Project Management Happy Hour: Recent Episodes

View Details

A $6.9 million estimate. A $1.25 billion catastrophe. How fake deadlines, a rigged bid, and a steering committee allergic to bad news turned a routine payroll migration into one of the biggest project disasters in Australian history.

What happens when project leadership treats risk management as optional, decision making gets diffused across committees, and a hard deadline turns out to be completely negotiable? You get one of the most instructive project failure case studies in project management history — and in this episode, Kim and Kate pour it out one painful lesson at a time.

The subject is Queensland Health, the public healthcare provider for the Australian state of Queensland, employing roughly 85,000 people across about 300 sites. In 2005, their legacy payroll vendor gave them three years' notice: support ends June 30, 2008. Sounds like plenty of runway — until the organization waited two of those three years to act. By the time a consultant named Terry Burns (remember that name) ran the procurement and IBM signed a contract in December 2007, the original $6.9 million estimate had ballooned to a $98 million contract with just six months to deliver a system covering more than 24,000 unique payroll combinations.

Why does this matter for project managers and leaders? Because almost nothing that went wrong here is exotic. Late project intake. Governance where a transition team, a steering committee, and an IT department all had partial authority but no single decision-making structure. Two weeks — total — for requirements gathering on a nine-figure program. A "lift and shift" strategy that preserved every broken process and demanded 2,500 custom software configurations to replicate them. As Kim and Kate walk through it, the episode becomes a masterclass in how ordinary project management failures compound into organizational catastrophe.

The discussion highlights are equal parts horrifying and hilarious. There's the program's actual internal slogan, taken straight from the project materials: "Plan A or Die" — no continuity plan, no risk mitigation, no fallback. There's the June 2008 deadline that came and went with a simple change request and some extended support from the legacy vendor, prompting Kate's sharp observation that the date was fake and not fake at once: end-of-life risk is real even when the cliff turns out to be movable. There's the UAT phase in June 2009 that surfaced 2,422 severe defects — after which the steering committee simply reclassified high-severity defects as lower severity so the dashboards would show enough green to proceed. Watermelon project, indeed. And when frontline payroll staff kept failing the system in testing, leadership's answer was to remove the requirement for business sign-off entirely.

The go-live in March 2010 delivered the reckoning: 35,000 payroll anomalies, roughly $400 million in accidental overpayments, zero-dollar paychecks for healthcare workers, and government debt collectors hounding nurses for money they never asked to receive. Queensland ultimately hired a thousand staff to manually prop up the new system — a 40 percent increase in labor over the old one — with a projected five-year cost to taxpayers of $1.25 billion. The commission of inquiry that followed, led by the Right Honourable Richard Noel Chesterman, revealed the final twist: Terry Burns, a former IBMer, had leaked a competitor's bid specs to IBM and browbeaten the selection panel into rescoring until IBM won. And when the state sued? A release buried in the fine print of a change order had signed away its right to litigate.

Grab a drink and join us. Quotes from the Episode "Everyone's in charge, so no one's in charge." — Kate "If you've got a deadline, question the deadline." — Kim "I've heard the term watermelon project where they're green on the outside and red on the inside." — Kim "And you are paying that company that you're hiring to learn." — Kate "But ultimately, if your project options are plan A or die. Maybe sometimes the best option is die." — Kim Practical Takeaways 1. Governance and decision rights — When multiple bodies share authority without a single decision-making structure, accountability evaporates ("everyone's in charge, so no one's in charge"). 2. Deadline validation — Interrogate whether a project deadline is a true constraint or a negotiable date, and what options (like extended vendor support) exist beyond it. 3. The watermelon project pattern — Recognizing status distortion, including reclassifying defect severity and removing sign-off requirements to force green dashboards. 4. Parallel run as cutover risk mitigation — Why replacing a legacy business-critical system requires side-by-side operation and validation before go-live. 5. Procurement integrity and vendor selection — The risks of conflicts of interest in vendor selection, of choosing a vendor with no prior experience delivering the solution, and of unreviewed contract fine print.

Closing Reflection Nobody ever really "accepts" a risk on paper. When risks are realized, someone always pays—taxpayers, frontline workers, or the organization itself. Sometimes the bravest act of project leadership is admitting that Plan A deserves to die. 🔗 Links & Resources Mentioned * PM Happy Hour Membership: pmhappyhour.com/membership * PM Happy Hour Facebook Page

View Details

Why do perfectly logical, well-researched project plans still fail to win people over? It's one of the most frustrating forms of project failure—not a broken schedule or a blown budget, but a smart solution that nobody trusts. Kim and Kate dig into that exact problem, exploring decision-making, risk management, and team performance through the lens of one hard-earned leadership lesson: being right is not enough. If you've ever done everything "to the T" and still hit resistance, this conversation is for you.

In this episode, Kim and Kate welcome Noel Nicole Ransom—VP of Implementation, PMP, Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, educator, speaker, and founder of Sigma Certify—for a wide-ranging conversation about project leadership and career advancement. Noel has led complex enterprise implementations, organizational change efforts, and strategic transformation initiatives, and now coaches professionals on bridging the gap between certification and real influence. The topic matters because so many capable project managers get stuck being seen as schedule-checkers rather than leaders, and that perception ceiling caps both their impact and their careers.

This episode explores the throughline that credibility, not correctness, is what actually moves projects forward. Noel explains that organizations run on trust rather than logic, which means a technically perfect plan can still stall if people don't feel included in how it was built. From there, the conversation moves into what Noel calls the shift from "note takers" to "progress makers" — PMs who stop documenting problems and start solving them. She offers a simple framework for unresolved roadblocks: everyone needs an owner, an action, and a date, or it can't actually be managed. The discussion also covers how to work with resistant stakeholders by treating pushback as concern rather than defiance and how leadership conversations require starting with understanding before persuasion, since executives are rarely trying to win an argument—they're trying to get to clarity.

Grab a drink and join us. Quotes from the Episode "Being right is not enough." — Noel "Organizations move mostly at a speed of trust and not necessarily logic." — Noel "You are not a glorified executive assistant." — Noel "Teams don't need more status updates. They need fewer barriers." — Noel "Leadership conversations really should begin with understanding before persuasion." — Noel Practical Takeaways 1. Treat every unresolved roadblock as incomplete until it has an owner, an action, and a date—vague status updates don't count as progress. 2. When a stakeholder resists, get curious about the underlying concern instead of pushing harder on your rationale; questions like, "What concerns do you have?" or, "What are you seeing that we're not?" tend to open doors that arguments close. 3. When bringing ideas to leadership, come with a rough draft or "prototype" rather than an open-ended question—it invites collaboration instead of putting the entire burden of thinking on the other person. 4. Resist the instinct to arrive with every answer buttoned up; asking thoughtful questions early, framed the right way, builds far more trust than appearing to have it all figured out.

Closing Reflection

The project managers who build lasting influence aren't the ones with the most airtight plans—they're the ones who build trust one honest conversation at a time. Curiosity over certainty, progress over perfection, and quiet obstacle-removal over box-checking.

🔗 Links & Resources Mentioned * PM Happy Hour Membership: pmhappyhour.com/membership * PM Happy Hour Facebook Page * Noel Nicole Ransom's website: noelnicole.com * Noel on LinkedIn * Sigma Certify * Book: Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss and Tahl Raz

View Details

Ever worked on a project that felt like a complete disaster... only for leadership to call it a huge success?

In Part 2 of our Mr. Beast series, Kim and Kate dig into the reported chaos behind Beast Games—from weather disasters and safety concerns to unhappy contestants, lawsuits, and production challenges. But here's the twist: despite all the problems, does the sponsor spin it as a win? If they did - would they be 'right?'

This episode explores project sponsors, stakeholder management, risk management, and one uncomfortable truth many project managers eventually learn: success is often defined by the people funding the project—not the people doing the work.

Kim and Kate unpack what happens when ambitious goals collide with reality, why sponsors often see projects differently than project managers, and why writing your own project post-mortem may be one of the most important leadership skills you can develop.

Grab a drink and join us.

Quotes from the Episode

"Imagine that guy pouring down rain. He's in ankle deep water holding a 240 volt line over his head thinking, well, at least I'm getting paid for this." — Kate

"Watch out for fixes that move the problem instead of solving it." — Kim

Practical Takeaways

1. When project scope or scale increases dramatically, bring in people who have experience operating at that level.
2. Challenge proposed solutions by asking whether they solve the root cause or simply move the problem elsewhere.
3. Escalate business-level risks back to leadership when leadership made the decision to accept those risks.
4. Build post-mortems that document both successes and failures—not just one side of the story.
5. Tailor project communication to sponsor priorities while still surfacing risks clearly and consistently.

Closing Reflection

A project can be operationally messy and still be considered a success by its sponsors. The question isn't just whether a project succeeded—but whose definition of success ultimately mattered.

🔗 Links & Resources Mentioned

• PM Happy Hour Membership: pmhappyhour.com/membership
• PM Happy Hour Facebook Page
• Folding Ideas — Why Was I Invited to Beast Studios?
• Rolling Stone article by Stephen Essarch: A Fyre Fest Feeling Inside the Chaos of Mr. Beast's New Reality Show
• KSNV article by Minx and Lau: Las Vegas Staff Say Mr. Beast Should Be Blacklisted, Cite OSHA, Medics Set for Failure

View Details

Ever worked with a stakeholder who changes direction faster than your project plan can keep up? Then this episode may feel a little too familiar.

Kim and Kate dive into the rise of Mr. Beast and the making of Beast Games through a project management lens—not to critique content creation, but to examine what happens when vision outpaces execution. From sponsor behavior and scaling challenges to agile gone sideways, they unpack the risks of massive ambition without the systems to support it.

If you've ever managed shifting priorities, difficult stakeholders, or a project that seemed to grow by the hour, this conversation will hit home. Grab a drink and join us for a fascinating look at project sponsors, leadership, and what real-world project management can learn from internet-scale production.

🎙️ Spicy Quotes from the Episode

"Those poor people. Those poor people. I feel so bad." — Kate

"This has to be a textbook case of the absolute worst project sponsor I have ever seen." — Kim

Key Concepts & Takeaways

The Sponsor Shapes the ProjectKate frames Mr. Beast not as a creator but as a project sponsor. Great sponsors create alignment; difficult ones can unintentionally create chaos, rework, and burnout.

Scale Changes EverythingWhat works at small scale may not work as it scales up - in this case, scaling from Youtube videos to a massive $100m production involving thousands of participants and multiple organizations. Scaling requires stronger processes, decision making, and management support - not just bigger budgets.

Empathy Matters in Project ManagementKate repeatedly returns to the human side of projects: behind every schedule slip or scope change are real people doing the work.

Practical Takeaways

• Evaluate sponsor behavior early, not just project requirements.
• Reassess processes when projects scale dramatically.
• Governance doesn't slow decisions - it can help speed them and ensure your project can effectively absorb changing priorities.
• Consider the human impact of ambitious timelines and scope changes.
• Distinguish between innovation and avoidable chaos.

🔗 Links & Resources Mentioned

• Folding Ideas video: "Why Was I Invited to Beast Studios?" (https://youtu.be/0dwagg5wYY4?si=wNMmjhncv06AqUul)
• Project Management Happy Hour Website
• PM Happy Hour Membership

View Details

You know the moment.

Your project plan is solid. The scope is defined. The team is ready. Then an executive walks by and casually asks:

"Can we just make this AI?"

Suddenly you're no longer managing a project. You're managing expectations, buzzwords, corporate excitement, and whatever article someone just read on the flight home from a conference.

In this episode, Kim and Kate tackle the question nearly every project manager is hearing right now: What's your AI strategy?

They discuss why this isn't the first technology hype cycle we've lived through, how to respond when leaders want AI without knowing what they actually want AI to do, and why saying "yes" doesn't mean committing to anything.

Along the way, they unpack executive AI buzzwords, governance concerns, AI productivity myths, vibe coding, project management tools, and where AI genuinely helps versus where it's mostly creating noise.

Most importantly, they share practical ways to stay credible, keep your projects grounded, and avoid getting swept up in the latest technology frenzy.

So grab a drink, pull up your RAID log, and let's talk about surviving the AI gold rush without losing your mind.

🎙️ Spicy Quotes from the Episode

"My eyes actually fell all the way out of my head and are rolling down the street. I actually can't see anything anymore." — Kate

"Your project cannot be more mature than the organization." — Kim

"AI is not like magic pixie dust you sprinkle on your project and suddenly magical things happen, right?" — Kim

"AI is not better than you at project management. And it probably never will be." — Kate

Key Concepts & Takeaways

AI Hype Cycles Are Not New

The technology changes, but the executive behavior doesn't.

Before AI there was cloud. Before that there was blockchain. Every generation gets its must-have technology that promises massive transformation. Project managers shouldn't panic when AI becomes the topic of every conversation. The important skill isn't becoming an AI expert overnight. It's understanding enough to have an informed conversation.

Other key concepts covered:

• Learn the Language Without Drinking the Kool-Aid
• Don't Let Projects Outrun Governance
• Ask "How?" Before You Ask "Why Not?"
• AI Is Only As Good As Your Data
• AI Helps More With Starting Than Finishing

Closing Reflection

The next time someone asks, "What's our AI strategy?" maybe the better question is:

"What problem are we actually trying to solve?"

Because the organizations that benefit most from AI probably won't be the ones chasing every new buzzword—they'll be the ones that stay focused on outcomes while everyone else is getting distracted by the hype.

🔗 Links & Resources Mentioned

• Project Management Happy Hour Website
• PM Happy Hour Membership

View Details

AI is changing work fast enough to give every project manager emotional whiplash. New tools, new workflows, new expectations… and somehow you're still expected to hit deadlines, manage stakeholders, and explain for the fifth time why the project scope changed after leadership changed the entire business strategy.

In this episode, Kim and Kate sit down with Kelly Heuer from Project Management Institute to talk about the skills that actually survive industry shifts, changing technology, and whatever shiny new buzzword LinkedIn is obsessed with this week.

They unpack why "soft skills" are actually the hardest skills in project management, how business acumen separates strategic PMs from task trackers, and why learning to navigate ambiguity matters more now than memorizing formulas from the PMP exam.

The conversation also dives into the uncomfortable reality that project success is rarely about perfectly following the original plan. Sometimes the real job is realizing the plan should change in the first place.

Along the way, they cover durable vs. perishable skills, why varied career experience is secretly a superpower, how PMs can become more effective strategic partners, and why "say the thing" might be the most important career advice you'll hear all year.

Grab a drink, question your project charter, and let's get into it. Guest Bio

As Vice President of Learning at the Project Management Institute (PMI), Dr. Kelly Heuer brings over two decades of experience in higher education to lead PMI's Learning division. She oversees a global portfolio including professional standards, publications, live and enterprise training, and digital learning products that equip project professionals worldwide to drive project success.

Kelly holds multiple degrees in philosophy, including an AB from Harvard and an MA and PhD from Georgetown University. She began her career at Georgetown, helping launch the university's first Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) in bioethics and co-founding its ethics and social innovation lab. She most recently served as Vice President of Learning Experience at edX, driving learning strategies and digital innovation across the company's portfolio.

As the first in her family to pursue higher education, Kelly is passionate about mentoring first-generation students, coaching formerly incarcerated individuals, and supporting colleagues exploring alternative career paths. She lives in Brooklyn with her partner, Arjun, and their two children, chess enthusiast Kiran and aspiring explorer Ryan.

🎙️ Quotes from the Episode

"If you're thinking the thing, if you're wondering the thing, if you're confused about the thing, say the thing." — Kelly

"Human skills are more important than artificial intelligence skills." — Kate

"Soft skills are the hardest part of project management." — Kate

"Comfort with ambiguity. It's acknowledging change as a constant, not as something you're going to design around or manage your way away from." — Kelly

📌 Key Concepts & Takeaways

Durable Skills vs. Perishable Skills

Technical skills expire faster than most PMs want to admit. Tools change. Platforms die. Entire workflows disappear. But communication, business acumen, stakeholder management, adaptability, and decision-making under uncertainty keep paying dividends across every phase of a career.

"Say the Thing"

One of the biggest career mistakes is staying quiet because you don't want to sound inexperienced, difficult, or slow the room down. Asking the uncomfortable question early often prevents much bigger problems later.

Business Acumen Is the Real Career Multiplier

Technical project management skills are still important—but they're table stakes now. The PMs who move into larger, more strategic work understand value, organizational priorities, market shifts, and executive decision-making.

Varied Experience Builds Better PMs

Working across industries, teams, and business problems creates stronger long-term judgment. Diverse experience teaches pattern recognition, adaptability, and strategic thinking in ways repetitive specialization sometimes doesn't.

Learning Happens in the Field

Courses, books, and certifications matter—but they're only part of the equation. Real growth happens when people practice skills, make mistakes, reflect, adapt, and try again in live environments.

Discussion Highlights

One of the strongest threads throughout the conversation was the idea that project managers are being forced to rethink what makes them valuable. Kelly talked about how rapidly technical skills are expiring, referencing research showing that the "half-life" of professional skills has dropped dramatically over time. The implication wasn't that technical knowledge no longer matters—it absolutely does—but that technical expertise alone is no longer enough to sustain a long career.

Kate pushed hard on the idea that so-called "soft skills" have always been the hardest part of the job. Not the formulas. Not the software. The real challenge is learning how to navigate people, power dynamics, ambiguity, and shifting business priorities without becoming either invisible or terrifying.

The conversation also got surprisingly honest about career growth. Kate talked about how asking "dumb questions" early in a career feels different than asking them after twenty years of experience. Early on, vulnerability makes you non-threatening. Later, the exact same question can suddenly feel like a high-level strategic critique because people assume expertise from seniority alone.

Kim brought up another tension a lot of PMs quietly experience: organizations wanting project managers who have done the exact same project fifteen times already. That led into a larger conversation about how difficult it can be for experienced PMs with varied backgrounds to communicate the value of transferable skills during hiring processes.

And naturally, because this is PM Happy Hour, the conversation eventually circled back to the reality that no amount of theory replaces getting kicked by the metaphorical horse yourself.

Sometimes literally.

Practical Takeaways

• Stop treating stakeholder communication as a "soft" secondary skill. It's one of the highest leverage parts of the job.
• When joining a new project or industry, focus first on understanding how the business creates value—not just how the process works.
• Ask questions earlier, especially when something feels unclear or inconsistent. Waiting usually makes problems more expensive.
• Revisit project success criteria regularly during long initiatives. The business environment may have shifted even if the project plan hasn't.
• If your background is varied, learn how to frame it as strategic adaptability rather than lack of specialization.
• Build learning habits that fit into real work. Continuous learning matters more now because many technical skills become outdated quickly.
• Don't confuse sticking to the original plan with leadership. Sometimes leadership means recognizing the plan itself needs to evolve.

Closing Reflection

Project management used to reward the people who could control complexity.

Now it increasingly rewards the people who can navigate uncertainty without freezing, adapt without losing direction, and keep delivering value even while the ground underneath the project keeps moving.

That's a very different skill set.

And honestly? Probably a much more human one.

🔗 Links & Resources Mentioned

• Project Management Institute (PMI)
• PMI Learning Resources
• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
• Death by Meeting
• PM Happy Hour Membership
• PM Happy Hour Website
• Kelly Heuer on LinkedIn

View Details

If your to-do list is 47 items long, your Slack won't shut up, and you ended the day thinking, "Cool… but what did I actually accomplish?"—welcome. You're among friends.

In this episode, Kim and Kate take on the very real, very unsexy side of project management: figuring out how to manage your own work when everything (and everyone) is demanding your attention.

This isn't about finding the perfect tool or building a prettier dashboard. It's about surviving—and actually functioning—in an interrupt-driven world where emails breed overnight, notifications multiply, and every task somehow feels urgent.

They get into what actually works: setting a North Star for your week (yes, only a few priorities), getting tasks out of your brain before they haunt you at 10 PM, and why some tasks are secretly just traps that create even more work (looking at you, boomerang tasks).

Also: a gentle reality check—you're not supposed to do everything.

Grab a drink, ignore your inbox for a bit, and let's figure out how to organize the chaos without losing your mind.

🎙️ Spicy Quotes from the Episode

On chaos: "If you have no North Star point, the rest of your week is going to feel like chaos." — Kate

On overwhelm: "The human brain can't really process all of that. We can process having three priorities." — Kate

On modern work life: "Notifications trying to notify you about notifications." — Kim

On control: "Manage your tasks—don't let your tasks manage you." — Kim

On reality: "There has to be things you can stop doing." — Kate

📌 Key Concepts & Takeaways

The North Star Rule (a.k.a. calm down, it's not 47 priorities): Pick 2–3 things that actually matter this week. Everything else? It either supports those—or it waits.

Get It Out of Your Head (your brain is not a storage system): If you're trying to remember everything, you've already lost. Write it down somewhere reliable so your brain can stop yelling at you.

Boomerang Tasks (aka "this will take 5 minutes" lies): Some tasks look small but come with hidden side quests. Know the difference before you commit.

Interrupt-Driven Work Is the Default—Act Accordingly: You're not bad at focusing. Your environment is designed to destroy it. Filter, batch, and control when you engage.

Physical Lists Still Work (and no, it's not just nostalgia): Sometimes the best productivity hack is using something that doesn't ping, buzz, or open 12 tabs.

Reflection Beats Hustling Harder: End your day or week by asking: what actually mattered? Not what felt urgent—what mattered.

Not Doing Things Is a Skill: You don't need a better system. You probably need fewer things on your list.

🔗 Links & Resources Mentioned

PM Happy Hour Website: https://www.pmhappyhour.com Scripts & Resources: https://www.pmhappyhour.com/scripts

Books Mentioned:

• Essentialism by Greg McKeown
• Getting Things Done by David Allen
• Conquer the Chaos by Clate Mask

Tools Referenced: Notion, Evernote, OneNote, Smartsheet, Jira, Monday

View Details

If your weekly calendar looks like the loser in a state fair quilt competition - just solid blocks of mismatched colors with no room to breathe - this episode is for you. Today, we're joined by facilitation expert Evan Unger to talk about a topic that Kate and Kim geek out over: meetings. Specifically, why most of them are terrible, how they drain organizational productivity, and exactly what you can do to fix yours.

We also tackle one of the most delicate situations in project management: how to handle the HIPPO (Highest Paid Person's Opinion) when they barge into your meeting and try to completely take over the flight controls. Grab a drink, settle in, and let's get into it.

🎙️ Spicy Quotes from the Episode * On owning your time: "If you don't own your calendar, you don't own your life." – Kim * On the true cost of bad meetings: "If you're spending 50% of your time in meetings [that are less than 50% effective], you're literally going to spend a year's worth of your life and hours in meetings in under a decade. How organizations tolerate this, I have no idea." – Evan * On visibility: "Every meeting is a leadership moment." – Evan * On career survival: "We don't want to make hippos wrong because there's career limiting interventions. I mean, let's be honest, they have power and authority over us." – Evan * On meeting math: "Nine things on an agenda in a 40-minute meeting is 4.44 minutes per agenda item. That's just not possible. It is better to end early than to run over." – Kate

📌 Key Concepts & Takeaways * The Meeting Metaphor (Flying the Plane): Every meeting needs three phases. Takeoff (getting aligned), the Flight (the process/agenda), and Landing (saving 5-10 minutes at the end to secure next steps and accountability). Do not run out of fuel and crash. Leave time to land the plane. * The POPRA Model for Meeting Prep: Don't accept or run meetings without knowing these five things: + Purpose: Why are we here? + Objectives: What are the specific deliverables or decisions needed? + Process: What is the agenda? + Roles: Who is the ultimate decision-maker? Who is the SME? + Agreements: How will we interact and handle disagreements?

• The AREA Model for Taming the HIPPO: When a senior leader tries to bulldoze the process:
• Acknowledge: Validate their right to a point of view without necessarily agreeing.
• Reframe: Tie the conversation back to the project's purpose or objectives.
• Engage: Ask neutral questions to open the floor ("Would you be willing to listen to other perspectives on this?")

• Align: Bring the group's feedback back to the leader to help them make a better, more informed decision.

• The Power of Simultaneous Chat: To break the dominance of the loudest voices (and the HIPPO), ask a question and have everyone type their answer in the chat without hitting enter. On the count of three, everyone submits at once. This holds space for introverts, junior staff, and non-native English speakers to contribute without getting run over.

• Process is Your Shield: If a leader has a strong opinion, use process structure to ensure all sides are heard. Force the group to list "Pros" before "Cons," or use a timer to keep long-winded talkers (even the boss) in check.

🔗 Links & Resources Mentioned * Connect with Evan Unger: Find Evan on LinkedIn (look for the blue/black check shirt and the impish grin, not the doctor!). Note: Evan is generously offering $2,000 off a seat in his training program for PM Happy Hour listeners! * Books Mentioned: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team and Death by Meeting by Patrick Lencioni. * Join the Conversation: Want to geek out about project management with us? Check out the PM Happy Hour membership site at https://www.pmhappyhour.com/membership. * Say Hello: Hit us up on Facebook at PM Happy Hour or find our contact info on the website under "About Your Hosts."

View Details

Boss fights and boardrooms. Kate puts Kim through meeting hell in this tabletop roleplay episode.

Kate: "Help me torture Kim."

That was the prompt.

What followed was a meeting dungeon built from listener-submitted horror stories, tabletop chaos, and the exact kinds of project meetings that make smart people question their career choices.

In this April Fool's episode of Project Management Happy Hour, Kate becomes game master and throws Kim into a gauntlet of cursed kickoffs, bloated status meetings, executive dodging, and stakeholder nonsense. It's funny because it's absurd. It lands because it's true.

"My dice are green like all of my status reports."

The setup is playful. The meeting pain is not.

Kim tries to survive a kickoff with distracted leaders, a giant update meeting nobody needed, a build-versus-buy conversation where nobody wants to own the decision, and a phase gate where "close enough" suddenly becomes everyone else's problem. As the dungeon gets worse, you hear what experienced project managers actually do under pressure: reset the room, cut through noise, force clarity, and keep momentum when everyone else is drifting.

"This is how Kim would operate in a meeting."

That's what makes this episode so fun - and insightful. The dice are a toy. The project management is real.

If you've ever had a sponsor with a hard stop in ten minutes, a technical lead who gets defensive the second testing reveals a problem, or a leadership team that turns every decision into one more meeting, this episode will feel painfully familiar.

"We survived that near miss. It's okay. Next time we'll be okay."

A lot of bad meeting habits stick around because teams get used to surviving them. This episode turns that reality into entertainment—and into a sharp reminder that surviving dysfunction is not the same as managing well.

And because it's PM Happy Hour, the whole thing is loaded with lines that hit for PMs immediately.

"We can't food bribe our way out of every meeting disaster."

"I need you to do a speed run of a project."

"It is 2 hours long."

That last one might be the most terrifying quote in the whole episode.

What you'll hear in this episode * a kickoff already heading off the rails * a giant status meeting from hell * executive indecision in full view * a technical lead bringing equal parts talent and chaos * a release decision that gets messy fast

Key project management takeaways * Get to purpose fast. * Push for the real decision. * Keep updates short and relevant. * Make the cost of delay visible. * Manage the room, not just the agenda. * Don't let technical defensiveness hijack the issue. * Find the compromise that keeps momentum.

If your work depends on steering messy rooms, stubborn stakeholders, and overloaded calendars toward an actual outcome, this episode will feel like both comedy and continuing education.

Love our content? Then join the PM Happy Hour membership at pmhappyhour.com/membership

View Details

Escalation: it's a word that can make even experienced project managers tense. But what if you approached it as a tool rather than a threat? In this Top Shelf Replay of Project Management Happy Hour, we revisit the classic episode "Embracing De-escalation," exploring how savvy project managers use escalation to enhance visibility, make informed decisions, and navigate risk—without losing their cool.

Hosts Kim and Kate dive into the nuances of escalation, showing how the best project leaders balance assertiveness with thoughtful communication. Far from being a reactive panic button, escalation can be a strategic lever to guide projects, protect team morale, and keep stakeholders in the loop.

In this episode, we cover real-world examples of when to escalate, how to frame your message, and why keeping your sponsor engaged is critical for project success. From handling medium-urgency issues to preventing scope creep, Kim and Kate provide a roadmap for using escalation effectively—turning potential project risks into opportunities for alignment and growth.

Expect memorable metaphors, including broccoli for "healthy escalation habits" and creative exercises from the improv world to illustrate collaboration and communication.

By the end of this episode, you'll understand how to elevate project visibility, manage competing priorities, and leverage escalation strategically, all while maintaining calm and confidence.

Key Quotes from This Episode: "Escalation is just another tool in your project management box, and it's one of the best." "Sometimes you almost kinda need to grab the sponsor and tell them to step up—they are the sponsor, and it's their project." "Think of escalation as eating your vegetables: a healthy activity that keeps your project going strong." "Escalating helps your sponsor make decisions whether they want to or not."

Key Concepts

1. The strategic use of escalation to improve visibility and decision making.
2. Balancing sponsor engagement with day-to-day project leadership.
3. Recognizing when a problem exceeds your decision-making authority.
4. Communication techniques for reducing tension during escalations.
5. Viewing project status and benefits realization beyond standard red/amber/green metrics.

Love our content? Then join the PM Happy Hour membership at pmhappyhour.com/membership

View Details

Why do smart teams still deliver failed projects?

Most project failures don't begin with a catastrophic mistake. Instead, they begin with small deviations—minor compromises that seem harmless in the moment. A warning sign gets ignored. A shortcut becomes acceptable. A risk is acknowledged but tolerated because "nothing bad happened last time." Over time, those deviations quietly become the new normal.

In this episode of Project Management Happy Hour, Kim Essendrup and Kate Anderson sit down with Dr. Bill Brantley to explore one of the most dangerous patterns in project leadership: normalization of deviance.

The concept comes from sociologist Diane Vaughan's analysis of the Challenger space shuttle disaster. Engineers had long observed problems with the shuttle's O-ring seals. But earlier launches survived those anomalies. Each successful launch reinforced the belief that the risk was acceptable. Gradually, what began as an abnormal warning became accepted behavior.

As Dr. Brantley explains: "We survived that near miss. It's okay. Next time we'll be okay." Project teams fall into this pattern all the time.

A design review is skipped because the team is behind schedule.

A test failure gets dismissed because it hasn't caused a real problem yet.

A risk gets documented—but never truly addressed.

Nothing breaks immediately. So the project keeps moving.

The conversation explores how this slow drift toward failure mirrors patterns seen in aviation, engineering disasters, and even mountaineering expeditions. Experienced professionals—people who know better—gradually normalize increasingly risky decisions until the system finally breaks.

But the episode goes further than just diagnosing the problem. Dr. Brantley and the hosts dive into the decision dynamics inside projects.

A typical project team makes dozens—or even hundreds—of decisions every week. Some have immediate consequences, while others take months or years to reveal their impact. One story from the Apollo program illustrates this perfectly: a weld defect made years earlier ultimately contributed to the crisis of Apollo 13.

This delay between decision and consequence creates a dangerous blind spot. Dr. Brantley jokingly calls it the "White Castle effect."

"White Castle burgers are great going down… and then at three in the morning you realize you made a bad decision."

The same thing happens in project management. Decisions that seem harmless in the moment can produce painful consequences much later.

One of the most powerful insights from the discussion is that organizations often fail to reflect on their decisions. Teams act, move forward, and stay busy—but rarely pause to ask whether their decisions are actually improving outcomes.

That reflection step is critical.

"Reflection really helps you break that normalization of deviance."

Without it, teams never notice when small compromises start compounding into systemic risk.

The episode also explores practical techniques for improving project decision-making. One of Dr. Brantley's favorites is red teaming—a method borrowed from military strategy and cybersecurity. In a red-team exercise, someone deliberately challenges the plan and tries to break it. Their job is to expose weaknesses before reality does.

It's a powerful way to counter groupthink and create psychological safety for dissent.

Another theme throughout the conversation is something many project managers intuitively know but rarely articulate: Every action—or inaction—on a project is ultimately a decision. "Everything is a decision. Nobody is going to come after you around anything other than decisions."

Whether it's changing scope, delaying work, ignoring a risk, or choosing not to act at all, project leaders are constantly making decisions that shape the outcome of the project.

The real question isn't whether decisions are happening.

It's whether those decisions are intentional, visible, and thoughtfully examined.

Because in many projects, failure doesn't arrive suddenly.

It arrives slowly—one accepted deviation at a time.

Love our content? Then join the PM Happy Hour membership at pmhappyhour.com/membership

View Details

Have you ever gotten feedback that made you want to flip a table because it was both insulting and totally useless?

In this Top Shelf Replay, we revisit "They Told Me I'm Too Nice" and break down what that kind of vague feedback is really doing (sometimes gendered, almost always inactionable), why it hits so hard, and how to respond without spiraling - or people-pleasing your way into a personality transplant.

Then we go beyond the original episode with practical, real-world tactics: how to ask better follow-up questions, how to force examples without sounding defensive, how to "prime" your manager before a meeting so you get usable feedback, and how to figure out whether your boss is actually trying to coach you… or just dumping drive-by advice from a book they skimmed on a flight.

If you lead people, we also flip the lens: how to avoid giving your team confusing feedback that basically translates to "please be a different person," and how to coach toward outcomes instead of vibes.

Key actionable insights * Treat vague feedback as a starting point, not a conclusion. Thank them, then ask them to say more until you have something observable and specific. * Ask for examples on demand. Use: "Can you tell me about a time I did that well?" or "Who does that really well?" This forces specificity and gives you a model to study. * Match your effort to their effort. If it was a drive-by comment, don't burn three weeks of anxiety trying to decode it. If they clearly invested in you, invest back proportionally. * Prime your manager before a meeting so they know what "good" looks like. Tell them your goal (scope agreement, signature, commitment, decision) so their feedback anchors to outcomes, not vibes. * If you want feedback, specify what kind you want. "I'm not looking for grammar edits—I want alignment on strategy" is a transferable skill for stakeholder reviews and exec comms. * For managers: don't "coach" people who don't want coaching. Find out what they want first, or you'll waste time and damage trust.

Key Quotes - * "I don't need you to be my Grammarly when you review this document. I need to know if we are strategically aligned." * "Below the line? You just crossed the line, buddy."

Love our content? Then join the PM Happy Hour membership at pmhappyhour.com/membership

View Details

"Three PMs walk into a bar: a business PM, an IT PM, and a Vendor PM…" Sounds like a bad joke, but if you don't get it right - the joke will be your project.

Very often, you aren't the "one PM to rule them all" on your project - you may have other PMs involved that you need to work with. But how do you decide who does what, and how do you prevent turf wars from turning your project into a slow-motion train wreck?

In this episode, we ditch the corporate fluff to dive into the messy reality of projects with "too many cooks". We discuss how to navigate the friction between different project management roles, how to handle "useless" vendor PMs who won't manage their own resources, and what to do when an executive buyer bypasses you to talk directly to the vendor. You'll learn how to look "one level up" in the hierarchy to identify what actually drives your counterparts and how to draw professional boundaries that keep you in the driver's seat.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How to use the "Hierarchy Hack" to uncover your counterparts' hidden motivations.
• Strategies for handling a vendor PM who refuses to do their job.

• Why a high-level human conversation beats a technical tool every time.

• The "Time and Materials" pivot to force vendor accountability.

• How to professionally block an executive from undermining your role.

From this episode:

• "The first thing to do is to have a conversation and, honestly, call it out in the open." — Kate
• "One of the ways I like to think about situations like this is one level up in the hierarchy." — Kim
• "I've been like, 'No, you can talk to me. Shut up, talk to me.'" — Kate
• "If I and my team are going to be held accountable... I have to be able to plan what we're accountable for." — Kim

Love our content? Then join the PM Happy Hour membership at pmhappyhour.com/membership

View Details

Project managers are constantly told they need to "learn how to say no." But in the real world—especially when the ask comes from a sponsor, executive, or important customer—just saying no often isn't productive, strategic, or even possible.

In this Top Shelf Replay episode of Project Management Happy Hour, Kim Essendrup and Kate Anderson revisit one of the show's earliest "Appetizer" episodes: Say No by Saying Yes, originally aired in 2017. Short, deceptively simple, and still painfully relevant, this episode breaks down a technique that helps project managers protect scope, schedule, cost, and sanity—without sounding combative or inflexible

The core idea is straightforward: Instead of responding to tough requests with a flat "no," you respond with "yes—but" or "yes—and here's what that would require."

"Yes, we can do it faster—but it will require triple the resources." "Yes, we can release both languages at once—but we'll need more budget or a delayed launch." "Yes, we can remove that resource—but you'll need to help me explain the downstream impact to the sponsor."

This approach reframes the conversation away from emotion and into trade-offs, which is where real project leadership lives.

As the conversation unfolds, Kim and Kate explore why this technique works so well psychologically. Leaders—especially busy executives—often don't have full context. Their "ridiculous asks" aren't always malicious; they're frequently driven by incomplete information, pressure from above, or a misunderstood business constraint. Saying "yes" first acknowledges their goal, signals partnership, and keeps them engaged long enough to hear reality

The episode also connects this technique to a broader leadership pattern the hosts have refined over the years: what they now describe as "affirm, caution, query." You affirm the request. You surface the risk or constraint. You return the decision to the person who actually owns it.

In other words, you stop absorbing problems that don't belong to you—and you stop shielding leaders from the consequences of their own decisions.

The replay discussion expands the idea further, touching on burnout, executive presence, and why many project managers get stuck in a defensive "control mindset" around the triple constraint. Kim and Kate argue that stepping back—mentally taking off the project manager hat and putting on the sponsor's hat—makes these conversations easier, calmer, and more strategic. When you focus on outcomes instead of guarding boundaries, you stop reacting and start partnering.

There's also an unexpected but memorable parallel: gentle parenting. The same structure used to redirect an emotional five-year-old ("I see what you want—but here are your options") turns out to work remarkably well with stressed executives, difficult customers, and unrealistic stakeholders. You don't remove agency; you structure it.

Ultimately, this episode is about more than saying no politely. It's about changing the power dynamic—from executor to partner. From order-taker to decision facilitator. From "blocking progress" to helping leaders make informed choices.

If you've ever been handed an impossible deadline, an under-funded scope change, or a request that made your stomach drop, this episode gives you language, structure, and confidence to respond without burning trust—or yourself.

View Details

Thinking about going contractor? Kate and Kim share how they each left corporate and made the leap—two very different stories (burnout vs acting early) with the same core truth: contracting is built on relationships, reputation, and value… not job boards and commodity rates.

We cover how to know if you're ready, why sales is part of the job, what to watch out for (hello, 2008), and how to avoid racing to the bottom.

Want us to teach the full process with scripts + steps? Head to http://pmhappyhour.com/be-free.

View Details

As project managers, we spend a lot of time talking about tools, processes, and delivery frameworks—but far less time talking about the invisible structure that holds projects together: trust.

In this Top Shelf Replay episode of Project Management Happy Hour, Kim Essendrup and Kate Anderson revisit one of the show's earliest and most enduring concepts: Trust Bricks. Originally recorded in 2018, this short but powerful episode explores how trust is built—not through grand gestures or heroic saves—but through consistent, everyday actions that compound over time.

The core idea is simple: trust is predictability. When you repeatedly do what you say you'll do—whether that's sending meeting notes on time, honoring estimates, or showing up prepared—you lay one small Trust Brick at a time. Over weeks, months, and years, those bricks form a structure strong enough to withstand missed deadlines, bad news, or the occasional broken promise.

Kim and Kate break down why Trust Bricks matter so much in project environments:

• Teams are more honest with you when they trust you
• Estimates improve when people believe they won't be punished for telling the truth
• Difficult conversations become easier when everyone believes you're on the same side
• Sponsors give you more latitude when your track record is consistent

The conversation also explores what happens when trust breaks—and how the same Trust Brick approach can be used to rebuild credibility. Rather than trying to restore trust with a single "big win," the hosts argue that rebuilding starts small: partial deliverables, frequent check-ins, and deliberately meeting micro-commitments until confidence is restored.

In the replay commentary, Kim and Kate reflect on how their thinking has evolved since the original recording. They discuss:

• The role of showing up consistently, even when no explicit promise was made
• How trust operates differently in virtual and remote teams
• Why strong performers can accidentally set expectations that lead to burnout
• How leaders vary widely in how much "trust damage" they tolerate before overreacting

The episode also revisits the journey of Trust Bricks beyond the podcast, including Kim's experience delivering a TEDx talk on the topic and refining the framework into three enduring lessons:

1. You are always building or breaking Trust Bricks—whether you realize it or not
2. Missed expectations don't pause trust building; they actively tear it down
3. Unspoken expectations are the fastest way to accidentally destroy trust

This episode is a reminder that trust isn't soft, vague, or optional—it's a core delivery skill. If you want stakeholders who back you, teams who tell you the truth, and projects that don't require constant firefighting, it starts with sweating the small commitments.

The next time you make a commitment—big or small—ask yourself: Am I laying a brick… or cracking one?

Check out Kim's TEDx talk at trust-bricks.com or on the TED youtube channel

Want more PM reality without the fluff? Join the PMHH membership for courses, templates, community, and direct access to Kate and Kim. https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

View Details

Kim and Kate settle in for a classic PM Happy Hour episode — the kind where the drinks are metaphorical, the conversation is wandering in the best way, and the insights sneak up on you. This one covers three big themes that hit close to home for project managers, leaders, and anyone who's ever had to keep a project — or a career — moving forward despite chaos.

It starts with a deceptively simple question: How do you describe what a PM actually does for a living? Kim brings his favorite one-sentence description, and Kate immediately pokes at it (lovingly) to reveal the gaps between a tidy definition and the messy reality of day-to-day PM work. Together they break down the core functions that aren't on the job description: expectation-setting, alignment-building, timeline-translating, political-atmosphere-reading. Yes, PMs manage plans — but they also manage humans, assumptions, ambiguity, and the definition of "done," which shifts more than anyone wants to admit. The conversation hits on why this matters so much for stakeholder alignment, project success, and your own sanity.

From there, the discussion pivots to fear in decision-making — specifically, how fear quietly creeps into choices that leaders and teams make every day. Kim shares a general's perspective on why big decisions get stalled ("people won't make hard decisions if it forces them to change"), and Kate adds their own real-world examples of hesitation disguised as caution. They unpack how fear leads to risk-avoidant behavior, analysis paralysis, unnecessary escalations, or decisions that look safe but actually create more work downstream. This part of the conversation digs into the psychology of leadership, the emotional drivers behind "bad" decisions, and how project managers can spot when fear — not logic — is driving a stakeholder's position. Along the way, they also reflect on why PMs sometimes avoid decisions themselves, even when they know the right call.

Finally, Kim and Kate open up about what they've learned from going out on their own and being their own boss — the good, the bad, and the "wow, nobody warned me about this part." They talk candidly about leaving stable corporate paths, the discomfort of striking out solo, the thrill of autonomy, and the realities of running a business while also running your own mental health. Listeners get the inside picture of what independence really looks like: the freedom, the discipline, the failures, the self-doubt, and the eventual confidence that comes from owning your decisions and your livelihood. This segment offers honest lessons learned for anyone considering consulting, freelancing, starting a business, or just trying to build a healthier professional life.

Through all three topics, the conversation carries the familiar PMHH rhythm: candid laughter, a little self-roasting, and the practical wisdom that comes from having been around the block more times than they're willing to count. It's not a tidy thematic episode — it's better than that. It's a Happy Hour catch-up that turns into real insight about project leadership, stakeholder psychology, career development, and the everyday challenges PMs face.

If you've ever struggled to explain your job, watched fear take over a meeting, or wondered what life might look like outside the corporate bubble, you'll find something in this episode that feels uncomfortably familiar — and maybe a little inspiring.

Want more PM reality without the fluff? Join the PMHH membership for courses, templates, community, and direct access to Kate and Kim. https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

View Details

What happens when you drop a senior project manager into a room full of attorneys, tribal leaders, political operators, and massive personalities?

In this Top Shelf Replay, Kate & Kim revisit one of the most beloved—and re-listened—episodes in PM Happy Hour history: "Stage Direction in the Boardroom" featuring master facilitator Sheila Morago.

If you've ever wondered how elite leaders steer complicated, high-stakes conversations without losing their cool (or losing six months of work with one careless comment), this episode is your new playbook.

Sheila shares the tools, tactics, and emotional intelligence behind managing senior stakeholders, building trust, engineering alignment, and yes…occasionally staging a fight to get everyone to "yes." Get ready—this episode is full of real-world policy drama, tribal gaming insight, negotiation theater, and powerful lessons for any PM trying to move from "task master" to strategic leader.

Great Quotes From the Episode * "Never ask a question you don't already know the answer to." * "These aren't meetings—they're Kabuki theater." * "Nothing brings people together like a common enemy." * "If you don't let them vent early, they will vent later—and at the worst possible moment." * "Policy takes years. Tech takes a week."

What You'll Learn (Key Outcomes) 1. How Senior Leaders Actually Negotiate Sheila breaks down what it takes to orchestrate alignment among executives, attorneys, policymakers, and stakeholders—none of whom work for you, all of whom report to someone powerful.

1. The Secret Skill That Makes PMs Into Leaders How listening (really listening) becomes your most strategic tool at the senior level.

2. Managing High-Stakes Meetings Without Losing Control Why should one person guide the conversation? How to posit their positions to draw out quiet or hesitant stakeholders. How to keep the emotional temperature safe but not silent.

3. The Power of the 'Safe Zone' Why must you create a space where stakeholders can speak unfiltered, off-record, and without fear of political consequences.

4. Relationship-Building: The Long Game Happy hours, lunches, hallway conversations—how the "work between the work" makes the boardroom possible.

5. The Art of the Staged Fight Why conflict must be visible. Why letting people "win" (feel like they won) is essential. Why is the real battle scripted before the meeting starts?

6. Using Common Ground—and Common Foes When "we all want the same thing" works. When "the real enemy is over there" works even better.

7. How to Lock Down Decisions So They Don't Backslide Why immediate execution is key. How implementation momentum prevents second-guessing.

8. Lessons Kate & Kim Learned 8 Years Later Why parts of this episode hit harder after a decade of PM leadership. How letting emotions into the meeting leads to better outcomes. What PMs often overlook when they're new to senior-level facilitation.

If you want to level up from "planner of tasks" to leader of leaders, this replay is essential listening. Whether you're negotiating policy, driving enterprise transformation, or just trying to get two teams to agree on anything—Sheila's battle-tested tools will help you steer the room, keep your cool, and bring people with you.

ABOUT OUR GUEST, SHEILA MORAGO

Sheila Morago is the Executive Director of the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association. OIGA has 30 member tribes and numerous associate members. Oklahoma now ranks third in the United States in gaming revenue, with 118 casinos ranging from small fuel stops to full resort casinos.

Prior to working for OIGA, Ms. Morago was Executive Director for the Arizona Indian Gaming Association. She has also served as the Director of Public Relations for the National Indian Gaming Association, based in Washington, D.C.

Ms. Morago began her career in tribal gaming in 1994 when she was appointed Director of Marketing for the Gila River Casinos, where she built the marketing department for this multi-million dollar enterprise and opened two successful tribal casinos. Before joining AIGA, Ms. Morago was Vice President of National Relations for Initial Impressions based in Tempe, Arizona, where she was responsible for all political and public relations for tribal and non-tribal clients.

In January 2006, she was named one of 25 people to watch by Global Gaming Business. She was named one of the "Great Women of Gaming" by Casino Enterprise Management in 2004, and inducted into the Indian Gaming Hall of Fame, presented by Indian Gaming Magazine, in 2012.

And if you're tired of carrying the emotional labor for your entire project team, come get some backup and community. Join us at: https://pmhappyhour.com/membership © Project Management Happy Hour

View Details

Kate didn't plan to measure their burnout by the number of bags of pink-and-purple Mother's animal cookies consumed at their desk…but here we are. Kim's clue was a rotating cycle of stomach aches and "maybe these aren't panic attacks but the room is definitely spinning." And our guest, Norlander Wilson, talks about showing up to work without showering or brushing her teeth for days because she literally couldn't.

This one is about burnout at work — not the "I need a weekend off" kind, but the kind that rewires your nervous system and convinces you you're the problem.

About our guest: Norlander Wilson is an experimental psychologist and an orbit disruptor by calling. She is the founder and CEO of Becoma, an operational strategy firm that helps leaders, creatives, and organizations move from survival mode into clearer systems and healthier energy. Through her work, Norlander blends psychology, strategy, and system design to challenge the patterns that keep people stuck and to create ways of working that don't require self-sacrifice. She's also the host of the podcast "She Don't Work Like That, No More," where she unpacks wounded leadership patterns and reimagines what it means to build, lead, and live without breaking yourself in the process.

The theme today: burnout at work, and how project managers — the people everyone counts on — get trapped in it.

Norlander doesn't sugarcoat it: "Burnout is a collective conversation, especially in an organization."

She calls out how burnout starts at the top. If leadership pushes 100 hours, teams assume they should push 150. If leaders are exhausted, their teams are exhausted.

Burnout isn't a personal failing; it's a system failure — and PMs often absorb the blast radius.

Kate opens up about their 2024 breakdown: crying daily, losing appetite except for cookies, medical leave, and the creeping belief that if they just tried harder, they could fix everything. Kim shares his own burnout and the helpless feeling of watching teammates slide into it — seeing that "day-five-I-haven't-showered look" on Zoom and wanting to save them.

And then there's the half-million-dollar moment.

Kate negotiated nearly $500,000/year in compensation and turned it down because walking into the building made them feel sick. Not metaphorically — physically. "I'm not getting on that wheel unless I want to."

Norlander validates it: "If it's profound burnout and everything triggers you at that job, yes, it's time to leave."

She gives language PMs desperately need:

• Capacity check-ins, not productivity interrogations
• Systems that hold boundaries so you don't have to
• Stop parenting grown adults at work — "You are not an emotional container."
• Let people fail so they learn the consequence, not you

Kim connects it to the "mouse on the wheel" experiment — the difference between choosing to run and being forced to run. The stress chemicals — literally — are not the same.

Norlander's tools for burnout prevention and burnout recovery:

• Audit your systems quarterly
• Build boundaries into SOPs
• Protect scheduled joy like you protect deadlines
• Delegate to the system, not your nervous system

Kate shares how protecting Tuesday riding lessons became non-negotiable. Not because horseback riding is magic (although…it kind of is), but because no one else will protect your time but you.

Norlander's toast at the end is the line we're all putting on sticky notes: "When you do find your boundary… don't compromise it for anyone."

If burnout at work is starting to feel familiar — if you're living on cookies, caffeine, and dread — pull up a chair. You're not lazy. You're not failing. The system is failing you.

And if you're tired of carrying the emotional labor for your entire project team, come get some backup and community. Join us at: https://pmhappyhour.com/membership © Project Management Happy Hour

View Details

Ever freeze up in a tough project conversation? Or worse—blow it up? In this episode of Project Management Happy Hour, Kim and Kate revisit their all-time favorite: Crucial Conversations by the team at VitalSmarts (now Crucial Learning). This book completely changed how they lead, negotiate, and manage conflict. Learn how to spot when a conversation turns "crucial," stay in dialogue instead of defensiveness, and use "don't-do statements" and "start with heart" to navigate conflict like a pro.

We're not sponsored—just obsessed. If you lead projects or people, this book will change your life.

🍸 Pull up a stool at the bar—here's what we're talking about this round: 🍸

Every project manager has been there: a stakeholder meltdown, a team standoff, or that one sponsor meeting where your pulse hits 200. The question is—what do you do when the conversation turns crucial?

In this PM Happy Hour throwback, Kate and Kim revisit one of their most popular and enduring episodes—based on the book Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High by the VitalSmarts team (now Crucial Learning). They aren't paid to say this—but this book changed their lives and careers.

Seventeen years after Kate's colleague first handed her this book, they still call it "the single most important leadership book for project managers." Forget the PMBOK—start here if you want to build trust, executive presence, and influence.

You'll learn how to:

• Recognize when a conversation becomes crucial: differing opinions, high stakes, and strong emotions.
• Avoid the "fool's choice"—the false belief that you must choose between honesty and peace.
• Create a shared pool of meaning, so everyone's ideas and emotions contribute to better decisions.
• Use "Start With Heart" to keep your cool and focus on what you really want—for yourself, others, and the relationship.
• Apply "Don't-Do Statements" to set boundaries, de-escalate tension, and build empathy.

From team conflicts to sponsor negotiations, this episode gives you practical, human ways to talk about hard things—and actually make things better. Kim and Kate share real-world examples from project meetings, resource battles, and even personal life to show how dialogue beats defensiveness every time.

And they're not just quoting theory. Crucial Conversations is built on decades of behavioral research and communication psychology—and it's as relevant today as ever. Whether you manage projects, programs, or entire teams, mastering these techniques can level up your leadership, reduce drama, and get you promoted faster.

📚 Get the Book: Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler Available anywhere books are sold (we're not sponsored—we just love it).

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR! Want even more? Join us at pmhappyhour.com/membership to get PDUsfor episodes, downloadable templates, access to our PM community, and 1:1 time with Kim and Kate.

View Details

Are you defining project success the wrong way? Most project managers are — at least according to PMI's Dave Garrett.

Project Management Happy Hour hosts Kim Essendrup and Kate Anderson sit down with Dave — Senior Advisor at the Project Management Institute (PMI) and co-founder of ProjectManagement.com — for a frank and real conversation about PMI's new definition of project success to talk about how realistic it is, and what it means for the future of our profession.

For decades, project success was judged by the "iron triangle" — scope, schedule, and budget. But PMI has officially redefined it:

"A successful project is one that delivers value worth the effort and expense."

Dave explains how this updated definition shifts the focus from checking boxes to delivering outcomes that truly matter — and how every PM can start measuring success through value creation instead of rigid constraints.

The discussion digs into PMI's new M.O.R.E. framework — a practical mindset for modern project leaders:

• M – Manage Perceptions: Build trust and alignment with stakeholders.
• O – Own Success: Don't just deliver; ensure the value lands.
• R – Relentlessly Reassess: Constantly re-evaluate priorities and adapt to change.
• E – Expand Perspective: See the bigger picture across business strategy, customers, and society.

Dave also shares lessons from his early startup days building Gantthead.com, the dot-com crash, and how those lessons apply in today's AI-driven project world. You'll hear how the rise of automation is making project management more human, pushing PMs to lead through empathy, influence, and strategic insight rather than process checklists.

If you've ever struggled with the question, "Was my project really a success?" this episode will give you a fresh, empowering way to answer it.

Key Takeaways

• PMI's official definition of project success now centers on value, not just time, cost, and scope.
• The M.O.R.E. mindset helps PMs evolve beyond administrators into strategic leaders.
• AI will augment, not replace, project managers — freeing them to focus on human connection and business impact.
• "Success" is contextual: a delayed project that delivers exceptional value can still be a win.

Guest Links

• Learn more about PMI's Project Success initiative: pmi.org/projectsuccess
• Connect with Dave Garrett on LinkedIn
• Explore PMI's AI resources: pmi.org/ai

Want even more? Join us at pmhappyhour.com/membership to get PDU certificates for episodes, downloadable templates, access to our PM community, and 1:1 time with Kim and Kate.

View Details

Ever been dropped into a troubled project that’s already gone off the rails? Welcome to life as “The Wolf.” Inspired by the fixer from Pulp Fiction, Kim and Kate revisit one of our most popular episodes—now a PMI Global talk! —and break down how to step in, take charge, and rescue a broken project without losing your cool.

Kim shares his new 3-part formula for project recovery:

• People first – You aren’t just fixing a plan, you’re fixing an organization.
• Calm – Calm is contagious, and you can only control yourself.
• Clarity & Courage – Seek out misalignment, bring truth to light, and have the guts to ask, “Does this project still make sense?”

Of course, Kate keeps Kim honest, adding the perspective (and laughs) that make the tough lessons go down easy.

If you’ve ever been handed a project that feels unsalvageable, this episode is your playbook.

👉 Want even more? Join us at pmhappyhour.com/membership to get PDU certificates for episodes, downloadable templates, access to our PM community, and 1:1 time with Kim and Kate.

View Details

Why bother with risk management when you can just deal with problems as they happen? In this episode, Kim and Kate dig into the heart of that question—and the answer might just save your future self a world of pain.

You’ll hear:

• Hard-hitting stats: 1 in 6 projects go 200% over budget (Harvard Business Review), 17% of major IT projects threaten company survival (McKinsey), and why 69% of projects don’t succeed.
• Firefighting vs. fire prevention: why controlled burns (boring, thankless prep) prevent disasters while the “heroes” just put out fires.
• ROI of risk management: the surprising 20:1 return on time spent planning versus cleaning up issues later.
• Language hacks: how swapping “risks” for “obstacles” (credit to Dr. Josh Ramirez) can get your team—and executives—on board.
• Practical techniques: from whiteboarding failure points to slicing your project into risk categories, simple ways to start risk management without drowning in templates.

Whether you’re a seasoned PM or just tired of project disasters, this episode shows why risk management isn’t about doom and gloom—it’s about giving future you a fighting chance.

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

View Details

Please. Let it end. PLEASE! A defining characteristic of a project is that it ends. Finally. Just finish it, right? If it were only that easy!

In another Top Shelf Replay, Kate and Kim revisit one of their classic past episodes, “The Closer.” We play highlights from the original Closer episode as they talk about how to build up to a crisp conclusion to your project, making it a win for everyone. Then, Kate and Kim talk through their revised perspectives and learnings since the original airing of the Closer - and some of their hard learned lessons since then!

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

View Details

Projects aren’t remembered for how they started—they’re remembered for how they ended. In this PM Happy Hour episode, Kim Essendrup and Kate Anderson unpack why finishing strong is critical to your reputation and your project’s legacy.

Drawing on real project stories, they explore the axiom that people will remember your project the way it ended—and two key corollaries every project manager needs to know:

• Corollary 1: People naturally forget past wins and focus on the most recent problems.
• Corollary 2: People will redefine success to fit the outcome—if it gives them a win.

You’ll learn practical practices to keep your stakeholders focused on value, even when things get bumpy, including:

• How to keep your team and sponsors aligned on the value proposition
• Why PMI has redefined project success around value delivered (not just the triple constraints)
• How to reframe challenges as wins without whitewashing reality
• Why a strong finish can redeem a rocky project—and a weak finish can ruin a good one

If you’ve ever had a project limp across the finish line, this episode will give you tools to finish strong and leave stakeholders with the story you want them to remember.

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

View Details

Ah, executives. They fund your project, cheer you on, and sometimes… ask for things that make you want to slam your head into your Gantt chart.

Like:

• “The project’s almost done—let’s change everything!”
• “I read about [X] in CIO Magazine—can we bolt that on?”
• “Why are we doing it this way? Let’s redo it completely differently… and badly.”

In this Top Shelf Replay, we revisit the best parts of this classic episode, then Kate & Kim reflect on what they’ve learned since—especially now that they're the execs making the asks (hopefully less stupidly).

Oh, and yes—this is the episode where we try to talk Darth Vader out of building an infinity pool on the Death Star.

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

View Details

“Well begun is half done”

— Aristotle (or Mary Poppins, depending who you ask) The beginning of a project is a time when all stakeholders THINK they know what they want, and maybe the team thinks they know what they are supposed to do. Or maybe they are just wondering, “what the heck is this new madness that I’m getting drug into?!”

Regardless, it’s a near certainty that your team, your stakeholders and your sponsors - someone is NOT on the same page. And if you launch your project with that misalignment, you are lighting the fuse on project troubles.

Enter the Kickoff meeting, one of the goals of which is to try to bring everyone’s expectations of the project into alignment.

Join Kate and Kim as they talk about how to approach this most critical meeting, and ensure your project is off on the right step. Be the Aristotle (or Mary Poppins) of your project!

🎯 What you’ll learn in this episode:

• How to structure your kickoff meeting
• Key questions to ask your stakeholders
• Tips for getting your team engaged from the start
• How to align goals, roles, and expectations

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

View Details

Think your project’s on fire? 🔥

Come hear how Maine tried to swap a 30‑year‑old COBOL HR/payroll system for something cloud‑friendly … and wound up with six years, two vendors, and ± $35 M spent—with no live system to show for it.

(Psst—Love this kind of real‑world PM talk? Join our member community for templates, monthly problem‑solving Happy Hours with us, and coaching: PMHappyHour.com/membership.)

👋 Your Hosts

Kim Essendrup – PM coach, speaker, project‑failure super‑fan

Kate Anderson – coffee‑powered realist & co‑host of Project Management Happy Hour

What We Cover

Why Maine’s 2016 “$15 M, 2‑year” vision looked reasonable on paper

Vendor #1: Infor hired for $13.5 M … then fired after two years with nothing working

Vendor #2: Workday lands a $15 M deal—hope (briefly) restored

2019–2020 red flags: missing staff, test cycles where 50 % of paychecks were wrong, “rosy” status decks

Feb 2021: Maine’s 30‑day ultimatum & $22.16 M demand letter to Workday (spoiler: lawyers ensue)

Project culture bombs: 400 % team turnover, a toxic manager, and a “rescue PM” married to the sponsor

Independent audit slide‑deck gold: zero items “ready for go‑live,” chaotic configs, no data owner

Accenture steps in (another $10.9 M) while employees still depend on the 1980s mainframe

5 Brutal Lessons You Can Use Tomorrow

1) Write it down or write a check – fuzzy requirements = infinite rework.

2) Freeze configs, then test – moving targets make every cycle worthless.

3) Own the data – bad source data means bad payroll, period.

4) Toxic leadership kills progress – harassment & turnover wipe out continuity.

5) Audit early, not post‑mortem – an external sanity check at first failure could have saved millions.

You Might Be in Trouble If …

Your payroll test run is half wrong but the go‑live date stays.

A core requirement (e.g., labor‑cost distribution) is “coming later”—after all testing.

Status decks stay green while teammates are crying in their cars.

The new “fix‑it” PM just happens to be married to the exec in charge.

Nobody can explain entrance‑/exit‑criteria, yet QA keeps restarting.

Ad‑hoc reports only work if you strip every security role.

Steering committee = five‑minute victory lap + fifty‑five minutes of blame ping‑pong.

Backup plan is still “keep the COBOL mainframe running indefinitely.”

If any of those hit home, open your RAID log—now—before your $15 M idea turns into headline fuel.

Why listen?

Rolling out HRIS, ERP, or Workday? Spot the landmines first.

Tired of sanitized “success stories”? We tell it like it is—with a dash of salt.

Exec or sponsor? See how weak governance detonates budgets—and morale.

👉 Subscribe for more Lessons Not Learned, salty PM rants, and practical tips.

💡 Grab our free RAID Log template & on‑demand training at https://PMHappyHour.com

Sources & References

Maine Legislature. Government Oversight Committee Report on Workday Implementation (2021).

Maine Legislature. IJA Strategies Independent Assessment (2020).

Portland Press Herald. “System failure: Inside Maine’s $35 M HR software meltdown” (Jun 20 2021).

Sun Journal. “Maine hires new contractor to complete long‑delayed software upgrade” (Jun 7 2022).

The Register. “Maine threatens to terminate Workday contract over delays” (Mar 31 2021).

The Register. “No accountability for Workday’s HR system failure, officials claim” (Apr 14 2021).

Views are the hosts’ own. Brand names belong to their respective owners.

#ProjectManagement #LessonsNotLearned #Workday #ProjectFailure #PMHappyHour

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

View Details

Our D&D-style project role play was such a hit, we did it again - in a different universe. One far, far away… This time, it’s Kim’s first day as a project manager working on a secret government project for the Empire. As he shows up, he finds that his predecessor… well, let’s just say he didn’t get-on well with his exec sponsor. Kim’s new project is behind schedule, roadblocked with supply chain issues and is out of funding. Can he get the “RTDU” project back on track by the end of the day, or will he have to give an awkward project update to his black-cloaked project sponsor? You can bet Game Master Kate has some fun in store!

And… you can get the mug! For a limited time, you can go to https://pmhappyhour.com/merch and get a commemorative PM Happy Hour mug with an image of the “RTDU” in use!

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

View Details

Ever had a moment where you saw a problem in the world and thought, “Someone should fix that”? What if that someone was you? Mick Ebeling, founder of Not Impossible Labs, joins us to share how he turned a bold promise into world-changing innovation. From helping a paralyzed graffiti artist create art again to launching life-changing tech solutions, Mick’s story is a masterclass in fearless problem-solving. In this episode, we dive into what it takes to commit to the impossible, build the right team, and use project management superpowers to change lives. If you’ve ever doubted your ability to make an impact, this conversation will prove otherwise.

Cheers to embracing audacity—tune in now! 🍻🎧

About our amazing guest, Mick Ebeling:

Named Fortune’s Top 50 World’s Greatest Leaders and honored with the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian of the Year Award, Mick Ebeling is a groundbreaking innovator dedicated to changing the world through innovation and story. As the Founder of Not Impossible Labs – an innovation incubator disrupting the status quo and tackling seemingly impossible problems – Mick has spent over a decade driving a movement of positive impact for the sake of humanity.

Through his “Help One. Help Many” approach, Mick and his team have created some of the most internationally celebrated inventions, including The Eyewriter, Project Daniel, and Don’s Voice, as well as their most recent spin-off companies, Bento (formerly Hunger: Not Impossible) and Music: Not Impossible. His work has been recognized as a 3x recipient of TIME’s Best Inventions and Fast Company's World Changing Ideas.

Mick continues to inspire, empower, and teach individuals, organizations, and communities to take bold action, so they too can make the impossible, NOT impossible.

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

View Details

We cannot believe it! It’s been 100 episodes of PM Happy Hour!

In this very special episode, we have a retrospective, looking back at when we first decided to do this crazy podcast, to our highlights, lessons, and favorite episodes.

We are so filled with gratitude for our amazing community who have supported us these 100 episodes, and the many incredible leaders who have joined us as guests over the years.

Note: we recorded this episode as a Linkedin livestream. If you want to watch the video version, it should be out there on Linkedin!

Cheers! JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

View Details

View Details

View Details

View Details

As a professional in today’s working environment, you are constantly bombarded by things that demand your attention, your action, the very limited moments in your finite life. (wow, heavy).

OK, so there are infinite demands on our time, but finite time. How do we balance those? SWOT analysis?! Of course not!

To help us understand how to effectively prioritize in today’s crazy world, Kate and Kim are joined by James Louttit, author of Leading Impactful teams. We talk about prickly pears, paw-paws, and practical ways to prioritize in today’s demanding world. Spoiler: It’s not SWOT, MoSCoW or the Eisenhower matrix ;-)

About our amazing guest, James Louttit

James Louttit knows what it’s like to have to deliver complex projects under pressure, and what it costs when we get it wrong. In 2016 he ended up in hospital because he was trying to run his projects with effort rather than IMPACT. That story, which forms the introduction to his book “Leading Impactful Teams”, inspired him to figure out how to deliver projects better. He learned everything he could around the subject, from the PMP and Agile worlds that we all know and love, to Design Thinking, Facilitation Techniques, Psychology and Human Nature and everything that might be useful to people delivering projects. His career took off. He became the Head of Project management Competency at a large Bank and then Chief Information Officer of a major PLC in Ireland.

What he learned, and put into practice made a huge difference to the effectiveness and stress levels in his teams. People kept asking him for help, so he found an artist and started drawing cartoons to explain the concepts in more human, memorable and fun ways. He wrote “Leading Impactful Teams” to help anyone who is managing any type of work or project that involves real, imperfect people in real, imperfect organizations.

Now he works with the biggest companies in Ireland to help their teams cut through the noise, and build a toolbox of practical techniques and approaches that reduce stress, improve outcomes and help people face the challenges of project delivery with confidence and positivity.

You can connect with James and check out all his amazing content and the knowledge he shares at the links below:

James’ book Leading Impactful teams:

https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/B0DN7GP2XB?source_code=ASSGB149080119000H&share_location=pdpv

And on Amazon: https://a.co/d/9rFmDwt

James Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-louttit/

His website: https://www.impactfulpm.com/

The Brilliant Beaver Guidebook - https://a.co/d/hM4gfz7

The Brilliant Beaver Audiobook (😊) - https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/The-Brilliant-Beaver-Guidebook-Audiobook/B0DKZ7G93J?source_code=ASSGB149080119000H&share_location=pdp

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

View Details

AUDIO QUALITY NOTICE! Apologies, we have a little static on one of the mics during our recording - sorry for the occasional audio issue. As a project manager, an organizational structure that will have a big impact on your life is the PMO. But if you aren’t used to working with a PMO, what should you expect? Are they going to make your life and projects easier, or crush you with red tape? If you are interviewing for a job where they have a PMO, what questions should you ask to get a better understanding of how they work? And, what should you expect from a PMO - and what are they expecting from you?

With all these questions, we thought we should reach out to a couple of the most well known minds in PMO: Lindsay Scott and Eileen Roden. Their UK based “House of PMO” organization does some great things in the PMO space (plus they are a lot of fun!) so we feel very fortunate that Linsay and Eileen agreed to join us and help us understand a bit more about whether PMO’s are our friends or foes.

About our amazing guests, Lindsay Scott and Eileen Roden

Lindsay has worked in and around project management and PMO for over 20 years and is a Director at PMO Learning, a training company focused on PMO. She is Co-Founder of the House of PMO, a professional membership organisation for PMO practitioners.

Lindsay is the co-author of the PMO Competency Framework and editor of the Handbook of People in Project Management. She speaks regularly on project management and PMO career topics – and provides 1-2-1 coaching for those looking to advance their careers in PMO.

Eileen has 15 years practitioner experience in a variety of project management roles (predominantly PMO management) along with IT and functional HR roles, with a variety of UK, EMEA and global responsibilities.

Her practical experience is supported by both academic and professional certifications including a Masters in Applied Project Management (with distinction), AIPMO-E, PRINCE2®, MSP®, MoP®, Managing Benefits®, Better Business Cases®, Programme and Project Sponsorship®. She is now a Consulting Director of PMO Learning and co-founder of the House of PMO.

She is the author of P3O® Best Management Practice and lead author of the PMO Competency Framework, co-author of Knowledge Management in a Project Environment, along with contribution to many APM publications. She is a frequent conference speaker throughout UK and Europe.

You can learn more about all the amazing things that Lindsay and Eileen are doing around PMO and even join their great community at https://houseofpmo.com/

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

View Details

In this episode, Kat and Kim talk to Erik Rueter about design thinking in our projects.

What’s design thinking, you may be thinking? Design thinking is a methodology that focuses on the end users of a system when we are problem solving. Erik will share 5 different design thinking methods for understanding user needs in a way that not only helps your project provide better deliverables but can also help build a better project team.

About our amazing guest, Erik Rueter

Erik K. Rueter, PMP, PMI-ACP, has over 20 years of experience in diverse industries, including tech startups, academia, healthcare, and entertainment. Currently, he serves as a senior project manager at the American Marketing Association and has held multiple senior staff positions at various organizations. Erik holds a BA in neuroscience from Wesleyan University, with further education in digital design, Irish studies, and MicroMasters in Design Thinking and Project Management from the Rochester Institute of Technology. He is also certified in diversity and inclusion by Cornell.

Erik's contributions to the field include co-authoring papers on health inequity, lecturing at Boston and Emerson Colleges, and advocating for diversity and inclusion with organizations like Medtronic, VSP, and the San Antonio Spurs. He has spoken, in person and virtually, at PMI Greece, PMI Michiana, and PMI Western Michigan, among others. He has appeared on podcasts such as “Confessions of a Higher Education CMO”; and “I Wanna Work There!” and contributed to “The Evolution of the PMO”, a key resource for project managers. He founded Human-Centered Success LLC to promote inclusive leadership which is National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce certified as an LGBTQIA+-owned business.

Residing outside Pittsburgh with his husband and two dachshunds, Erik enjoys marathons, gaming, and sharing his insights. Contact: erik@humancenteredsuccess.com.

To learn more about the amazing things Erik is up to:

Check out his website at: www.humancenteredsuccess.com

Learn about solution delivery: Mastering Solution Delivery

Erik’s Upcoming Speaking Engagement:

PMI Global Summit 2024

Rock Lobster Leadership: Lessons from The B-52s

Resilience and Relatability: A New Paradigm for Project Leadership (With Jake McGaffin and Olivia Montgomery)

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Linkedin and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Although an essential part of our project-driven world, most project leaders didn’t set out to be one. For many of us, our first steps into project leadership won’t come with an official title. So, if we are not ‘officially’ project managers, how are we supposed to lead the project?

There are a lot of answers to this question, but one approach all project leaders need to master is the art of managing with informal authority. Without being people’s ‘boss,’ we need to pull a team of seemingly random people, give them common purpose, build a team and help them successfully deliver a project.

But, seriously, what really is ‘informal authority?’ What’s involved and how can I master this mystical art? To help us understand this superpower, we are joined on this episode by Kory Kogon, author of the book, “Project Management for the Unofficial Project Manager.” Kory takes us through the 5 pillars of informal authority which include:

1. Demonstrate respect
2. Listen first
3. Clarify expectations
4. Extend trust
5. Practice accountability

About our amazing guest, Kory Kogon

Kory is FranklinCovey’s Vice President, Content Development, and a Senior Leadership Consultant. She is a co-author of the #4 Wall Street Journal bestseller, The 5 Choices: The Path to Extraordinary Productivity, in addition to Project Management Essentials for the Unofficial Project Manager, and Presentation Advantage. Kory

has been featured on Inc.com and in its Productivity Playbook online series, on Fast Company.com, Forbes.com, and in Investor’s Business Daily. She has also appeared on NBC’s TODAY with Hoda Kotb.

Kory has over 25 years of business expertise from frontline positions to serving as an executive team member for a global franchise organization. This provides her a unique perspective on the application of FranklinCovey’s world-renowned content within organizations. Kory not only understands the strategy

and principles necessary to build great leaders, systems, and winning cultures, but she understands how FranklinCovey’s blended learning offerings deliver practical solutions that enable the behavior changes required for transformational results in organizations with both formal and informal leaders.

To learn more about the amazing things Kory is doing and to get her great book:

• Book: Project Management for the Unofficial Project Manager | FranklinCovey
• Learn about the Project Management for the Unofficial Project Manager Course: Project Management for the Unofficial Project Manager™ | FranklinCovey
• About Kory Kogon: FranklinCovey Speaker: Kory Kogon | FranklinCovey
• Connect to Kory Kogon on linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kory-kogon

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Linkedin and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

For the first time, Kate and Kim find an Agilist brave enough to join them on the podcast to talk about some really hard questions about working Agile vs Waterfall. Let’s get it on!

We ask the questions that PM’s want to ask - frustrated, annoyed PM’s who are told to work “agile” by people who maybe don’t even understand Agile - or Waterfall, for that matter.

In this refreshingly honest talk about the reality of ways of working, Kate, Kim and their guest Agilist, David Asch, talk in real-world terms about Agile, Predictive and the reality in-between.

About our amazing (and brave) guest, David Asch David Asch has a 36-year career in startup and mid-stage commercial software companies. He’s worked in various industries, including transportation, supply chain, retail analytics, scientific marketing, blockchain, and secure communications. From his experience with the challenges and successes of delivering software over a long career, David founded 10xPrinciples, a management/organizational consulting company, to help technology companies navigate the transition from startup to mid-stage.

During a time of rapid growth and change, teams typically find that the ”wearing many hats” culture from their startup days is no longer the best approach to honoring commitments. David helps these companies weave Agile practices into the fabric of their cultures. David’s recognized expertise in companywide Agile-driven management makes him invaluable to clients who need to implement Agile principles and methodologies into their unique business environments.

Get David’s book, The Agile Enterprise: Applying Agile Principles to Drive Organizational Success, on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Agile-Enterprise-Applying-Principles-Organizational/dp/1637425473/

Connect to him on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidasch1/

And check out his website: https://10xPrinciples.com

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR! Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S! We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Linkedin and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Project Management is weird. You can have the same job title and be a very tactical execution-minded project manager - which is the way most of us start. Or you can be a strategic part of the leadership team, recognized for your ability to help executives make their vision a reality.

So, how do you develop yourself from tactical implementer to strategic partner?

This episode we are joined by two experienced leaders, Ralph Kliem and Gregg Richie, who have made this transition, and rose to provide pivotal strategic partnership roles with executive teams to help them develop Disaster Recovery capabilities. In fact, they wrote the book on it: Business Continuity Planning: A Project Management Approach. Ralph and Gregg will talk us through how to step beyond the mindset of a tactical project manager and engage with our leadership teams as a strategic partner.

About our amazing guests, Ralph Kliem and Gregg Richie

Ralph Kliem, M.A.,PMP, CBCP, is the author or co-author of twenty books, including the Management Lessons of the Great Explorers; Political Risk Management and the Global Supply Chain; Business Continuity Planning; and Leading High Performance Projects. He has also published in the Project Management Journal and PM Network.

He managed numerous business continuity projects and programs for major airplane programs at The Boeing Company as well as financial, operational auditing, and information systems projects. He is now retired after over 40 years in the private and public sectors.

Gregg D. Richie, has over 40 years of experience in project management. His education includes a MBA with a specialization in Project Management from Indiana Wesleyan University, a BS in Workforce Education and Development from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, and a Master’s Certificate in Applied Project Management from Villanova University.

He has managed, participated in, or consulted on more than 1200 projects in his career, and He authored three books on Microsoft Project. As a retired member of the US Navy SEABEES, he uses real-world experiences in teaching project management concepts.

You can follow or connect with Gregg at:

@GreggDRichie

https://www.linkedin.com/in/greggrichie/

You can find their book on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Business-Continuity-Planning-Management-Approach/dp/1482251787/

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Linkedin and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Meetings. Love them or hate them, they are core to what we do as project leaders. We need to pull people together (real or virtually) to discuss, plan, check-in, and get things done. But as we know, when we get people together, sometimes their misbehaviors - “goblins” - tag along, too!

Being able to manage effective meetings can make or break us as PMs. And learning how to manage these misbehaviors in meetings can make or break each meeting. Fortunately, we have help! This episode we are joined by Rich Maltzman of Boston University. Rich and his colleague Jim Steward wrote the book, “Great Meetings Build Great Teams: A Guide for Project Leaders and Agilists.” In this book, Rich and Jim write about these “meeting goblins” - how to identify them, and how to respond effectively to keep your meeting on track.

Join us and learn how to tame the meeting goblins!

You can find Rich’s book on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Great-Meetings-Build-Teams-Agilists/dp/1637424752/

And check out the website here: http://projectmeetings.us

You can connect directly with Rich and his co-author, Jim on linked in here:

Rich: https://www.linkedin.com/in/exclaim/

Jim: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimstewartpmp/

And if you would like to study project management with Rich at Boston University, you can read about their globally respected program here: https://www.bu.edu/met/programs/project-management/

About our amazing guest, Rich Maltzman

Rich considers himself a ‘pracademic’ – and is now Master Lecturer at Boston University, an author, and a consultant, providing clients with a deep learning experience and improved results. He had a 40-year career in telecom, mainly in engineering and project management. At the University level, his focus is always on converting weaknesses into strengths while teaching clients/students how to apply learned skills to everyday situations.

Rich co-founded EarthPM, LLC, a company devoted to integrating sustainability thinking into project management. His integration of a holistic, global view of project management has resulted in international consulting and speaking engagements in which the focus is the long-term success of projects, with an eye towards ecological and social systems. His blog at the projectmanagement.com site has become very popular.

A co-author of seven books on project leadership, Rich is a former VP of Professional Development for PMI Mass Bay (the Boston area PMI Chapter), and was on the Review Committee for the 7th Edition PMBOK® Guide, helping to assure that sustainability thinking finally made it into the Standard and the Body of Knowledge.

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Linkedin and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

“What percent done are you?”

Status reporting is a core skill (and responsibility) of project managers. It is an opportunity for you to check in with your team, and to build rapport and engagement with stakeholders. But it’s also something we often take for granted.

In this episode, Kate and Kim talk about how to approach status reporting whether your project is big or small, and how to leverage this key communication point to help with overall project success.

• Why Status Reporting?
• Essential for communicating project progress and challenges

• Builds trust with stakeholders by demonstrating progress

• Tailoring Status Reports

• Reports should be adapted to audience needs

• Understanding the audience (executives, team members, stakeholders) is crucial!

• Components of an Effective Status Report

• Executive Summary: A clear, concise overview
• Accomplishments: Completed tasks or milestones
• Upcoming Tasks: Planned activities or next steps
• Risks and Issues: Key challenges and potential problems
• Go-to-Green Plan: Strategy for addressing significant off-track areas
• RAG Status: Red, Amber, Green indicators for project health
• Budget Status: Financial overview (where applicable)

• Timeline Overview: High-level graphical representation of key events

• Approaches to Percent Complete

• Debate on the utility and accuracy of percent-complete metrics

• Preference for tying status to key milestones over percent completion

• Status Report Frequency and Medium

• Weekly status meetings with teams
• Different report cadences for different audience levels (e.g., executive status monthly)

• Possible mediums: Email, PowerPoint, Slack, or other communication tools

• Challenges in Status Reporting

• Ensuring stakeholder engagement and consumption of reports
• Potential pushback on RAG status, especially when reporting red or amber

• Importance of team input and alignment on report content

• Additional Recommendations

• Focus on highlighting value and progress in reports
• Importance of clear, effective communication in status reports
• Using status reports for accountability and project alignment

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Linkedin and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Being a project manager is tough. You are assigned a team of people who may never have with each other (or you) before, and you need to lead them to accomplish a task, solve a problem, or create a new deliverable. And by definition, this is a unique task - so it hasn’t been done before, at least not in this way, for these stakeholders.

In among these challenges is perhaps the toughest one: you have to lead this group of people. As project managers, these people almost never report to us - someone else is their boss. So, how do we provide leadership and direction to a group of people when you are not their boss? How do you tell them what to do?

Sure, we could talk about servant leadership and how a PM is a facilitator, who should be working to enable, motivate and coach the team. But in the real world, you need to get these people to get stuff done, or you are all going to fail.

In today’s episode, Kate and Kim talk about this conundrum, and offer advice based on their real-world challenges trying to get people to do things - who don’t report to them.

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Linkedin and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

It can be hard getting a project started correctly: getting the right executive and stakeholder sponsorship and support, getting them all to agree on the scope and approach, getting funding, approvals, and all the other things required to get a project off the ground.

You negotiate with other departments and get committed resource assignments and timelines. You finally get your amazing project off the ground, you’re humming along then, BOOM! The organization changes.

Your stakeholders change. Your executive sponsors change. The structure or ownership of the organization changes. Your resources are all moved to different teams.

And you’re caught-out like a PM with a flip-phone at an iphone convention.

What now? What do you do? How do you re-align your project and ensure its success in the new (or ever changing) organizational environment? This is the problem that Kate and Kim are painfully familiar with, and tackle on this episode.

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Linkedin and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Projects are hard. And a lot of them - maybe most of them - fail to live up to their expectations. Missed timelines, quality issues, budget overages, customer dissatisfaction - it seems sometimes like projects miss the mark more often than they hit it. But why is that? What can we learn from all those past projects that can help us make future projects more successful?

This is the question Jim Johnson set out to understand. In his years with the Standish Group, he and his team set the benchmark for one of the most respected analysis on project outcomes: the CHAOS Report. Join us in this short chat with Jim, as he tells us about the CHAOS report and some of his most important findings over the years. And maybe like Kate and I, you can also learn some important lessons from all those past project challenges.

About our esteemed guest, Jim Johnson
Jim Johnson is the retired founder and past chairman of the Standish Group, a globally respected source of independent primary research and analysis of IT project performance. He is best known for his research on why projects fail, as well as on system costs and availability. He is also a pioneer of modern research techniques such as virtual focus groups and case-based analytical technology.

Get your copy of the CHAOS report here:

https://standishgroup.myshopify.com/

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Linkedin and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Creative decision making is key to what we do in all our projects. According to FourSight, there are 4 distinct voices in the decision making process. Do you have these voices in the room when you make decisions? Do you know when you need all 4 voices - or only a couple specific ones?

We are joined today by Teresa Lawrence who gave one of the most fun and engaging talks at this past year’s PMI Global Summit in Las Vegas. She talks us through the FourSight approach to creative problem solving, the 4 voices in decision making, and also reveals the results of Kim and Kate’s FourSight assessment on the air!

Best of all, you can do this too! Check out our page at https://pmhappyhour.com/foursight and sign up to get your own FourSight assessment and join Kim, Kate, Teresa and your fellow Happy Hour fans as we get our results and learn how we can better approach creative problem solving ourselves and with our teams.

About our amazing guest, Teresa Lawrence, PhD, PMP, CSM Teresa Lawrence is an influencer and SME on the integration of creativity and Creative Problem Solving (CPS) into Project Management. Since 2017, she has facilitated, trained and consulted to over 85K people since 2017. Investing years of experience in you. She was a 2019 Small Business Administration Home-based Business of the Year. A cognitive diversity trainer, she joins us today from Florida.

Find out more about the Teresa’s work and FourSight

• You can read more about Teresa's work and even engage her to help facilitate your team here: http://internationaldeliverables.com/
• You can read about the FourSight assessment here: https://www.foursightonline.com/

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Linkedin and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

“I know the world is ending, but do you have wifi here?”

Sounds funny, but it’s deadly serious. Natural disasters impact critical infrastructure that we depend on every day: shelter, fresh water, food distribution, and power. These are the ones we think about.

But what about communication?

How do relief agencies, police, fire, and government coordinate a disaster response when there is no power, no cell signal, no wifi? How do community members communicate with each other, find out where to get aid, or reach out to loved ones who are worrying about them if there is no functioning communication infrastructure - or even a place to charge your phone?

Enter the ITDRC! The Information Technology Disaster Resource Center is a non-profit organization that sends teams and equipment to disaster areas to provide communication and technology services. The PM’s involved are truly project management heroes, and we get to hear from one of them today, Charis Mayhorn.

About our amazing guest, Charis Mayhorn

Charis Mayhorn is a Network Architect. In her day job, she designs IP networks, advises leadership and boards on infrastructure best practices, and guides cross-team collaboration. In her free time, she volunteers with ITDRC.

Find out more about the ITDRC here:

• Volunteer and read more about the ITDRC on their website, https://itdrc.org/
• Check out this video of a 2 day ride along during Hurricane Ian response:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgbzRiqHnvE

• Read about the ITDRC’s other activities at https://medium.com/@ITDRC

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Linkedin and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Decisions make or break your project - starting with the decision of whether or not to even do your project. Beyond that, we have planned decisions / phase gates and ad-hoc decisions that happen throughout the entire life of our project. And if you’ve been around long enough, you know that one bad decision can sink your whole project - or at least have it taking on water, fast.

So, how should we approach decision making in a logical way which helps ensure that:

1. The right decisions get made
2. Decisions get made by the right people
3. Decisions are not revisited any more than they absolutely have to

To help answer these questions, this episode we are joined by Project Management mentor, consultant and YouTube PM star Kandis Porter! If you don’t know Kandis, you must check out her extensive youtube channel covering a lot of great Project Management topics.

In today’s episode, Kandis will help us understand:

• Why should we care so much about project decisions?
• How should you approach decision making?
• Kandis shares her “D.I.D.I.” framework for decision making
• How do you ensure your decisions stick?
• What are some “worst practices” for decision making that we should avoid

And along the way, we may throw in some horror stories about bad decision making that we can hopefully learn from

About our amazing guest, Kandis Porter

Kandis Porter is the Founder and Managing Director of Effective Flow Connections (EFC), a management consulting company that helps transform organizations through project management, process improvement, change management, facilitation of key meetings, and training. Kandis also works one-on-one with clients, focusing on Leadership development and growth. EFC enables organizations to do what they do, even better!

Kandis Porter has more than 18 years of experience managing people and large projects in both the government and private sectors. She has supported clients in various industries, to include the Department of Defense, Federal Aviation Administration, utilities, medical device, health care, non-profit, and learning & development.

Kandis has a Master of Science Degree in Project Management (MSPM) from The George Washington University and Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Human Resources. In addition, she is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), PMP Exam Prep Course Instructor through Project Management Institute, Prosci Change Manager, and Six Sigma Green Belt. She is also certified as a Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Practitioner, Thomas-Kilmann Instrument (TKI) Practitioner, and is a Wiley DiSC Workshop facilitator.

Before joining the consulting industry, Kandis proudly spent more than seven years on Active Duty in the United States Air Force and is passionate about giving back to veterans and their families.

Check out some of Kandis’ amazing content here:

YouTube: Kandis Porter - YouTube

Website: Kandis Porter - effectiveflowconnections.com

Kandis also has a book being released in early 2023 called ‘Good Decisions Equal Success’; coauthored with good friend and CEO, Damon Lembi

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Linkedin and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Yeah! One of our favorite guests, Tim Creasey, returns! This time we are talking about what happens if you realize, too late in the game, that you really didn’t consider Change Management enough in your planning cycle.

It’s such a universal experience of a project manager to not have change management, and so many of us end up in these situations where we struggle to see the real benefits of a change we’ve implemented. We figured: why not start where most of us end up: in trouble!

Join Kate and Kim as we talk with Tim about how to recover.

About our amazing guest, Tim Creasey

An author, researcher, change expert and human, Tim focuses on the people-side of change with process, wit and vigor. Tim’s work forms the foundation of the world’s largest body of knowledge on change management. His role as Chief Innovation Officer at Prosci gives him unparalleled insight into change management challenges, trends and futures. Having spoken to hundreds of thousands of people around the globe, Tim is authentic, knowledgeable and unassumingly funny. He enables audiences with valuable data and actionable information.

And here are some links to some of Tim’s other amazing content:

8 Alignment Hacks That Enhance Change Management Today

While formal approaches to Change Management are a must for people-dependent projects and complex transformations, sometimes simple adjustments can help teams and colleagues remove roadblocks and enable rapid change during uncertain times.

Why Change Management

People are the common denominator for achieving project success and business outcomes and the research is clear: Initiatives with excellent change management are six times more likely to succeed.

Taking Charge of Change Training Program

Prosci’s Taking Charge of Change 1-day program will help you get started on delivering change success through people.

Tim’s LinkedIn Profile

Connect with Tim on LinkedIn and keep the change management conversation going!

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Linkedin and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

As a project manager, the time you get with an executive sponsor is critical: you don’t get much of it and you cannot blow it! For many of our listeners, you may be new to executive meetings. But, how do you get the most out of these meetings and give a good impression so you can get the confidence of your executive sponsors? It’s something we ALL struggle with and can all get better with. 

On today’s show, Kate and Kim talk through how to win with these meetings. Jokingly the 30/60/90 minute plan (30 minute meeting after 60 hours of preparation and 90 pounds of stress eating), we talk you through: 

• Knowing your audience
• How to present to execs
• How to tell your story

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Linkedin and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Tech startups drive the technology around us, and a good bit of the economy. They use creativity, ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit to solve problems and build the world of tomorrow. But how do they do that? Is it really like the “Shark Tank” or “Dragon’s Den” tv shows?

Today we are joined by a real-life tech founder who has successfully built his company and introduced a new tool to the market - a PM tool, no less! Pete Bernardo, founder of Punchlist tells us about the project behind founding a startup and bringing his product to market. And, no, it’s not quite like the TV show :-)

AND you can get your first month free & 10% off the price of Punchlist by signing up here and using the coupon code: PMHAPPYHOUR

OUR AMAZING GUEST: Pete Bernardo, Founder of Punchlist

Pete Bernardo is the Founder & CEO of Punchlist, the #1 client feedback layer over your creative work. Pete is also a TechStars Atlanta Mentor, a father of two, and an occasional pizza maker.

Former EVP of Product & Growth at Three Five Two, Pete has 20 years of design & development experience across clients like CNN, Porsche, American Express, and Microsoft.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petebernardo/

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Linkedin and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

When the first Covid vaccinations were released, massive vaccination sites were launched, seemingly overnight, to vaccinate millions of people. If you volunteered or were vaccinated at one of these sites, you may have witnessed how huge, sophisticated and well run these sites were. But how did they do that? How (and who) planned, organized, stood up and ran these massive sites vaccinating thousands of people a day - at a time when you couldn’t even hardly hold an in-person meeting?

Kim volunteered at one of these early sites at a football stadium parking lot with dozens of lanes of people getting vaccinated, thousands and thousands a day. Since then, we’ve been trying to find someone to come on the show and talk about how these were organized so well, so quickly. And he had no luck doing so - until now!

Our guest, Aaron Bellinger, was project manager for one of these emergency Covid vaccination sites and walks us through how the whole process went down, from conception to execution, operation and tear-down. It’s an impressive, once-in-a-lifetime project that affected the lives of thousands.

OUR AMAZING GUEST: Aaron Bellinger, PMP

Aaron Bellinger was born and raised in Phoenix, AZ where he lives with his beautiful wife Tanya and their sweet dog Ollie. Aaron has an extensive background in project management where most of his experience was gained “on the job”. His first job was roofing houses with his dad where he learned you can survive 110 degree days outdoors. Aaron also helped business users with technical computer hardware support which gave him great insight into the “customer”.

Most recently Aaron has been a project manager in a healthcare environment where he is helping improve end user experiences and serving his community for impact.

It didn’t take Aaron long to realize that by asking “do you want it good, fast or cheap, pick two”, he could turn anyone’s plan into action ensuring he executed for impact and mitigated risk with a purpose.

Aaron is a certified Project Management Professional who believes that a defined scope will set you up for success.

When Aaron isn’t Project Managing something at work, he is taking his truck off road, SCUBA diving, or competing in the United States Practical Shooting Association matches at the gun range in a fierce, blasting competition.

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Linkedin and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

When the first Covid vaccinations were released, massive vaccination sites were launched, seemingly overnight, to vaccinate millions of people. If you volunteered or were vaccinated at one of these sites, you may have witnessed how huge, sophisticated and well run these sites were. But how did they do that? How (and who) planned, organized, stood up and ran these massive sites vaccinating thousands of people a day - at a time when you couldn’t even hardly hold an in-person meeting?

Kim volunteered at one of these early sites at a football stadium parking lot with dozens of lanes of people getting vaccinated, thousands and thousands a day. Since then, we’ve been trying to find someone to come on the show and talk about how these were organized so well, so quickly. And he had no luck doing so - until now!

Our guest, Aaron Bellinger, was project manager for one of these emergency Covid vaccination sites and walks us through how the whole process went down, from conception to execution, operation and tear-down. It’s an impressive, once-in-a-lifetime project that affected the lives of thousands.

OUR AMAZING GUEST: Aaron Bellinger, PMP

Aaron Bellinger was born and raised in Phoenix, AZ where he lives with his beautiful wife Tanya and their sweet dog Ollie. Aaron has an extensive background in project management where most of his experience was gained “on the job”. His first job was roofing houses with his dad where he learned you can survive 110 degree days outdoors. Aaron also helped business users with technical computer hardware support which gave him great insight into the “customer”.

Most recently Aaron has been a project manager in a healthcare environment where he is helping improve end user experiences and serving his community for impact.

It didn’t take Aaron long to realize that by asking “do you want it good, fast or cheap, pick two”, he could turn anyone’s plan into action ensuring he executed for impact and mitigated risk with a purpose.

Aaron is a certified Project Management Professional who believes that a defined scope will set you up for success.

When Aaron isn’t Project Managing something at work, he is taking his truck off road, SCUBA diving, or competing in the United States Practical Shooting Association matches at the gun range in a fierce, blasting competition.

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Linkedin and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

This episode is based on feedback we’ve had from our member 1:1 coaching sessions, one of the benefits we provide our PM Happy Hour members.

Many PM’s find themselves in a position where they are the first project manager in their organization. Whether you are a newbie or an experienced pro, this will be a challenge. The organization probably has a low (or no) level of project management maturity, no organizational concept of what project management is or how to make projects succeed, and probably as many different expectations of what a PM should and shouldn’t do as there are people in the organization. Where do you even start?!

Before you whip out your PMBOK or Agile Practice guide and start reading it to your team, let’s step back a moment and talk about how to approach this situation pragmatically. And let’s do it with one of our favorite PMO mentors Joe Pusz, “PMO Joe!”

In this episode, we talk with PMO Joe about how to approach you new role as the pioneer project manager in your organization and how to set yourself, your team and your organization up for success - in the short and long term.

OUR AMAZING GUEST: JOE PUSZ, “PMO JOE”

Joe Pusz, PMO Joe is an internationally recognized leader in the Project Management and PMO community. He is a frequent Keynote Speaker, Author, Project Management Innovator and was recently named one of the Top 8 PMO Influencers in the World by the PMO Global Alliance. He is the Founder and President of THE PMO SQUAD, a Phoenix based PMO and Project Management Consulting firm serving clients across the United States.

He is host of the Project Management Office Hours Radio Show and Podcast providing Project Management Leaders a voice within our community. Now in the 5th season the show has over 40 million plays and downloads featuring guests from around the world. Joe is also Co-Founder of VPMMA, the Veteran Project Manager Mentor Alliance which is a 501c3 Non-Profit Organization assisting Veterans seeking to transition into civilian Project Management careers.

Joe is the Founder of The PMO Leader global community. The site is the only global ecommerce community for PMO Leaders and teams to share content, gain knowledge and exchange experiences. He is a Judge for the Global PMO Awards, a member of the PMI Executive Roundtable on PMOs, and is a long-time member of the Project Management Institute. He has been a PMI Volunteer, Sponsor and Mentor.

Social Media

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joepusz/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-pmo-squad/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/project-management-office-hours/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/vpmma/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-pmo-leader/

https://twitter.com/THEPMOSQUAD

https://www.instagram.com/thepmosquad/

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

OK, originally this was going to be an April Fool’s goof podcast, but it turned out to be a lot of fun and maybe a bit educational. But, nope, it’s not your usual PMHH episode, and DEFINITELY not your typical PM podcast. So, if you are looking for something serious and academic, this episode is not the one for you.

Kate will be your dungeon master in this fun (and, yeah, weird) episode! Kate walks Kim through building his PM character, then takes him through a tabletop RPG (role playing game) of managing a project. Is it as dorky as it sounds? YES!!

“Roll your negotiation check.”

Will Kim be able to complete his quest? Or will the Dragons, Facilities Managers and other monsters stop his party in their tracks?

I don’t know about you, but I think Kate needs to start hosting public versions of these! Talk about a fun way to PDU! Give us a shout if you think so too!

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

PMs are accountable for project success. As such, we are keenly aware when things are failing! And because most PM’s are process and goal oriented, we can think of a lot of ways to improve an organization.

But how do you propose a change in a way that gets support - instead of damnation? If you don’t do it right, pitching a change can sound a lot like giving a bunch of other people more work to do, or telling everyone else that they’ve been doing it ‘wrong’ for the last 10 years, and you as a fresh-faced PM is here to tell them how to do it right.

In this episode, we’re going to try to help you learn from our hard lessons learned and effectively pitch changes to help your organization succeed the way you know it can.

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Wouldn’t it be cool if everyone followed all the processes we built? If everyone on our team followed the PMBOK or SCRUM methodologies perfectly every single time and every estimate we ever received was perfectly accurate?

Of course that doesn’t happen. But did you ever stop to think - why? Well, our guest today has. Dr. Josh Ramirez has combed the scientific literature on human behavior and combined that with his love of project management to help explain why people do the things they do - and don’t. Today he shares with us how to use human psychology to change the way we approach project delivery to account for the weird ways humans behave.

OUR AMAZING GUEST DR. JOSH RAMIREZ

Dr. Josh Ramirez is the founder and CEO of the Institute for Neuro & Behavioral Project Management

Building an organization (www.nbpmi.com) that is working on redesigning project management with behavioral, social, cognitive, and neuroscience, toward an emerging field of Behavioral Project Management. In addition, he is currently researching application of science to project management to build a foundation of project science under existing practices. The future of project management is in redesigning around the beings that predict and deliver projects: humans.

He is also co-author of NeuralPlan with Dr. Shari De Baets, and an adjunct professor of project management, with experience that includes business operations management, project management, and project controls, including work at several national laboratories and other projects throughout the U.S. Department of Energy complex, as well as private sector project work.

Read more about Josh’s great contributions to PM here:

The Institute for Neuro & Behavioral Project Management: https://www.nbpmi.com/

Behavioral PM Membership Site: behavioralpm.com (new membership site) https://www.behavioralpm.com/

Neural Plan: https://www.neural-plan.com/

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

“I am in way over my head.”

“I have no business doing this job”

“I am totally not worthy of this role”

“There is no way I’m qualified to do this”

Have you ever told this to yourself? You may be infected with Imposter Syndrome! That’s OK - all highly capable people, especially project managers, find themselves with this affliction at one time or another - and again and again :-)

Not only can Imposter Syndrome take the fun and motivation out of your job, we see it holding many professionals back from their potential. So, get treatment today!

We were going to do an episode on Imposter syndrome, but then thought, are we really qualified to do that? Seems like it would take someone with much more experience than us to do it. :-)

In this episode, Kate and Kim share their experience dealing with their own Imposter Syndrome, and share how we deal with it and over come it, and how we coach our mentees to shine in spite of self doubt. Get after it!

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

The same way sports teams have coaches to help optimize their performance, organizations can engage PM coaches to help their project management team win.

In this episode, we are joined by Heather Gates, a PM coach who has worked to help develop project managers across many organizations. In this episode, Heather shares a few of her top coaching tips in some key areas:

1. Self Awareness
2. Communication
3. Time Management
4. Stakeholder Management
5. Cross functional Collaboration

About our amazing guest, Heather Gates

Heather Gates is an entrepreneur, consultant and certified project manager who values collaboration, productivity and service. As a former NCAA Kodak All-American in basketball and amateur beach volleyball player who grew up in Cleveland, Ohio USA, Heather has established a global reputation for being a diligent and thoughtful leader while advocating for effective project management amongst her peers, colleagues, project teams, and customers.

Certified as a women's business enterprise (WBE) from WECONNECT International in its first year, Heather launched PM Rehab in 2020, now branded ConnectingPM, and has the mission to provide real-time project management learning experiences and support services that help companies retain existing project professionals and optimize traditional business functions. Using relatable scenarios, Heather sheds light on how individuals and businesses can quickly introduce effective and quality project management for their projects, teams and customers.

If you are interested in getting coaching from Heather or would like to learn more about what she does, you can reach her and her team at https://connecting-pm.com or via email at info@connecting-pm.com

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Did you ever watch the credits at the end of a movie and think, “wow, that’s a lot of people?” You’re right. Hundreds or thousands of people engaged to deliver a massive, multi-million dollar project that is a feature film. How do they do that?

Our guest today walks us through the project behind a feature film: how do they plan a movie? How do they get funding? Who is really the PM in charge of pulling this thing off? (hint: it’s not the director)

This episode is a trial of a new format, “The Project Behind It” where we explore the projects behind the amazing every-day things around us. Like the format and want to see more? Let us know!

About our amazing guest, Eli Aultman

Eli Aultman is a production and development executive in film and television and an award winning independent producer whose projects have premiered at festivals such as SXSW, TriBeCa, Slamdance, and XOXO.

Their credits include projects in both the Star Wars and Marvel universes. They are a cofounder of Doubletake Entertainment, which leverages strategic partnerships with foreign governing bodies and private equity to develop and finance cutting-edge location-based entertainment, audiovisual content, and interactive media, and they are currently working as a consultant in the emerging field of virtual production. They hold a Juris Doctor in Intellectual Property from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, and Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics from Macalester College.

You can find out more about Eli via IMDb, LinkedIn, and Clubhouse

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

We are joined again by one of our favorite guests, Tim Creasey, Organizational Change Wizard. This time he shares 12 different methods for creating better alignment with your team and your stakeholders. In this first part of a 2 part episode, we share the first 6 of these hacks to help get two people on the same page.

7- Marathon Measures

8- Context and Contrast

9- Zoom

10- Top of Mind Not Top Priority

11- Progress Over Perfection

12- Time and Place

If you missed part 1, you can find it here.

About our amazing guest, Tim Creasey

An author, researcher, change expert and human, Tim focuses on the people-side of change with process, wit and vigor. Tim’s work forms the foundation of the world’s largest body of knowledge on change management. His role as Chief Innovation Officer at Prosci gives him unparalleled insight into change management challenges, trends and futures. Having spoken to hundreds of thousands of people around the globe, Tim is authentic, knowledgeable and unassumingly funny. He enables audiences with valuable data and actionable information.

And here are some links to some of Tim’s other amazing content:

8 Alignment Hacks That Enhance Change Management Today

While formal approaches to Change Management are a must for people-dependent projects and complex transformations, sometimes simple adjustments can help teams and colleagues remove roadblocks and enable rapid change during uncertain times.

Why Change Management

People are the common denominator for achieving project success and business outcomes and the research is clear: Initiatives with excellent change management are six times more likely to succeed.

Taking Charge of Change Training Program

Prosci’s Taking Charge of Change 1-day program will help you get started on delivering change success through people.

Tim’s LinkedIn Profile

Connect with Tim on LinkedIn and keep the change management conversation going!

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

We are joined again by one of our favorite guests, Tim Creasey, Organizational Change Wizard. This time he shares 12 different methods for creating better alignment with your team and your stakeholders. In this first part of a 2 part episode, we share the first 6 of these hacks to help get two people on the same page.

1. Pivot around Purpose
2. “To What End?”
3. To _____ By_____ statement
4. Name it to tame it
5. Matching Matters
6. Solution Laps

About our amazing guest, Tim Creasey

An author, researcher, change expert and human, Tim focuses on the people-side of change with process, wit and vigor. Tim’s work forms the foundation of the world’s largest body of knowledge on change management. His role as Chief Innovation Officer at Prosci gives him unparalleled insight into change management challenges, trends and futures. Having spoken to hundreds of thousands of people around the globe, Tim is authentic, knowledgeable and unassumingly funny. He enables audiences with valuable data and actionable information.

And here is some amazing content from Tim!

8 Alignment Hacks That Enhance Change Management Today

While formal approaches to Change Management are a must for people-dependent projects and complex transformations, sometimes simple adjustments can help teams and colleagues remove roadblocks and enable rapid change during uncertain times.

Why Change Management

People are the common denominator for achieving project success and business outcomes and the research is clear: Initiatives with excellent change management are six times more likely to succeed.

Taking Charge of Change Training Program

Prosci's Taking Charge of Change 1-day program will help you get started on delivering change success through people.

Tim's LinkedIn Profile

Connect with Tim on LinkedIn and keep the change management conversation going!

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

The Ironman Triathlon. Without exaggeration, it is truly one of the most epic endurance events that a mortal human can participate in: 140.6 miles covered in a single day by swimming, biking and running.

As epic as it is to participate in an Ironman, it may be even more daunting to plan and manage one. 140+ miles of race course. 3 totally different disciplines (Swim, Bike, Run). As many as 2,000 - 3,000 participants. Literally tons of food and drink to get out across the course. Thousands of volunteers. City permits, police, medics, media... By any measure, each and every Ironman event is an extraordinary project and major logistical feat, and one the Ironman group does extremely well.

We are joined by Paul Huddle, Senior Regional Director for Ironman, who walks us through what's involved in planning and running an Ironman event. Whether you are a Project Manager, an Ironman athlete or just amazed by extraordinary endeavors, you are going to dig this episode!

About our amazing guest, Paul Huddle

Paul Huddle is a Seasoned Event Operator with more than 20 years of experience in the fast-paced mass participation endurance sport industry. He is a Senior Regional Director for the Ironman Group, and is responsible for triathlons from sprints to the Ironman Championship, mountain biking, and running events - including the Rock & Roll marathons.

Paul is also the author of: The Athlete Minded Traveler, Ironman - Start to Finish and Starting Out Triathlon

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Project Managers are agents of change. Whether your project changes organizations, technologies, infrastructure or processes, the success of your project likely depends on people actually using your deliverables. But how much of your project is really focused on those people and helping them understand and make those changes?

Spoiler: Kate totally nerds out on this one :-) After we recorded this, Kate and Kim quoted Tim to just about everyone they met. Mic drops!

In this podcast we are joined by one of the most influential thought-leaders in Change Management today, Tim Creasey, the CIO of Prosci. Tim will take us through the 5 tenets of change management, and their corresponding plain language questions:

1. We change for a reason
2. • Plain language question: Why are we changing?
   • Who has to do their job differently, and how?
3. Organizational change requires individual change
   • How much of our outcomes depend on adoption and usage?
4. Organizational outcomes are the collective result of individual change
   • What will we do to support adoption and usage?
5. Change Management is an enabling framework for managing the people side of change
   • How will driving adoption and usage improve results?
6. We apply change management to realize the benefits and desired outcomes of change

About our amazing guest, Tim Creasey

An author, researcher, change expert and human, Tim focuses on the people side of change with process, wit and vigor. Tim’s work forms the foundation of the world’s largest body of knowledge on change management. His role as Chief Innovation Officer at Prosci gives him unparalleled insight into change management challenges, trends and futures. Having spoken to hundreds of thousands of people around the globe, Tim is authentic, knowledgeable and unassumingly funny. He enables audiences with valuable data and actionable information.

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

You’re a PM and you have landed on a strange new world where you don’t know the industry, the organization the people or the subject matter. How do you get oriented enough to intelligently deliver a project? How do you succeed in this alien environment?

In this episode, Kate and Kim talk about how to approach getting up to speed when you are faced with leading a project in a new department, new company, new domain or totally new industry where you don’t know the subject matter.

In summary:

1. Get a head start where you can
2. Stand on what you know
3. Build trust then ask for help
4. Fake it ‘til you make it

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Whether you are hiring project managers or hope to get hired, do you know what hiring managers should be looking for? What’s going on in a hiring managers mind when they look at your resume and when they interview you?

In this episode we are joined by Matt Henderson - a long time PMO manager who has hired hundreds of project managers. In fact, at one point he managed both Kate and Kim. How on earth did he manage two such unruly PMs?! We’ll maybe cover that in another episode. In this episode, Matt shares tips on interviewing and selecting PM’s for hire. This will be useful to you whether you are a hiring manager yourself, or being interviewed yourself.

Our amazing guest, Matt Henderson

Matt Henderson is a Senior Executive with over 25 year of experience in Project Management. He has worked globally within Startup and Fortune-500 Services organizations, helping clients achieve business-critical outcomes from their Projects. In these roles, Matt has built and managed several PMO’s and has hired 100’s of PM’s.

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

If you are a PM working in or with a large enterprise, you may have heard of ITSM, or the ITIL framework. And you may well have been asked to create additional deliverables and go through some processes to support ITSM. But what is it? How does it work? Why is it good for organizations? And as a PM, what do I typically need to do to support it? And, what's the difference between ITSM and ITIL?

To help us better understand ITIL and ITSM, we are joined today by one of the most respected experts in the area of ITSM, Erika Flora of BEYOND20. Erika not only helps us understand ITIL and ITSM, but also how this framework can help your project and your organization succeed in the long term.

Our amazing guest Erika Flora, PMP, PgMP, ITIL Expert

Erika is President/CEO with BEYOND20. For more than 15 years, Erika has worked with global organizations to define and launch PMOs, provide Project Management training and coaching, and implement Enterprise Project Management platforms. She holds several Project Management certifications including PMP, PgMP, Certified ScrumMaster (CSM), and Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO).

Erika has a Master’s Degree in Microbiology from the University of Florida, served as an Adjunct Professor of Project Management at San Diego State University, volunteered as a PMI board member in Phoenix and San Diego, and is a Lead Editor/author for the core publication “ITIL 4 Leader: Digital & IT Strategy”, released in Q4 2020. When she’s not working or on social media (@erikaflora), you can find her performing with her improv comedy team, Swoonface.

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

If your project customers are external to your organization, you have a lot more to worry about than the success of your project. You also have the carry the weight of building and maintaining a relationship with your organization's customer. And if you do it wrong... you are toast! 

In this episode, Kim shares some points from training that he gives to new Project Managers that are transitioning from "internal" facing projects to "external," customer facing projects. Follow along and learn how to be a PM consultant! 

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

As PM’s we are often privy to confidential information. How do you manage that info, even when you know it will impact your friends and colleagues? 

This week Kate and Kim share some of their experience managing confidential information - how to do it, and how to react when you or someone else inadvertently lets the cat out of the bag

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Are you trying to get into the field of Project Management? Or, are you ready for the next step and to move out of the PM field?

This week Kate and Kim have a very special guest, Ben Aston, the host of The Digital Project Manager podcast - one of our favorite PM podcasts. Kate, Kim and Ben talk about how to break into the field of Project Management, and talk about what may lay beyond project management. In either case, we share our experience and some examples to help you with your transition. Cheers!

OUR AMAZING GUEST BEN ASTON

Ben Aston is a digital project manager and online entrepreneur – the founder of Black + White Zebra, an indie media company on a mission to help people and organizations succeed.

Ben brings over 15 years of experience in both strategic thinking and tactical implementation from a career at top digital agencies including TAG, FCV, Dare, Wunderman, DLKW Lowe and DDB. He's been fortunate enough to work across verticals including transit, utilities, FMCG, consumer electronics, eCommerce, automotive, financial services, public sector, and retail brands.

Ben's a Certified Scrum Master, PRINCE2 Practitioner and founder of the digital project management blog, The Digital Project Manager.

Check out some of Ben’s amazing content -

• The Digital Project Manager - https://thedigitalprojectmanager.com/

• DPM School - https://thedigitalprojectmanager.com/project-management-training/

• DPM Membership - https://thedigitalprojectmanager.com/membership/

• Black & White Zebra - https://blackandwhitezebra.com/

• Indie Media Club - https://indiemedia.club/

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Are you looking for a PM job? If not now, one day you may be. So, why not talk to a pro who knows the market and help you find the right job? A Project Management Recruiter!

Building a relationship with a recruiter can be a gateway to a great PM career, or to your next step in that career. In this episode we speak with Norma Gutierrez, an experienced Project Management recruiter who shares with ous what you can expect from a recruiter, how they can help you, and what they look for.

OUR AMAZING GUEST NORMA GUTIERREZ

Norma Gutierrez is an Account Manager at TEKsystems focused in the Phoenix Valley. She is involved in the PMI Chapter Group as well as in Agile Anonymous and a fan of our podcast. Yeah!

She’s has specialized her time in the Staffing Industry in the Project Management space and is very excited to share some of her perspective on recruiting.

Teksystems.com

www.linkedin.com/in/normajgutierrez

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Do I need a Project Management Office (PMO)? Does anyone REALY need a PMO? Why, aren’t those all going away because of Agile? What value can a PMO give to an organization? And when does it not make sense to have a PMO?

We go through all this and more on this 2 part podcast - check it out!

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Do I need a Project Management Office (PMO)? Does anyone REALY need a PMO? Why, aren’t those all going away because of Agile? What value can a PMO give to an organization? And when does it not make sense to have a PMO?

We go through all this and more on this 2 part podcast - check it out!

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

We get asked a lot about what project management is about, what it’s like to get into the profession, and what are the most important things to do as you get into the field. There are so many things to think about, so many considerations that it can be hard to think of a simple answer to ‘what is project management like?’

But one answer we fall back on often is that Project Management is about:

• Saying what you are going to do
• Do what you said you did,
• Say what you did

We of course didn’t come up with that, but it so accurately describes the life of PM that we thought we’d make a podcast of it and go into the details. Join us as we talk about Say-Do-Say paradigm of project communication

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Project Management can be tough - full of stress, emotion, passion and… more stress. You, your team and your stakeholders are trying to make big changes happen in the intense pressure cooker that is a project. And if you’ve been around long enough you will know that tears sometimes happen in the workplace. But how do we handle that - if we work with someone and they shed tears, or if it’s us?

In this episode, we get real and honest about tears in the workplace - that it’s not a sign of weakness, and talk about how to handle it. And how NOT to handle it.

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Many of us are suddenly finding that we - and our teams - are working remotely from home. While this is normal for a lot of our workforce, it can represent a very big change for a lot of teams. How do we stay focused and stay productive - and help our team stay focused as well? And how do we do that in a way that keeps us all sane?

In this webinar, Kate and Kim talk through this process from how to setup a productive workspace from home, what tools you can use to optimize collaboration to how to treat ourselves and our team with compassion and help keep them motivated.

Get the webinar video!

If you want to see the webinar with video, you can do so by registering on this page: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/3115849828526/WN_YlN8JVMBT_S5fwqh_rhogA

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Projects are about change - but what are you doing to manage that change in your project? Fortunately, there’s an entire field of practice to make changes stick - Organizational Change Management

Today our guest walks us through the Prosci ADKAR model for implementing change - one of the most well known and popular methodologies for managing change.

OUR AMAZING GUEST AND PM HAPPY HOUR MEMBER

Kornelia Homewood, Kori for short, is passionate about all things project management. She is a certified PMP, Professional Scrum Master (PSM), and most recently a Prosci Certified Change Practitioner. She has a Masters of Science in Project Management from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and a portfolio leading diverse projects spanning multiple industries including – Higher Education, EdTech, FinTech, and IT. Her current role is that of a Project and Portfolio Management Consultant with Kolme Group. When she is not heads down on a project, you’ll find Kori indulging in her favorite hobby – all things yarn! Knitting, crocheting, spinning and weaving.

Find out more about Kori on her Linked in Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/korneliahomewood/

Read more about Prosci here: https://www.prosci.com/

And to find out more about ADKAR, check out Jeffrey M. Hiatt’s book: ADKAR: A model for change in business, government, and our community

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Whether we realize it or not, we all have bias in the way we think about things. Maybe you have a bias to be overly optimistic in your estimates, or under estimate the impact of risks. Planning fallacy, illusion of control, confirmation bias - the list goes on of different ways bias can mis-shape our perceptions and our decisions

This week’s amazing guest, Jennifer Chandler, brings her depth of experience as a project manager and expertise in organizational leadership to help us understand bias and how to manage it

OUR AMAZING GUEST!

This week’s guest, Jennifer Chandler, received her Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from the Project Management Institute in 2008, even though she had been managing projects for decades before that.

She managed information technology projects for federal agencies (e.g., the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U. S. Secret Service; the U. S. Navy; and the U. S. Army), international corporations (e.g., Motorola), and for national not-for-profit professional associations (e.g., the Association of American Medical Colleges).

She has also managed and mentored teams of project managers as well as one-on-one mentoring of project managers. She has also conducted assessments of other organizations' project management practices and developed curriculum and taught project management in organizations.

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour

View Details

Hiya listeners, in this episode we share what we’ve been up to and why we’ve been a bit quiet, some amazing PDU stats and share some things that we’re thankful for. 

Cheers! And thanks to our amazing listeners

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

For this episode the tables are turned - Kate and Kim get interviewed! Arizona State University student Krystal Ebadi contacted us and asked if she could interview us for her PM class about the realities of studying PM and getting a job. Of course we said yes! And Krystal let us share that interview with our listeners. Thanks Krystal!

Join us as we talk about studying project management in a University, how to prepare to get a PM job, and how to break into the field. This episode covers some of our most frequent listener questions

ABOUT OUR AMAZING GUEST KRYSTAL EBADI

Krystal Ebadi is currently a junior at Arizona State University (Go sun devils!!!!!!) She is majoring in organizational leadership project management, and aspires to become a future Project Manager

APOLOGIES IN ADVANCE! Kim was getting his house painted on recording day (OOPS!) and there's a bit of noise in the background. Sorry!

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

This episode we talk with one of our amazing listeners, Josh Mildren, who shares his story about how he became a project manager - or rather, how he realized he was a project manager all along. Like a lot of our Happy Hour listeners, Josh was looking for new ways to address challenges his organization was struggling with, and found that a pragmatic approach using Project Management principles has a huge impact - so much so, that it propelled him to employee of the year! Congrats Josh!

Join us as Josh shares his journey - one that we think a lot of Happy Hour listeners can identify with! We'll talk about how to recognize how and when to leverage Project Management disciplines in your job - and how to recognize if you are, actually, a Project Manager even if that's not your official job title.

ABOUT OUR AMAZING GUEST JOSH MILDREN

Josh Mildren has been working in helpdesk services for 15 years and has been a Client Onboarding Engineer for the past 2 and half years with Dataprise out of Rockville MD. Josh has taken his experience with helpdesk support, client services and documentation to provide new client information and expectations of support services to his company, while setting up managed solutions and monitoring support services for their new clients. In order to ensure our clients have a smooth transition, Josh trains both his TEC staff and the client on submitting issues, reports and escalations and answer questions all while trying to meet Go-Live dates for support.

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

This episode we talk about that make-or-break moment in project closing: handing over your project deliverables. If you plan your project right, this can be a moment of victory for your team, your stakeholders, and for yourself. But if you don’t plan for it, handover can become a never ending death march to nowhere. Kate and Kim talk about how to setup this key transition for success, and talk about some pitfalls you are going to want to avoid!

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership 

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

We love our listeners, and we love to answer your questions! In fact, this episode comes straight from a call for help we received from one of our listeners. She shared with us that her manager told her that she was “too nice” with her project team, and asked us for help in how to deal with this ambiguous feedback.

Most of us have received ambiguous feedback like this. “You need to be tougher,” “you are too abrupt,” “You need to present better to executives,” or something else like that. But how do you turn that vague feedback into action, and gain confidence back?

In this episode Kate shares her personal experience with some recent “inactionable” feedback she received, and shares how she worked through that feedback to achieve a positive outcome.

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Ever have a project that costs money? Well, this podcast is for you! In this episode, Kate and Kim give you the quick and dirty rundown of basic project financials - not just within your project, but how money gets to your project, and how your finance team may view those financials.

In a study Kim’s company did at PMO symposium, they found that tracking project financials correlated with success by every measure of project success - scope, schedule budget (obviously), resource management, customer satisfaction and ability to get the project done. So, financials are important! Check out Kim’s webinar recording here: https://kolmegroup.com/surveyresults/

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Communication is a critical part of a Project Manager’s job, and perhaps no aspect of comms is more important than ensuring that what is communicated is correct and truthful. But when someone is not being truthful - to themselves or others - how do you call that out? Or, as we say, how do you “call bullsh!t” on someone without it wrecking your relationship or the support you need from that stakeholder?

This episode Kate and Kim get really, really real about calling out BS when you see it - why it’s our jobs as PMs to do it, how to do it and, where possible, how to do it in a way that ends up being positive for everyone. Well, as much as possible, anyway. And, yup, we do talk a bit of B.S. in this episode!

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Many Project Managers are on a trajectory that takes them from a more technical or tactical focus to a more leadership focus in their career, possibly transitioning from Project Management eventually to the Board Room.

But how do you do that? How do you make the transition from being known for technical execution to strategic leadership? Well, one of the main things to consider is how you brand yourself.

To help us learn about personal branding and growing from a tactical role to a strategic one is our special guest on this episode, Sonia Mundra. Sonia has successfully made this transition, and gives us some amazing coaching to help us grow into leadership as well!

OUR AMAZING GUEST, SONIA MUNDRA

Our guest, Sonia Mundra is the President of Chenega Analytic Business Solutions (Chenega Analytic), an Alaska Native Corporation (ANC) and Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB). Ms. Mundra helps federal and commercial agencies implement records and IT solutions. She has served in a variety of operational, financial and executive roles at Chenega.

In addition to leading Chenega Analytic, Ms. Mundra dedicates a significant amount of time to volunteer associations and activities which help educate and empower the regional technology community. She has spoken for various organizations, including CompTIA, ISACA, PMI, National Contract Management Association (NCMA), and Virginia Society of CPAs (VSCPA).

Ms. Mundra is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Project Management Professional (PMP).

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Burning Man is a famous event held in a temporary city the middle of the Nevada desert, dedicated to self expression and artistic freedom with 80,000 people. Can you imagine managing a project there?!

One of our very own PM Happy Hour members does so every year! This episode we are joined by Kayla Glenn, a project management consultant and a project manager for a camp at Burning Man. Kayla will share her lessons learned from managing a team of volunteers - lessons which translate very well to any project. Our favorite: “Everyone has a Tuesday.” Check it out!

About our guest, Kayla Glenn

Kayla is a project management consultant and CAPM. Her favorite hobbies also involve running projects, and she has run a theme camp at Burning Man for the last six years, as well as volunteering as an event coordinator in the non-profit sector, organizing fundraisers and events. She lives in Seattle, WA with a totally awesome cat, and can be found walking around Greenlake.

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

We all assume that following process, better data and improved maturity will fix all our PM issues. That make sense, but is it true? What does the data say?

This was our question last fall going into PMO Symposium. Then we realized, we’d be surrounded by hundreds of amazing Project and PMO leaders who could help us understand this better! So, we engaged with 65+ Project and PMO leaders to collect data measuring different aspects of project success, what processes & tools they used (or didn’t) and what data they used. Some of the answers were just as you may expect - but a number of them were really surprising!

In this episode, we walk through the findings of that study.

CHECK OUT A VIDEO…

We also recorded a video version of this podcast so you can see the graphics - check it out here

You can also download a copy of the presentation, here.

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Today we are joined by Rolondo Talbott who gave an amazing presentation at this year’s PMO Symposium. He is going to share with us an amazing story from his time in the military which inspired him to come up with the concept of Entrepreneurial Project Management. If you've heard about us contrasting "box checker" PM's with being the CEO of your project, Rolondo takes it to a whole new level. With this approach, we look past the obvious or even stated goals of our project and engage at a deeper level to drive value. If you have stakeholders (and who doesn’t!) you won’t want to miss this one.

ABOUT OUR GUEST, ROLONDO TALBOTT

Rolondo Talbott, director of project management at Pomona College, joined the IT senior management team where he builds, leads, and operates project management for IT. Rolondo is a UCLA graduate and Los Angeles native who is also a 10-year veteran of the United States Air Force. His most recent position was working for NBC Universal, and he now lives with his family in Claremont, CA, USA.

He is also a published author who has written everything from screenplays to parenting related articles which are found in a variety of online and print magazines. He is also the author of the Children’s Book Series, “Uniquely ME” and was named by Disney’s as, “One of New Picture Books Your Kids Will Beg You to Read Over and Over”. When he is not writing, he is helping teams across various industries go from “Great to Legendary” using a variety of certified team building techniques. He also is passionate about helping veterans secure jobs, and volunteers by offering them résumé critiques and job-search strategies.

To contact Rolondo or read some of his many articles and books...

Linkedin.com/in/rolondotalbott (Various articles on Management)

Pomona.edu/pmo

Evolllution.com/author/Rolondo-talbott (Understanding and Achieving Consensus: Best Practices and Pitfalls to Avoid)

https://www.cioreview.com/cxoinsight/the-key-to-project-success-nid-27443-cid-63.html (The Key to Project Success)

Parenting Blogging

https://www.babble.com/contributor/rtalbott/ (Disney’s Parenting Website)

https://www.babble.com/entertainment/picture-books/ (Uniquely ME, Book #31)

Children’s Book Series: Uniquely ME (Various Versions)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071Z974ZY/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_hYnvCbPR4FH5X

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

In today’s world we are bombarded with more information than ever before - it’s on our mobile devices (social email, etc.), daily stand-ups, 24 hour news networks telling us about how the world is collapsing every day, so much going on.

That’s a lot of information coming in - so how do you sort through it? With that much information coming in and going out, it can be hard to really feel like we are on top of our projects. Especially in two circumstances:

1. We have a large number of projects we are managing at the same time
2. We have a very long duration project, and need to be able to look ahead and look back

So, how do you find a ‘quiet space’ where you can actually think and plan?

In this episode, we talk about keeping a Project Diary. A diary or a log of your project can be a great way for you to sort through your thoughts and challenges on a project, and maybe even a way to provide a higher degree of transparency into your project to your stakeholders. Project Diary, Project Log, Project Blog, Project Vlog - we got you covered. Check it out!

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

A natural stage in PM professional development is when you become the ‘fixer’ - the one called in to take over or fix ‘broken’ critical projects. This is hard, stressful work, and you may wonder why you get (or keep getting) the ‘dirty’ jobs. But these assignments mean your management team has a lot of confidence in you. Embrace it!

In this episode, Kate and Kim talk through how to approach taking over broken projects, and take you step-by-step through the remediation process. Kate and Kim share their experiences, tips and survival strategies to get you through alive.

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

A defining characteristic of a project is that it ends. Finally. Just finish it, right? If it were only that easy!

This episode Kate and Kim talk about what it means to close a project, and walk through some typical scenarios where closing can be really tough, and then share some practical tips on how to get to done.

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Have you ever had to justify the value of Project Management in your organization? Doh! So do we. Listen in as we share our best responses to, “is PM really needed?”

You don’t have to justify the existence of the Finance team. Or Sales & Marketing. Or Executive Management. So why do we have to justify the existence of Project Management? This week we explore this question and share some of our favorite responses to help educate our stakeholders and show the value of what we do.

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership 

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Many companies employ personality assessments to help their team members understand their strengths or communication styles. Are these a waste of time? Or do they have value we can leverage as PMs?

Today we are joined by Fai Mo, long time project manager and manager of project managers. Fai will share his experience in leveraging one type of assessment, Strengthfinders, and how he helps his team leverage this tool to improve their management skills.

ABOUT OUR AMAZING GUEST, FAI MO

Fai Mo is an accomplished project management and technology leader with a background in business and technology consulting. Additionally, Fai has led teams and programs in several industries including financial

services, utilities and education. Fai loves to grow and develop project managers using various techniques including the one in today’s podcast. You can find Fai’s professional profile on LinkedIn

www.linkedin.com/in/fai-mo

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

As we gorge on our kid’s leftover Halloween candy, we answer a number of Listener questions left on our Facebook and Linkedin pages.

• What are some good ways to describe PM-ish duties on a resume/CV?
• What are some tips on holding someone accountable?
• How do you create a timeline for a project with a new technology you don’t know about?
• When and how do you call out a team member who is not doing their job?
• What are some tips on working with an external IT vendor PM?
• And more!

Got your own questions you wish we’d covered? It’s not too late! Hit us up on facebook at /pmhappyhour today

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

“What are we even doing in this project?”

If you’ve ever asked yourself (or been asked) this question, go back to your Project Charter right now! The Project Charter is a keystone project artifact, authorizing the very existing and base assumptions and structure of your project. It can be called many things - a statement of work, a project initiation document - but whatever, if you don’t have some kind of document that authorizes your project, you may be in trouble!

In this episode we talk about charters, what they are, what should be in them - and what doesn’t need to be in there.

MEMBER ONLY BONUS CONTENT - DOWNLOAD ONE OF OUR CHARTER TEMPLATES!

Members can log in and go to https://pmhappyhour.com/resources/ to download our Project Charter templates! We have a long format and a short format template. The long format comes with instructions and example text to get you started.

MEMBER ONLY BONUS CONTENT II - EXTENDED WALK-THROUGH

The course for this podcast includes a special 20+ minute extended walk-through of our charter templates to make sure you get your charter off on the right foot.

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

This episode we are joined at Happy Hour by prominent PM thought leader, Naomi Caetti. We chat with Naomi about what it takes to transition from being “just” a Project Manager to a Leader - both for your project and your organization. Check out this episode to learn how to take your game to the next level!

OUR AMAZING GUEST NAOMI CAIETTI

Naomi Caietti is an award-winning business woman, widely respected global virtual thought leader in the project management community for over 25 years, and an honoree of the 2017 #CelebratingWomen Project from Dr. Kirstin Ferguson. In 2014, Naomi founded her consulting company to meet virtual on demand business needs as a speaker, author and consultant.

Naomi has been featured in national and international media//publications including the Project Management Institute, ProjectManagement.com, Workfront.com, Employee Engagement Network, Professional Woman Network, IT Metrics and Productivity Institute and ProjectManager.com. You can find out more about her new book “Transform Your Leadership” at www.naomicaietti.com, connect with her on Linkedin and follow her on twitter at @califgirl232.

Leadership Webinar:

Naomi’s webinar, “The Self Aware PM,” packed with latest info for PMs who wish to “Transform from a PM to a Project Leader.”

https://www.projectmanagement.com/videos/396995/PMXPO-2017--The-Self-Aware-Project-Manager

Virtual Leadership Articles by Naomi:

https://www.projectmanagement.com/articles/371618/Virtual-Team-Strategies

https://www.projectmanagement.com/articles/408168/Virtual-Leadership

https://www.projectmanager.com/blog/takes-virtual-pm

Press Release for Naomi’s Podcast Book Tour

https://www.naomicaietti.com/uploads/1/3/8/4/13846026/press_release_for_transform_your_leadership_2018.pdf

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

This episode, we get the great opportunity to speak with Hussain Bandukwala, PMO Coach and founder of the PMO Virtual Summit this October. Hussain helps us understand what a PMO really is (and should be), then shares some great insights into the career path of someone who wants to be a PMO leader. Some great tools Hussain shared are linked here:

• Article about co-existence of product & project management for startups: https://www.parwaazcc.com/5-reasons-why-project-management-is-a-no-brainer-for-your-rapidly-growing-startup/
• Introspection Attribute Analysis (direct file download) https://drive.google.com/uc?export=download&id=165cCFwnYRGB3TJIQ07_PCAAUcu0ZbXKs

CHECK OUT THE PMO VIRTUAL SUMMIT

Check out the PMO Virtual Summit October 16 - 18 - Hussain will have some amazing guests!

• Click HERE to check out the PMO Virtual Summit!

OUR AMAZING GUEST HUSSAIN BANDUKWALA

Hussain Bandukwala is the Chief Coach at Parwaaz Consulting (https://www.parwaazcc.com/) and helps PMO leaders succeed.

Through coaching, workshops and other resources, Hussain arms aspiring and first-time Project Management Office (PMO) leaders with experiential learning and confidence to achieve PMO triumph systematically and effectively.

He also works with PMO leaders and executives at high-growth small- and mid-sized organizations to conquer their biggest challenges in meeting strategic goals, achieving operational efficiency, and delivering project value.

Hussain has led and facilitated the setup of PMOs at several companies and advised numerous PMO leaders throughout their own PMO setup journeys. He has authored several PMO-focused publications, teaches at LinkedIn Learning and speaks frequently on the subject.

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Whether you are an "accidental" Project Manager or eager to get into the field, the PM Happy Hour membership can help you with your "How to PM" questions! We focus on practical advice and tips and make it easy (maybe even fun) to listen to!

Promo warning - This episode we share a bit about our PM Happy Hour Membership!

What the heck are you waiting for?! Join the Project Management Happy Hour Membership and be part of the community! If you join by October 9, you can still get in on the launch membership special, and lock the price in for life at $4.99/month or $49.99/year. Check us out at pmhappyhour.com/membership

View Details

Project Management Happy Hour means Painless PDUs and dare we say, "FUN!" PDUs!  Check out this video podcast to find out more.

Promo warning - This episode we share a bit about our PM Happy Hour Membership!

What the heck are you waiting for?! Join the Project Management Happy Hour Membership and be part of the community! If you join by October 9, you can still get in on the launch membership special, and lock the price in for life at $4.99/month or $49.99/year. Check us out at pmhappyhour.com/membership

View Details

This episode, Kim shares some lessons from his time studying martial arts studies with some amazing instructors that apply to Project Management! And no, they do not include giving that troublesome stakeholder a spin-kick to the head :-) But they do include lessons on how to assert yourself, how to focus on the important things in the moment and how to approach mentorship. Join the journey from white belt to kickass PM black belt!

From the Filipino stick fighting art of Balintawak Eskrima to American Kenpo, we talk through just a couple of life lessons you can apply to your projects. And maybe also to troublesome stakeholders. Ha!

This episode is humbly dedicated to the three great martial artists and amazing people that inspired it with their teaching and mentorship -

• Manong Sam Buot
• Mr. Scott Gonzalez
• Coach Richard Cotterill

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

This episode, Kate and Kim talk about their favorite Project Managers from the big screen and small screen - and what lessons we can take away from them. From big-screen capers to everybody’s favorite movie PM (who is “here to put you BACK on schedule, commander"... because the sponsor is not as forgiving as he is… :-) )

Laughs aside, media are a big part of everyone’s lives, and these characters and plots are part of our culture - as should be project management. So, get some popcorn, listen to OUR pics for best movie PMs, then join the conversation on our website or FB - tell us which PMs we missed! And which movie project sponsor you are SO GLAD you don’t have.

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

This episode, we are excited to have Elise Stevens, podcaster, speaker and PM thought leader join us on our show! Elise shares what she learned in undertaking the task to interview 50 women in Project Management over 50 days, and gives us some great tips to help us support our fellow PM’s

ABOUT OUR AMAZING GUEST, ELISE STEVENS

For over two decades, Elise has worked closely with project managers to positively impact and innovate effective management processes. She has collaborated with a range of organisations including Queensland Urban Utilities, Ipswich City Council, Coca-Cola Amatil, Hutchinson Telecoms and Ansett Australia.

Elise works with women in project management roles to reinforce within themselves their true value to their team, company and industry. She provides a channel for women’s voices to be heard, supported and embraced in project management. It’s time for women to dream big in the industry, and to know that they can achieve their career goals.

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Project Managers can be categorized as “internal” project managers, who deliver projects for stakeholders within their own organizations, or “external” project managers, who delivery projects to customers outside their organization. Although both are project managers, there are some very important differences between the skill sets they use. But which is better? Which role fits you best? What skills are most important for each role?

Having each lived in both worlds, Kate and Kim take opposite sides of the debate and have a friendly discussion about which is best. FIGHT!

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

One of the toughest - and most important jobs - of a PM is having difficult conversations. These can be with sponsors, stakeholders, team members or other PMs. And the ability to successfully manage these difficult conversations can make the difference between success and failure - for your project, and your career!

Continuing our deep dive into the concepts in the book, Crucial Conversations by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan and Al Switzler, we wrap up our 3 part discussion on this keystone resource by talking through how to have and succeed with that difficult discussion, including -

• Making it safe
• Language to use
• Listening
• Taking action

Everyone has crucial conversations, so don’t miss this - and go get your copy of Crucial Conversations! (nope, they aren’t paying us to say that :-) )

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

One of the toughest - and most important jobs - of a PM is having difficult conversations. These can be with sponsors, stakeholders, team members or other PMs. And the ability to successfully manage these difficult conversations can make the difference between success and failure - for your project, and your career!

Continuing our deep dive into the concepts of Crucial Conversations by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan and Al Switzler, we pick up where we left off in our first Crucial episode where we started our conversation, and now talk about the author’s concept of “learning to look.”

Everyone has crucial conversations, so don’t miss this - and go get your copy of Crucial Conversations! (nope, they aren’t paying us to say that :-) )

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Controlling your project scope is one of the most important things we can do as project managers - but so easy to let slip. Don’t let Scope Creep sneak up on you! In this episode we talk about scope creep and discuss ways to keep your scope on track - and how to handle it if your scope needs to change.

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership 

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Management escalation, oh, no! When issues get escalated to our managers and executive stakeholders, our hearts sink, a sweat breaks out and we start to freak out. But should we? Maybe we should "flip the script" and think of escalations as good and even necessary - when done correctly.

In today’s show, Kate and Kim talk frankly about management escalations, and how, in some circumstances, a PM isn’t doing their job if they don’t raise some issues for management attention

PLUS, Kate gives Kim a brief Improv lesson!

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

One of the toughest - and most important jobs - of a PM is having difficult conversations. These can be with sponsors, stakeholders, team members or other PMs. And the ability to successfully manage these difficult conversations can make the difference between success and failure - for your project, and your career!

In this episode, Kate walks us through some key concepts and real life examples based of one of her most influential business books, Crucial Conversations by Joseph Grenny, Al Switzler and Ron McMillan. This book has a lot of content, so this episode we’re going to just focus on how to identify when a conversation gets “crucial.”

Nope, this isn’t a sponsored episode, we just love the book! So, we encourage you to go out and buy a copy today

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

While the term “mastermind group” was coined in the 20’s, it has been used by business leaders, writers, artists and philosophers going back much further to develop new ideas, themselves and accomplish amazing things. In this episode, we get some coaching from a Mastermind Master, J.R. Russell on how to facilitate a mastermind group - and we do one live on the air with PM Happy Hour members!

Also, for the first time, we have video of a Podcast session! Come to our web site at pmhappyhour.com to watch us go through the process

OUR AMAZING GUEST J.R. RUSSELL

Our guest, J.R. Russell, is PMP and PM Happy Hour Member with 40 years of diverse experience as a project, program, and portfolio manager. J.R. Russell is the CEO of Imaginarium Masterminds Inc., a women-owned/veteran-owned small business that will be launching the PM Mastermind Academy in the last quarter of 2018. The PM Mastermind Academy is an exponential learning community for new Project Managers in their first five years. The Academy will provide a foundational curriculum of project, relationship, and wellness management topics to help new PMs fast-track their careers and enhance their lifetime earnings potential. The app-based ecourse and video training curriculum is enhanced with assessments, coaching, and mentoring that have occasionally been used to reinforce training. But what’s unique about the PM Mastermind Academy is its use of mastermind groups that have been used successfully in the past mostly by C-Suite executives.

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our new membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Here’s a short episode inspired by the mathematical study of Game Theory! Not only can “moving last” (or latter) put you in a strong strategic position, but can also make you a better listener. We’ll also talk about some of the downsides of “sequential” turns in meetings, and how to keep that from stifling honest feedback using the Delphi method.

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our new membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

A lot of Project Management is about communicating and managing people. And one of our most frequently used tools for this is the meeting. In this episode we share some tips our best practices for making meetings productive - and not wasting yours and everyone else's time.

Based on popular demand, Kate and Kim share some of their top productivity tips for running an effective meeting that doesn’t waste everyone’s (including your) time

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our new membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Getting started in a new organization, new customer, or new parts of your current org can be tough, especially since managing a project usually means you need to navigate all those waters like a pro - out of the gate. But how do you do that? How do you “get to know” the organization quickly and effectively so you can get the show on the road?

This episode we talk with a Change Management specialist, Dilerjit Oberoi, who will help us learn to "swim" in a new organization - or to new parts of your current organization. No need to ‘go under’ when you have advice from a great expert like Dilerjit!

About our great guest, Dilerjit Oberoi:

Dilerjit Oberoi works for DPDHL IT Services in Prague, Czech Republic. He helps to articulate mid-long term roadmap for the organization, oversees projects to deliver on strategic priorities and does a whole bunch of other activities related to Service Excellence. He has experience in managing complex projects and working together with a diverse group of people from all around the world. He has an MBA from Warwick University in the UK and is currently learning the art of simple communication from his 3 year old daughter.

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our new membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Negotiation is part of what we do every day - from negotiating for the best project resources to negotiating what you and your significant other are going to have for dinner. But for those of us who don’t feel like natural negotiators, how can we learn to negotiate in a way that helps us address our needs while not risking the long term relationships?

That’s where the Harvard Negotiation Project comes in! One of our favorite business books, “Getting to Yes,” is a quick and easy read which can give you some great tools to help negotiation in business and life.

In our previous episode, we covered the method - and in this one, we discuss the “what if’s” - what if ‘they’ don’t want to play by the rules? Or don’t want to negotiate?

We hope you dig this enough to go out and get your own copy of this great book! (No, we aren’t getting paid to say that - we just really dig it and want to support the authors.)

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our new membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Negotiation is part of what we do every day - from negotiating for the best project resources to negotiating what you and your significant other are going to have for dinner. But for those of us who don’t feel like natural negotiators, how can we learn to negotiate in a way that helps us address our needs while not risking the long term relationships?

That’s where the Harvard Negotiation Project comes in! One of our favorite business books, “Getting to Yes,” is a quick and easy read which can give you some great tools to help negotiation in business and life.

We will cover some of the main points in Getting to Yes in our next two episodes. In this episode, we talk through the method. And in the next episode, we’ll talk about how to overcome some typical challenges to negotiation and the method.

We hope you dig this enough to go out and get your own copy of this great book! (No, we aren’t getting paid to say that - we just really dig it and want to support the authors.)

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our new membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

How do you get people to get stuff done when you have no "authority?" That’s a lot of the art of Project Management! In today’s episode, we walk through a few of Kate and Kim’s secret weapons that  you can use to get things done even when you don’t have formal authority.

This entire podcast was inspired by a great question from one of our PM Happy Hour members - big shout-out to Dani! Whether you are a Member or a Listener, we love to hear from you - give us a shout anytime at podcast@pmhappyhour.com !

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our new membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

It can be challenging enough to deliver a project with tough timelines, budgets and limited resources. But what happens when your project is high profile? I mean, REALLY high profile? High profile in that your stakeholders include business executives, regulatory agencies, and heads of governments who do not align on key issues? And what if, at stake, is a program which could bring tens or hundreds of millions of dollars to communities that very much need it?

That’s the daily reality of delivering high-stakes projects in the Gaming industry.

The skills that successful leaders in this industry have developed, especially around stakeholder management, can be incredibly valuable to every business leader and project manager. And to help us learn a couple of those skills, we are joined by Sheila Morago, Executive director of the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association. She is also one of one of our favorite people :-)

Sheila will walk us through some practical techniques for managing stakeholders in the boardroom, and facilitating agreement between executive stakeholders, especially when agreement seems far away and difficult.

ABOUT OUR GUEST, SHEILA MORAGO

Sheila Morago is the Executive Director of the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association. OIGA has 30 member tribes and numerous associate members. Oklahoma now ranks third in the United States in gaming revenue, with 118 casinos ranging from small fuel stops to full resort casinos.

Ms. Morago was named one of 25 people to watch by Global Gaming Business. She was named one of the “Great Women of Gaming” by Casino Enterprise Management, and inducted into the Indian Gaming Hall of Fame, presented by Indian Gaming Magazine.

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our new membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Oh, this was a fun one :-) Kate and I share a happy hour with you as we think back on all the things we wish we knew when we started project management. We trade lessons-learned back and forth - and we’re sure you can identify with some of these!

Warning in advance - audio quality isn’t the best in my kitchen, and we do digress a bit, but it’s a fun listen and there are some really good nuggets in here.  Enjoy!

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our new membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

How do you make sense of (and get your stakeholders to understand) a 200-line project plan? Or how about a program with 6 workstreams, each with 200 line project plans? How do you make a useful schedule for a smaller schedule, maybe for a personal project that you can share with “non-pm’s” that they can make sense of? 

This week we discuss using a “weekly roll-up” method for viewing schedules. It doesn’t necessarily replace your 200-line plan, but it is a very useful way for summarizing and reporting a schedule – check it out!

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Our Membership is now OPEN – and HALF PRICE!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our new membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Creative projects can be very fulfilling and provide tremendous value to any organization. But, they can also be very susceptible to scope creep. For those of us used to dealing in data-driven GANTT charts and Risk reports, how can we effectively approach a project with creative deliverables? Especially if we are not sure what those deliverables are supposed to look like? And how do we get objective results when it depends on subjective feedback?

Today’s guest, Shawn Hardy, will walk us through his process for approaching a project as a creative, and help us understand how to succeed in a Creative project. Proof in point: he was the designer for our amazing new PM Happy Hour website!

Our amazing guest, Shawn Hardy:

For the past 17 years Shawn has worked with hundreds of clients ranging from mom-and-pop’s in Phoenix, to startups in San Francisco, to global corporations in Boston. Shawn believe that ideas, design, and marketing should always motivate and inspire people. Working closely with business owners, other marketers, and creative teams to co-create effective and engaging work is what he is passionate about. His work takes a wide range of deliverables including brand identities, interactive websites, print, advertising campaigns, traditional marketing, TV, content marketing, video, and motion graphics. Beyond his career as a creative, he lives an active life which includes triathlons, running, and cycling. Shawn keeps his family and dogs close by, always with the end goal of simply enjoying life.

See more of SmittenLabs amazing work on their website, here: Smittenlabs.co

And you can reach out to Shawn directly, here: shawn@smittenlabs.co

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our new membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Hello Happy Hour!

A quick announcement to let everyone know that our Project Management Happy Hour Membership is now LIVE! 

Join now to get access to all our benefits! And for a limited time, the membership is HALF PRICE! Sign up and you lock that price in forever

Click here to find out more! 

Or browse to pmhappyhour.com/membership

View Details

A big differentiator between projects that succeed and projects that fail is the engagement and commitment of the Project Manager. Are they just going through the motions? Or are they taking charge?

In this short “Appetizer” episode, we share some tasty bites which might help you re-think how you approach leadership in your project.

PM HAPPY HOUR MEMBERSHIP IS HERE!

We have just launched our PM Happy Hour Membership! Want easy PDU’s reported to PMI for you? Want bonus content? Webinars? Personal Q&A sessions? Easy access to Kim & Kate? and a couple official PM Happy Hour coasters? Then sign up today and get our launch special of $4.99/month or $49.99/year - that’s HALF OFF! Find out more here: https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

JOIN US FOR HAPPY HOUR!

Come by and say “hey!” at our Facebook page https://facebook.com/pmhappyhour

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

SO much about project success is dependent on communication that we love to have communication experts on the show. Today’s guests, authors of the new book, “How to avoid a huge Leadersh*t,” will talk us through practical methods and examples for how to use narrative to effectively communicate - from introducing yourself to a group of people, to trying to justify projects and get stakeholder buy-in. We all relate to stories, so it’s only natural to communicate with them!

ABOUT OUR GUESTS, Brian Harman and Stephanie Taglianetti

Stephanie M Taglianetti, MFA, is an Italian-American writer from Long Island, NY. She has studied creative writing at the distinguished California Institute of the Arts, earning her Master’s degree. Her specialized work in storytelling has pointed her career towards professional screenwriting, copywriting, and education. Outside of her career, she focuses on painting, singing, and guitar.

Brian M Harman, MBA, is an American businessman that has been working in corporate leadership and supply chain management since 2004. He has studied global finance and management science at the University of Oxford and Pepperdine University, earning his MBA degree and currently finishing his PhD in Global Leadership and Change. His specialized work in strategic sourcing, negotiation, and leadership has driven his career in biotechnology. Outside of his corporate career, he is a Professor at San Francisco's Golden Gate University and Universidad ESAN's Graduate School of Business in Lima, Peru. His research focus is leadership psychology and humor.

CHECK OUT THEIR NEW BOOK ON AMAZON:

"How to avoid a huge Leadersh*t" : https://goo.gl/hX6LCy

The website for their consulting business is: https://www.bmhallmark.com

And Brian’s linkedin is: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianharmanspsm/

JOIN OUR HAPPY HOUR MEMBERSHIP!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our new membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

JOIN US FOR HAPPY HOUR!

Come by and say “hey!” at our Facebook page https://facebook.com/pmhappyhour

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

In today’s episode, Phoenix-based head of The PMO Squad, Joe Pusz (also known in the PM community as PMO Joe) will share his knowledge on Mentorship with us. In addition to his deep experience on the topic, his organization partners with Vets to PM, a mentorship program which pairs US Veterans with experienced PMs to help them enter the PM field. PMO Joe is a master of Mentorship, and helps us understand the benefits to both the Mentor and Mentee, and shares some valuable tips for getting engaged.

Not only are there short-term benefits from mentorship, but you will be building long-term relationships. You may even start a podcast together one day :-)

ABOUT OUR GUEST, Joe Pusz (PMO Joe)

As Founder & President of THE PMO SQUAD, Joe is the driving force and initial SQUAD member. THE PMO SQUAD focuses exclusively on Project Management Solutions covering client needs with Project Management Resources, Processes, and Technology. Known as PMO JOE, he leverages his experience from leading corporate PMOs to provide services which satisfy real world Project Management needs. Joe has lead Project Management functions in several industries including Aerospace & Defense, Aviation, Finance, Healthcare, and Technology organizations with budgets up to $600MM+. Joe is also a strong supporter of Veterans services which lead to starting the Veterans Project Management Mentoring Program which pairs Veterans with PMP Mentors across the United States.

Need PM? Or want to get engaged in Vets 2 PM? See below for Joe's contact information

Read about and follow Joe’s organization, PMO Squad

www.thepmosquad.com

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-pmo-squad/

https://www.facebook.com/THEPMOSQUAD

https://twitter.com/THEPMOSQUAD

To learn more about the Veterans to PM mentorship program:

www.thepmosquad.com/veterans-project-management-mentoring

PMO Joe’s Radio Show

www.thepmosquad.com/project-management-office-hours

http://businessradiox.com/phoenix-business-radio/

MEMBERSHIP COMING SOON!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our new membership! Construction is still in progress, but you can sign up to be notified when it’s live at https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

JOIN US FOR HAPPY HOUR!

Come by and say “hey!” at our Facebook page https://facebook.com/pmhappyhour

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

In today’s short-format “Appetiser” episode, we have a tasty little nugget to share about building trust. Trust is essential for building effective working relationships with your team, sponsors and stakeholders. But how do you do it? In today’s show, we talk about a couple specific techniques you can use to build - or repair- trust.

TIMESTAMPS (A new feature, highlighting timestamps of key topics):

1:23 Why does building trust matter?

1:50 Why build trust with you team?

2:22 What is the value of building trust with sponsors and stakeholders?

3:00 What happens if you don't have trust

3:25 How are Trust and Predictability linked?

4:00 Trust is like a brick building

4:45 Baby steps, predictability, and the Palace of Trust

6:22 Commitment and consistency in establishing trust

7:23 What if trust is already broken?

8:08 One brick at a time!

MEMBERSHIP COMING SOON!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our new membership! Construction is still in progress, but you can sign up to be notified when it’s live at https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

JOIN US FOR HAPPY HOUR!

Come by and say “hey!” at our Facebook page https://facebook.com/pmhappyhour

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Everyone has something go wrong on their projects at some point. As much as we dread breaking the news, how we communicate these problems to our stakeholders can have a greater impact on our project and long term business relationships than the problems themselves.

In today’s episode we share our own horror stories about project calamities, and share some lessons learned and tips for communicating with our stakeholders and sponsors through these issues. Do it right, and you can come out the other side with an even stronger relationship.

BTW, yes, we are talking about Christmas in this episode J It’s one we’ve been looking forward to publishing for a long time!

MEMBERSHIP COMING SOON!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our new membership! Construction is still in progress, but you can sign up to be notified when it’s live at https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

JOIN US FOR HAPPY HOUR!

Come by and say “hey!” at our Facebook page https://facebook.com/pmhappyhour

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Although touched on in the PMBOK, most of us have little exposure to Monte Carlo analysis – which is a shame! Monte Carlo analysis can add a new level of credibility to our planning when the stakes are high by backing it with real science and statistical models. In this episode, we demystify this tool, discuss its benefits, when it is appropriate, and why math is our friend J From mining to professional services, contact centers and orbital battle stations, we discuss how Monte Carlo can help you run your business.

We also discuss photon versus proton torpedoes.

Our special guest is Luc Vandamme, who has been in the mining industry for more than 25 years and is now a Senior Director in his organization’s Enterprise Project Management Office. Luc’s career has taken him from mining technology research and development to business optimization, organizational development, and now to project management. Luc has a Civil and Geological Engineering degree from the University of Louvain in Belgium (he is NOT related to Jean-Claude!) and a Ph D in rock mechanics from the university of Toronto. And of course he knows Monte Carlo simulations inside and out!

MEMBERSHIP COMING SOON!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our new membership! Construction is still in progress, but you can sign up to be notified when it’s live at https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

JOIN US FOR HAPPY HOUR!

Come by and say “hey!” at our Facebook page https://facebook.com/pmhappyhour

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

There is enough to deal with in project management without gender issues making it even tougher. So, today we openly talk about challenges women can face in the workplace. Rather than hit you with a bunch of statistics (which are also important), Kate will share some real-life examples of challenges she’s faced, and we talk openly about ways to address them. Guys, you should listen - you might be surprised what kind of challenges women have to deal with sometimes.

MEMBERSHIP COMING SOON!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our new membership! Construction is still in progress, but you can sign up to be notified when it’s live at https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

JOIN US FOR HAPPY HOUR!

Come by and say “hey!” at our Facebook page https://facebook.com/pmhappyhour

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

This episode, we talk about an old stand-by in the PM world, the RAID Log. RAID Logs (Risks, Actions, Issues and Decisions) are an essential tool that every PM needs in their toolbox. Heck, you can effectively run an entire project from one!

If you have never heard of them before, you need to check in – whether you have a small project or a major program, RAID logs can save your bacon. And if you’ve used them in the past, tune in for some tips to be super effective with them.

FREE RAID LOG!

Why not download a copy of our free RAID log? Go get it at https://pmhappyhour.com/raidlog

MEMBERSHIP COMING SOON!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our new membership! Construction is still in progress, but you can sign up to be notified when it’s live at https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

JOIN US FOR HAPPY HOUR!

Come by and say “hey!” at our Facebook page https://facebook.com/pmhappyhour

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Microsoft Project Professional client is a staple in the industry, and is probably where most of learned what a GANTT chart is. But what about the online version for teams, Project Server? It seems to be the default PPM solution organizations think about when considering PPM, but Is it really all that? Anecdotally, a lot of organizations fail with the product. But is it the product’s fault? And why is that failure so ironic? And what other options are there out in the market?

GREAT USER MAIL QUESTION

User mail this week is from Mark K, who asks how to manage and get alignment on “big” personalities – Kim and Kate share their tips on how to

MEMBERSHIP COMING SOON!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our new membership! Construction is still in progress, but you can sign up to be notified when it’s live at https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

JOIN US FOR HAPPY HOUR!

Come by and say “hey!” at our Facebook page https://facebook.com/pmhappyhour

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

We all run into those little “Yellow Lights” on projects – those moments when you think, “wait a minute… that’s not right.” All too often, we “floor it” and try to get through the light before it gets red - only to end up in a head-on collision!

Today, we take a lesson from Mahan Khalsa’s great book, “Let’s Get Real or Let’s Not Play” for how to handle these critical moments when we realize that something is definitely not right.

PM HAPPY HOUR MEMBERSHIP COMING!`

We are going to be moving to a membership model! Of course you will always get your PM Happy Hour podcasts, but what if you want more? PDU’s? PDU’s reported for you to PMI? Bonus content? Webinars? Personal Q&A sessions? Yes! We are working on developing a new Membership for PM Happy Hour listeners. More to come on this in the next month – if you are interested and want to know more when we have it ready, please sign up for our waiting list here:

https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

JOIN US FOR HAPPY HOUR!

Come by and say “hey!” at our Facebook page https://facebook.com/pmhappyhour

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Today we have our first Appetizer episode. What’s an appetizer?

These are short format episodes – 15 minutes – in between our main shows where we hit on short, informative topics. These topics are too small to fill up a full show, or we want to see if there is enough interest from you, our PM Happy Hour listeners , to turn them into full episodes. So, if you hear an Appetizer and think, “they should make a whole meal out of that!” please let us know and we’ll be happy to do that.

PM HAPPY HOUR MEMBERSHIP COMING!`

We are going to be moving to a membership model! Of course you will always get your PM Happy Hour podcasts, but what if you want more? PDU’s? PDU’s reported for you to PMI? Bonus content? Webinars? Personal Q&A sessions? Yes! We are working on developing a new Membership for PM Happy Hour listeners. More to come on this in the next month – if you are interested and want to know more when we have it ready, please sign up for our waiting list here:

https://pmhappyhour.com/membership

PM HAPPY HOUR MEETUP 19 OCTOBER IN LONDON!

If you are in London, come hang out at our open meetup – details are on our Facebook page https://facebook.com/pmhappyhour

JOIN US FOR HAPPY HOUR!

Come by and say “hey!” at our Facebook page https://facebook.com/pmhappyhour

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

You depend on them and, let’s be honest, sometimes you abuse them. This week we talk to Ollie Hunter, the enterprise architect for a leading e-commerce firm in Europe. Ollie will share life from an architect’s perspective, and help us understand how we, as project leaders, can develop better relationships with our architects, and enable them so they can have the most impact on your project. We got so into this episode that it’s our longest one yet, at just about an hour of great stuff!

And, yes, there is actual yelling in this episode J

OUR AMAZING GUEST

Ollie Hunter is an Enterprise Architect with a passion for helping businesses realize the potential of their strategies by using technology as a force for change. Ollie has worked closely with project managers for over 15 years in a range of different organizations, from local and national government, education, healthcare, through construction and retail, he is currently focused on businesses undergoing major change, primarily through mergers and acquisitions. At the moment, he lives in London, UK.

CONTACT OLLIE

Should you want to contact Ollie directly, his contact information is below.

• Twitter: @olliehunter
• Email: ollie@olliehunter.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olliehunter/

DON’T FORGET YOUR TRAINING CREDITS!

You can get professional development units (PDU) for the time you spent with us today. Come to our website at https://PMHappyHour.com , look for Episode 009 and follow the link to register, pay a couple bucks and take your quiz. Pass our easy quiz, and BOOM, you instantly get a certificate for your 1 full PDU’s. Subscribe and you can get PDU’s all the time!

JOIN US FOR HAPPY HOUR!

Come by and say “hey!” at our Facebook page https://facebook.com/pmhappyhour

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

This week we plunge into Project Communications – the most common cause of project failure. We are joined by Jennifer Rock and Michael Voss, authors of the book “B.S., Incorporated.” Over happy hour, they share 5 insightful “tough love” tips on project communication, the way that only a BFF would. Thanks Jennifer and Michael!

OUR AMAZING GUESTS

Jennifer Rock and Michael Voss have a shared, lifelong passion for storytelling. They are professional communicators and have had the good fortune to work for and with companies that span multiple industries. They have spearheaded global communication strategy and worked with Project Managers for more than 20 years. In 2013, they formed their own communication agency ROCKdotVOSS and finished their debut novel – “B.S., Incorporated.” Both live in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

CONTACT JENNIFER AND MICHAEL

As you will hear on the podcast, Jennifer and Michael are great communicators. Feel free to communicate with them J

• Check out their great book here: rockandvossbooks.com
• Facebook: facebook.com/rockandvossbooks
• Twitter: @jenniferrock; @mvoss23
• Email: voss@gmail.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/rockandvossbooks
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/rockjennifer; www.linkedin.com/in/michael-voss
• Check out their communications practice here: rockdotvoss.com

DON’T FORGET YOUR TRAINING CREDITS!

You can get professional development units (PDU) for the time you spent with us today. Come to our website at https://PMHappyHour.com , look for Episode 008 and follow the link to register, pay a couple bucks and take your quiz. Pass our easy quiz, and BOOM, you instantly get a certificate for your 0.75 PDU’s. Subscribe and you can get PDU’s all the time!

JOIN US FOR HAPPY HOUR!

Come by and say “hey!” at our Facebook page https://facebook.com/pmhappyhour

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

This week we talk about a tough subject – how to handle an outside senior stakeholder who wants to exert influence on your project. This can be very tough when that influence is contrary to decisions already agreed in the project by senior stakeholders, or if that influence is uninformed.

In this episode, Kate outlines a formula that she uses to effectively manage such requests. Following that 5 step formula results in the following response statement:

Knowing that we wanted to achieve [project success definition]

within [success criteria],

we looked at [new random request from the stakeholder].

This would give us [positive thing about random request].

However, with [the impacts of the request],

it makes us [exceed constraint or missed objective].

For example:

Knowing that we wanted to obliterate the rebellion

By next Friday,

We looked at Lord Vader’s request to implement a swimming pool on the Death Star.

This would give us a great way to chill out once we rule the galaxy.

However, since this would have to replace the Tie fighter bay and delay completion of the main reactor,

It makes it impossible to destroy the rebellion by next Friday, and risks the rebel scum destroying the Death Star, since we would have no Tie fighter defense

Listen in to find out how you can effectively use this formula, whether or not you have a Death Star

LISTENER MAIL

In listener mail, we answer the question: If I want to break into the Project Management field, should I try to get a PM degree? Or try to get experience?

DON’T FORGET TO GET YOUR PDU’s!

Want professional development units for the time you spent with us today? Come to our website at https://PMHappyHour.com , look for Episode 007 and follow the link to register, pay a couple bucks and take your quiz. Pass our easy quiz, and you instantly get a cert for your 0.75 PDU’s! Subscribe and you can get PDU’s all the time!

JOIN US FOR HAPPY HOUR!

Come by and say “hey!” at our Facebook page https://facebook.com/pmhappyhour

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

*Death Star, Tie fighters and Darth Vader are all copyright of Star Wars, Disney and people who could sue us into oblivion.

View Details

Join us for our new podcast, the Project Management Happy Hour! In our first 5 pilot episodes (plus this bonus!) , we are going to look at the first 5 questions you need to ask whenever starting a new project.

If you haven’t listened to episodes 1-5, you might want to check those out first J

Question 1 helped us define success for the project, Question 2 helped us understand scope and opportunity. Question 3 helped us understand budget and value, and question 4 helped us understand the schedule and what drives it. In question 5, we looked at how to understand where it can all go wrong, and how to avoid that.

Now, in this bonus episode, we are going to talk about ways you can use these questions. We will also have some cool templates on our site you can use to better kickoff your project and communicate with your teams.

DON’T FORGET TO GET YOUR PDU’s!

Want professional development units for the time you spent with us today? Come to our website at https://PMHappyHour.com , look for Episode 006 and follow the link to register, pay a couple bucks and take your quiz. Pass our easy quiz, and you instantly get a cert for your 0.5 PDU’s! Subscribe and you can get PDU’s all the time!

JOIN US FOR HAPPY HOUR!

Come by and say “hey!” at our Facebook page https://facebook.com/pmhappyhour

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Join us for our new podcast, the Project Management Happy Hour! In our first 5 pilot episodes, we are going to look at the first 5 questions you need to ask whenever starting a new project, whether you are:

• Kicking off a fresh new project
• Taking over an in-flight project
• Scoping out a new project opportunity
• Performing an assessment of a project that may be in trouble
• Communicating an overview of a project to team members or stakeholders

If you haven’t listened to episodes 1-4, you might want to check those out first J

Question 1 helped us define success for the project, Question 2 helped us understand scope and opportunity. Question 3 helped us understand budget and value, and question 4 helped us understand the schedule and what drives it. For question 5, we look at where this can all go wrong J

DON’T FORGET TO GET YOUR PDU’s!

Want professional development units for the time you spent with us today? Come to our website at https://PMHappyHour.com , look for Episode 004, and follow the link to register, pay a couple bucks and take your quiz. Pass our easy quiz, and you instantly get a cert for your 0.5 PDU’s! Subscribe and you can get PDU’s all the time!

JOIN US FOR HAPPY HOUR!

Come by and say “hey!” at our Facebook page https://facebook.com/pmhappyhour

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Join us for our new podcast, the Project Management Happy Hour! In our first 5 pilot episodes, we are going to look at the first 5 questions you need to ask whenever starting a new project, whether you are:

• Kicking off a fresh new project
• Taking over an in-flight project
• Scoping out a new project opportunity
• Performing an assessment of a project that may be in trouble
• Communicating an overview of a project to team members or stakeholders

If you haven’t listened to Episode 1, 2 and 3, you might want to check those out first J

Question 1 helped us define success for the project, Question 2 helped us understand scope and opportunity. Question 3 helped us understand budget and value. Now, we are going to look at what’s driving our schedule.

DON’T FORGET TO GET YOUR PDU’s!

Want professional development units for the time you spent with us today? Come to our website at https://PMHappyHour.com , look for Episode 004, and follow the link to register, pay a couple bucks and take your quiz. Pass our easy quiz, and you instantly get a cert for your 0.5 PDU’s! Subscribe and you can get PDU’s all the time!

JOIN US FOR HAPPY HOUR!

Come by and say “hey!” at our Facebook page https://facebook.com/pmhappyhour

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Join us for our new podcast, the Project Management Happy Hour! In our first 5 pilot episodes, we are going to look at the first 5 questions you need to ask whenever starting a new project, whether you are:

• Kicking off a fresh new project
• Taking over an in-flight project
• Scoping out a new project opportunity
• Performing an assessment of a project that may be in trouble
• Communicating an overview of a project to team members or stakeholders

If you haven’t listened to Episode 1 & 2, you might want to check those out first J

Question 1 helped us define success for the project, Question 2 helped us understand scope and opportunity. With question 3, we’re going to dig into cost and VALUE.

This episode includes a free tool you can download. To get it, go to our site at https://PMHappyHour.com and go to episode 003.

DON’T FORGET TO GET YOUR PDU’s!

Want professional development units for the time you spent with us today? Come to our website at https://PMHappyHour.com , look for Episode 003, and follow the link to register, pay a couple bucks and take your quiz. Pass our easy quiz, and you instantly get a cert for your 0.5 PDU’s! Subscribe and you can get PDU’s all the time!

JOIN US FOR HAPPY HOUR!

Come by and say “hey!” at our Facebook page https://facebook.com/pmhappyhour

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Join us for the Project Management Happy Hour! In our first 5 pilot episodes, we are going to look at the first 5 questions you need to ask whenever starting a new project, whether you are:

• Kicking off a fresh new project
• Taking over an in-flight project
• Scoping out a new project opportunity
• Performing an assessment of a project that may be in trouble
• Communicating an overview of a project to team members or stakeholders

If you haven’t listened to Episode 001, you might want to check that one out first J

Question 1 in Episode 1 helped us define success for the project. With question 2, we’re going to dig down into what the project is about. As you’ll hear in the podcast, it is a LOT more than just “what are we here to do?”

DON’T FORGET TO GET YOUR PDU’s!

Want professional development units for the time you spent with us today? Come to our website at https://PMHappyHour.com , look for Episode 001, and follow the link to register, pay a couple bucks and take your quiz. Pass our easy quiz, and you instantly get a cert for your 0.5 PDU’s! Subscribe and you can get PDU’s all the time!

JOIN US FOR HAPPY HOUR!

Come by and say “hey!” at our Facebook page https://facebook.com/pmhappyhour

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

View Details

Cheers!

Join your hosts Kim Essendrup and Kate Anderson for our new podcast, the Project Management Happy Hour! In our first 5 pilot episodes, we are going to look at the first 5 questions you need to ask whenever starting a new project, whether you are:

• Kicking off a fresh new project
• Taking over an in-flight project
• Scoping out a new project opportunity
• Performing an assessment of a project that may be in trouble
• Communicating an overview of a project to team members or stakeholders

Question 1: When I sit down for the first time with project sponsors or key stakeholders, especially in kickoff meetings, I like to start with one, simple question… and that’s the topic of our first show

DON’T FORGET TO GET YOUR PDU’s!

Want professional development units for the time you spent with us today? Come to our website at https://PMHappyHour.com , look for Episode 001, and follow the link to register, pay a couple bucks and take your quiz. Pass our easy quiz, and you instantly get a cert for your 0.5 PDU’s! Subscribe and you can get PDU’s all the time!

JOIN US FOR HAPPY HOUR!

Come by and say “Cheers!” at our Facebook page https://facebook.com/pmhappyhour

STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.