PMI to Stream Synergy Presentations Free

p3m global is a proud sponsor of PMI Synergy 2014, and we hope to see as many of you there as possible, as PMI Synergy has rapidly earned distinction as one of the largest project management celebrations in Europe.

Synergy 2014 takes place on Thursday, 13th November in London. Register here for tickets.

This year the PMI are showcasing a new scheme, where the seminars will be streamed live from the event via a web link, making Synergy 2014 available globally. Yohan Abrahams, PMI UK, President, shared this exciting news with us:

"PMI UK is planning as a pilot to stream some of the presentation sessions at Synergy, our annual congress on the 13^_th of November 2014 starting 09:00hrs GMT. Not all the sessions will be available for streaming, therefore we are offering this opportunity free of charge.

All you have to do is register your interest on the PMI website quoting promotional code SynergyStream. On the 12^_th of November we will send you a web link to use to watch Synergy. You will then be able to join virtually with nearly 600 members of the community who will be present on the day in London. You will be able to interact with the presenters on twitter using #pmisynergy."

PMI UK announced that p3m global would be duly recognised as Sponsor as this annual event continues to engage with leading industry figures and those looking to get ahead in P3M.

Want a Shot at Free PMI Congress Registration?

Ray Mead and Steve Butler of p3m global will be on site at PMI Global Congress in Phoenix, AZ 26-28 October. More details on this great opportunity to network with us in the days ahead. 

In relation to the #PMIcongressSweeps hashtag that's sweeping the #PMOT globe, be sure to tell everyone the following...

Post this image and/or RT #PMIcongressSweeps for a chance to win FREE registration to #PMIcongress! pic.twitter.com/OXZ7PHTFuJ
— PMI (@PMInstitute) October 1, 2014

Follow us on Twitter @p3mglobal

The Semantics of the Portfolio Management Professional (PfMP) Course

This week, we thought it would be useful to spread some of the joy regarding the development of the new PMI Portfolio Management Professional certification (PfMP), which will add a portfolio level to the PMI's suite of qualifications.

"What is portfolio management?" I hear you say. Well, the official definition from the PMI is "a component collection of programs, projects or operations managed as a group to achieve strategic objectives." The APMG define it as "the totality of an organisation's investments (or segment thereof) in the changes required to achieve its strategic objectives." Basically, making sure you are doing as much of the right stuff as you can – and demonstrating that you are doing it.

Want one of these? Steve Butler's got the lowdown 

on how to get one. (Courtesy: pmi.org)

To put it in simpler terms, consider a car. You have a nice bright shiny new car. It is of no use to you unless you have the skills to drive it…that is your project management layer – or the ability to maintain it or have it maintained…the operations layer. That enables you to get from A to B.

But what is B? Where are you going? If you are taking three kids to school, it is no good having a sports car. If you are moving furniture around, it's no good having a little four seat saloon car. So the vehicle is programme management layer – it's no good being a really good driver (the project management layer) with really good skills as a car mechanic (the operations layer) if you don't know where you're going.

The final part of the picture is how you are going to get there – if you like, the SatNav bit. How can you most efficiently get to where you are going without sitting in traffic for hours on end, or running out of petrol. Conceptually – the world of portfolio management! It's all about saving money, getting more value out of what you are doing – more bang for your buck. If you consider programme management as "doing the thing right"… portfolio management is doing the right thing.

So the PMI is in the final stages of producing a certification to demonstrate someone's ability and experience at the portfolio layer. What's the point? Well, portfolio management is being adopted more and more - across industries and across the globe. So, there is a corresponding demand for more knowledge, resources and professional recognition. The PfMP credential is intended to validate and demonstrate a practitioner’s knowledge and experience. It will also differentiate practitioners from their non-credentialed peers, and, because it is transferable among methodologies and industries, it helps make them more marketable. It will complement existing qualifications such as the MoP and provide the first globally-accepted credential for the role of a portfolio manager.

We've written before about PfMP, including a useful set of FAQs about how to attain the certification.
Be sure to check out PMI's literature on PfMP development as well.

Steve Butler is Head of Delivery at p3m global. He was a Co-author of the PMI Standard for Portfolio Management, 3rd Edition, and has been a key contributor to other recent PMI publications, including OPM3, 3rd Ed., and Software Extension to the PMBOK® Guide Fifth Edition. earning special distinction as the only co-author based in the UK. Join the PMI Portfolio Management debate on our LinkedIn Group page - hosted by Steve - today.

The Project Delivery Continuum

Agile, the Dark Ages, and maintaining appreciation for project delivery as a method agnostic goal.

Agile methods have emerged and become popular over last few years as a response to perceived shortcomings of waterfall delivery model. We have seen agile proponents take an almost evangelistic approach, claiming that agile methods should be used in all cases and that those who don’t agree with them are living in the Dark Ages. Conversely, the agile approach is stomped on by some as being akin to chaos, and anyone who evangelises agile is a developer who has simply never seen a project managed properly.

Just as when you choose a courier, delivery can't be ignored in project management, whether your agile, waterfall or agnostic in delivery. Image courtesy snaillad @Flickr, re-used with permission.

There is some truth in both arguments, but devotees of the "either or" position show a fundamental lack of understanding of delivery. In truth, there is a continuum – a spectrum of project delivery, in fact, there always has been. It is simple, basic, good practice.

On the one hand you have the pure adaptive approach. Welcoming change, this approach is perfect in circumstances where there's an advantage to get something partial out now rather than everything later. Or, maybe the sponsor isn't entirely sure what they want – ok, so give it to them in bits so everyone can be sure the right approach is being taken. Or, maybe new technology is involved and we want to reduce risk by delivering iteratively.

Conversely, the culture of the environment may not be conducive to the flexibility required when delivering using an agile method – governance may be very rigid, and empowering a team maybe as likely as jumping over a house. Maybe there are very restrictive regulatory requirements that remove any chance of flexibility – or maybe the sponsor just isn't interested in a flexible approach.

In truth, it is very rarely a case of "either or". Agile practices can (and often should) be adapted in traditionally waterfall approaches, and vice-versa. For example, having weekly stand-ups in an infrastructure project where the sponsor has definite requirements and is not interested in flexibility. Or including a risk management plan to keep those overseeing regulatory aspects of delivery where an agile approach is chosen. Or delivering an individual work package in a purely agile way, where the rest of the project is waterfall.

So in practice, delivery methods form a continuum, with purely adaptive methods at one end and purely prescriptive methods at the other. As delivery professionals, we must lose the temptation to evangelise about one or other of these extremes and understand that we need to learn the skills to place our project or work package at the appropriate position in the delivery continuum, based on aspects such as what we are delivering, the nature of the team, who we are delivering to and where we are delivering it.

Steve Butler is Head of Delivery at p3m global. Steve served as co-author of the PMI Standard for Portfolio Management, 3rd Edition, and has been a key contributor to other recent PMI publications, including OPM3, 3rd Ed., and Software Extension to the PMBOK® Guide Fifth Edition, earning special distinction as the only co-author based in the UK.

Image courtesy snaillad @Flickr, re-used with permission.

Project Management: An Exercise in Common Sense

Steve Butler PMP lays out what Project Management means to him (and PM-Partners) in conjunction with the exciting Shim Marom-inspired #pmflashblog initiative. In short, Steve feels that project management requires a lot of planning, and some common sense, too.

Project management is all about change. Strip out all the latest fads, standards and gimmicks and at its heart all project management really boils down to is a risk mitigation exercise when you are trying to effect change – be it deliver a product or a service or an update.

Keep that thought at the front of your mind when managing a project, and everything becomes common sense. You are changing something, and you want to get it right. So what do you need to consider?
Well, you need to make sure "it" is the right thing…so some sort of requirements gathering exercise and scoping exercise is needed so you can hit the target. 

To do that you need to make sure you are talking to the right people to find out the right information, and to make sure you are keeping the right people up to speed with what you are doing – so some sort of communications management and stakeholder happiness plan needs to be in place. Obviously when you gather the requirements and define the scope, a budget and a timeline needs to be defined and managed, and how they progress needs to be communicated (hence having a communications plan). Within the timeline will be milestones and deliverables and some sort of mechanism for delivering them and reviewing the milestones. Part of making sure you hit the target is making sure the quality of what you are doing is acceptable, so some sort of plan to manage that is necessary.

You can think about assembling the team, and keeping them happy and efficient. If you’re not sure exactly what you’re doing, maybe deliver in bits and make sure you are heading in the right direction by regularly reviewing with someone who knows what is required. Maybe regularly review with the team to make sure they are doing the right thing and have no blockers you don’t know about. We could call that basic concept, oh I don’t know, Agile? A concept that has been around for decades, but now has a name!

Project Management – an exercise in common sense.

Steve Butler is Head of Delivery at p3m global. He was a Co-author of the PMI Standard for Portfolio Management, 3rd Edition, and has been a key contributor to other recent PMI publications, including OPM3, 3rd Ed., and Software Extension to the PMBOK® Guide Fifth Edition. earning special distinction as the only co-author based in the UK. Join the PMI Portfolio Management debate on our LinkedIn Group page - hosted by Steve - today.

The Ins, Outs and In-Betweens on the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner

So why is there yet another "agile" course, and what is the point of it? Well, in just the 12 months from mid-2010, the number of PMI members using agile practices rose from 12% to a staggering 27% (according to a PMI survey of its membership). In response to this increase, PMI assembled a working group of industry thought leaders and authors (not just PMI folks) to study how and if PMI should respond.

During the first few meetings, only one of the group felt that the PMI should have a certification, and over the months it became clear that there wasn't a common understanding across organisations of what agile means anyway. In some organisations, agile simply meant Scrum, in others it was XP, in others it was Scrum with a bit of XP or with kanban thrown in. It was clear that a certification was needed that clarified the core of what agile means and created a common language and understanding of principles across organisations. The PMI-ACP (Agile Certified Practitioner) was developed.

There are other agile certifications of course, such as DSDM, plus all of the specific certifications for agile developers, such as Certified Scrum Master etc. Where the PMI-ACP differs is that it demonstrates to colleagues, organisations or even potential employers an awareness of all aspects of agile - not just in, for example, Scrum. It is a globally recognised certification that demonstrates that practitioners are able to use agile techniques and most crucially apply them in the correct circumstances – at the time of writing it is also the fastest growing PMI certification out there.

The PM-Partners course is intended for teams and project managers at varying stages of agile adoption who need an immersion session in the how to manage an agile project. It explores a wide range of agile techniques while also preparing the participants to sit for the PMI-ACP exam. Certified practitioners will then be able to demonstrate to their organisations and colleagues when and how best to use agile techniques, and not just focus on Scrum in all circumstances.

- Some frequently asked questions about the PMI-ACP certification
- The PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) page
- The official PMI-ACP Handbook (online PDF)

Steve Butler is Head of Delivery at PM-Partners. He was a Co-author of the PMI Standard for Portfolio Management, 3rd Edition, and has been a key contributor to other recent PMI publications, including OPM3, 3rd Ed., and Software Extension to the PMBOK® Guide Fifth Edition, earning special distinction as the only co-author based in the UK. Join the PMI Portfolio Management debate on our LinkedIn Group page - hosted by Steve - today.

The 5W-How on Earning the PfMP

"What is portfolio management? I hear you say...Basically, making sure you are doing as much of the right stuff as you can – and demonstrating that you are doing it." - Steve Butler

Project portfolio management is an emerging practice which most people acknowledge is going to be a key topic throughout 2014 and beyond. The PMI’s Portfolio Management Professional (PfMP) qualification is now live, and with nearly 1,000 people already going through the application process it is already proving popular – so for this session we thought we would give a bit more explanation as to how and why to apply, and what the process is.

ELIGIBILITY

The requirements for even being able to apply for the PfMP are strict – and necessarily so, since portfolio management is focussed on the more advanced concepts of aligning the investment in PPM and operational activity with a corporate (or in some cases departmental) strategy. So you need to know what you’re doing and be able to show you know what you’re doing! The credential is aimed at the seasoned practitioner, so applicants need to possess four to seven years of CONCURRENT project portfolio management experience, and at least eight to ten years of general business experience.

  - Establishing a governance model;
  - Defining and/or modifying portfolio processes, and;
  - Procedures to ensure effective governance, or;
  - Maybe even where you have determined portfolio management standards, protocols, policies, rules, and best practices in order to establish consistent portfolio management practices.

* - Years of concurrent project portfolio management experience means just that: years managing portfolios. means, as an example: if you managed a portfolio for two years, and then managed a different portfolio for three years but the final year of the first portfolio and the first year of the second portfolio overlap – that means you have four years concurrent experience rather than five).

THE MECHANICS OF THE APPLICATION

The whole process is involved, and lays out in two stages. First is an evaluation of the application, followed by a formal exam, as follows:

ALSO: ALL applicants must have a minimum of 8 years (96 months) of professional business experience.

The application form is complicated, and you will be required to list your experience (both portfolio management and business, separately), so it will take you a while. In detailing your portfolio management experience, it is vital you give specific examples of what you have done and how you have done it and who you have done it to, under the five headings for each of the five domains of portfolio management as follows:

Strategic Alignment – This is an analysis of your experience in aligning a portfolio to specific strategic goals. You should focus on such things as identify prioritization criteria, rank strategic priorities, identifying various portfolio scenarios by reviewing documentation (business cases/proposals, using business planning analysis techniques – and so on).

Governance – This is where you list your experience in ensuring a portfolio is effectively managed, or in securing authorisation for executing a portfolio. Think about areas such as:

What’s more, perhaps you have experience of creating a portfolio management plan to ensure effective and efficient portfolio management. There is a lot to it.

Performance Management – Managing the performance of a portfolio to ensure it runs as efficiently as possible is another domain that you will need to show evidence of your experience in. Here, the panel will be looking for details such as evidence of you collecting and consolidating key performance metrics, or maybe in managing portfolio changes using change management techniques. Perhaps you’ve analysed and conducted the allocation/reallocation of resources (e.g., people, tools, materials, technology, facilities and financials), or monitored the performance of a portfolio’s performance on an ongoing basic. All with specific examples, of course.

Risk – Always crucial. Here, the panel will be looking for evidence of specific portfolio level risk management (not programme and not project level – there is a big difference!). Think about your experience in things like determining the acceptable level of risk for a portfolio, or maybe performing a dependency analysis. Perhaps you have developed a portfolio-level risk register or had to create a common understanding and stakeholder ownership of portfolio risks (often a challenge!).

Communications – last but not least, you will need to describe your experience in engaging with stakeholders to make sure there expectations are met, or developing the communications strategy for a portfolio. Engage stakeholders, through oral and written communication, to ensure awareness and foster support for the success of the portfolio roadmap. Think about how you maintained your communication strategy and plan, or how you made sure what you were telling your stakeholders was accurate, consistent, and complete….again with specific examples.

Remember: you could very well be audited on this information, so don’t tell porkies as you’ll be wasting your time and that of others. Also: your application will be reviewed by a panel of experts so try not to bluff; you’ll be found out. If you have not got the relevant experience, you will fall short at the final step, as you’ll fail the exam anyway. It is that tough. You will need to sit the exam before the date you are given when you complete the application and it is accepted by the panel. From that point forward, you usually have a year. Do know that you won’t have to pay a fee until after you have successfully applied.

Good luck – go for it!

This blog post was originally published at the PM-Partners blog, 23rd January 2014.

Steve Butler is Head of Delivery at p3m global. He was a Co-author of the PMI Standard for Portfolio Management, 3rd Edition, and has been a key contributor to other recent PMI publications, including OPM3, 3rd Ed., and Software Extension to the PMBOK® Guide Fifth Edition, earning special distinction as the only co-author based in the UK. Join the PMI Portfolio Management debate on our LinkedIn Group page - hosted by Steve - today.