Projectified Project Management Institute

The events of the past few years have wreaked havoc on the global supply chain. Organizations are responding with innovative projects to increase their resiliency. We discuss this with:

Leefke Grosjean, senior researcher and project manager for 5G-Smart, Ericsson, Stockholm: Grosjean discusses how the 5G-Smart project is testing 5G’s potential in manufacturing, ways the team improved communication and collaboration, and how solutions from the three pilots can be adopted across factories.

Peter Grimvall, supply chain design and planning manager, Ikea, Basel, Switzerland: Grimvall discusses the effects of supply chain disruption on organizations, the AI tool he helped create to improve Ikea’s demand forecasting for stores across the globe—and its impact so far—and why teams need to be ready to make mistakes and iterate on innovation projects.

Key themes
[01:54] Exploring the potential of 5G manufacturing in factories
[05:10] Improving collaboration, communication across the 5G-Smart team
[07:24] How 5G can boost factory flexibility, efficiency and safety
[12:45] Creating an AI tool to improve Ikea’s demand forecasting
[17:35] Using tech to predict disruptions—and how to bounce back from them
[18:40] Lessons learned: Embrace mistakes and be ready to iterate

In the past few years, teams have had to rethink events of all types—conferences, award shows, concerts—to virtual or hybrid formats, innovating to keep attendees and audiences safe as well as engaged. We discuss this with:

Nadja Burkhardt, supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest, European Broadcasting Union, Geneva: She discusses how her team handles constant change to plan and execute the annual Eurovision Song Contest, how the event adapted during the pandemic, and how her team manages and collaborates with stakeholders across countries.

Akseli Aho, CEO, Junction, Helsinki: He discusses his team’s experience hosting in-person, virtual and hybrid hackathons, how they decide which format works best for each event, and the challenge of encouraging people to return to in-person events.

Key themes
[02:24] New venues, new teams, new cultures: Managing constant change on the Eurovision Song Contest
[03:38] Adapting the Eurovision Song Contest during COVID-19
[06:19] Collaborating with partners and managing stakeholders across countries 
[11:04] Junction’s lessons learned from pivoting to virtual, hybrid hackathons
[15:53] How Junction chooses between different event formats
[19:34] The challenge ahead: Encouraging people to attend in-person events again

The time to act on climate change is running out, putting pressure on nations and organizations alike to help heal the plant. Project teams around the world are helping care for our planet. We discuss this with: 

Karl Campbell, director, Latin American Pacific Islands, Re:wild, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador: Campbell discusses the program he’s leading to rewild 25 islands over the next decade, projects that are underway in the Galápagos, and how teams are collaborating with partners and local communities to build buy-in and ensure long-term success.

Margaret Sprug, principal, Miller Hull Partnership, Seattle: Sprug discusses building sustainability practices into her architecture projects, how her team collaborates with partners and stakeholders on sustainable design, and the lessons she and her team learned in making the Bullitt Center in Seattle a net-zero “living building.”
Key themes
[01:07] Increasing pressures to act on climate change
[02:40] Creating a program to rewild Latin American islands
[08:28] Building relationships—and buy-in—with local communities
[10:57] How rewilding creates resilient ecosystems for people and the environment
[13:56] Collaborating with partners, stakeholders on sustainable design in the built environment
[16:23] Lessons learned from creating a net-zero “living building” in Seattle
[19:04] Measuring—and mitigating—environmental impacts in architecture projects

Project leaders make decisions on a nearly non-stop basis. But they also have access to a wealth of information that can help them make the right call. We discuss this with:

Reuben Oshomah, PMP, regional director, West Africa, Avanti Communications, Lagos: He talks through what kinds of information project leaders should consult, and the role team members and stakeholders play in making smart decisions.

Ramyajit Dasgupta, PMP, global analytics manager, Concentrix, Kolkata: He discusses the role of big data and analytics in decision-making and how to take the first steps in building a data-driven culture.
 
Key themes
[01:42] Why understanding the project objective can fuel better decisions  
[02:51] Gathering data: Lessons learned, risk registers and team members
[08:17] Using big data, analytics, AI to take the guesswork out of decisions

Women have faced an uphill battle in the workplace, especially during the pandemic. But they continue to make strides with game-changing projects across sectors and around the globe. We discuss the state of the state for women project leaders with:

Nontobeko Mathenjwa, project manager at South African National Roads Agency, Johannesburg: Mathenjwa discusses the challenges she faced early in her career as a project leader in construction, what changes she’d like to see and her advice to women in the early stages of their project careers.

Lorraine Ong, PMP, assistant director, advanced cybersecurity capabilities at Government Technology Agency of Singapore: Ong discusses how she’s seen the gender gap improve in IT, how COVID-19 has affected women leaders in her sector, and how professional organizations can help support women—and help them further their careers.

Key themes
[00:54] Organizations with women leaders perform better, research shows
[01:52] Leadership lessons: Know yourself and build relationships
[04:28] Women gaining traction in construction
[10:16] The pandemic’s impact on women project leaders in IT
[11:20] How mentors, professional organizations can support women—and boost their careers

Even with disruption and economic uncertainty, the job market for project talent is booming—and it doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon. We discuss the changing world of work and career opportunities for project professionals with: 

Elton Soares, PMP, electrical engineer and project manager at General Electric, Florianópolis, Brazil: Soares discusses the rise of people-centric leaders, the increase in digital transformation and the growth in the energy sector.

Malong Dong, PMP, director of the program management office at Westpac Group, Sydney: Dong discusses how the skills shortage is leading to opportunities for project professionals and the must-have skills they’ll need in 2022.
 
Key themes
[00:56] The increasing demand for project talent in 2022—and beyond
[02:08] The rise of people-centric project leaders
[03:43] Developing skills to lead digital transformation projects
[07:21] New project possibilities in the energy sector 
[09:09] What the skills shortage could mean for project leaders
[13:33] Leadership skills for the hybrid work environment