PMI Congress Seattle 2006 & Reflections
of a Long Distance Journey
by Brian Kooyman
Introduction
The annual PMI Conference in North America is always one of the most significant project management events of the year, but perhaps more significant for those of us who travel many thousands of miles (or to the metric-minded, kilometres) to attend such an event. The major considerations of attending such an event from the other side of the world is the cost and time required to travel, and I wonder why since having attended all but two PMI North American Conferences since 1994, I am still drawn back on such a regular basis?
Is it the content of the conference program? Is it the potential of a significant increase in knowledge? Is it all the new people one is likely to meet? Is it re-connecting with old friends and networking? Is it the chance to improve your career opportunities? Or is it just the challenge and chance to travel overseas and perhaps to include a bit of a holiday?
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About the Author:
  
Brian Kooyman
Brian R. Kooyman, B. Arch R.A.I.A., F.A.I.P.M., M.A.I.C.D., M.P.D, is Managing Director, Chairman of the Board and CEO of The Tracey, Brunstrom & Hammond Group, based in Sydney, Australia. Brian is also Adjunct Professor in the Graduate School of Business at Curtin University in Western Australia, Adjunct Professor of Project Management at the University of Technology Sydney in New South Wales, and Honorary Associate in the School of Government at the University of Sydney. Brian is the past National President of the Australian Institute of Project Management (AIPM) and was Chairman of the Global Council of the Project Management Institute (PMI®). He was a member and the Chair of PMI’s Nominating Committee for 2001 and 2002. and is currently the Vice Chair of PMI’s Ethics Review Committee. He has been a keynote speaker at project management conferences in Australia, India, South Africa, and the USA, and is well known throughout the world of professional PM. Brian has over 35 years experience on a wide variety of projects and programs, and has been directly involved in several famous Australian projects, including The Sydney 2000 Olympics, The Sydney Harbour Casino (NSW), The National Biological Standards Laboratory (ACT), The Darling Harbour Redevelopment (NSW), and Federation Square (Vic). Brian also has extensive experience as an Expert Witness for such International projects as The Australian Embassy in Beijing, The Australian High Commission in Geneva, The Australian Embassy in Hanoi, Mt Worsley Aluminium Refinery (WA), and The Roi Namur Sewerage Treatment Plant (Marshall Islands). Brian has achieved workplace assessment against the Australian Project Management Competency Standards, at Master Project Director Level. Tracey, Brunstrom & Hammond (TBH) is one of the largest independent and privately owned project and strategic management companies in Australia, with offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane and Perth. The organization specializes in strategic and project management services for the Construction, IT and Telecommunications industries. Brian has a Bachelors Degree in Architecture from the University of New South Wales (1972), and was named Managing Director of TBH in 1995. Additional information about TBH can be found at www.tbh.com.au. Brian can be contacted at briank@tbh.com.au.
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Mentoring: Is it Nice to do or is it a Duty
by Rebecca Winston
Introduction
I’ve been wondering, as I look at my busy schedule or try to sort through the never ending list of e-mails or even try to decide what phone messages to return, whether mentoring the succeeding generations is a nice thing to do or a duty that we have in this profession we call project management. I am asked often how I got to where I am; how I managed to become a consultant with a relatively stable list of clients; how I became involved in my professional society, or so involved in my professional society; or how I decided to do the type of project management I do.
The other day when I was feeling ever so tired, looking at several prescription bottles after a night in the emergency room, I received a phone call from a younger project manager who is just starting out and who was wondering about professional direction. He had just suffered a bit of a set back. He wanted to meet for dinner and to talk. I wanted to crawl in bed. I asked myself the question: “is it nice to do or a duty?”.
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About the Author:
 
Rebecca Winston
Ms. Rebecca Winston, Esq., JD, PMI Fellow, is a former Chair of the board of the Project Management Institute (PMI®). An experienced expert on the subject of project management (PM) in the fields of research & development (R&D), energy, environmental restoration and national security, she is well known throughout the United States and globally as a leader in the PM professional world. Rebecca has over 25 years of experience in program and project management, primarily on programs funded by the US government. She is a graduate of the University of Nebraska’s College of Law, Juris Doctorate (1980), in Lincoln, Nebraska and has a Bachelor’s of Science (BS) degree in Education from Nebraska Wesleyan University and a Master’s Degree in Biology from Iowa State University in the USA. She is a licensed attorney in the states of Iowa and Nebraska, USA. Active in PMI since 1993, Rebecca Winston helped pioneer PMI's Specific Interest Groups (SIGs) in the nineties, including the Project Earth and Government SIGs, and was a founder and first co-chair of the Women in Project Management SIG. She served two terms on the PMI board of directors as director at large, Secretary Treasurer, Vice Chair (for two years), and Chair (2002). She was elected a PMI Fellow in 2005. She is also a member of the American Bar Association and the Association of Female Executives in the United States. Ms. Winston currently serves as a consultant to organizations such as the National Nuclear Security Administration (USA), U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on topics ranging from Program and Project Management to project reviews, risk management and vulnerability assessments. She has extensive recent PM experience in the areas of national defense and security, and has worked closely with local, regional and national officials, including Congress and the Pentagon. She lives in Idaho Falls, Idaho, USA and can be contacted at Rebecca.Winston@associates.dhs.gov.
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