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PM NETWORK
JANUARY 2019 VOLUME 33, NUMBER 1
MCDONALD’S
ORDERING
OVERHAUL
PAGE 48
STOP
RETROSPECTIVE
SCRAMBLES
PAGE 56
2019 JOBS REPORT
SMOOTH
TRANSITIONS
PAGE 22
HOT SPOTS, GROWING INDUSTRIES

JANUARY 2019, VOLUME 33, NUMBER 1
AND IN-DEMAND SKILLS PAGE 28
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42
Amanda Augustine,
TopResume, New York,
New York, USA
48
56
64
Features JANUARY 2019 | VOLUME 33, NUMBER 1

COVER ILLUSTRATION BY HUGO ESPINOZA/GETTY IMAGES
2019 JOBS REPORT 2018 PMI PROJECT OF THE YEAR FINALIST 2018 PMO OF THE YEAR FINALIST
28 Career opportunities abound. But the 48 McDonald’s

Where the Action Is Remade to Order
reinvented its 64 ABest in Class
school district’s PMO
red-hot sectors and most desirable customers’ digital experience— measures project success
skills that set candidates apart vary and its project governance—in one student at a time.
by region. less than a year. By Sarah Fister Gale
By Ashley Bishel By Sarah Fister Gale
42 Automated systems are transform-

How to Get Hired in the Age of AI
56 Want
Proactive Hindsight
to avoid a retrospective
ing how project talent is found. scramble at the end of a
Project professionals must adapt to project? Create a continuous
make the cut. process for documentation.
By Jen Thomas By Novid Parsi
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Also JANUARY 2019 | VOLUME 33, NUMBER 1
5
THE EDGE
Making Waves Projects to accurately replicate
ocean waves are cresting.
6 6 New Digs Mining projects are booming in Latin

America—but risks abound.
8 Cleaning Spree To solve an open defecation

problem in India, teams target stakeholders.
9 IoT Takeover Internet of things projects are

driving transformation at organizations.
10 A Place to Remember Teams building facilities

for people with dementia learn from the past.
12 Permit Power Permit snag hits century-old

project.
13 Scooting Into Stakeholders’ Good Graces

10 13 Uber’s scooter-sharing project focuses on users.
14 Familiar Faces Retailers combine facial
recognition with artificial intelligence.
16 A Sense of Safety Sensors are improving on-

site safety for construction projects.
VOICES
18 Inside Track: Train of Thought
Michael Foster, CIO and CTO, Canadian National,
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
20 Project Toolkit Rookie Revelations
20 72 22 Deliver IT State of Flux

By Priya Patra, PMP
23 Culture Club Positive Influence

By Karen Smits, PhD
GETTING IT DONE: Project Management in Action
24 Team Rework
By James Bryant, PMP
26 Interior Motives
By Fred Wenger III, PMP
ETC.
22 71 Good Reads From PMI
A guide to help grow your
business analysis practices.
72 Closing Thoughts
Nahlah Al-Yamani, PMI-ACP,
PMI-RMP, PMP
DOWNLOAD THE PM NETWORK APP and read the magazine on your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch or Android device.

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“Our goal was to go and create a
wave that was like an ocean swell.
It’s not like a sort of novelty or a
low-energy wave. It’s a strong wave.
You wipe out and feel it.”
—Kelly Slater to CNBC
Kelly Slater walks along the man-

made beach at the Surf Ranch.
Above, a surfer rides the mechanical
wave.
Making
Waves PROJECT:
The quest to build a machine that can
The Surf Ranch
accurately replicate oceanic waves has
BUDGET:
been both long and elusive. But news
US$30 million
that surfing will be included in the
PHOTOS BY ERICK MADRID/ZUMA WIRE/ALAMY LIVE NEWS
SCHEDULE:
2020 Olympics in Japan has sparked a
Completed in May
wave of such initiatives. And thanks to 2018
a decade-long project to build the perfect mechan- the project’s design from possible competitors—
LOCATION:
ical wave, world surfing champion Kelly Slater has despite being exposed to the outdoors and pos- Lemoore,
an edge on the competition. sible aerial drones—the project team topped the California, USA
Mr. Slater’s project team, which included an mechanics with obscuring solar panels.) FUTURE SWELLS:
aerospace engineer, spent five years designing a The lagoon’s contours are just as important as By 2026, project
circular wave pool before abandoning the lacklus- the hydrofoil, and the team relied on supercom- sponsors plan to
ter results in favor of a linear lagoon. The resulting puters to fine-tune every detail: Contour reefs at expand the Surf
mechanical system creates waves up to 6 feet (2 the lake’s bottom cause the wave to break, and Ranch to 155 acres
(63 hectares) with
meters) tall that can last for up to one minute. The giant lateral gutters mitigate the bounce-back
two public wave
device pulls a specially made 100-ton hydrofoil effect. The system can create 50 types of waves, pools.
along a 2,100-foot (640-meter) track at around and the water returns to a calm state within
18 miles (29 kilometers) an hour. (And to protect three minutes.
JANUARY 2019 PM NETWORK 5

theEdge
USA. The company

specializes in mining
projects through-
out Latin America.
“That’s gradually
changing, and we are
seeing project portfo-
lios reflect that.”
Yet while many
countries in the
region have estab-
PHOTO COURTESY OF CODELCO

lished mining
cultures—includ-
The Chuquicamata project in Chile ing Mexico and
is transforming the world’s largest Peru—others have
New Digs
open-pit mine into a modern
subterranean operation. a less proven track
record. In Colombia,
for instance, interna-
Ore deposits are hardly the only factor project lead- tional investment in mining projects has histori-
ers use to determine future mining sites in Latin cally been scarce. However, the government is
America. Everything from geopolitical turmoil to now eagerly courting the industry to bolster the
local labor markets can impact a mining company’s economy, Mr. Hulse says.
portfolio. After years of sluggish growth, several of But for project teams to successfully implement
those factors have shifted to create a new bullish new mines, project managers must bring an expe-
outlook for mining projects across the region. rienced hand at risk management. “The difference
Public and private organizations in Chile, Peru between a mine and a factory is that you can move
and Ecuador in particular are launching new proj- the project site for a factory,” he says. With mining
ects at a dizzying pace. Minsur began construction “Project projects, he says, teams will have to contend with
in September on a US$1.6 billion copper mine leaders can’t that specific area’s geopolitical risks.
outside Lima, Peru. It’s just one in a pipeline of 49 assume that Those risks can range from community rela-
projects in Peru, with much of the construction dealing with tions and security to local corruption and labor
starting last year and throughout 2019. Kingsgate
government strikes—all items that mining companies should
is expected to begin construction on a US$215 mil- consider when assessing risk, says Remi Piet, PhD,
lion gold mine in Chile’s Maricunga region next
officials senior director and practice leader, infrastructure,
year. Meanwhile, Ecuador’s mining sector could will make energy and natural resources, Americas Market
grow eightfold from 2017 to 2021, according to a project Intelligence, Miami, Florida, USA. He serves as a
BMI Research. official. They risk analyst for mining projects in Latin America.
The collective uptick is in part a result of greater also have to “The main risks are above ground and can lead to
political stability and a renewed government inter- deal with their the closing of a mine or cause severe delays. Proj-
est in boosting economic growth by investing in ect managers have to carry a careful assessment of
the mining sector. “When many Latin American
neighbors.” risks tailored to the specific jurisdiction and history
countries had strong leaders and weak institu- —Donald Hulse, Gustavson of the mining operation.”
Associates, Denver,
tions, investors were unsure how to profit in that Colorado, USA
environment,” says Donald Hulse, vice president of Local Touch
mining, Gustavson Associates, Denver, Colorado, On these mining projects, stakeholder manage-
6 PM NETWORK JANUARY 2019 PMI.ORG

Perception
vs. Reality Hard Risk Perceived
ment can be an essential component of proper For its annual risk Rating Risk Rating
risk management. According to Mr. Hulse, mining index, Mining Journal
leaders—especially those new to certain countries researchers weigh
five categories—legal, Peru 74 67
or regions—will hire third-party companies to
governance, social, fiscal
help. These companies can facilitate stakeholder and infrastructure—to
management with local populations, whether that’s calculate an overall Chile 73 73
residents anxious about a project’s environmental hard risk score for future
impact or negotiating with local laborers who will projects. The higher
Mexico 73 70
be executing the project. “Project leaders can’t the score, the more
negligible the project
assume that dealing with government officials will
risks, with 70-plus being Argentina 66 67
make a project official,” Mr. Hulse says. “They also considered very low risk
have to deal with their neighbors.” and anything below 50
The most successful companies, he says, often considered high risk. Nicaragua 66 67
go even further—by sponsoring local schools or But when it comes to
project investments,
investing in computer labs or health facilities, for
professional opinions Colombia 65 74
example. That’s intended to reinforce that the also can influence
mining project will have a positive impact on the the risk register. So
community and can also serve as a soft branding researchers surveyed Brazil 60 57
exercise for project leaders eager to get the word nearly 800 global
out to the local talent market. mining professionals to
create a perceived risk Guatemala 53 32
Mining companies should carefully monitor
index. Here’s how coun-
stakeholder expectations and motivations—and do tries in Latin America
Ecuador 50 66
so with a tailored approach, Mr. Piet says. “It is of measured up on the
paramount importance to understand each local 2018 World Risk Report:
community, implementing adapted intelligence Source: World Risk Report, Mining Journal, 2018
gathering and a due diligence process as early as
possible while developing a mining project.” That for proper risk management is essential—and
should include both a wage comparison analysis for too often neglected, he says. “Sound intelligence
the project team and taking the time to research gathering and community management will help
who is behind the workers’ union to best under- reduce local opposition, social and security risks,
stand what makes it tick. Allocating enough money and associated costs.” —CJ Waity

theEdge
Cleaning Spree
India is building roughly 62,000 toilets a day. As try’s 1.3 billion people regularly relieved them-
part of the US$29 billion Clean India program, selves in fields, beaches, alongside roads and
the government’s toilet-building project—the in other open spaces. According to the World
largest such effort ever—aims to build 111 mil- Bank, 1 in 10 deaths in India were linked to poor
lion latrines by October 2019. The goal: Elimi- hygiene, with annual sanitation-related costs
nate open defecation. exceeding US$53 billion.
Prior to Clean India, almost half of the coun- But to ensure the project delivers its intended
benefits—meaning
people actually use the
toilets—the government
had to sell the project to
wary villagers and edu-
cate stakeholders who
had never built toilets.
“The most important
challenge is changing
people’s mindset about
toilets,” says Sarika
Saluja, senior project
manager for the World
The movie Toilet Organization, Sin-
Toilet, a Love
Story was
gapore. Her organization
released during helped advise the govern-
the largest
toilet-building
ment on multiple facets
campaign in of the project.
India’s history.
To build buy-in,
national, state and local
governments adopted a
variety of tactics ranging
Building
Boom
38.7%
Households that had
individual latrines in
October 2014, when
the project launched
95.1%
IMAGE COURTESY OF IMDB.COM
Households that had

individual latrines in
October 2018
Source: Indian Ministry of Drink-

ing Water and Sanitation

from persuasion to punish- IoT Takeover
ment. On a national scale, the Artificial intelligence (AI) and robotic projects may be grabbing head-
lines around the globe, but a recent survey of tech leaders shows that
government enlisted Bolly-
it’s internet of things (IoT) projects that are most likely to shape an
wood stars and cricket players organization’s portfolio—and potentially transform a business.
to garner support via movies,
“The most billboards and TV ads. And By 2021, respondents said the following technologies will:
important on a local level, experienced

field facilitators led commu- Drive the Enable the next Drive the greatest
challenge nity education sessions on greatest indispensable benefit to life,
is changing topics such as the health and business consumer society and the
people’s economic consequences of
transformation technology environment
mindset open defecation. Other efforts IoT 17% 17% 14%

about were more punitive. In the
toilets.” state of Chhattisgarh, residents AI 13% 13% 12%
who don’t build toilets cannot
—Sarika Saluja, World
access the government’s public Robotics 10% 8% 10%
Toilet Organization,
Singapore distribution shops for essential
food items.
Global nonprofits, including the World Bank
Worldwide IoT spending will total
US$1.1 trillion
and UNICEF, have also teamed up with govern-
ments on education efforts. UNICEF, for instance,
launched an awareness campaign targeting remote
villagers. “We actually showed them how the flies by 2021.
sitting on stool were then sitting on their water
and food,” Rushabh Hemani, a water, sanitation IoT PROJECT HOT SPOTS
and hygiene specialist at UNICEF, told Agence Global tech leaders say the countries most expected to use IoT to
France-Presse. “When they learned how the flies drive business transformation over the next three years are:
were spreading diseases, they realized the need for
covered toilets.”
The education effort extended to toilet manu-
facturers as well. Building toilets was a first for
many organizations, and much of the existing
workforce didn’t know what technology was avail- 21% 20% 16% 13% 8%
United Japan United China India
able, Ms. Saluja says. Her organization met with Kingdom States
government officials and other front-line workers
to show them how to build toilets and how to
secure government funding for toilet construction. TOP CHALLENGES
Education efforts have paid off. Since the pro-
1 2 3
gram was launched in 2014, more than 88 million
household toilets have been built, and the gov-
ernment has designated 25 of its 29 states open- Technology Risk Security
defecation free. Overall, the number of Indians complexity management
defecating in the open fell from over 550 million
at the project’s start to 200 million by early 2018. Source: The Changing Landscape of Disruptive Technologies, KPMG, 2018
—Novid Parsi

theEdge
A Place to Remember
There’s a 20,000-square-foot (1,858-square-
meter) warehouse in California, USA adorned
floor-to-ceiling with 1950s decor, from photos
of Elvis Presley to a working Ford Thunderbird.
Despite the decor, the US$3 million Glenner Town
Square that opened last year in Chula Vista is
intended for comfort—not kitsch.
The project is part of a growing trend of so-
called Alzheimer’s villages, which aim to redefine
care for people with dementia by placing them in
surroundings that feel like normal, everyday life.
Until recently, patients of these degenerative brain
diseases often lived out their final years in hospital-
like environments—a potentially unsettling context
for a population that might not remember where Rendering of the Village Landais
Alzheimer project in Dax, France
they are in the first place.
The new approach has project teams design-
ing and building facilities to mimic patients’ Glenview Community Services, Glenorchy, Tas-
lives, either by drawing on past visual cues from mania, Australia.
“The issue when their memories were sharper or in mirror- The desire to provide better care coincides with
here is the ing nearby building and landscape designs. The an increase in dementia rates. The number of peo-
frontier largely publicly funded €28.8 million Village Lan- ple with dementia is projected to more than triple
between dais Alzheimer in Dax, France will feature famil- from 50 million in 2018 to 152 million by 2050,
iar everyday amenities—like a supermarket and according to the World Alzheimer Report 2018.
medical library—but will be designed in a medieval style As project teams build these new facilities, they’re
care and similar to Dax’s architecture. The five-year project drawing on lessons learned while also having to
individual is due for completion later this year. Glenview contend with newfound safety risks.
care.” Community Services is building an AU$25 million
—Francis Lacoste, village called Korongee in Glenorchy, Tasmania, Learning From the Past
Landes Department Australia, also due for completion later this year. Today’s Alzheimer’s village projects are modeled
Council, Mont-de- The organization is partnering with HESTA, a after the Hogeweyk village outside Amsterdam,
Marsan, France
health sector superannuation fund, which is pro- the Netherlands. The village, the first such facility,
viding AU$19 million in funding. The 96-person opened in 2009 after more than a decade in the mak-
facility will feature homes that are organized in cul- ing. Hogeweyk’s founders say they’ve seen both a
de-sacs similar to nearby suburbia and will contain decrease in reliance on medication and an improve-
amenities such as a café and beauty salon. ment in the quality of life among patients.
“Korongee’s design will make it possible for resi- To create the Korongee village in Tasmania,
dents living with dementia to walk around the vil- Ms. O’Flaherty traveled the world to understand
lage and participate in everyday life decisions that how other institutions are best serving people with
are presently not available to those in dementia dementia. Her search for lessons learned brought
care—activities such as going to the café to buy a her, naturally, to Hogeweyk.
coffee or simply heading to the supermarket to buy “The Korongee village concept draws on a range
groceries for dinner,” says Lucy O’Flaherty, CEO of of international best practice models, including the

Dementia’s where they could get hurt. “The issue here is the
Incline frontier between medical care and individual care,”
50 million says Francis Lacoste, director of solidarity for the

Landes Department Council, which is overseeing
People who live with
dementia in 2018 the Village Landais Alzheimer project.
The village consists of distinct “neighborhoods”
82 million whose colors, vegetation and smells are designed
Projected number of to match the country’s various regions where many
people with dementia patients come from. One area has a beach, another
by 2030
a forest, and a third hills and valleys. Patients will
152 million be assigned to the neighborhood that best matches

their home environment.
Projected number of
people with dementia Technology is helping the project team mitigate
by 2050 some of the risk that comes with giving residents
so much freedom. Bedroom floors are embedded
US$1 trillion with sensors that communicate with GPS chips
Total estimated global worn by residents. If a resident falls and can’t get
cost* of dementia
dementia village of Hogeweyk and many smaller up, the sensor triggers an alarm.
in 2018
living models in the U.K. while contextualizing Still, the risk of injury can only be managed, not
this into a uniquely Tasmanian experience,” Ms. US$2 trillion eliminated, says Mr. Lacoste. Part of the plan also
O’Flaherty says. One of the lessons learned the Total estimated global requires that the village clearly communicate with
Hogeweyk project team passed along is that they cost* of dementia stakeholders about these risks.
wished they would’ve consulted more with the by 2030 “We have to explain to the families that their
local community to better integrate the village *Societal and economic costs parent or husband or wife will be in a place that
with the surrounding community. Source: World Alzheimer Report is better and that they will be well taken care of,
2018, Alzheimer’s Disease Inter-
national but it comes with the risk of someone falling or
A Sense of Place getting hurt,” he says. “When you give someone
An additional risk these projects share comes from freedom, it comes with a certain measure of risk.”
allowing patients to roam freely in environments —Ambreen Ali
UNIVERSITY OF MANAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY

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theEdge
Permit Power
Permits can stall or accelerate a construction mega- right project permits to build the structure—and
project. A permit issue is even affecting a century-old that money is owed to the city for that permitting
project—the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain. oversight. The board argues a permit was obtained
The project launched in 1882, though less than a from the town of Sant Martí de Provençals when
quarter of the execution phase was complete when its the project began, while the city maintains that
famed architect, Antoni Gaudí, died in 1926. Project paperwork should have been refiled when the town
progress has gained momentum over the past two was absorbed by Barcelona. As a result of pressure
decades, and the church (which sees 4.5 million tour- from the city, the board has agreed to pay US$41
ists a year) is slated to be complete in 2026. million to regularize the building’s legal status. That
But now city authorities argue that neither the settlement will be used to fund future projects,
late architect nor the construction board of the including transportation work, to improve public
nonprofit La Sagrada Familia Foundation filed the access to the finished project.

Scooting Into
Stakeholders’
Good Graces
Ride-sharing giant Uber is
hoping to cash in on the
scooter craze hitting some
urban markets. The company
announced in late 2018 a
project to design its own elec-
trified scooters and has plans
for scooter-sharing pilot proj-
ects in Santa Monica and San
Francisco, California, USA.
To outrace the competi-
tion in a suddenly crowded
field, the project team also is
heeding lessons learned from
its car-sharing app rollout by
making stakeholder manage-
ment an early priority. That
means eschewing guerilla
rollouts in favor of proper
permits.
Across the United States,
both citizens and governmen-
tal officials have been frus-
trated by pilot projects
run by competitors
Lime and Bird. For
one pilot, the team
behind Bird simply
dropped off dozens of scoot-
ers in a handful of cities with
no warning. Officials in Ann
Arbor, Michigan, USA have
collected a flock of confiscat-
ed Birds that were improperly
parked on city sidewalks.
Electric scooter
from Uber
competitor Bird
ISTOCKPHOTO

theEdge
Familiar Faces
Widespread use of facial recognition technology
isn’t just for phones anymore. Retail companies are
R&D Race launching projects to drive revenue, cut costs, elimi-
R&D can be the lifeblood of innovative initiatives, and an October nate theft and improve the customer experience by
PwC study shows that—across almost all regions and industries— better understanding customer behaviors. The overall
the blood is pumping. facial recognition market is expected to jump from
US$2.8 billion in 2014 to an estimated US$9 billion
by 2023, according to Crystal Market Research.
“If you think about the top 40 or top 80 com-
11% global increase in

corporate R&D +34%
panies you know, almost all of them are think-
ing about facial recognition, or they’ve all at
spending in 2018, China least looked into it,” Peter Trepp, CEO of the
totaling US$782 billion facial recognition software company FaceFirst,
told BuzzFeed. He noted that hundreds of retail
+14% stores—and soon to be thousands—have imple-
Europe mented his company’s technology.
+7.8%
North +9.3% Last March, 7-Eleven rolled out facial recognition
America Japan
technology across 11,000 stores in
Thailand. The system can suggest
products, analyze in-store traffic,
The overall
monitor product levels and even
facial
gauge the emotions of customers recognition
as they look at products. In Octo- market is
ber, the new National Soccer Hall expected to
of Fame opened in Frisco, Texas, jump from
USA. The facility created a system US$2.8 billion
allowing visitors to opt for a tai- in 2014 to an
lored tour that serves up images estimated
PwC analysts found these characteristics underpin high performance
and stats related to their favorite
teams when they walk past certain US$9
1
at innovative companies:
They rigorously control project selection early
in the innovation process.
displays. CaliBurger, a burger
chain with more than 40 global
locations, tested a pilot project
billion
by 2023.
in 2017 where a kiosk recognizes Source: Crystal Market Research
2
the face of returning customers to
They closely align innovation strategy with
business strategy. display previous orders and make ordering easier. In
2018, the chain rolled out a separate pilot project to
3 They create company-wide cultural support

for innovation.
test a payment system based on facial recognition.
But stakeholder reception isn’t always straight-
forward. According to InMoment’s 2018 customer
4 Their top leadership is closely involved with

innovation programs.
experience report, 75 percent of consumers find
most forms of personalization somewhat creepy—
and 22 percent say they’d react to that creepiness
5 They base innovation on direct insights from

end users.
Source: The 2018 Global Innovation 1000 study, PwC
by shopping elsewhere.
Since stakeholder buy-in will have a huge impact
on how facial recognition projects are received,
organizations will need to design systems where

user opt-in and privacy are paramount. Testing and built upon. A 2018 MIT Media Lab study found that
iterating the tech based on feedback will be key. some facial recognition technology is far less accurate
for individuals with darker skin. When testing algo-
Mass Appeal rithms from Microsoft, Megvii and IBM, the gender of
7-Eleven’s project is one of the largest facial rec- darker-skinned men was misidentified 12 percent of
ognition implementations ever. It’ll also be heavily the time and 35 percent of the time for darker-skinned
used. Approximately 10 million people shop at “This is the women. Lighter-skinned women were misidentified
Thailand’s 7-Eleven stores each day—roughly one- right time to only 7 percent of the time and lighter-skinned men
seventh of the country’s population. be addressing were misidentified only 1 percent of the time. This sig-
To implement the technology, Remark Holdings how these nificant gap in accuracy raises concerns about bias and
installed cameras connected to its KanKan system, AI systems racial profiling, and it may hamper the benefits facial
which can recognize both faces and gestures. The sys- recognition projects are aiming to realize.
tem records data on customer traffic and foot patterns
work and Before portfolio leaders rush to implement these
and how emotions change as customers move through
where they projects, they should thoroughly vet the technol-
the stores. That information can then make recom- fail—to make ogy. “This is the right time to be addressing how
mendations fueled by artificial intelligence (AI) around them socially these AI systems work and where they fail—to
which products to stock at particular stores. It can also accountable.” make them socially accountable,” Suresh Venkata-
identify members of 7-Eleven’s loyalty program, creat- subramanian, a professor of computer science at
—Suresh
ing an opportunity for personalized promotions. Venkatasubramanian, the University of Utah, told The New York Times.
But with great amounts of data comes great University of Utah, Salt Lake Retail organizations might want to borrow some
City, Utah, USA, to The New
responsibility. Remark says it has taken steps to lessons learned from the airline industry. Delta,
York Times
avoid storing any images of faces on its servers. “No for instance, has launched and closely monitored
human faces or images ever leaves the KanKan sys- several pilot projects of a boarding system that uses
tem or goes on the public network,” the company facial recognition software. The biometric scanners,
said in a press release. which are optional to use, help save time when
And although the company has kept quiet about the people check in for their flights by allowing their
project’s ROI since the rollout was complete, 7-Eleven face to act as the boarding pass. Last year, the com-
has since announced plans to implement similar tech- pany launched a new project in Detroit, Michigan,
nology in stores across Japan and Taiwan. USA that is built upon key learnings from previous
pilot projects at other airports. “This new phase will
Testing Ground allow us to get even more feedback from customers
Still, critics argue that some of these projects may be and employees,” Gil West, Delta’s COO, said in a
flawed at the most basic level—the very code they’re release. —Ashley Bishel
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theEdge
A Sense of Safety
On construction projects, safety saves—both lives
and money. In the European Union, more than
one-fifth of all fatal workplace accidents happen in
the construction sector, according to the European
Commission. The same rate exists in the United
States, according to the Occupational Safety and
Health Administration (OSHA). In response, many
organizations are incorporating sensor technology,
including mounted sensors or clip-on wearables for
workers, to improve safety on project sites.
On its project sites, Gilbane Building has imple-
mented clip-on sensors to track worker location.
In the event of a slip or fall, Gilbane can get help
to a worker immediately. At approximately 39
percent, falls are the leading cause of U.S. con-
struction worker deaths, according to OSHA. In
Japan, Hitachi has developed devices that monitor
construction workers’ positions and movements
to determine if they fall or enter dangerous work
environments. Of construction workers who
have used wearable devices, 82 percent reported
they had a positive impact on safety, according to
Dodge’s Safety Management in the Construction
Industry 2017 SmartMarket Report.
“We believe this technology will help us identify
when falls and unsafe conditions occur, and it will
also help us in changing behaviors to help prevent
“We believe
falls and injuries,” says Donald Naber, senior vice
this technology
president, director of risk management, Gilbane, will help us
Providence, Rhode Island, USA. identify when
Yet construction companies have to adjust this falls and unsafe
burgeoning technology to their specific needs—and conditions
make sure their workers buy into it. After all, wear-
occur, and it
ables only work if people wear them.
will also help
Form Improves Function us in changing
Gilbane’s sensors, developed by Triax Technolo- behaviors to
gies, go beyond showing team members’ locations. help prevent
The technology offers a whole suite of real-time falls and
digital visibility into project sites, workers and injuries.”
equipment.
—Donald Naber, Gilbane,
ISTOCKPHOTO
For instance, the sensors can indicate the severity Providence, Rhode Island, USA
of a fall by tracking speed and distance. They also let
project leaders know how workers are moving about
a space, including if workers are lifting materials in
a way that could cause injury or not using equip-

ment at their disposal. Over time, data into lengthy, unwieldy tables.
improper repetitive movements But customers wanted greater visu-
can lead to worker injuries—and alization. So Pillar also redesigned its
high costs for employers. Because platform to overlay the sensors’ data
Gilbane Building has implemented
of the sensors, Gilbane was able clip-on sensors to track worker location. on top of the site’s floor plan. Users
to communicate that project can now click a sensor’s icon, which
teams had to train workers to always use the right then opens that set of data. “Now the whole expe-
tools in order to avoid harm. rience is more interactive and more intuitive,” Mr.
The technology “helps improve safety on our Schwarzkopf says.
project sites by identifying unsafe behaviors and In addition to identifying real-time environ-
allows us to be proactive in correcting those mental risks, such as freezing temperatures that
behaviors before an incident occurs,” Rebecca can lead to bursting pipes, Pillar’s sensors record
Severson, vice president, corporate safety direc- data so a project team can prove it followed proper
tor, Gilbane, said in a press release. construction protocol. On one project, a building
As with any new technology, the sensors also inspector claimed it was too humid to hang dry-
had to be tested and proven through pilots. Gil- wall. That threatened to stop work and throw the
bane first rolled out the sensors in early 2017 at a project off schedule. However, the project manager
construction site in Connecticut, USA. It quickly was able to pull up Pillar’s data. That information
realized the sensors were too sensitive—some- satisfied the inspector’s concerns around humid-
times they went off when workers simply went up ity levels and allowed the project team to continue
and down stairs—so they had to be recalibrated. work. “The data helped them stay on schedule,”
Mr. Schwarzkopf says.
Take Two
Testing is also crucial on product development Working Together
projects. U.S. startup Pillar Technologies tested Still, connected tech only works if the workers
and monitored early iterations to improve its con- “The idea of adopt it. To secure buy-in on its sites, Gilbane
nected sensor technology. Pillar’s sensors establish makes sensors a contractual requirement for
a baseline of normal environmental conditions,
sensors on subcontractors. Gilbane also communicates to
such as temperature, humidity and dust levels, and
construction subcontractors that the sensors only track their
then alert companies to abnormal variations. projects is movements while they’re on-site—not when they
For its first version, Pillar mounted sensors on still relatively leave it. “We’re not interested in tracking what
tripods throughout construction sites—only to new, so they do when they leave the project site. We’re
find they would easily get knocked over. So Pil- education interested in improving their safety when they’re
lar redesigned the devices. Each sensor now has
is a big on the site,” Mr. Naber says.
a magnet so it can adhere to metal, a strap so it To pre-empt pushback from workers, Pillar
can wrap around pipes or beams, and a hook so it
component of ensures its sensors are easy to install and to use.
can hang on finished walls. The technology is used what we do.” “The idea of sensors on construction projects is
within a site while a building is under construc- —Alex Schwarzkopf, Pillar still relatively new, so education is a big compo-
tion, with the sensors placed roughly every 2,000 Technologies, New York, nent of what we do,” Mr. Schwarzkopf says.
New York, USA
square feet (185.8 square meters). “This cover- Pillar also created a streamlined onboarding pro-
age allows us to create a ‘nervous system’ on the cess, allowing project teams to be trained in less
project to pinpoint problem areas quickly,” says than 20 minutes. “We know that if it’s not super
Alex Schwarzkopf, CEO, Pillar Technologies, New simple, it will create friction with teams,” Mr.
York, New York, USA. Schwarzkopf says. “For people who build buildings,
Pillar also leveraged stakeholder feedback to the last thing they want to do is figure out how to
fine-tune its design. Early on, it culled its sensors’ use a complicated new tool.” —Novid Parsi

Voices
INSIDE TRACK
Train of
ILLUSTRATION BY JOEL KIMMEL

Thought
C
anadian National (CN), Canada’s makes it possible for CN to function—the infra-
MICHAEL largest railway, saw the biggest structure, information security, network engi-
FOSTER workload in its 100-year his- neering, application development, provisioning
tory last year. Under a new CEO, and customer-facing technology. The CTO role
TITLE: CIO and CTO Jean-Jacques Ruest, the freight is about how we use current and future opera-
railway improved its ability to handle the surge tional technology to improve the way we work.
ORGANIZATION: Canadian
National in traffic and increased speed times on its 20,000 In many companies, the CIO and CTO roles
miles (32,187 kilometers) of track stretching across are separate. But as a railroad, CN is all about
LOCATION: Montreal, Canada and into the United States. applied technology.
Quebec, Canada Keeping up with the increasing demand will
require bolstering CN’s technology now and in How do you and your C-level colleagues
the future. That task falls to Michael Foster, who drive strategy?
joined CN in March 2018 after spending 22 years Formally, we have the governance associated
at FedEx, where he most recently served as senior with ensuring that technology investments
vice president of IT and CIO of FedEx Freight. underpin the strategy established by the C-suite.
As CIO, I make sure we invest in the right
What’s involved in your CIO and CTO roles— technology programs to enable the business
and why do you have both? strategy. We also spend a lot of informal time
The CIO role encompasses the technology that together to build connections so that, when we
PMN0119 b-Voices.indd 18 12/10/18 10:40 AM

We centralized our project management
office and built it as a competence center
so all our project managers have common
standards, processes and language.
use the formal mechanisms, it’s much easier to ized. As we’ve made increasingly large investments in Small Talk
execute strategy. technology over the past five or six years, we needed What’s the one skill
to have a more mobile project management work- every project manager
What does that time together look like? force. However, due to the historically decentralized should have?
The C-suite combines off-site meetings with nature of the project managers, they didn’t have a Leadership—under-
operational site and customer visits to continu- common project management language. In 2018, we standing the business
ously improve our group knowledge of the busi- centralized our project management office and built value of what you’re de-
ness as a whole. We also get together regularly it as a competence center so all our project managers livering and being able
to communicate that to
with the company’s top 40 and top 200 execu- have common standards, processes and language.
your stakeholders.
tives. Recently, we asked the top 200 leaders to We’re already starting to see an improvement in the
come prepared with their ideas to help improve quality and speed of our delivery.
What do you wish
business drivers like profitability, employee you’d known at the
engagement and safety. Then the C-level leaders What project delivery approaches do you use? start of your career?
and senior vice presidents’ team got together with For projects focused on revenue, regulation or safety, The importance of
people from different disciplines—like finance, we tend to use a waterfall-driven process to make communicating a vision
procurement, IT and operations—who pitched sure we have good checks and balances in place. As and the path to get
their ideas. We questioned them about how we build out new capabilities for our internal busi- there. When I was able
implementable those initiatives were and how ness partners and external customers, we are adopt- to do that, and not just
they would impact the company. The best ideas ing an agile, continuous-development process. be technically compe-
were injected into our formal strategic alignment tent in my discipline,
that’s when my career
and business planning process. What is the primary challenge you face?
took off.
The biggest challenge is also the biggest opportunity:
How do you ensure projects remain aligned? operational technology. We’re at an inflection point
What do you feel
At the project level, we have cross-functional steering right now. As operational technology has started to is underrated?
committees that keep projects on track. At a port- mature across industries, it has tended to be some- In a world of fast-paced
folio level, we continue to invest in the right things thing that is added on after the solution design. At information, it’s the abil-
at the right times that enable our business strategy. CN, we’re investing a significant amount of time and ity to step back, take time
We have quarterly governance meetings among the effort on incorporating operational technology within to reflect and digest, and
C-suite where we decide whether our projects are our initial designs. So it’s baked in, not bolted on. see the bigger pattern.
still enabling CN to meet its strategic objectives or if
we want to delay or cancel any projects and redirect What’s an example of baking in operational Who inspires you?
resources to higher-impacting initiatives. technology? FedEx founder and CEO
Fred Smith. He uses his
We have sensors that continuously monitor the
extensive knowledge of
How do your teams benefit from project man- temperature of trains’ wheel bearings, so that we
global trade, economics,
agement methodology? can analyze that data and predict when a wheel
politics and leadership to
There are a lot of things that hold teams together— will fail. The other challenge we had to address was not only set a strategic
the company’s strategic direction, the culture and deploying these technologies remotely by pushing vision, but also to ensure
the team spirit. Historically at CN, we made sure as software updates to them rather than maintaining that every team member
much of our work happened as close to the destina- them. We are taking these learnings and applying knows how they can
tion as possible, so project managers were decentral- them to our next-generation sensors. PM contribute to it.

Voices PROJECT TOOLKIT
Rookie FAILING TO FLEX

Obsessing over creating the most perfect
GETTY IMAGES
project schedule and then ignoring evi-
Revelations
We asked the project management community:
dence that it was obsolete a few days after
it had been reviewed and approved. That taught me
a valuable lesson: Planning as an activity is essential,
but the value of a given plan is ephemeral.”
What’s the biggest mistake you made at the
—Kiron D. Bondale, PMI-ACP, PMI-RMP, PMP, senior
start of your career? consultant, World Class Productivity Inc., Toronto,
Ontario, Canada
LEARNING IT ALL
Mine was more of a lightbulb moment
than a mistake. As a young project
manager, I thought that I was supposed
to know the answer to every question asked. I
learned that’s why we have subject matter experts
on our projects. I need to know the questions and

others managed expensive projects. Later, one of
my architect colleagues earned a PMP®, and now
Facilitating
we compare notes often and reinforce each other.
Improvement
Organizations can accelerate
This has taught me to be confident in what I’ve been
the learning curve for project
taught and what I studied hard to learn.” professionals. Here are the
top ways that champion*
—Irene Krill, project manager, Austin Independent School
District, Austin, Texas, USA
organizations invest in devel-
oping talent.
SKIPPING THE SCOPE NOTES 83% Have ongoing project

management training
Agreeing to scope creep without properly
documenting verbal agreements and get-
ting the project team on board and full 81% Have formal knowledge
stakeholder acceptance was a big mistake. It impacted transfer process
the budget and overall acceptance of the final deliv-
erables. That was a hard but very valuable lesson 81% Prioritize the develop-
to learn early on. After coming to this realization, ment of project manage-
ment skills
I focused on improving our agility to react to new
strategies and technologies. This included revamping
our communication and reporting practices as well 79% Prioritize the develop-
as making improvements to our project documenta- ment of project manage-
ment leadership skills
tion templates. I also created recurring executive and
stakeholder scope review meetings, so if any of our
other communication methods failed they had an 77% Have formal process
to develop project manage-
opportunity to review and provide input.”
ment competency
—Keith Arthur, PMP, program manager, cloud services,
Burwood Group, Irvine, California, USA
*Organizations with 80 percent or
more of projects being completed on
time, on budget, meeting business
intent and having high benefits
who to ask for the answers. My role is to conduct FEELING FIGHT-OR-FLIGHT realization maturity
the band, not play every instrument.” The biggest mistake I made at the start
Source: Pulse of the Profession®, PMI, 2018
of my project management career was
—Sheena Downey, PMP, consultant, ITAlex Pty Ltd, allowing emotion to play too large a
Brisbane, Australia
role when working through challenges, issues,
risks and project opportunities. I quickly learned
ASSUMING STREET CRED that emotions can cloud judgment, hinder critical
After studying hard, taking the four-hour thinking and slow critical actions. When projects
exam and [earning] my Project Manage- hit a bump, it isn’t unusual to feel the fight-or-
ment Professional (PMP)® certification, flight response kick in. The urge to resolve the How do you help team
I mistakenly believed that others understood what problem as quickly as possible is great, but a calm members bounce back
level-headedness allows for thoroughness and con- from burnout?
the philosophy of project management involves. In
sideration. This helps get resolution without intro- Email responses to
my field—construction management, largely a male- pmnetwork@imaginepub.com
dominated field—I didn’t experience a lot of respect ducing additional challenges, and it helps build
(Responses will be published
for this certification. So I had to transcend this and confidence among team members and in yourself.” in a future issue)
remind myself continually to have confidence and —Lynn Kenning, PMP, PgMP, manager, service delivery,
practice strong project management, despite how Acliviti, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Voices DELIVER IT
State of Flux
to-end process requirements focusing on people,
process, technology and infrastructure.
Service transitions are a fact of life in the outsourcing Design and setup: This stage of the program involved
world. Here’s how to achieve seamless handoffs. gathering all the resources and technical requirements
required for implementing the transition—for exam-
By Priya Patra, PMP
T
ple, any special infrastructure or security require-
he world of outsourcing is chock- ments. We uncovered any lead times for acquiring
full of transitions. An organization needed information and revisited the plan periodically
might choose to transition services to ensure we addressed any new requirements.
from itself to an outsourcing ven-
dor, or it might move services from Implementation: This phase focused on executing
an incumbent vendor to a new vendor. In either the transition plan on schedule and tracking prog-
case, project managers often are tasked with over- ress through a dashboard. A cross-functional team
seeing the transfer of roles and responsibilities. encompassed process/operations, technology and
Transition management has emerged as a sort of human resources experts. I kept the team engaged by
subset of change management, focused on ensur- encouraging collaboration with members of teams at
ing the organization transferring services doesn’t other vendors, along with various stakeholders.
experience disruptions. The basic goal? Keep busi-
ness as usual running smoothly. Steady-state delivery: This phase involved the
A couple of years ago, I managed a large-scale closure of all key deliverables and moving into the
transition of 36 different IT testing services that new business as usual, i.e., the steady state. This
were spread across four continents and four busi- included a formal handover process to the regular
ness verticals. The four-month program consoli- operations team involving the client project and
dated these services into a single-site testing center business teams. From this point on, any outstand-
at the customer organization. Through it all, I ing issues and action items still on the dashboard
acted as a kind of specialized program manager— were to be managed by the operations team.
In the end, helping my team execute the large-scale transition
strong risk in phases: In the end, strong risk management drove success.
management Periodic meetings with the incumbent vendor, cus-
drove Planning: Instead of taking the same approach for tomer organization, end users and internal stake-
success. each service transition, I focused on the complex- holders helped us to identify risks and mitigate
ity of each. Complexity was determined based on each of them. Our risk log was in flux—just like
things like business criticality, resource depen- the services we transitioned. PM
dency and documentation level. Most common
mistakes made in transitions involve focusing only Priya Patra, PMP, is a regular contributor to Project-
on knowledge transition. So our team liaised with Management.com and a program manager in the IT
sector who lives in Mumbai, India.
the vendor team to understand and gather end-

Voices CULTURE CLUB
Positive Influence
Project managers build project cultures directly and indirectly—whether
or not they are trying to.
By Karen Smits
A
primary purpose of project leader-
ship is to create a project culture.
Such cultures are formed first and
foremost through the process of
creating a small-group identity.
Sharing the project’s goal, understanding its mis-
sion and driving toward a positive result, the group
is not just a handful of people working together—it
is a team organizing to get the job done.
Project managers can and should lead the cul-
ture-building process. But in my experience, they
often are unaware of how they influence culture.
Direct influence comes through what behavior they
model and what they talk about. Indirect influence
ISTOCKPHOTO (2)
comes through the work delivery systems and struc-

tures the project manager chooses to use—and how
team members are rewarded and promoted.
If project managers are aware of the influence of
their behavior and words, they can systematically
leverage it to communicate messages that build a reinforce organizational values? What do you want
desirable culture. If they underestimate the power to change, and how can you use your direct and
of their behavior or their behavior is inconsistent, indirect influence to achieve that change? Make
however, team members will spend inordinate sure you don’t inadvertently deepen a problem- What a
time and energy trying to decipher what their atic current culture. If people are passive but you project
leader’s behavior means. want them to be active, do not make decisions manager
It’s an obvious point that bears repeating: What
a project manager talks about signals to the team
for them—that only reinforces passive behavior.
Instead, push them to make the calls themselves.
talks about
what is important. Even casual remarks and ques- Reflect regularly. How will team members inter-
signals to the
tions consistently directed at specific topics can pret your actions and behavior? And how have these team what is
be as potent as formal control mechanisms and actions and behavior been a reason for irregularities? important.
measurements. The concerns and actions project After all, the most fundamental measurement of
participants see at the top trickle down to how project leadership is not the project’s outcomes—it is
participants behave and which problems they the culture a leader creates across the team to drive
move with alacrity to address. those results. Culture comes first. PM
WHAT CULTURE ARE YOU CREATING? Karen Smits, PhD, is an organizational

anthropologist working at Practical Thinking
Mindful of all this, what kind of project culture Group in Singapore. She can be reached at
are you building? And how does it align with and karen.smits@practical-thinking.com.

Getting It Done PROJECT MANAGEMENT IN ACTION
Team Rework
How—and why—to assess and qualify your project team.
By James Bryant, PMP
T
he performance of the core project end” of the project. These resource managers
team might be the most critical lack a project manager’s guidance and depth of
success element of a project. It’s insight. I call this first-assigned group the initial
also one of the most overlooked. team to remind myself that it does not have to be
Although competency gaps or the core project team.
disengagement among a team will reduce the prob- To ensure that I create the right team for my
ability of a successful project, few organizations project, I invite the initial team to participate
expressly include team formation and qualification in a self-reflective qualification process. This
activities in their project management processes. So involves the team members critically assessing
the role of ensuring the right team and mindset are the project success criteria and their ability to
in place falls to project managers. successfully meet them. This is not for the faint
Projects often start out with team members of heart and might be uncomfortable for some;
who aren’t the right fit because members are do not lose sight of this as you work through the
assigned by resource managers at the “fuzzy front process’s four steps:

The most successful
teams are driven by goal
achievement.
1. Orient the initial team. Ultimately, you want cross-functional skills, to enhance alignment and
to answer why each person is important for project encourage an orientation toward action. The most
success and what he or she stands to gain through successful teams are driven by goal achievement.
the project. More specifically, you must ensure the
team understands the prevailing business and/or 4. Establish team norms. Rather than create fixed
market conditions that support the need for the rules that might limit flexibility and responsiveness,
project. It’s unlikely that you’ll realize high team the project manager should lead the team in docu-
engagement without articulating how the project menting team norms that will be effective in various
fits into the organization’s objectives. This step also situations throughout the project lifetime. Norms
usually involves conducting stakeholder identifica- might include communication and leadership expec-
tion and a cost-benefit analysis. tations, behavior during team meetings, the applica-
tion of subject matter experts, internal training plans,
2. Structure for optimal performance. Next, and how rewards and recognition will be managed.
have the team adjust its own membership in light
of what has been learned. Resource managers will When creating your team, keep in mind that in
be more receptive to suggested changes when most instances, teams of mixed gender, age and
their own resources are making the pitch! Deter- ethnicity outperform their less diverse counterparts.
mine who will form the permanent core team, And project managers should be careful when
how team groups and sub-groups will communi- assessing “good chemistry.” I’ve noticed pre-existing
cate, and when the teams will meet. It’s here that relationships and interpersonal cohesiveness lead to
the project manager should use the latest team less successful outcomes than teams exhibiting con-
performance research and his or her own expert structive conflict and individual autonomy.
knowledge for guidance. As a project manager, you have a number of Share Your
For example, during a recent product develop- ways to ensure the project team composition con- Thoughts
ment project I managed, the team decided to tributes to the likelihood of success. Try to imple- No one
knows project
restructure from a flat, horizontal model to a ment team formation and qualification activities
management
vertical, distributed communication model with within your organization’s formal processes. If better than you, the
a leadership team of three people, a core team of you find it difficult or don’t have the time to wait project professionals
nine and seven sub-teams reporting to the core. for these sometimes rigid processes to change, “Getting It Done.”
Although it was a unique approach for the com- use your project risk assessment to identify and So every month,
PM Network shares
pany and added a layer of organizational complex- drive team qualification as a risk mitigation action.
your expertise on
ity, we were able to realize increased agility and Alternatively, define them as required deliverables everything from
execution speed from the reduced team sizes—sev- within your project plan. Whatever your approach, sustainability to
eral smaller units managed the project more effec- taking the time to qualify your project team will talent management,
tively than a single large effort. pay off in realized value through higher personnel and all project
engagement and more successful projects. PM topics in between.
If you’re interested
3. Establish team goals. So much time is spent
in contributing,
focusing on project goals that sometimes team James Bryant, PMP, is a principal project email pmnetwork@
goals are overlooked. It’s good practice for the manager at Waters Corp., Cumberland, Rhode imaginepub.com.
Island, USA.
team to have its own objectives, such as developing

Getting It Done PROJECT MANAGEMENT IN ACTION
GETTY IMAGES
Interior Motives
Is there an enemy lurking inside your project?
By Fred Wenger III, PMP
P
roject managers are accustomed ect manager to the project’s successful outcome.
to looking outside their projects Next, the project manager must drive detailed and
for risks—at competitors, clients, open project planning. He or she is responsible for
suppliers, the economy, even ensuring all stakeholders agree on the outcomes
the weather. But experience and have the information they need. When form-
has taught me that all projects face a threat from ing the team, the project manager must empower
inside the organization. This threat can come from all members to act independently. Team members
the project delivery team, the project manager, the need to understand they are responsible for their
organization’s culture or its processes. tasks and accountable for their outcomes.
These self-inflicted errors can erode profit, Stress-test the project to identify challenges it
degrade performance and derail a project. Here are could face; ask the team, “What could go wrong?”
a few areas project managers should keep an eye Once those risks are identified, teams must deal
on during different project phases: with them as soon as possible—delayed resolution
never improves outcome. During my team meet-
n Initiation: The internal threat is often a lack ings, I focus on task production. I even call them
of understanding or buy-in among senior “production” meetings to emphasize the need to
leadership and other stakeholders. complete tasks to move the project forward.
In project n Planning: The lack of a clear end state and an Finally, I have always found that internal threats do
management, ill-defined scope are common, leading to scope not do well in a communication-rich environment.
the best defense creep, budget problems and schedule slippage. Communication can make or break a project. The proj-
against internal n Execution: A team that is not empowered to ect manager must pull information from the team and
threats is a solve its own problems can be the biggest threat. push it to stakeholders and ensure everyone involved
n Monitoring and closing: The most serious
good offense. risk could be you. The project manager’s lack
remains informed throughout the project’s life cycle.
In project management, the best defense against
of attention to the team’s activities can lead internal threats is a good offense. And a good
to missed deadlines and poor project quality. offense starts with the project manager and a team
And not collecting lessons learned can result built with informed, empowered and accountable
in threats to the next project. project professionals. PM
ANTICIPATE RISKS
Fred Wenger III, PMP, is associate vice presi-
How can we fight against these internal threats? dent, program and construction manage-
It starts with complete commitment by the proj- ment, Louis Berger, Washington, D.C., USA.

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PMN0119 b-Voices.indd 27 NYUSPS Office of Strategic Marketing and Communications 12/10/18 10:41 AM
2019 Jobs Report
Where
the
Action
Is Career opportunities abound. But the red-hot
sectors and most desirable skills that set
candidates apart vary by region.
BY ASH
L EY BISH
EL
ILLUSTRATION
BY ADRIÁ FRUIT
ÓS
PMN0119 c-First features.indd 28 12/10/18 10:53 AM


P
roject manage-
ment is needed the
world over. Yet for
project profession-
als looking to get ahead in their
careers, that demand is any-
thing but uniform. While one
country’s leadership leans hard
into diversifying its economy,
another’s urges business lead-
ers to embrace digitalization or
risk falling behind. Some CEOs UNITED KINGDOM
are losing sleep over a dearth of

local cybersecurity skills. Oth- Keep Calm a
ers are doubling down on reten-
tion efforts to shift a high-churn
I
n the two years since the United Kingdom
ISTOCKPHOTO
voted to leave the European Union, Brexit has
culture toward one of stability. been a hot topic of both conversation and con-
fusion around the world. In August, Britain’s chan-
Looking to make a move or cellor blamed the cloud of uncertainty for depressing
land a project management pro- economic growth and business investments.

“However, in many areas it’s business as usual,”
motion in 2019? How easy that says John Thorpe, managing director, Arras People,
London, England. In fact, 88 percent of U.K. CEOs
is might depend as much on lo- anticipate growth, according to PwC, and roughly
twice as many are optimistic about the future as
cation as résumé or CV. Here’s were a year prior. And, in a 2018 Arras People report,
a look at eight countries with a meeting increased business demand was the top rea-
son talent recruiters were seeking to fill open project
clear need for project talent. management positions. Meanwhile, the U.K. unem-

In London
alone,
construction
is booming,
with more
than
500
tall-building
projects
in the
pipeline and
13 proposed
skyscraper
projects to be
complete by
2026.
m and Carry On Construction projects
in London, England
AT A GLANCE ployment rate is hovering at a historic low of 4 per- and 13 proposed skyscraper projects to be complete
2019 GDP growth cent, according to the Office for National Statistics. by 2026. Sixty percent of U.K. land surveyors say a
forecast: 1.5% That’s great news for project talent—especially lack of skilled workers limits their project activity—
Median project those with specialized skills and experience, says especially professional skills. And a spate of large
professional salary: Mr. Thorpe, as many U.K. companies are struggling infrastructure projects, including transportation
US$81,227 to match openings to qualified professionals. The megaprojects Crossrail and HS2 and the nuclear
Sectors to watch: construction field, for instance, is gaining momen- power station Hinkley Point, have grabbed interna-
IT, construction, tum despite the uncertainty of Brexit. The country’s tional headlines.
transportation construction output is estimated to rise 2 percent Meanwhile, in the IT sector, talent demand is
through 2022, according to the Global Construc- as strong as ever. A July report by PwC pointed to
tion Outlook to 2022 report. That compares with artificial intelligence, robotics, drones and driverless
Western Europe’s overall output of just 1.1 percent vehicles as sending tremors through the country’s
from 2013 to 2017. labor market—displacing many manual jobs while
In London alone, construction is booming, with creating career opportunities elsewhere, such as
more than 500 tall-building projects in the pipeline project management.

MEXICO
Demonstrating Value
M
exico’s leaders have big ambitions operational issues.
when it comes to infrastructure. In For project professionals, an energetic new gov-
July, President-elect Andrés Manuel ernment and healthy economy can translate into
López Obrador announced the prioritization of new career opportunities. But, “depending on the
seven critical infrastructure projects—including sector, the roles of project manager and program
an international airport, paving 300 rural roads, manager are still evolving,” says María José Romo
modernizing the railway and building nationwide Cotera, senior project manager, Aki Technolo-
access to the internet. The total portfolio price tag: gies, Mexico City, Mexico. Not all organizations
US$26.5 billion. understand the value proper project management
The new government also plans to launch practices can bring.
a three-year, US$8 billion project to build the “This profession is still relatively unknown at
country’s largest oil refinery—capable of produc- many companies in Mexico,” says René Nuño
AT A GLANCE
ing 400,000 barrels of gasoline daily. And, as the Cabrera, PMP, project management office (PMO)
2019 GDP
only Latin American member of the International manager, Pounce, Mexico City, Mexico. And when
growth forecast:
2.5% Energy Agency, Mexico often is seen as the most hiring managers and recruiters look to fill new
promising nation for natural gas investment in the project roles, they often don’t understand the
Median project
professional region. And earlier this decade, Mexico received importance of real-world experience and proj-
salary: nearly US$4 billion in portfolio investments to ect management certification. Project professionals
US$34,904 build and maintain natural gas pipelines and other who find themselves on the other side of those
Sectors to watch: gas infrastructure. Yet infrastructure is still lacking, interviews would be wise to proactively highlight
Energy, telecom, and many existing refineries produced at around those differentiators, he says.
transportation, IT 40 percent capacity last year because of safety and Comfort with job-hopping also can increase
career opportunities. “Project tal-
ent is often hired on a per-project
basis either as a freelancer or con-
tractor,” says Gustavo Pastrana,
PMP, head of PMO, professional
services, Diebold Nixdorf, Mexico
City, Mexico. As organizational
project management continues
to mature, he expects that will
change. But for now, “many orga-
nizations aren’t investing in sus-
taining the knowledge they gain
from project talent.”
For those project profession-
als looking to find solid leads
and gain a foothold in Mexico’s
market, networking is vital, says
Mr. Cabrera.
Mexico is expanding its
rail system with a new “In practice, most job opportu-
line between Toluca nities are not published in Mexico.
and Mexico City.
You’ll find them through referrals
and headhunters,” he says.

Offshore oil
rigs in Brazil
How can project

professionals get
ahead in their
careers in 2019?
“Always be ready
for an opportunity.
The war for project
management talent
is going to pick up,
so make sure your
résumé or CV is
in great shape and that mentally
you’re prepared to grasp a new
PHOTO BY RANIMIRO LOTUFO NETO / ALAMY STOCK
opportunity with both hands.”

—John Thorpe, managing director, Arras
People, London, England
BRAZIL
“Strengthen your
Cautious agile delivery

capabilities. In
2019, we’ll see
Re-Energizing
the majority of
major enterprise
companies
aggressively focus on reinventing
their customer journeys through
B
razil officially emerged from its worst recession in history in early
innovative solutions. Project
managers, therefore, must
2017, but the world’s eighth-largest economy is still sluggish: Growth augment their delivery capabilities
forecasts have been pessimistic, and unemployment hovers around 13 to be able to drive quick and
percent. In ManpowerGroup’s Global Employment Outlook survey, Brazil and predictable value from projects in
this changing business context.”
Panama reported the least optimistic employment forecasts in Latin America. —Alarka Purkayastha, PMP, digital
However, employers’ modest hiring intentions are still the strongest they’ve transformation leader, Accenture,
been in three years, ManpowerGroup reports. And there are a few bright spots Bengaluru, India
for growth—and job opportunities for qualified project professionals.
“Improve your
“With 44 new offshore production systems coming online in the next 10 communication
years, Brazil is on target to be one of the key contributors to the growth of world skills—this year,
oil production by 2030,” says Daniel Godoy, PMP, Brazilian country manager, next year and every
year after that.
Jacobs Engineering Group, São Paulo, Brazil. Thanks in part There’s always room
AT A GLANCE for improvement,
to recent government regulatory changes, oil and gas has
2019 GDP growth the potential to attract US$490 billion in project invest- and without it the project fails and
forecast: 2.4% the team falls apart.”
ments over the next decade, he says, and robust project —J. Eric Maier, PMP, former project
Median project talent will be needed to drive those initiatives. director, Intech Process Automation,
professional salary: Lagos, Nigeria
Opportunities are brewing for renewable energy, too.
US$45,114
Early last year, Brazil initiated the process of joining the
Sectors to watch: “Focus on the
International Renewable Energy Agency, the intergovern- industry you’re
Energy, IT, telecom,
mental organization that supports countries transitioning most interested
infrastructure in, then create a
to a sustainable energy future. The country’s abundance of
plan to acquire
natural resources makes it a prime spot for renewable energy projects. the specialized
Financial services and IT also are busy sectors for growth, according to a 2018 skills and
McKinsey report, and would be smart targets for project talent looking to make knowledge needed for that
field. Project managers who can
a career move. And sanitation infrastructure—particularly water treatment and speak a common language with
sewage collection—continues to be on the country’s to-do list. stakeholders in a particular field
“Despite the government’s ambition to provide universal sanitation by 2015, only are definitely the most effective—
and the most sought after.”
83.3 percent of the population has access to treated water, with sewage collection
—Val Kaplan, PMP, marketing and technical
being even lower,” says Mr. Godoy. With little movement from the government, director, CIMS Ltd., Suzhou, China
the private sector might steer future initiatives—after first filling its project ranks.

Wall Street in New York,
New York, USA
UNITED STATES
Optimism and Opportu n

A
decade after the Great Recession—and Challenger, CEO of Challenger, Gray & Christmas,
PHOTO BY YUEN MAN CHEUNG / ALAMY STOCK

despite rumblings of a trade war with Chicago, Illinois, USA.
China—the world’s biggest economy is A 2018 Challenger survey found that 64 per-
thriving. And that has buoyed the optimism in U.S. cent of companies are hiring, and 25 percent are
C-suites: 53 percent of CEOs are confident about their in retention mode—actively trying to keep people
organization’s revenue growth by 2021, compared to committed and engaged in their current posi-
45 percent globally, according to PwC’s Global CEO tions. “In this environment, employers are finding
AT A GLANCE
Survey. Although business growth doesn’t keep them even competitive salaries and benefits aren’t always
2019 GDP growth
up at night, finding the right talent does, with 32 enough to stand out,” he says.
forecast: 2.5%
percent of CEOs expressing extreme concerns about In such a tight talent market, project profession-
Median project
the availability of key skills, up from just 11 percent als might find job opportunities in surprising places.
professional
salary: US$112,000 in 2013. In fact, U.S. business leaders ranked talent “Industries like oil and gas have a reputation of
woes as more worrisome than consumers’ changing hiring engineers or technical experts exclusively to
Sectors to watch:
IT, construction, behaviors, access to affordable capital, new market take on project leadership roles, but they’re starting
healthcare entrants—and even uncertain economic growth. to open up their ranks to generalists or non-tech-
That makes this a project professional’s market, nical project managers,” says Sara Gallagher, PMP,
with companies of all sizes and in all sectors com- vice president of delivery, The Persimmon Group,
peting fiercely to attract top project talent, says John Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA.

How can project
professionals get
ahead in their
careers in 2019?
“Embrace change.
It’s a constant, and
it can involve many
variables. Don’t
assume that this
job search or
promotion
opportunity will look like the last.”
—Edgar Bonilla, PMP, energy and
hydrocarbons project adviser, LG
International Corp., Bogotá, Colombia
“Look for professional

opportunities in
the leadership and
strategic and business
management sides
of the PMI Talent
Triangle®. Make
this the year you gain a working
knowledge of business analysis
or learn a little something about
finance. Decide you’re going to work
on your ability to facilitate a meeting
or persuade an audience or navigate
a difficult conflict. The more you
can complement your traditional
project management knowledge and
experience, the easier it is to grow
into a leadership role within your
organization.”
—Sara Gallagher, PMP, vice president of
delivery, The Persimmon Group, Tulsa,
u nity
Oklahoma, USA
“Get trained
in emerging
technologies—like
artificial intelligence
To stand out in a job search, she recommends
or machine learning—
professionals highlight their track record for achiev- and position yourself
ing project results as well as any related experience as a technology
they have with agile approaches, organizational project manager or program
manager. You should think beyond
change management and business analysis. pure-play project roles if you want to
Certain sectors seem to be red-hot for hiring: remain competitive in the industry.”
Mining, construction and manufacturing are expe- —Duraideivamani Sankararajan, PMI-
ACP, PMP, program manager, IBM India,
riencing the greatest job growth rates those sectors Bengaluru, India
have seen since 1984, according to a Washington Post
analysis. The number of IT project managers is pro- “Stay curious. To
really get ahead as
jected to surge 12 percent by 2026. And “jobs in the
a project manager,
health space will continue to grow at almost all levels, you can’t be afraid
including project positions,” says Mr. Challenger. to ask questions, try
PMI’s Project Management Job Growth and Talent new things and be
disruptive.”
Gap report backs this up, estimating a 17 percent —Stefano Riva, PMP,
growth in project-oriented jobs between 2017 and program manager, global talent acquisition,
2027 in the healthcare industry—the largest per- people and culture, Philip Morris International,
Lausanne, Switzerland
centage increase in all U.S. sectors.

Chhatrapati Shivaji
International Airport
in Mumbai, India
India. Hiring managers often

seek out applicants for roles
limited to project coordina-
tion and resource manage-
ment, and the lack of an
internal career path contrib-
utes to a high turnover rate
in the field.
Project professionals
considering a career move
should inquire about the
company’s skills and training
development, as well as the
role’s career trajectory, he
says. Indeed, it soon might
be easier to find a company
that’s bucking the high-
churn trend. Nearly half of
businesses reported in 2018
that they’re investing more
in retention efforts—more
than double the 22 percent
figure from 2017, according
to HireRight’s India Employ-
INDIA
ment Screening Benchmark
Standing Out Report.
ISTOCKPHOTO
“Many IT companies
now are investing in train-
ing their employees, includ-
I
n July, the International Monetary Fund ing project managers and program managers,”
cut India’s growth forecast slightly for 2019, says Duraideivamani Sankararajan, PMI-ACP,
citing higher crude prices and faster than PMP, program manager, PMI Global Executive
anticipated monetary tightening. Yet India remains Council member IBM India, Bengaluru, India.
AT A GLANCE:
one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, and More local project professionals are embracing
2019 GDP growth
career opportunities for project talent abound. Hir- emerging technologies, he says, in order to nab
forecast: 7.4%
ing rates are expected to be brisk across all sectors, positions managing projects in digital disruption,
Median project
according to ManpowerGroup’s Global Employ- blockchain and artificial intelligence.
professional salary:
US$25,959 ment Outlook survey, with employment optimism And to really get ahead, project talent would be
21 percent higher than the global average. wise to take advantage of training opportunities—
Sectors to watch:
IT, transportation, “There’s widespread demand for project manag- or, if they’re not offered at work, seek them out
financial services ers, but there is still a gap in terms of finding the independently, says Mr. Sankararajan. “There has
right skill mix for these roles,” says Alarka Purkayas- been a paradigm shift in the past few years in how
tha, PMP, digital transformation leader, PMI Global project managers are perceived and what skills they
Executive Council member Accenture, Bengaluru, need to stay competitive.”

NIGERIA
Post-Oil Push
A
frica’s largest economy is steadily climb- build new plants. The existing system has not
ing out of its 2016 recession, but experts kept up with the population increase,” says J. Eric
warn the country isn’t yet in the clear. Maier, PMP, who worked as a project director at
Oil remains the nation’s largest export, and when Intech Process Automation in Lagos, Nigeria before
global prices dropped in 2018, Nigeria’s output recently relocating to the United States. He points
contracted for the first time in decades. out that infrastructure improvements in one area AT A GLANCE
Though oil prices are once again inching upward, will likely stimulate growth—and job opportuni- 2019 GDP growth
the World Bank has called for leaders to focus on ties—in other sectors as well. “Better power also forecast: 2.3%
stronger infrastructure and streamlined regula- means more manufacturing and opportunities in Median project
tions to drive more economic diversification and heavy equipment manufacturing, for instance.” professional
support the country’s burgeoning middle class. The A 2018 KPMG survey found that 76 percent of salary: US$21,498
government seems to be listening: Recent regula- CEOs are confident about the country’s growth Sectors to watch:
tory reforms helped Nigeria climb the ranks in the prospects over the next three years. But finding the Agriculture,
2018 World Bank Ease of Doing Business report. And project talent will be crucial to that growth. A 2018 transportation,
mining,
leaders are in the midst of a three-year strategic IMF report found that many large-scale projects in
manufacturing,
planning initiative, known as the Economic Growth Nigeria have been weakened by a lack of effective energy
and Recovery Plan, that’s expected to launch dozens project appraisals and evaluations. As the project
of public and private projects in agriculture, trans- management profession matures in Nigeria, Mr.
portation, manufacturing and energy. Maier says, hiring managers have learned to zero
“The electric power system needs a lot of invest- in on specific skills, such as risk management and
ment to bring power plants up to capacity and budget control, when assessing applicants.
Oil refinery, Port Lagos, Nigeria

Harcourt, Nigeria
PHOTO BY JOHN COLE / ALAMY STOCK

Shanghai, China
CHINA
Shifting Strides
ISTOCKPHOTO (2)
G
one are the days when China relied nessed firsthand, as his organization has struggled
mainly on manufacturing and exports to fill openings for project professionals. “It’s been
to drive its red-hot economic growth. increasingly hard to attract top talent,” says Mr.
The country has shifted to a technology-driven Kaplan, marketing and technical director, CIMS
economic growth model. In fact, internet-based Ltd., Suzhou, China.
businesses expanded at an average annual rate of Yet career opportunities aren’t consistent across
16 percent between 2007 and 2016 (nearly twice every sector. Chinese business leaders are more
as fast as the GDP growth over the same period), keen to expand headcount in finance and trans-
according to the Institute of Population and Labor portation, for instance, than mining or construc-
AT A GLANCE: Economics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sci- tion, according to a 2018 ManpowerGroup survey.
GDP growth ences. The government’s latest Five-Year Plan calls And “in recent years, the manufacturing sector has
forecast: 6.2% for China to become an “innovation nation” by 2020 seen a rapid increase in the demand for project
Median project and an international leader of innovation by 2030. management talent,” says Mr. Fu. Likewise, project
professional And though recent news that the United States professionals with digital skills may have their pick
salary: US$29,040
intends to impose 25 percent tariffs on US$267 bil- of positions, as 88 percent of CEOs are somewhat
Sectors to lion worth of imports has caused some economists or extremely concerned about the scarcity of those
watch: IT, finance,
to warn of an economic deceleration, the country’s skills—nearly 20 percent higher than the global
manufacturing,
transportation job market hasn’t yet been impacted. Seventy per- average, according to PwC.
cent of CEOs expect to expand headcount in the Project professionals interested in making a career
near future, according to PwC. move in China’s current market should highlight
“The overall job market is stable, despite the what sets them apart from the pack, says Mr. Kaplan.
uncertainty and friction of trade between China “In finance, hiring managers want to hear about your
and the United States,” says Frank Fu, PMP, founder risk management skills and specialized experience,
and chairman, Shanghai Changeway Management while those hiring for tech projects might want more
Consulting, Shanghai, China. “And those with pro- subject matter knowledge,” he says. “Project manag-
fessional skills, such as project managers, are highly ers who make it clear they can speak a common
sought after in this market.” technical language with other stakeholders will be
That’s something Val Kaplan, PMP, has wit- more effective in their job search.”

How can project
professionals get
ahead in their
GERMANY
careers in 2019?
Powering Along
“Earn the Project
Management Professional
(PMP)® certification,
if you don’t already
D
espite internal political turmoil, potential fallout from Brexit and
have it. It can help you
perform better in your
the threat of a major European trade dispute with the United States, role and stand out in
Germany’s economy remains brisk and buoyant. The country’s 2.1 the application process. And if you
percent projected growth is above average for the past decade and outpaces already have your PMP®, take advantage
of PMI’s continuing certification
other European countries. No wonder, then, that 90 percent of Germans feel requirements program.”
positive about the local economy, according to the European Commission’s —René Nuño Cabrera, PMP, project management
Eurobarometer. And 35 percent of German CEOs are confident their companies office manager, Pounce, Mexico City, Mexico
will expand in the next three years, according to PwC. “Meet with three new
A rising tide lifts all boats, and “the project manager job market is good at the people each week. That
moment,” says Daniel G. Glasow, PMP, transition management director, Unisys, could mean colleagues,
Stralsund, Germany. In particular, IT is a hot spot of career activity, he notes, as
project professionals
in other companies or
organizations race to staff an uptick in digitization initiatives referrals from your social
AT A GLANCE:
across various industries—from banking to healthcare. network. The best way to
2019 GDP growth That’s especially noteworthy, considering that Germany advance your career is through growing
forecast: 1.9% and tapping your professional network.”
has historically lagged in the digital race—with initiatives —John Challenger, CEO, Challenger, Gray &
Median project hobbled by government bureaucracy, entrenched resistance Christmas, Chicago, Illinois, USA
professional salary:
to new digital technologies and aging broadband. (A 2018
US$88,449 “Take the time to
analysis by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and understand your
Sectors to watch:
Development ranked Germany 29th out of 37 industrialized own capabilities and
Banking, healthcare,
IT, finance economies for fast internet connections.) strengths. The best way
But Chancellor Angela Merkel has said the country’s
to iterate in your career
is to assess where you’re
future prosperity rests on fixing its digital deficiencies, and many organiza- at—whether that means
tions are now reacting by launching projects and expanding headcount. Project asking a mentor or objectively reviewing
professionals with digital experience will be in high demand, and those with your experience—and only then try
to map out which organizations or
cybersecurity skills might find themselves fielding multiple offers. According positions might be the best fit.”
to Cisco’s 2018 Cybersecurity Report, 24 percent of German organizations cite a —María José Romo Cotera, senior project
lack of trained personnel as a major obstacle. manager, Aki Technologies, Mexico City, Mexico
“Listen more.
Communication skills can
make all the difference in
your career, but listening
is such an undervalued
part of that.”
—Toshiaki Hattori, PMP, former
senior engineer, Sangikyo Corp., Yokohama, Japan
“Gain experience
with hybrid delivery
approaches. There’s
no question more
organizations are moving
toward this and looking
for project managers
who have that transition capability and
adaptability.”
—Venkatraman Lakshminarayanan, associate
Berlin, Germany director, projects, Cognizant Digital Business, Abu
Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Discover & Dem a
INDUSTRY ADVANTAGE
The sectors expected to generate high demand for project management talent include:
Construction Human resources Cybersecurity

The pace of construction output Automation and artificial intel- What keeps CIOs up at night?
is expected to average 3.6 per- ligence are poised to redefine A lack of skilled talent tops the
cent each year through 2022— how organizations operate—but list in all industries and across all
hitting US$12.7 trillion in 2022, only if companies have a digital- regions, according to Cisco’s 2018
compared with US$10.6 trillion ready human resources function Annual Cybersecurity Report. A sig-
in 2017. In particular, project that’s capable of managing such nificant number of organizations
activity has picked up in Western large-scale transformations. Sixty are expanding headcount for their
Europe, with the region’s output percent of CEOs are looking to security teams this year.
on track to expand 2.4 per- overhaul their human resource
cent annually through 2022. departments to better embrace
(Between 2013 and 2017, growth the new frontier.
was a sluggish 1.1 percent.)
Energy Healthcare Finance

It’s sunny skies ahead for the An aging global population, regu- Risk management and cost
renewable energy sector. There’s latory flux, changing consumer reduction remain an industry
a significant uptick in projects in behavior and digital disruption focus around the globe—yet 95
emerging markets and a global are continuing to drive project percent of finance executives see
focus on decarbonization at activity in the sector. And 83 per- technology disruption as a major
many enterprise organizations. cent of healthcare CEOs report opportunity. Digital transforma-
they’re somewhat or extremely tion managers cracked the list of
concerned about the availability the top five skills needed for the
of key skills. financial sector to grow.

m and The first step in getting ahead is knowing where to look.
Here are the sectors, skills and spots on the globe that are
most likely to provide abundant career opportunities.
SKILLS SEARCH MONEY MATTERS

Which skills are most important for building a truly digital capability for Location and certifications can have a big
project leaders? Respondents at innovator organizations pointed to: impact on salaries.
1
Data
science The average salary increase
skills that holders of the Project
2 Innovative
mindset
23% Management Professional
(PMP)® certification earn
compared to those without it.
3
Security
and privacy
knowledge
4
Legal and regulatory The countries with the highest median salaries for
compliance project management professionals. (All salaries
knowledge have been converted into U.S. dollars.)
5
Ability to make
data-driven Switzerland
decisions
6
Collaborative $130,966
leadership
skills United States
$112,000
Australia
$108,593
4 in 5
respondents report that soft
Germany
$88,449
skills—such as communication, Netherlands

leadership and negotiation—are $86,292
more important today than
United Arab Emirates
they were five years ago.
$84,930
New Zealand
$84,480
Qatar
$82,314
United Kingdom
$81,227
7 in 10
project leaders are either currently using or
considering the use of lean agile practices to Belgium
manage the impact of disruptive technologies. $78,035
Sources: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development; Global Construction Outlook to 2022, ReportBuyer, 2018; Global CEO Survey, PwC, 2018; Annual Cybersecurity Report, Cisco, 2018; 2018
CEO Outlook, KPMG, 2018; Renewable Energy Industry Outlook, Deloitte, 2018; The Project Manager of the Future: Developing Digital-Age Project Management Skills to Thrive in Disruptive Times, PMI, 2018; Earn-
ing Power: Project Management Salary Survey, 10th- edition, PMI, 2018

How
to Get
Hired in
the Age
of AI Automated systems
are transforming how
project talent is found.
Project professionals
must adapt to make
the cut.
AS
BY JEN THOM
PORTRAITS BY
ALBERTO OVIEDO
Amanda Augustine,
TopResume, New York,
New York, USA


F
rom self-driving cars to search
engines, artificial intelligence
(AI) is slowly transforming the
world around us.
Now, it’s starting to play a role in how project profes-
sionals land new gigs. Recruiters and hiring manag-
ers increasingly are relying on tech tools—including
those programmed with AI or machine learning—to
dramatically accelerate their workflows and make
smarter, more efficient hiring decisions.
Three out of four hiring managers think AI’s
impact on recruiting will be at least somewhat sig-
nificant, according to LinkedIn’s Global Recruiting gatekeeper. People get stuck in the system all the
Trends report. And the area where it might have the time—even if they have the exact right project skills
most impact is candidate sourcing, according to 58 and experience for the open position.”
percent of respondents. To stand out in the new digital talent search,
Not every organization has an AI bot scanning project professionals must tweak their approach—
résumés, of course, but even those that don’t are and extend those lessons across both their résumé
likely relying on automated programs—not a stack and online profile. Here’s how.
of paper résumés or CVs—to identify qualified
1
candidates, says Amanda Augustine, a certified pro- Get Specific With Skills and Certifications
fessional career coach who’s worked with project Strong leadership chops and a great commu-
professionals, and a career expert at TopResume, nication style might make someone a better
New York, New York, USA. project manager, but showcasing those skills on a
“More companies are using applicant tracking résumé or LinkedIn profile won’t do much to help
systems, because they can make a stack of résumés that person land an interview, says Francois Passet,
more manageable for the human to sort through,” PMP, human resource information systems direc-
she says. “But if you’re a project manager applying tor, Vertiv Co., London, England. “Focus on specif-
for an open role, that means everything from the file ics, like highlighting certifications and technical
type you use to the layout of your résumé will fac- skills, because that’s what’s being searched for—not
tor into whether you make it through the electronic soft skills,” he says.

Real Disruption
The impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on hiring is widespread—but that doesn’t mean it’s uniformly
embraced. The percentage of respondents who say that AI is the top trend affecting how they hire,
according to LinkedIn’s Global Recruiting Trends report:
47%
41%
39%
47% 38%
40 37% 36% 36%
35% 34%
33% 32%
31%
28% 28%
21%
20
0
ina ica ey razil xico frica ndia Asia any ralia rdics ates ada dom ance
Ch h Afr Turk B Me rth A I
ast Germ Aust No ted S
t Can ng
i Fr
u t o the i dK
So N So
u U n i t e
and Un
E ast
le
dd
Mi
For instance, someone looking to fill a portfolio but doesn’t include the acronyms, such as PfMP® or
manager role might search for candidates who list PMI-ACP®, bots might overlook those hard-earned
PMI’s Portfolio Management Professional (PfMP)® certifications.
certification. Someone trying to fill a role on a team
2
that uses an agile approach might set the applicant Mirror the Desired Role
tracking software (ATS) to prioritize applicants The advice to include keywords from the job
who list the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI- description in the application has been given
“Focus on
ACP)® certification. since even before the process became automated.
specifics, like
“Think carefully about what skills or certifications But it’s never more important than when automated highlighting
or experience a recruiter would be looking for—and software or an AI algorithm is scanning a candidate’s certifications
then step back and think how they would search for profile, says Ms. Bird. A human brain might infer and technical
them or how they would instruct an automated tool that managing nuclear projects involved advanced skills, because
to scan for them,” says Ellen Bird, director of talent
acquisition, Artisan Talent, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
risk management. But ATS that’s been programmed
that’s what’s
to hunt for the words “risk register” or “risk manage-
If a candidate’s LinkedIn profile details years acting ment” will skip right over that application.
being searched
as scrum master on successful projects but doesn’t For a macro approach to incorporating more for—not soft
include the word “agile,” it might not make it out of keywords in a résumé, CV or LinkedIn profile, Ms. skills.”
the applicant pile. Likewise, if a candidate lists the Augustine suggests this exercise: “Copy the job —Francois Passet, PMP, Vertiv
full name of every project management certification descriptions of three to five roles that you might be Co., London, England

“Everything from the file
type you use to the layout of
your résumé will factor into
whether you make it through
the electronic gatekeeper.”
—Amanda Augustine, TopResume,
New York, New York, USA
3
interested in applying for into a word cloud generator Brag About Project Wins
tool,” she says. “The words that keep popping up— Posting to online profiles can keep candi-
and are big in the word cloud—are the ones you want dates top of mind with people in profes-
to focus on, assuming you have those skills.” sional networks and give hiring managers who
She suggests using each keyword a few times land on candidates’ pages a bigger window into
in different phrases, to increase the odds that the who they are. But don’t assume all online activity
application will pass a screen for both “stakeholder is equally valuable to the job search. “I’ve never
management” and “managing stakeholders,” for heard of anyone being recruited for their effective
instance. “But don’t use each keyword 15 times,” reposting of newspaper articles,” says Mr. Passet.
she says. Remember, if an application makes it past “Playing up real-life successes or recognition—like
the tech screen, eventually a human will read it. being selected to present at a project management
Cram too many keywords in and it might beat the conference, for instance—is much more meaningful
bot, only to have a human give the same résumé a on the project management job market.”
thumbs-down. Job seekers also can showcase their expertise by pen-

AI All-Stars
Three standout projects in the race to thread machine learning
throughout the hiring process.
Robot Vera
Russian startup Stafory is now running pilot projects
in Europe and the United States to test and refine
a robot capable of conducting and analyzing hun-
dreds of video or phone interviews simultaneously.
To build the robot’s vocabulary and help it better
understand human speech, the project team input
13 billion examples of syntax and speech, pulling
from job listings, TV and Wikipedia.
She also warns against including any information
VMock
In September, Boston University joined the growing in the header or footer of the file (most systems
number of universities that have rolled out VMock, can’t process those fields). And stick to a clean,
an online platform that allows students to upload straightforward format. “ATS favors documents
their résumés and receive real-time feedback on ev- that have a clear hierarchy to their information,”
erything from grammar and word choice to the like- she says. “When you try to get creative with your
lihood of their résumés receiving a response. VMock
résumé layout, the system may get confused and
relies on machine learning predictive analytics and
AI algorithms. Prior to the rollout, the project team miss some of your information. Better to be simple
tailored the platform to its student population, in- and understood than look slick and wind up in the
putting information about demographics, employ- ‘no’ pile.”
ers, job listings and internships.
5
Do a Trial Video
Greenhouse
This AI-powered human resources tool engages Video interviews have replaced phone
candidates in conversation, helping to suss out their screeners at many organizations, but
skills and experience and better pair them with some companies are taking video one step fur-
the right job openings. In September, Greenhouse ther. They increasingly ask candidates to answer
announced a joint project with IBM Watson to pre-set questions on video, then use sophisticated
integrate its cognitive tools into the platform and
algorithms to analyze that footage for everything
provide enterprise organizations with a customized
platform in as little as two weeks. from technical expertise to energy and atti-
tude. Candidates asked to submit a video “selfie”
should give it the same consideration and effort
ning their own posts on certain project topics, says Ms. that they would an in-person or two-way inter-
Augustine. Or, if they’d rather join the conversation view, says Catherine Cunningham, founder, The
than start it, they can add commentary to any articles Career Consultancy, Adelaide, Australia. “Make
they share. “Take advantage of the opportunity to share sure you’ve done your research on the organiza-
your point of view within your discipline,” she says. tion, be mindful of any time limits you’re given
to answer each question, and keep your answers
“Whether you
4
Mind the Format succinct and focused,” she says.
“While the PDF file type is normally like the new AI Job seekers who think too much about the
preferred because it maintains your for- tools or not, algorithm analyzing every word or facial expres-
matting, not every applicant-tracking system can they’re not sion might get tripped up, so try to relax, she says.
process it,” says Ms. Augustine. “Don’t leave your going away.” And take comfort that every project professional
application up to chance: Unless the site specifically will have an opportunity to practice at some point.
—Catherine Cunningham,
states that it accepts a PDF, send your résumé or CV The Career Consultancy, “Whether you like the new AI tools or not, they’re
as a Word document.” Adelaide, Australia not going away.” PM

Remade t
2 01 8
PMI®
PRO J ECT
OF THE
YEAR McDonald’s reinvented its customers’
F I N ALI S T digital experience—and its project
governance—in less than a year.
BY SARAH FISTER GALE PORTRAITS BY SAM GRANT
PMN0119 d-Second features.indd 48 12/10/18 11:05 AM

Amy Martin, PMP,
and Scott Badskey,
McDonald’s, Chicago,
Illinois, USA
e to Order

2018 PMI® PROJECT OF THE YEAR FINALIST
M cDonald’s CEO Steve East-

erbrook ordered change—
and he wanted it fast.
The leader of the world’s
second-largest restaurant
chain last year gave his team
less than a year to complete a
massive digital overhaul that would
adapt McDonald’s groundbreaking
quick-service dining experience to today’s
hyperconnected expectations.
“I have absolutely no doubt that our industry
will get disrupted by technology,” he warned. “Our
discussions within McDonald’s are ‘Why don’t we
be the ones to disrupt ourselves rather than wait to
be disrupted?’ You have a choice to either be the
disrupter or the disrupted.”
More than 60 years after the company turned
the food service industry upside down, McDon-
ald’s launched the Digital Acceleration project
in January 2017. The US$155 million project
developed and deployed a custom mobile order-
“It’s about ing and payment platform to more than 20,000 “It’s about reinventing ourselves,” says Daniel PHOTO BY DPA PICTURE ALLIANCE / ALAMY STOCK
restaurants in the United States, Canada, United Henry, executive vice president and global CIO,
reinventing Kingdom, Australia, France, mainland China McDonald’s, Chicago, Illinois, USA. “It’s about
ourselves.” and Hong Kong. The new system lets custom- showing our customers that we can be aggressive
—Daniel Henry, ers order meals via in-store kiosks or a mobile in how we move forward with technology to pro-
McDonald’s, Chicago, app and pick up their orders as soon as they vide the experience that we want our customers
Illinois, USA
arrive at the restaurant. The project team also to have.”
implemented geofencing technology, which uses Rapidly scaling a global digital platform placed
the GPS on a customer’s mobile device to direct the project team in unfamiliar territory—unusu-
orders to the proper restaurant based on the cus- ally aggressive deadlines presented a daunting task
tomer’s location. That early detection also helps for a company that has 37,000 restaurants in 120
speed food preparation, shaving precious time countries. Decentralized and deliberate governance
off the delivery window. had become as much a part of the company’s DNA

as cheeseburgers and french fries. Transforming projects had siloed plans deployed separately in
processes, culture and staff training was necessary each market, a structure that slowed progress and “A project of this
to ensure immediate benefits and ROI. prevented consistent communication and delivery, scale can divide
“The largest risks that we had to contend with Mr. Badskey says. So in December 2016, the com- a team if you’re
were the speed that we were running at and the pany created a global PMO. Months later, the PMO not careful. But
pace and change that we were driving,” says Scott chose to build a single team to deliver the project our team stuck
Badskey, director of portfolio and process manage-
ment within the global project management office
across all markets.
The centralized structure ensured the same
together when
(PMO), McDonald’s. level of quality and reliability for deployment in,
things didn’t
say, China, as in Canada while still allowing cus- always go the
PMO PACESETTER tomization to suit regional language, menu and way we wanted.”
One way McDonald’s picked up the pace was culture differences. This structure also helped —Daniel Henry
rethinking its governance structure. Previous global the PMO clearly define roles and responsibilities

TALENT SPOTLIGHT
Amy Martin, PMP,
senior director, global
project management
office, McDonald’s
Location:
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Experience:
20 years
Why did this project
have special meaning
to you?
It showcases what an
organization as vast and
diverse as McDonald’s can
achieve when its people
are focused on a common
goal.
How did you relieve
project stress?
We looked for
opportunities to inject
fun. For example, we
leveraged quarterly
awards and informal
recognitions and
celebrated incremental
wins on a weekly basis.
What famous person
could have been useful
on this project?
Steve Jobs. There were
many parallels with
how he innovated and
led teams to achieve
greatness and the way
we ran this project. His
guidance to help the team
see the possibilities could
have come in handy.
What career lesson
did you learn on this
project?
Those who say it can’t
be done should get out
the way of those doing
it. Having the right team
makes the seemingly
impossible possible.

“If you get a small thing wrong in 37,000 restaurants,
you get a lot of noise.”
—Amy Martin, PMP, McDonald’s
so the project team could anticipate and manage also a culture shift to deploy solutions faster into
FA ST E R FOO D
risks as they arose. the restaurants.”
“Without that, we would have been challenged January 2017: Project
launches.
to successfully accomplish this project on time and SETTING BOUNDARIES
under budget,” Mr. Badskey says. With so many global stakeholders, the project team February 2017: Five-
store pilot project
The global PMO also accelerated delivery by knew a flurry of change requests was inevitable.
launches in Chicago,
introducing hybrid approaches, including a monthly Markets frequently wanted to tweak the system Illinois, USA. Project
release cadence with faster sprints for smaller deliv- for their unique needs or customers, and operators charter and plan
erables. It was a new model for teams and execu- came with new ideas for features once they had the formalized for kickoffs
tives accustomed to longer development cycles, says chance to spend time with prototypes. in Australia, Canada and
China.
Amy Martin, PMP, senior director and leader of the “It was just a highly complex environment,” Ms.
global PMO. The delivery shift required leaders to Martin says. “If we had allowed all of those changes March 2017: Project
goals established and
embrace a progress over perfection mindset. to organically fold into the work, we never would
shared with company
“McDonald’s is a risk-averse organization,” Ms. have gone live on time.” investors. Deployment
Martin says. “If you get a small thing wrong in The global PMO created a change control board begins in United
37,000 restaurants, you get a lot of noise. As much to prioritize stakeholder demands, provide a fire- Kingdom.
as this was a digital-transformation effort, there was wall for developers and mitigate the risk of scope April 2017: U.S. scale
reaches 412 stores.
May 2017: Mobile app
launched nationally in
Australia.
June 2017: China mobile
app goes live nationally.
Pilot project is initiated in
Hong Kong.
July 2017: U.K. scale
reaches 164 stores.
August 2017: Key risks
identified and mitigated
before global scaling
continues.
September 2017: U.K.
app becomes available
PHOTO BY DAVID TRAN / ALAMY STOCK
nationwide.
November 2017: Project
reaches 20,000 store
deployments worldwide.
McDonald’s mobile
curbside pickup
spot in Rockville,
Maryland, USA

“The largest risks

that we had to
contend with were
the speed that we
were running at
and the pace and
change that we
were driving.”
—Scott Badskey, McDonald’s
creep. The board met weekly to review the lat- ysis, identified tickets looking for commonality and
est iterations, monitor the health of critical path rapidly mobilized teams to address reliability issues
goals and consider any change requests. The board as they arose. This early intervention helped the team
approved no changes unless they met a valid busi- ensure smooth rollouts, Ms. Martin says.
ness purpose, aligned with the strategic vision and “This approach proved effective with keeping the
had a defined budget. overall effort on course throughout the year, ensur-
Even with change control board support, the furi- ing the team could develop a mitigation plan and be
ous pace created more risks on an already-bold proj- proactive from the onset,” she says.
ect. “Just like any project where you’ve got a brand
new set of architecture, a brand new capability, there SERVICE SUSTAINED
were a lot of unknowns,” Ms. Martin says. From the start, the team knew that getting restau-
The governance teams proactively looked for warn- rant owner-operators in every market on board
ing signs and immediately elevated potential critical- with the platform would require robust change
path problems to the risk register for mitigation, she management. In addition to learning new technol-
says. For example, after initial key targets were missed ogy, franchise owners and their staff had to roll out
during early iterations of the platform, the team estab- crew and manager training, make counter-design
lished a dedicated war room that implemented more changes, create space to install kiosks and adapt
aggressive testing. Developers applied root-cause anal- parking lots for curbside pickup, Ms. Martin says.

Each restaurant also had to rethink food prep tim- Company data indicates customers are embrac-
ing to make sure the quality of each mobile order ing the new system, Ms. Martin says. By early
remained consistent, regardless of whether custom- 2018, in the United States alone, the app had
ers chose to dine in, carry out or have their food accrued 30 million downloads, with 110 million
delivered curbside. offers redeemed and 7.9 million active users.
“Change management issues had to be incorpo- Ms. Martin also estimates that in the first few
rated into the project deployment strategy for every months—and with no marketing prompts—the
market,” Ms. Martin says. “We knew we had to new platform helped the company exceed full-
help our folks understand that the way we operate year digital sales goals.
is going to be very different for the deployment to The benefits are a testament to the company’s
be successful.” desire to meet disruption—and its competitors—
To build buy-in, the team brought in experts to head-on in an effort to transform the customer
coach and counsel stakeholders on how to plan experience. As part of the planning phase, the
for the changes and communicate the value of the project team studied how other retailers leveraged
transformation throughout the restaurant network. digital initiatives to boost customer frequency and
The team also held technology demonstrations at loyalty. For instance, studying competitors led the
restaurants, set strict deadlines for rollout and cap- team to implement the geofencing solution that
tured lessons learned to improve each deployment allows customers who place mobile orders to pick
that followed. up at any location, Mr. Badskey says.
“That enabled us to become faster as we con- “It really allows us to meet the customer where
tinued to take on more market deployments,” Mr. they want to be met,” he says. The entire project
Badskey says. was an opportunity to “transform the customer
experience.”
VALUE ACHIEVED Along the way, McDonald’s also transformed
The project team reached the goal of 20,000 its project management structure and once again
deployments in November 2017—one month established itself as a disruptive force in the global
ahead of schedule and nearly US$10 million restaurant landscape.
under budget. McDonald’s customers can now “A project of this scale can divide a team if you’re
place custom orders, access special offers and pay not careful. But our team stuck together when
for their meals on a mobile device. They can pick things didn’t always go the way we wanted,” Mr.
up their food at the counter or in the drive-thru, Henry says. “It was never about an individual; it was
or have it delivered curbside. always about the entire team.” PM
Check out behind-the-scenes videos of this year’s PMI Project of

L IGHTS, the Year Award finalists on PMI’s YouTube channel.
C AM E RA ,
AC T IO N! C A L L FO R AWA RDS N O M I N AT I O N S
Honor project excellence in 2019. Visit PMI.org/Awards

Proactive

Want to avoid a
retrospective scramble at
the end of a project? Create
a continuous process for
documentation.
BY NOVID PARSI

From Seek
the start, Soumen De, PMP, thinks about the end of the
Feedback
Sooner
Than Later
project. That’s why he’s always prepared for the ret-
rospective—even when other team members aren’t.
Take, for example, the matrixed team mem-
bers on a construction project he managed last Regardless of a team’s delivery approach,
year. To expedite things, they repeatedly contacted gathering feedback for closure needs to
the external contractor whenever scope changes happen well in advance of project clo-
occurred. Aware that this could lead to a documen- sure activities. For teams that use agile
tation disaster at project closure—with competing approaches, getting feedback early and often
claims of whether the changes were necessary—Mr. is a natural occurrence. During each itera-
De implemented a robust scope-change control tive sprint or periodically during a waterfall
process. Before each request was accepted and doc- project phase, the team should reflect on what’s
umented, all concerned stakeholders had to agree going well and not so well and what can be
the change was needed and its effect on budget and improved, says Jeff Amster, PMP, director of
schedule was acceptable. program management, AETEA Information
“We had a clear assessment of the project’s final Technology, Washington, D.C., USA.
costs and timeline during the project retrospective, “After a few cycles, you get into a good cadence
since every scope change and its impact on time of having a retrospective at the end of every sprint,”
GETTY IMAGES
and cost was documented,” says Mr. De, executive Mr. Amster says. Project managers then gather each
general manager, operational excellence, General sprint’s feedback for the closing documentation.
Motors Technical Center, Bengaluru, India. It can take more rigor for waterfall projects,
“Running Project managers must be willing to go which lack a built-in, continuous review process. It’s
a project is above and beyond to stay on top of what’s up to project managers to create mid-project retro-
like flying an needed for project closing during all phases. spectives and to document them. “It is important to
airplane— By the time the project wraps up, many team plan them as milestones within the overall project
members have already moved on—which schedule,” Mr. Amster says.
you need can leave project managers scrambling to On his waterfall projects, Mr. Amster creates a
to plan the gather feedback and tie up documentation. shared document and emails periodic reminders to
landing Taking a proactive approach to gathering his team to input their thoughts. That way, at deliv-
before it retrospective documentation can mitigate ery, team members don’t have to try to remember
happens.” that risk and ensure project and program what happened months earlier.
managers generate a more relevant and Even with agile projects, teams might need
—Mattias Hallberg, PMP,
Wahl and Case, Tokyo, comprehensive final report. reminders to assess how the project’s going. In
Japan “Project closure is often something people his calendar invites for each sprint meeting, Mr.
forget, but running a project is like flying an Amster asks his teams to reflect before the meeting
airplane—you need to plan the landing before it and to add their insights to the shared document
happens. Teams need to understand that a project prior to the meeting to empower the team to dedi-
is not complete until the retrospective [is done],” cate the majority of the time to collaboration.
says Mattias Hallberg, PMP, CIO, Wahl and Case, “People providing feedback spontaneously typi-
a recruitment and human resources technology cally miss out on the opportunity to recognize lon-
organization based in Tokyo, Japan. ger-term successes or problem areas to provide the
Here are four ways project professionals can pre- most valuable solutions for the team,” he says. With
pare for project closure, long before the end arrives: teams’ insights all in one shared document, project
managers can quickly detect patterns and trends.

Show Appreciation
for Candid Insights
Keeping the door open to all types of feedback will help establish a culture
of honesty and encourage team members to share. Such an environment
ensures both positive and negative developments will be documented dur-
ing the project close. Mr. Hallberg says nurturing such expectations begins
at kickoff meetings, where he lets teams know that everyone should look out “If you
for both small and large opportunities for improvement and report them to close the
the project manager—without fear of repercussion. door to any
“If you close the door to any feedback, nothing comes through it,” Mr. feedback,
Hallberg says. nothing
He shows appreciation by thanking team members and assuring them
he will look into the issue they’ve raised. On sensitive matters, he’ll guar-
comes
antee confidentiality if necessary. But he doesn’t stop there. Mr. Hallberg
through it.”
follows up with the team members and lets them know the outcome— —Mattias Hallberg, PMP
how their information was put to use.
“During a project’s execution, I try to be genuinely grateful for any
information provided, good or bad, as it might bring to light something I
had very little knowledge about,” he says.

Be Discerning
About What’s
Gathered
Determining the most helpful feedback for retro-
spectives—and which stakeholders are most likely
to provide it—needs to happen at the start, with
adjustments made throughout as necessary.
“First, target your audience. Determine who
will participate in the retrospective process,” Mr.
Amster says. A stakeholder who shows up at the
kickoff meeting but doesn’t have an active role
during the project probably won’t provide the most
valuable insights. But a subject matter expert, or a
stakeholder whose buy-in the project manager had
to work hard to secure, could have valuable insights
to share.
The list of feedback generators isn’t fixed, how-
ever. Stakeholders who provide valuable feedback
on one phase of the project might not be as helpful
for another phase. And the stakeholders on the
feedback list could change over time. “A stakeholder
“You have
who wasn’t initially on the retrospective list might
turn out to be extremely active and engaged,” Mr.
only so much
Amster says. time in a
Similarly, not all feedback is equally valuable. retrospective
Mr. Amster doesn’t want his teams to ramble in [meeting], so
the shared retrospective document. Instead, he you want it to
asks them to list two things that are going well in be focused—
each sprint as well as the top two opportunities for
improvement. If they don’t have time to contribute
to celebrate
the four items or if the list of participants in the
the successes
meeting is large, limiting the number of contribu- and target the
tions is fine. pain points.”
Such categorization of requests helps his teams —Jeff Amster, PMP, AETEA
organize their thoughts beforehand. Then, at the Information Technology,
Washington, D.C., USA
meeting, project managers can direct the par-
ticipants to identify the top two discussion items,
PHOTO BY JONATHAN TIMMES
quickly scan the document’s two columns (the good

and the not-so-good) and hit the highlights of each.
“You have only so much time in a retrospec-
tive [meeting], so you want it to be focused—to
celebrate the successes and target the pain points,”
he says.

Macro
Analysis
Here are two ways building a culture of proactive ret-
rospectives can benefit organizations, according to Jeff
Amster, PMP, director of program management, AETEA
Information Technology, Washington, D.C., USA.
A WIDER LENS
Staying ahead of the game on retrospectives
can uncover strategic insights that benefit
the entire portfolio. That’s why organizations
should develop a standardized process for
project managers to share feedback from each
project closure across the enterprise.
“I’ve learned that simply collecting retro-
spectives across multiple projects over a long
period of time isn’t going to give organiza-
tions the value they want out of retrospec-
tives,” Mr. Amster says.
Whether it’s via a project management
office or another governance authority,
organizations should bring together project
managers to review a set of retrospectives,
highlight the most impactful lessons docu-
mented and then synthesize them into a set
of enterprise-wide recommendations or best
practices for the future. “So any new project
can leverage those learnings,” he says.
THE HERE AND NOW

Taking a proactive approach to the retrospec-
tive can deliver real-time benefits throughout
the project.
Last year, Mr. Amster led an agile project to
automate and centralize a manual data-entry
system. The system improved a global maga-
zine’s process for vetting publication pitches. Mr.
Amster conducted a retrospective at each sprint
and, after the first few, noticed a trend: Code de-
velopment bugs, such as broken features, were
appearing not during the early development
phase but later, during user-acceptance testing.
So he introduced more rigorous testing earlier
in each sprint. “That way, we had a more ef-
ficient, higher-quality product when we reached
user-acceptance testing where our stakeholders
would review the finished deliverables,” he says.
That information and insight went into the clos-
ing documentation—and it allowed his team to
course-correct mid-project.

Respond
to Resistance
Building buy-in for proactive project
retrospectives isn’t easy when team
members already are occupied with
following myriad project processes.
Ordering the team to build in time
during each phase or sprint to com-
plete closure-related tasks can backfire
when teams are overburdened. One
solution: Consider elimi-
nating other processes
Consider so team members have
eliminating more time to enthusiasti-
other processes cally contribute to the
retrospective throughout
so team the project.
members have When he worked at
Rakuten, a Japanese in-
more time to ternet services company,
enthusiastically Mattias Hallberg, PMP, led
contribute to the teams of up to 160 people
who worked on monthly
retrospective releases and were tasked
throughout the with an abundance of
project. processes. So the team
continuously monitored
whether new processes
should be continued. “The rule was:
Before adding a new process, try to
remove two old ones,” he says.
For example, during a retrospective,
the organization decided that require-
ments written by a less-experienced
team member would undergo a review
by a more senior colleague. But once
the junior project professional had
mastered that task, the additional
layer of oversight wasn’t needed. With
that process eliminated, team mem-
bers had more time for other tasks.

GETTY IMAGES
Tailor the Structure

to the Team
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to getting retrospective feedback,
so project managers must tailor their communication methods and gath-
ering formats. Asking people to speak up in retrospective meetings works
well for the most forthcoming team members. But more reluctant
team members might require formal online surveys to pry valuable
insights from them. Knowing how to customize the approach for
each stakeholder ensures that project managers will get optimum feedback
from the start.
“There are always people at meetings who don’t speak up, and in video-
conferences you sometimes can’t see the entire team,” Mr. Hallberg says. “People tend
“Text-based feedback makes sure no one is overlooked.” to ignore
Mr. Hallberg also gleans insights by going through his daily project- the request
related emails with project closure in mind. He copies any emails with to reply to
potentially helpful insights into a labeled folder so he can assess that
information later.
emails and fill
Surveys and meetings can’t do all the retrospective work, however.
out forms.”
Mr. De finds that team members can be reluctant to reply to formal —Soumen De, PMP, General
Motors Technical Center,
questionnaires, which they might see as busywork. “People tend to ignore
Bengaluru, India
the request to reply to emails and fill out forms,” he says. So he supple-
ments formal surveys with informal group and individual discussions at
his weekly team meetings and in more casual settings. That helps him to
identify team members who are motivated and those who aren’t—and it is
imperative to convert the latter to the former. “This is the leadership part
of project management,” he says. PM

2018
PMO of
the Year
Finalist
Best
in
Class
A school district’s PMO measures
project success one student at a time.
BY SARAH FISTER GALE
PORTRAITS BY RON WURZER
PMN0119 d-Second features.indd 64 12/23/18 12:56 PM

From left, Briela
Copeland, CAPM,
Carla Santorno and
Ryan Howland, PMP

T
Graduation rates
have increased
he public school system in
86
Tacoma, Washington, USA
from 55%
needed to transform its learn-
ing environment. The goals
for the state’s third-largest
district were lofty: boost sag-
ging graduation rates, invest in 2010 to
in an IT overhaul, add a robust summer program to
provide a safe place for children and develop new
ways to ensure the emotional well-being of more gave the EPMO the resilience to withstand early
than 30,000 students throughout the year. pushback—and the authority to implement changes
The change initiatives for Tacoma Public Schools to the way the district’s projects were planned and
began in 2013 when voters approved a levy to fund delivered, says Briela Copeland, CAPM, project
technology projects across the school manager, Tacoma Public Schools. “Nobody really
PMO PROFILE system. But the district knew it needed knew what project management was, and they saw
Established: 2013 help to ensure all initiatives on the hori- it as a duplication of work,” she says.
zon delivered the intended benefits. So Over time, the EPMO has proved its value by
Size: Seven full-time
the district created an enterprise project consistently delivering projects on time and on
employees
management office (EPMO). Establish- budget with measurable outcomes. The EPMO
Annual budget:
ing formal governance processes and team interacts daily with administrators, directors
US$700,000
a more strategic vision has helped the and supervisors, and provides regular reports to the
Average project school system successfully complete school board on the status and progress of major
value: US$200,000
dozens of projects—and reshape the projects. Now, the community and district leaders
future of the district. see it as an essential driver of value.
“Our teachers—and all our folks in the system— “The EPMO has allowed the district to look at
they work like crazy, but they don’t always work all its initiatives holistically and make sure that
smart. And what project management has done whatever we choose to spend time and resources
for us is really helped us work smart,” says Carla on is going to be the best for our students and com-
Santorno, superintendent, Tacoma Public Schools. munity,” Ms. Copeland says.
In the five years since it launched, the EPMO
has helped convert skeptical public stakeholders GRADUATED SUCCESS
and build taxpayer confidence that initiatives will The EPMO’s impact on project outcomes has been
deliver long-term ROI. Having the backing of Ms. undeniable. Project completion rates have sky-
Santorno and other district leaders from the start rocketed from 10 percent in 2013 to 90 percent

2018
PMO of
the Year
Finalist
“The EPMO has

allowed the
district to look at
all its initiatives
holistically and
make sure that
es whatever we
choose to spend
time and resources
8 6%
on is going to be
the best for our
in students and
community.”
2016. —Briela Copeland, CAPM, Tacoma Public
Schools, Tacoma, Washington, USA
in 2017. Such a leap illustrates the value of using a from kindergarten through grade 12 via a personal
standardized but flexible framework to implement online dashboard.
change across the district, says Ryan Howland, “Social-emotional growth is something that is
PMP, project manager, Tacoma Public Schools. really hard for our students to grasp and see that
With a strategic vision that spans all corners of they’re doing. With this tool, they’ll be able to look
educational needs, the EPMO is careful to tailor back over their roadmap and see all the different
delivery approaches to fit each project—or even challenges they’ve had, what they’ve overcome and
components within a project, Mr. Howland says. how hard they have been working,” Ms. Copeland
“Depending on the project, I use facets of agile, says.
such as scrum-like meetings where we just continu- A formal project management process is key
ally check on the progress status of tasks during fre- to the success of this objective and other district
quent 15-minute meetings. This approach helps us projects, she says. “Project management has given
respond to change and identify potential blocks and us the framework, tools and templates, which can
resolutions sooner,” he says. “Using both agile and serve as breadcrumbs that could help other districts
waterfall on a project is really about finding the best re-create what we’ve built here.”
fit, based on many factors such as project complex- The EPMO’s strong framework also has helped
ity and stakeholder engagement.” the organization respond quickly and effectively to
Having an agile mindset helps the school district crises that had the potential to erode public trust.
adapt to change and allows it to work more effec- For instance, when unsafe levels of lead were dis-
tively with outside vendors on small and large proj- covered in the district’s water supply, the EPMO
ects. For example, the EPMO has partnered with helped to orchestrate an emergency command
Microsoft on a pilot project to enhance and deploy a center that allowed the district to resolve the prob-
software system that will allow the students to con- lem within two weeks. The project team developed
duct social and emotional self-check-ins, undergo a color-coded map of the roughly 70 affected sites
self-reflections, set goals and track their progress in the district. The map, which was shared with the

Report Card The enterprise project management office (EPMO) at Tacoma
Public Schools has overseen dozens of successful projects across
the district since the EPMO was launched in 2013. In the first
three years alone, the EPMO oversaw the deployment of districtwide summer programs with a total budget of US$5.3 million.
Here are other project highlights from each year:
2017-
2014 2015 2016
2018
n Created Tacoma Public n Created Tacoma Public n Delivered introduction n Established the first
Library cards for all Library cards for all to project management school-based health
elementary students. secondary students. training to staff as part clinic with a large com-
n Provided a blended pro- n Replaced substitute of the professional de- munity health provider
fessional development teacher dispatch system. velopment program. in the state of Washing-
differentiation program Launched an academic ton, USA in a high-pov-
n Created and delivered n
for teachers. extension program, an erty high school.

game-based, project-
n Deployed student-based based learning processes innovative approach for n Digitized forms and
online e-portfolios. and tools. alternative discipline for enrollment processes to
students struggling to make the process easier
n Deployed bus ID cards n Completed phase one of
stay in school. and more transparent for
for elementary students. a project to replace the
Created a governance parents.
n Installed computer payroll system and time n
and attendance system model for proposed n Initiated the first high
kiosks in every school for
for 200 administrators. program additions or school project manage-
parents and community
changes. ment class using the PMI
members. n Launched technology
Completed phase two of Educational Foundation
pilot projects at three n
the payroll system and curriculum.

schools, which included
deploying tablets to time and attendance
support differentiated system replacements for
learning, 3D printers and 3,500 teachers.
flat-panel systems.
public, identified which faucets were safe to use—

“We [foster and which were off-limits. The EPMO’s approach
collaboration] had a statewide impact, Ms. Copeland says.
by breaking “When other districts started to have the same

issues, they reached out to us because we were
down silos, looked at as a model for how to handle a water
understanding crisis and the timeline in which we completed the
the impact across work,” she says.
departments
and enabling the LEARNING CURVE
more difficult The EPMO has won over stakeholders at every
level and stitched project management into the
conversations that fabric of the organization. EPMO team members
need to happen in educate others in the district through coaching and
order to implement mentoring in a highly matrixed enterprise to build
change.” a shared language, Mr. Howland says. Another key
—Ryan Howland, PMP, Tacoma to developing buy-in has been fostering more col-
Public Schools laboration, where department heads feel confident

2018
PMO of
the Year
Finalist
“What project
management
has done for us
is really helped
us work smart.”
—Carla Santorno, Tacoma
Public Schools
Educational Foundation curriculum “so they have

project management skills when they leave our pro-
working together to deploy large projects. “We do gram,” Ms. Copeland says.
it by breaking down silos, understanding the impact
across departments and enabling the more difficult TEACHABLE MOMENTS
conversations that need to happen in order to With seven full-time staff members, the EPMO has
implement change,” Mr. Howland says. been able to teach an important lesson that a strong
Staff members now say they look forward to project management framework adds value to the orga-
working with the EPMO and seek out EPMO team nization and the community. Establishing an influential
members when they are thinking about new proj- governance model ensures that taxpayer-funded proj-
ects. Mr. Howland notes that administrators, teach- ects are aligned with the school system’s strategic goals.
ers and other staff regularly praise project managers The most staggering measure of success: Gradua-
for helping them with planning and risk manage- tion rates have increased from 55 percent in 2010 to
ment. The steady influence of project professionals 86 percent in 2016, which exceeds the state average.
has helped the entire school district improve, accel- Tacoma Public Schools has earned a reputation for
erate decision making and grow confidence. project excellence, with school district leaders from
“It is about providing accountability, transpar- across the country looking to copy the EPMO’s dis-
ency and execution,” Mr. Howland says. “We help ciplined approach.
everyone involved to think about all aspects of a “Our goal now is to help provide a solid framework
project and how to manage it in a holistic manner.” and proven methodology for other departments and
To sustain buy-in from top to bottom, the EPMO district leadership to use in their departments to cre-
emphasizes training opportunities across the enter- ate effective programs for our students,” Ms. Cope-
prise. Administrators can attend a 40-hour training land says. “That is how we can be of continued benefit
course, and other staff members, including teachers to our district and continue to bring more project
and office professionals, are offered a 16-hour train- management best practices into our daily operations
ing course. The sessions establish a baseline under- work within our district.” PM
standing of project governance and help people
learn how project management skills can be applied
to their everyday tasks, Ms. Copeland says.
“It has caught on like wildfire,” Ms. Santorno says. Lights, Camera, Action!
“We have waiting lists for people who are ready to go Check out behind-the-scenes videos of this year’s PMO of the
to project management training, because they want to Year Award winner and finalists on PMI’s YouTube channel.
understand it well enough so they can be a part of it.”
Even students have an opportunity to learn about Call for Awards
project management. The district created a program Nominations
for high school students in career and technical Honor PMO excellence in 2019.
education advanced classes that leverages the PMI Visit PMI.org/Awards

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PMN0119 e-Back.indd 70 12/10/18 11:20 AM
GOOD READS FROM PMI
Project Management Institute
The PMI Guide to Business Analysis

The field of business analysis has grown in recent years and is often viewed as a
critical leadership competency for projects, programs and portfolios.
Business analysts—and those who perform business analysis as part of their
role—help produce high-quality requirements, engage stakeholders and help
drive successful outcomes.
As a result, the demand for skilled business analysis professionals has contin-
ued to grow. This standard and guide provide you with a foundation to grow your
business analysis practices and is adaptable for any organization in any industry
and across the continuum of project delivery methods.
Similar to A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK®
Guide), this publication contains both an American National Standards Institute-
accredited foundational standard and a body of knowledge in the same publica-
tion. It is written to integrate seamlessly with Business Analysis for Practitioners: A
Practice Guide.
The PMI Guide to Business Analysis discusses the context, environment and
influences on business analysis. It provides descriptions of inputs and outputs and
techniques for performing each process. It also covers key concepts and emerg-
ing trends, and highlights opportunities for business analysts to collaborate with
key stakeholders and teams.
Each of the 35 business analysis processes presented includes information on how to tailor them to adapt to various life
cycles. This rich publication provides you with a sound basis to improve business analysis maturity and directly impact your
project success rates.
Project Management Institute, 2017, ISBN: 9781628251982, paperback, 444 pages, $59.95 Member, $74.95 List Price
Chen-Yu Chang, PhD Dr. Te Wu, PMP, PgMP, PfMP; Dr.

Panos Chatzipanos,
Incentivizing Collaborative P.Eng, RPP
BIM-Enabled Projects: A
Synthesis of Agency and Implementing Project
Behavioral Approaches Portfolio Management
The use of digital representa- As a companion guide to port-
tions to aid in projects—building folio management, this book
information modeling (BIM)—is is primarily grounded with The
gaining traction worldwide as an Standard for Portfolio Manage-
effective and beneficial approach to executing projects ment—Fourth Edition. It is intended for use by business
that can reduce errors and improve project results. These executives, portfolio leaders and practitioners, and
crucial benefits are prompting many businesses and portfolio thinkers. A practical text, it addresses the
governments to mandate its use, while others search for how-to aspect of portfolio management. Its core value
ways to grow and incentivize the practice. lies in the insights on how to apply each of the prin-
As BIM continues to evolve and transform the industry, ciples covered in the standard that are in practice today,
this research provides valuable insight into the best prac- introducing tools and templates into the discussion.
tices for incentivizing its use. This theoretical approach Ultimately, this guide envisions the continued trans-
gives researchers and organizations new tools and ideas to formation of portfolio management with the changing
help build their own strategies to encourage BIM use and needs of organizations and the advancing means of
better understand its place in managing projects. technology.
Project Management Institute, 2018, ISBN: 9781628255577,

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2:27 PM
PMN0119 e-Back.indd 71 12/10/18 11:20 AM
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Nahlah Al-Yamani, PMI-ACP,
PMI-RMP, PMP
Location: Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
Title: Project manager
Organization: King Fahad Specialist Hospital Dammam
Sector: Healthcare
What three words best If you could give anyone an

describe you? honorary PMI certification,
Motivated, disciplined, team whom would it be?
player. My husband. He has supported
me and studied with me.
What’s the biggest challenge
in your current project? What’s the most beautiful
Stakeholder management is place you’ve ever been?
especially difficult on a team Disneyland. It’s a magical
with diverse educational environment and a living
backgrounds. example of discipline
and precision.
How would you describe
your project management
style? As a team, you
Situational leadership is the
best leadership. It’s task-
deliver. Going
relevant and adaptive. solo, you risk
huge loss.
What’s the best film you’ve
seen recently?
The Post. It shows the What’s the most important
importance of having the right lesson you’ve learned so far?
team and the right leadership As a team, you deliver. Going
to overcome challenges. solo, you risk huge loss.
You earned three PMI PMI is celebrating its

PHOTO BY TASNEEM ALSULTAN
certifications in a span of 50th anniversary.

two years. How did you What project in the past
manage that? half-century has
Step by step. The secret is to inspired you?
have a clear goal, put a plan to Vaccine projects, because of
it and stick by it. the countless lives saved. PM
n Know anyone who should be featured on this page?

Email pmnetwork@imaginepub.com.
PMN0119 e-Back.indd 72 12/10/18 11:20 AM

TOGETHER FOR THE FIRST TIME > PMBOK® Guide – Sixth Edition + Agile Practice Guide
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©2019 PROJECT MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. “PMI” THE PMI LOGO, “PMP” and “PMBOK” ARE REGISTERED MARKS OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE, INC.
Agile Practice Guide was jointly funded by the Agile Alliance® and developed in collaboration with members of the Agile Alliance®. Agile Alliance® does not endorse any agile methodology or certification.

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©2019 Project Management Institute, Inc. All Rights Reserved. “PMI” and the PMI logo are registerd marks of Project Management Institute , Inc.

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JANUARY 2019 VOLUME 33, NUMBER 1

HOT SPOTS, GROWING INDUSTRIES

AND IN-DEMAND SKILLS PAGE 28

MAKING PROJECT MANAGEMENT INDISPENSABLE FOR BUSINESS RESULTS.®

PMN0119 Cover final.indd 1 12/10/18 10:21 AM

Moving Projects Forward

PMN0119 Cover final.indd 2 12/10/18 10:17 AM

Features JANUARY 2019 | VOLUME 33, NUMBER 1

28 Career opportunities abound. But the 48 McDonald’s

42 Automated systems are transform-

PMN0119 a-Front.indd 1 12/10/18 10:31 AM

Class at your location at your convenience

Discounts for group enrollment

PMTI assigns dedicated instructor

PMTI assigns dedicated administrative staff

Dedicated PMP® exam application assistance

High quality proven guaranteed prep course

Your Corporate Trainer for PMP ®

PMN0119 a-Front.indd 2 12/10/18 10:31 AM

6 6 New Digs Mining projects are booming in Latin

8 Cleaning Spree To solve an open defecation

9 IoT Takeover Internet of things projects are

10 A Place to Remember Teams building facilities

12 Permit Power Permit snag hits century-old

13 Scooting Into Stakeholders’ Good Graces

16 A Sense of Safety Sensors are improving on-

20 Project Toolkit Rookie Revelations

20 72 22 Deliver IT State of Flux

23 Culture Club Positive Influence

GETTING IT DONE: Project Management in Action

PMN0119 a-Front.indd 3 12/10/18 10:31 AM

PMI STAFF 2019 PMI BOARD OF DIRECTORS PUBLICATION & MEMBERSHIP

ADVERTISING SALES Chair, Compensation Committee

Project Manager, Print Production

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Kelly Slater walks along the man-

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USA. The company

PHOTO COURTESY OF CODELCO

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Households that had

Source: Indian Ministry of Drink-

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important on a local level, experienced

mindset open defecation. Other efforts IoT 17% 17% 14%

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50 million says Francis Lacoste, director of solidarity for the

152 million be assigned to the neighborhood that best matches

UNIVERSITY OF MANAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY

Phone: 1-800-924-4883 | 703-516-0035 | www.umtweb.edu | Arlington, VA USA

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