and everyone takes it seriously, although there are still some spectacular failures.”

Bob Rovinsky, who is overseeing approximately $3 billion in IT programs and who has been leading a major EVM/PM improvement program at the FAA, stated, “It took a culture change at the FAA, but our program to implement a broad-based earned value management system has been very successful. We have already saved a lot of time and money, but also stabilized the management process. This same type of effort is needed across the entire federal government, and at state and local levels. Better PM is also needed in nonprofits, nongovernmental and multi-lateral agencies.”

The group discussed various options and scenarios, including ways to publicize the need for better PM in the US government. It was agreed that PMForum should publicize the meeting and this issue. A “Project Management Manifesto” for better Project Management in the US government was also proposed by Russ Archibald and may be advanced.

According to GW Prof. Frank Anbari, who hosted the event, “This was an interesting discussion, with a very interesting group. We identified several issues that might make good topics for research studies. I want to thank David Pells and Russ Archibald for proposing this meeting, which we were happy to have happen at GW.”

Reported by PMForum’s managing editor David Pells, who attended the meeting in Washington. Photos courtesy of GW Prof. Young Kwak.

Saïd Business School at Oxford launches
IT Project Management Website

Reported by Miles Shepherd in the UK

A new project management website devoted to IT projects has been launched by the Said Business School at the University of Oxford in the UK. The website was created by Dr. Chris Sauer, Fellow in Information Management at Saïd Business School and Drs. Blaize Horner Reich and Andrew Gemino at Simon Fraser University in Canada. The website features the latest results of academic research aimed at helping IT project managers understand the contributing factors affecting IT project performance.

According to their announcement, "It's no secret that information technology (IT) projects have a high risk of failure. Now, however, project managers can improve their chances of success by visiting a new website designed to make the most recent academic research in project management immediately practicable. At PM Perspectives, project managers will discover the latest insights, techniques and trends in project management in a range of articles developed from research in the field."

According to Dr Sauer (pictured): "IT project managers face volatile working conditions that constantly demand new competencies. In our experience they are keen to learn about the latest developments in the field, but this has not always been easy to do. We have developed a website which helps practitioners keep up to date with significant developments arising from research in IT project management."

"The site includes our own research group's findings as well as the work of researchers in the US, Australia and Continental Europe," he added. "Our intention is to help managers access the latest thinking in the field which they can directly apply in their roles. We also want to create a community of IT project managers through the site and we are keen to encourage a two way conversation so we can also learn from their experiences."

Research published on PM Perspectives is primarily conducted by the site creators, but also includes research from collaborators at universities around the world. Funded by the Canadian government, the site aims to engage with project managers in order to contribute to, and shape, the researchers’ future projects. The site also serves as a forum where project and programme professionals around the world can read the articles and submit their own views and experiences. The articles can also be used as resource material to support group discussions or education sessions.

'After five years of research into project management practices, including five multinational studies, hundreds of surveys and many interviews with senior IT project managers, we felt it was time to share our results with project management professionals,' says Dr. Reich.'We believe it's the only website in the world to directly connect project management practitioners and academic researchers. There’s nothing for sale on the site and no consultants looking for business. There are just ideas to help improve the success rate of IT projects.'

Visit PM Perspectives at http://www.pmperspectives.org/.

Established in 1996, the Saïd Business School is one of Europe’s youngest and most entrepreneurial business schools with a reputation for innovative business education. The School has an established reputation for research in a wide range of areas, including finance and accounting, organisational analysis, international management, strategy and operations management. The school is dedicated to developing a new generation of business leaders and entrepreneurs and conducting research not only into the nature of business, but the connections between business and the wider world. The University of Oxford has ranked top for business studies in The Times annual report in six of the last seven years. For more information, see
www.sbs.ox.ac.uk.

Free Teleseminar Series for Agile Project Delivery Announced

Multi-Media Publications (MMP) in Canada has announced a free "TeleSeminar" on the topic of Agile project management. The first one is scheduled for 27 January 2009. Building on the success of its project management and agile methods products, MMP is launching the FREE teleseminar series featuring interviews with agile gurus.

While MMP plans to continue its paid webinar series for in-depth presentations on specific agile-related topics, the free series will provide a higher-level view of the subject matter, via audio-only teleseminars featuring interviews with some of the notable experts in the field.

The first FREE agile teleseminar in this series is with noted author and speaker Scott Ambler (inventor of the Agile Modeling, Agile Data, and Agile Unified Process methods) entitled "Adapting Agile for Use with Distributed Teams." It will be held on January 27, 2009 at 11am EST (GMT -5h). For registration details, go to www.mmpubs.com/catalog/27-jan-2009-adapting-agile-for-use-with-distributed-teams-p-227.html

Scott W. Ambler is the Practice Leader - Agile Development with IBM Software Group and he works with IBM customers around the world to improve their software processes. He is the founder of the Agile Modeling (AM), Agile Data (AD), Agile Unified Process (AUP), and Enterprise Unified Process (EUP) methodologies. Scott is the (co-)author of 19 books, including Refactoring Databases, Agile Modeling, Agile Database Techniques, The Object Primer 3rd Edition, and The Enterprise Unified Process. Scott is a senior contributing editor with Dr. Dobb’s Journal.

Multi-Media Publications Inc. is an independent publisher of books, audiobooks, and DVDs. Celebrating its 20th year, MMP publishes titles under several imprints and series, including Impact Publications (entrepreneurship titles), Multi-Media Publications (business and career titles) and the popular Lessons from History series aimed at business leaders. It counts best sellers and award winners among its dozens of project management titles. Further information on MMP can be found at www.mmpubs.com or by contacting orders@mmpubs.com.