April
2021

PRESIDENT'S CORNER

Chapter President Ric Ferrin, PMP, MBA, DBA

Hello PMI Portland Chapter Members,

Here we are into the fourth month of the year. There are so many good things about April, discounting April 1st, unless it’s your birthday. Then, Happy Birthday!

April brings the coming of Spring, Chocolate Mousse Day, National Twinkie Day, National Pet Day, Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day, National Sibling Day (even if you have ones similar to mine), Peanut Butter and Jelly Day of course and so many others.

Penelope, PMI Portland Past President, has been working hard on developing the Job Descriptions for our upcoming May elections. Please take a look at them as I encourage you to volunteer for one of the many open positions. In addition to earning you some PDUs, it is also a great opportunity to give back to the PMI Portland community and share your experiences with the Chapter. It does not matter your background, Project Management is indelibly ingrained into all of our daily tasks, from making breakfast in the morning, to deciding tomorrow's agenda, to scheduling a COVID vaccine. Each experience brings with it wisdom, so please share that experience and said wisdom.

Along that same thought, we’d love to get your input about the monthly newsletter and its content. To make sure we’re providing you optimal content, please help answer the following survey and questions. Your participation is much appreciated and will go a long way in assuring the content being presented is what you want. https://forms.gle/K3x1R8cmvoBjGnLg8

Getting back to business, Paul Mai, Marshall Oller and Jody Shaw, along with their portfolio support, have been working hard to ensure PMI Portland is ready for our return to “normal.”  With their dedicated support, I believe we are well on our way to having in person Chapter Meetings beginning in September. While not a certainty, it is most definitely within our grasp. We do need to complete some additional tasks, securing a venue, deciding on the menus and the room layouts if social distancing and masks are still required. Stay tuned as we iron out these remaining details. 

We are excited about the future. We have learned a lot during this COVID era. Fortunately, most of the lessons were good lessons. With Rochelle, the rising PMI Portland President, leading the chapter, the future of PMI Portland is very bright. If you want to learn from a mentor who is all about success, then I strongly recommend you apply for one of the open leadership positions. I can assure you there is no better mentor for the future of PMI Portland than Rochelle.

Penelope, our Past President, has been outstanding in every respect. Without her providing guidance and support during the COVID era, the chapter would not have enjoyed the success it has during the past year. When you see Penelope, be sure to give her a two fisted-fist bump, as she has been absolutely superb, and a single fist bump just won’t suffice.

Ric Ferrin, PMP, MBA, DBA
President
PMI-Portland

ARTICLES

Volunteer of the Month: Dina Wallace - April 2021

By Membership Selection Committee

Dina Wallace, PMP, is PMI Portland’s Director of Newsletters. What you are reading right now happens because of her dedication to the PMI Portland community. From deciding on content, assigning writers and editors to articles, and publishing the final work, she keeps the newsletter team organized, ensuring PMI Portland members get high-quality content delivered to their inbox.

Before project management, Dina was a bank manager for a national bank. But, she wanted to find a job that allowed her to focus on her favorite parts of her work life: bringing various stakeholders together to drive towards a common goal and solving puzzles. Now, you’ll find her as a construction project manager at PGE. Her rise from contractor to a member of PGE’s PMO in a few short years is evidence that project management is the right career path for her. With the wildfires of 2020 and the ice storm of 2021, she has had her hands full, keeping the power on for people’s households and businesses!

If you have a love of cookies, butter, or both, you’ll want to be sure to connect with Dina at the next PMI Portland event. She co-owns Butter and Love Gourmet Cookies, delicious, stuffed round cookies that offer unique flavor combinations and happiness in a confection. When not baking, she’s traveling (hopefully again soon) or hanging out with her two mini-Schnauzers, Bowie and Pemba. 

Volunteerism is a core value of Dina’s as she volunteers with several other location organizations. Dina was a passive member of PMI Portland for several years, but after earning her PMP, she decided to take an active role. Once she did, she found out how big the project management community is in Portland and, especially over the past year, has enjoyed the sense of belonging she has found.

Dina urges anyone considering volunteering with PMI Portland to put away their hesitation and try it. She remarked it is hard to do something you haven’t done in a long time or try something new. As a volunteer with PMI Portland, you have a support network that can help you through the process. And like so many others, Dina can’t wait to welcome you in!

A Message from the Membership Selection Committee:
Have you volunteered with someone from the PMI Portland Chapter who goes above and beyond expectations? Nominating your fellow volunteers is easy! Nominations can come from Board members, Directors and fellow volunteers. Candidates are chosen based on hours worked and the impact of the work on the Portland Chapter. 
Click here to submit your nomination form.

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EVENTS

Risk Management During A Cyber Attack 

April Chapter Meeting | Risk Management During A Cyber Attack 

April 20, 2021 | 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm

Learn what it’s like to experience a cyber-attack as it’s happening with Mike Pfeiffer, Vice President of Technology, American Solutions for Business. Walkthrough the event timeline, what protective measures were effective and how proper response strategies were deployed to enable response and recovery within published services levels.The event is FREE for all members and $5 for non-members. To participate fully, participants are encouraged to have their webcams on for the breakout sessions of the workshop and the networking portion of the chapter meeting. Participants will be able to self-report 1 technical PDU for attending. 

Mike Pfeiffer is a technology executive specializing in developing technical leaders and proficient in all phases of solution development including team building, consulting, analysis, design, testing and training. He has over 30 years of experience, having served as Mayor in Long Beach, MN, as well as extensive experience  in consumer packaged goods, trade and expense management solutions, marketing and manufacturing sectors. 

Navigating Risk and Change

Workshop  | Navigating Risk and Change

April 28, 2021 | 10:00 am - 2:00 pm

If projects always went according to plan, Project Leaders would have nothing to do. They would be able to lead projects forward in two hours per week. They would check in with their team members, get universal thumbs-up and publish a status report with nothing but good news! Since that never happens, it's time we admit "RISKS & ISSUES AREN'T JUST FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS!" That's why the world needs Project Leaders because they know that projects rarely go according to plan and they spend the vast majority of 40 hours each week navigating Risk and Change to #GSD. Conquering Risk and Change is what they do!

So why is it that when we ask CEOs how well their organizations navigate Project Risk and Change, the answer is unanimous … "Poorly!" 

Join J. Scott, Founder @120VC and author of "The Irreverent Guide to Project Management, An Agile Approach to Enterprise Project Management," and "It's Never Just Business, It's About People," on a journey that will demystify Risk and Change. Learn several practical, proven techniques that will have your stakeholders feeling like "YOU HAVE EVERYTHING UNDER CONTROL," even if your project is a veritable dumpster fire!

Attendees will leave with the following takeaways;

• Understanding the Project Leadership Value Proposition.
• Conquering the 3 Different Types of Risks (Potential, Actual & Imminent).
• Learn Why Nobody is Actually Managing the Critical Path & How to Correct It!
• Learn How to Eliminate Actual and Imminent Risk by Managing to the Critical Path.
• Learn How to Master the Concept of Project Team Demand Management – The Missing Half of Project Success.
• Learn How to Master Change by Not Trying to Manage It.

From the start of his career spent jumping out of helicopters as a rescue swimmer in the United States Navy, J. Scott has a long history of leadership, servanthood, and bearing witness to the transformative power of getting sh*t done (GSD). Since starting 120VC, he's personally overseen the global transformational efforts within organizations such as DirecTV, Trader Joe's, Blizzard Entertainment, Sony Pictures, Mattel, and others. His team's unique, irreverent approach to change has generated breakthrough results and created meaningful jobs. In addition to being a successful entrepreneur, J. Scott is a devoted husband and father and author of "It's Never Just Business: It's About People," and "The Irreverent Guide to Project Management," both available on Amazon.com.

Join us as we welcome back J. Scott for what is sure to be another successful workshop! Cost: $30 Chapter members, $25 Student Chapter members. $55 non-members. Attendees will be able to self-report 2 Leadership and 2 Technical PDUs.

Volunteer Happy Hour!

Virtual Event | Volunteer Happy Hour!

April 29, 2021 | 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm

April is National Volunteer Month in the United States. This month is dedicated to honoring all of the volunteers in our communities and encouraging volunteerism throughout the month. If you have ever volunteered with the PMI Portland Chapter, register for this fun, free event! Grab a beverage of your choice and join us on Zoom to network, see old friends, ask the Board questions and catch up on the Chapter’s present and future plans.  Register today!

Panel Discussion: Engineering to Technical Program Management

Virtual Panel | Engineering to Technical Program Management

May 11, 2021 | 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm

In the engineering field, evaluations are usually done on technical skills, not other skills, such as project or people management. However, as we enter a new decade, engineers who invest in perfecting their project management skills often find they are given more responsibilities within the business.

Join us for a panel discussion brought to you by Columbia River Section (CRS) Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and Project Management Institute (PMI) Portland. You will hear about our panelists’ career choices, journeys and also learn about their project management best known methods (BKM’s), tools and individual engineering project management practices. Bring your questions to this interactive session and network with a professional group of women engineers.

The Society of Women Engineers is the world’s largest advocate and catalyst for change for women in engineering and technology. We are glad to bring this opportunity to introduce PMI Portland chapter members and CRS SWE members to each other and help build their prospective professional network. 

This event will be moderated by Sireesha(Siri) Akula, VP of Professional Development at PMI Portland chapter. Panelists include Lisa Perigault, Technical Program Manager at Intel, Brianna LaBarge, Sr. Process Engineer at Nike, and Kathy Faraci-Roberts, Senior Program Manager at Lam Research. Don’t miss this great opportunity to learn and network with another local non-profit professional organization! Online registration to open soon on the PMI Portland website https://www.pmi-portland.org.

COMMUNITY

PMI Hardship Provision

PMI is offering a hardship provision if your membership has been in good standing for at least three consecutive years, designed to help those who are currently experiencing financial hardship. If approved, you will receive a waiver for one year of PMI membership dues and one year of dues for membership in any two PMI chapters in which you held membership the previous year. The hardship provision may be granted for a maximum of two years for each member.

Any individuals that are interested in utilizing the PMI hardship, should contact Customer Care. https://www.pmi.org/about/contact

Book Review

The information provided in this review is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a source of advice with respect to the material presented. The information provided is done so without any solicitation and is not meant to persuade or influence any decision. The opinions here are strictly those of the reviewer and are meant only for sharing. Please enjoy.

Traction by Gino Wickman

Review by Josh Bathon, AVP Sponsorship

This book ended up in my queue thanks to a review in a daily business newsletter called The Morning Brew. Traction came with the following recommendation: “If you're looking for tools and strategies to lay out your business's goals and meet them, start here.” Similar praise came from an entrepreneur I know, who uses Traction’s concepts to organize his companies. I don’t own a business, but I’m always hunting for new tools and strategies so I jumped right in.

Overall, Traction; Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman, is a valuable read. The book starts from a recognizable problem space: lack of transparency, misalignment around goals, struggle to follow through, etc. Wickman recommends tools designed to help leaders gain traction in the midst of stagnation. This book is all about getting unstuck and moving forward. 

I’m not going to lie to you; Traction contains plenty of copyrighted buzzwords and proprietary fluff. Wickman walks the line between providing helpful insights and selling a product. A casual reader needs to use their mental machete to cut through an overgrowth of acronyms and upselling. But it’s worth the effort. Feel free to roll your eyes when you read a phrase like “a Level 10 meeting,” but also take note. These tools work.

Traction is specifically written for business owners, but a good project manager will find tools that could be used with immediate impact. In particular, here are 4 tools you could borrow and modify to enhance your projects:

• Vision/Traction Organizer™: this tool is a just a 2-page business plan, but is easily modified for use as a 2-page project charter and scorecard. It provides an at-a-glance view for the scope, goals, quarterly priorities, and known issues. It is simple, easy to maintain, and transparent; how many charters can you describe that way? It would be a perfect tool to guide the conversation of phase gate reviews or project retrospectives. I’m currently using a version of this tool on a process improvement project. 
• People Analyzer: a simple chart that helps you rate resources or vendors across a set of criteria. Traction suggests using it to assess employees according to company values and professional capabilities, but a project manager could also use this for a vendor comparison or solution selection. I’ve been able to utilize this kind of tool to simplify vendor selection conversations with large teams.
• Rocks: Traction uses the term “Rocks” to signify priorities. The book has a refreshing take, recommending extremely limited priorities (3-7 max) for a 90 day period, and a regular review of progress toward those priorities on a weekly basis. Organizing your work in this way is a proven means to improving output. 
• Meeting Pulse: every PM struggles with meetings. The problems are common: too many meetings, meetings get into the weeds, unclear agendas, etc. Traction takes this topic head-on by suggesting a pulse for meetings. Weekly, 90-day, and annual meetings with specific and strict agendas improve the meeting experience. This is an instant value-add that combats every PM’s greatest headache.

This month’s book, Traction, is not a must-read. However, it does contain tools that could be used to improve the delivery of projects. It’s a quick book, and worth the time if you’re looking for usable improvements to attain transparency, communication and accountability. 

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