2007-2008 Chapter Event Details

Qualities of a Good Leader - Special All Networking Roundtable

Tom Smith is Director of Project Management at ShoreGroup, an engineering and professional services company focused on the delivery of Cisco Systems, Structured Wiring and Network Management solutions. With over 25 years as a manager in Telecommunications and Information Technologies Tom has assisted ShoreGroup to realize an aggressive growth plan, implementing and managing back office operations, financial management, project management, estimating and professional services, written and administered company training programs, and developed a Technical Assistance Center to support engineers and customers. In previous positions he has been responsible for installation and operations for the American, NY, and Commodity Stock Exchanges, been responsible for all sales and operations in 10 branch offices in major cities in the USA, and responsibile for all warehouse operations, job tooling, shipping, receiving, inventory control, purchasing, and vendor relations. Tom has been on the BRT committee for over 4 years.

Joanne Guerriero is an environmental engineer working for Malcolm Pirnie Consulting Engineers in White Plains for over 20 years. She has served as project manager on solid waste and environmental assessment projects for 15 of these 20 years. She has been on the BRT committee for 4 years.

Doreen DePass is a certified Project Manager with DH Consulting Services, LLC in Westchester, serves on the PMI Westchester Breakfast Round Table committee, and is a member of both New York City and Westchester PMI Chapters.

"The Project From Hell"

A participatory adventure into the world of project work outside the perfection of PMBOK. Increasingly PMI certification is addressing issues that are less concerned with empirical calculations and more to do with team building, communication styles and the softer aspects of Project Management. In this exercise we journey through an imaginary project with hidden problems, unexpected issues and problematic team members, some of which you will have encountered in real life. You need to decide how to react, and what issues are being highlighted as the project evolves.

The 7 Principles of Acknowledgement

Judith W. Umlas unleashes the concept of an Age of Acknowledgment we can all help bring about. In a time of celebrity worship and self-absorption, Judith's well-reasoned and heart-felt appeal is so counterculture as to be revolutionary. Imagine, as does the author, people acknowledging each other's humanity, accomplishments, talents and wisdom on a continuous basis. It might just catch on. And wouldn't that be something! This workshop will change your life and the life of everyone around you! Purchase the book at: http://www.iil.com/publishing/acknowledgment.asp

Getting Our Message Across

80% of American adults are more afraid of public speaking than death, divorce or serious illness. Which of the following keys to your success as a project manager?

• Persuading clients to agree to a new project plan
• Getting team members to embrace a major change
• Urging the client to engage in a collaborative venture
• Missing great opportunities because of an ineffective presentation
• Derailing a promising career because of fear and nervousness in front of senior management.

The key is to succeed in turning such communication challenges into gains for you and your organization. Dale Carnegie will introduce you to some tips and tricks to do this. You will learn several methods and techniques, which you can use to present compelling messages, connect confidently with any audience, and help generate new growth. By focusing on the essential attributes - skills, attitudes, and behaviors - that distinguish powerful communicators, you will be able to start using body language and vocal characteristics more effectively in creating a powerful presentation. Working with partners, each of you will build and practice a presentation you can use with your internal and external clients tomorrow! So be prepared to stand and deliver during a 30-minute participatory workshop designed to Get Your Message Across

Seven Pillars of Sales Success

Of all the new businesses opening their doors each day in America, prosperity and profits tend to favor those with a particular business attitude, -- namely their unflinching focus on selling, selling and more selling! But when so many of us love our work, but really hate and fear sales, how can we reverse these negative attitudes and look forward to the dramatically increased business that comes with sales success? Of course, we can always hire others to sell for us. But only by learning to sell will we really understand our clients and their needs. And without this critical market knowledge, an enterprise is less likely to be as successful or profitable. Assuming the truth of this, how can you quickly learn enough about sales to get positive buying decisions from corporate decision makers? Step-by-step selling answers this question by enabling us to move smoothly from an effective opening through to a successful close. At the February meeting, we'll take the Seven Pillars of Sales Success steps in order, so that everyone can be comfortable using them. With the realization that there is nothing to fear in selling, you'll be ready for successful, enjoyable, step-by-step sales the next day!

Keeping the Peace: Mixing Agile and Waterfall Methods

When introducing an agile approach to IT development into an environment that has known only a structured, start-to-finish, planned approach, you will likely encounter resistance. Thus, you will find yourself needing to compromise and adapt your methodological approach, to institute control points we call "traffic cops," and to learn to depict what you are delivering in a way that proponents of the previous "waterfall" methodology will not just understand but also accept.

Tom Hawkins is a member of the ibm.com Site Architecture team as well as the "agile customer" for the ibm.com Corporate Webmaster team. He has more than 12 years' experience in designing and developing enterprise-wide Internet applications. Prior to joining the Site Architecture team, he was team lead for the Applications Development group within the Production Services arm of ibm.com. Mr. Hawkins has a BA in political science from Rutgers University and is a Certified ScrumMaster. He can be reached at tomh@us.ibm.com.

A Maturity Model for Project Portfolio Management

Creating and managing your project portfolio can be a challenging experience and will be different for each organization (even within the same company!). This presentation discusses the use of a Project Portfolio Management Maturity Model and how to make it your own. Examples of how this was done by various companies will be explored, and a brief overview of the new PMI standards for Program and Portfolio Management will be included.

The PMBoK in HD

Following the PMBoK ensures project success but to some people it looks daunting, thick, and even colorless. This presentation renders the PMBoK in high definition by sharing real-life examples to stimulate thought. The first of a potential series, this evening's presentation focuses on Project Integration Management. Here's what we'll discuss:

• The One Minute Charter
• Enlisting Your Teams for Monitoring and Control
• Change Control: Examples That Worked and That Didn't
• Lessons Learned: Capturing History to Propel the Future

Delivered with an energetic, fast-paced style, this presentation's purpose is not to teach Project Integration Management. Instead, its purpose is to cover key success factors to be considered in bridging what's on the PMBoK's page to reality.

Engage with Storytelling

Your technological skill set and the process you follow is not what is keeping you fed. It's how you exceed meeting the needs of the business. Exceeding goes beyond satisfaction, it creates a loyal partnership. CIOs and business systems manager will always select a person the business requests. Said in a technical way, technology skills and process are commodity items. Relationship building is what separates you from the pack. Building the relationship starts with YOU!

There are "rules of engagement" which illustrates sincerity and respect. Once understood and put in practice, the sincerity and respect will go both ways. It only works if you believe that the Relationship is important in the long run. It only works if you believe that relationships are more important than your technical skills and process. As project managers, business relationship building skills must be your top priority.

Storytelling is one of the easiest business relationship bonding skills you can learn and put in place immediately. Being a skillful storyteller will strengthen any relationship. Tonight Pat Ferdinandi will explain the elements of a story, how to tell it the business community and pick the right topic and when to tell it. Starting the next day, you will begin to build and use your own personal story file. Learn this art and improve your relationship with your business community. It is the kind of bond you want with your entire business community because you'll never know when they can help you in the future.

She coaches Business Application Managers and CIOs on the development process, business intelligence, and application realignment to support the business. I help them get what they want from Information Technology. She mentors new managers and analysts to improve their standing with the business community. And - because she just can't give up her passion (learning new businesses and architecture) - she will help architect a flexible IT infrastructure to support the business.

In her spare time, Pat is working on another book that incorporates tonight's speech, Engaging with Storytelling. Visit her website (http://www.SBDi-Consulting.com) or her blog (sbditipsblog.wordpress.com) to learn more

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