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Chapter Mtg
Tuesday
Sept 9, 2008
5:30 - 7:30 PM
Pictures
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Meeting Agenda … not the same old stuff!
*As this new 2008-2009
PMI season approaches several exciting changes are being implemented. We
hope you will join us at our first meeting on TUESDAY September 9th.
Future meetings will be held on the 2nd Tuesday of each month.
*We have
also changed our meeting location for September. We will be meeting at
Casaletto’s Restaurant in Elmsford and share in their fine
Italian cuisine buffet.
*We have
had to increase the meeting fee to cover costs at the new restaurant, We
hope this will not deter any member or prospective members from attending.
*Based
on survey responses “Networking” is still the main reason folks attend PMI
meetings.
This month Donna Sweidan we will help us to
focus on our personal networking style and learn how to better our skills in
this new on-line environment. She will also be our Recruiter for the
evening.
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5:30 |
Networking, buffet
dinner, vendor and recruiter access. |
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6:15 |
Chapter business and
announcements. |
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6:30 |
Program |
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7:30 |
Meet the speakers,
continued networking, buffet, vendor and recruiter. |
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7:45 |
PMO & Quality SIG meetings hosted
by Gus Sanchez & Linda Dowdell |
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Topic:
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“Social Networking On-Line and Off”
With all the talk of online “Social Networking”
does that mean the "networking lunch" is over? Have you thought about
what strategies you should be using in the digital networking era?
Networking remains the most important step in safeguarding your career and
to achieving your professional goals. Most people still struggle with
it, and don’t know where to start – many are mislead by their own
misconceptions as to what networking is and even more confused today when
there are so many different things one should be doing. Donna Sweidan
will dispel common myths about networking and talk you through the most
important and effective steps to networking today. You will learn why you
need to be building your network online and off. She will outline some
simple strategies that will help you build your credibility and visibility
online, as well as get you connected in a way you never thought possible. |
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Speaker: |
Donna Sweidan, MA LMHC, has worked in the field of
counseling, training and career development for over 15 years. As a career
coach and counselor, she works privately with individuals and groups,
conducts presentations and workshops throughout the tri-state area, runs an
ongoing Job Search Strategy group, and regular Linkedin Learning groups.
Donna's clientele spans college age students to baby boomers and she helps
people in all aspects of their career development and job search. As a
networking advocate and enthusiast Donna strongly believes in leveraging the
power of the internet to advance and manage careers. Prior to starting her
own business, CareerFolk, she was the founding director of The New School’s
Office of Career Development. She served undergraduate, graduate and alumni
populations and helped them in all areas of career exploration and the job
search process. She has also worked and consulted at DBM Outplacement
Services, REA Career Services, Baruch College, Pace University and NYU.
Donna is a New York State Licensed Mental Health Counselor. She holds a MA
in Counseling from New York University, a BA in Psychology from the
University of Witwatersrand, and a BA, Honors in Applied Psychology from
Rand University, both in Johannesburg, South Africa. More information can be
found at her Linkedin Profile
http://www.linkedin.com/in/donnasweidan |
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Vendor Corner: |
Channel Connect hosted by Shawn Grant –
Program Manager -
Shawn.Grant@ChannelConnect.com; (800 ) 923-2370 Ext 500.
Each attendee will receive 1 free course as
well as discounts on project management courses and book.
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Career Corner: |
Career Folk hosted by Donna Sweidan,
donna@careerfolk.com, 203.613.1049, Fax
203.276.9604, SKYPE Careerfolk, ICHAT/ JABBER,
careerfolk@gmail.com |
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Location: |
Casaletto’s Fine
Italian Cuisine, 15 Saw Mill River Road, Elmsford,
914-592-5980 |
Directions |
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Fees: |
$20 Westchester Chapter
Members, $25 Non-Westchester Chapter Members.
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Breakfast
Roundtable
Thursday
Sept 18, 2008
7:30 - 8:45 AM |
“How to transition to different
industries” by Career coach Ann Maria Ditta
faciltated by Tom Smith
Location:
108 Corporate
Park Drive, White Plains ground level cafeteria
Fees: None. Breakfast is available for purchase if you desire. |
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SimNet Meeting
Monday,
Sept 22, 2008
5:30 PM
Pictures |
“Simply
Networking”
hosted
by Sushil Bhatia, PMIW Director of Marketing
Attendees:
Open to all PMI members
(current and future) and guests
Purpose:
The #1 reason people join PMI is to network with other PMs. In this
event, everyone will have
a chance to speak to the entire group and say whatever they want others to
know about
themselves.
Location: Lower Hudson Regional Information Center - BOCES - Elmsford
Directions
Fee: $10 contribution for food and beverages
RSVP: Email
sushil@infobrella.com
to let us know you’re coming
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Chapter Mtg
Tuesday
October 14, 2008
5:30 - 7:30 PM
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Agenda
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5:30 |
Networking, buffet
dinner, vendor and recruiter access. |
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6:15 |
Chapter business and
announcements. |
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6:30 |
Program |
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7:30 |
Meet the speakers,
continued networking, buffet, vendor and recruiter. |
|
7:45 |
PMO & Quality SIG meetings hosted
by Gus Sanchez & Linda Dowdell |
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Topic:
Pictures
Presentation
(could take 30+ seconds to load) |
“Taking the Blinders off MS Project" &
"The Case for 3rd Party Planning and Tracking Services"
Topic 1: Microsoft Project’s
popularity cannot be attributed to its highly intuitive user-friendly
interface. Thus we in the business of using project management tools must
find ways to make it more palatable. Fortunately hidden beneath the
enigmatic surface of MSP are a variety of customizable options that can make
visible what your schedule is doing once it is under way. They can expose
the ripple effect due to slippage, make it possible to use critical path
analysis to recover a slipped schedule, and highlight for the project team
what they must do to maintain their schedule commitments going forward.
Topic 2: Most corporations I have dealt
with consider it a right of passage that a project manager must be capable
of using MS Project, or its equivalent, in order to manage their projects.
However there are organizations that would never think to burden their PM’s
with such tedious exercises. Instead they use a 3rd party planning,
tracking, reporting service to support their project managers.
Interestingly, these are companies that do projects as their primary revenue
source, like construction, engineering, and defense. They have to be good
at project management or they’re out of business. Let’s discuss the
justification for operating in the mode of these professional project
management organizations. |
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Speaker: |
Ed Mahler, PMP, President
Project Administration Institute
founded the
Project Administration Institute (PAI) in 1992. PAI is a consulting and
training company whose purpose is to help project organizations optimize
their planning, tracking, and reporting capabilities through the use of
project management software. He has provided Project Administration
services and training on behalf of many Fortune 1000 companies, and
presented at both US and international conferences. Over the previous 4
years he has been supporting the project managers in Pepsico’s new product
commercialization and engineering and technical services organizations
providing planning, tracking, reporting and mentoring services. Prior
to PAI Mr. Mahler worked 23 years with IBM and its clients as project
manager, consultant, mentor, and participant. The July 1991 pmNETwork
showcase article
(9) describes an example of his Project Administration implementation at
IBM. Mr. Mahler is a
PMI
(Project Management Institute) certified PMP (Project Management
Professional) since 1993 and founder and president of the Westchester NY
chapter of PMI from August 2002 to June 2008. He was Vice President &
Program Director of the
New York City Chapter from 1994 though 2001 providing 74 monthly
programs of speakers, industry guest vendors and recruiters, and member
networking that helped the chapter grow from less than 50 to over 1200
members. (edmahler@paiwebsite.com
914-834-4162) |
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Vendor Corner: |
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Career Corner: |
Software Guidance & Assistance hosted by John Flynn, sgamail@sgainc.com, (914) 681-0500, Fax 914-681-0728, www.sgainc.com, |
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Location: |
Casaletto’s Fine
Italian Cuisine, 15 Saw Mill River Road, Elmsford,
914-592-5980 |
Directions |
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Fees: |
$20 Westchester Chapter
Members, $25 Non-Westchester Chapter Members.
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Breakfast
Roundtable
Thursday
Oct 16, 2008
7:30 - 8:45 AM |
"Knowing yourself and
your team members"
or “Matching
the personality to the task”
facilitated by Mary Gilmartin
Location:
108 Corporate
Park Drive, White Plains ground level cafeteria
Fees: None. Breakfast is available for purchase if you desire. |
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SimNet Meeting
Tuesday,
Oct 28, 2008
5:30 PM |
“Simply
Networking”
hosted
by Sushil Bhatia, PMIW Director of Marketing
Attendees:
Open to all PMI members
(current and future) and guests
Purpose:
The #1 reason people join PMI is to network with other PMs. In this
event, everyone will have
a chance to speak to the entire group and say whatever they want others to
know about
themselves.
Location: Lower Hudson Regional Information Center - BOCES - Elmsford
Directions
Fee: $10 contribution for food and beverages
RSVP: Email
sushil@infobrella.com
to let us know you’re coming
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Chapter Mtg
Tuesday
Nov 11, 2008
5:30 - 7:30 PM
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Agenda
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5:30 |
Networking, buffet
dinner, vendor and recruiter access. |
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6:15 |
Chapter business and
announcements. |
|
6:30 |
Program |
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7:30 |
Meet the speakers,
continued networking, buffet, vendor and recruiter. |
|
7:45 |
PMO & Quality SIG meetings hosted
by Gus Sanchez & Linda Dowdell |
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Topic: |
"Thinking Out
of the Box: An Executive Overview of IT Governance Best Practices for the
Project Management Community"
The issues, opportunities and challenges of effectively aligning IT with the
business, executing and governing an organization’s Information Technology
(IT) demands and resources has become a major concern of the Board and
executive management in enterprises on a global basis.
Much has
been written and documented about the individual components of IT Governance
such as strategic planning, demand (portfolio investment) management,
program and project management, IT service management, strategic sourcing
and outsourcing, performance management and metrics (like the balanced
scorecard), compliance and others. Much less has been written about a
comprehensive and integrated IT/Business Alignment, Planning, Execution and
Governance approach.
In this
overview, Dr. Selig will provide an executive overview aimed at senior
managers on how to successfully plan, implement and sustain an effective IT
governance strategy and action plan. It will guide the participants through a
comprehensive and phased step-by-step IT Governance framework and roadmap,
which addresses the following goals:
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Align and formalize IT
investments and priorities more consistently and closely with the
business
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Responsible utilization
of assets and resources
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Ensure that IT delivers
on its plans, budgets and commitments
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Establish, clarify
and/or improve accountability of all constituents
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Manage risks, change
and contingencies proactively
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Improve IT
organizational performance, audit-ability, compliance and maturity
Much of the information
for the overview and follow-up workshop (Friday 11/14 at BOCES) has been
extracted from Dr. Selig’s latest book called, “Implementing IT
Governance – A Practical Guide to Global Best practice in IT Management,”
published by Van Haren in 2008. |
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Speaker: |
Dr. Gad J. Selig
is the Director, MS in Technology Management and Dual Graduate
Business/Engineering/Technology Degree Programs at the University of
Bridgeport. Dr. Selig is the Managing Partner and founder of GPS Group,
Inc., a consulting, research and education firm that focuses on strategic
marketing and growth, business and technology transformation, IT strategy
and governance, program/project management, innovation and strategic
sourcing issues and opportunities. Dr. Gad Selig has authored three books
and over 50 published articles and conference proceedings including his
latest book called, “Implementing IT Governance – A Practical Guide to
Global Best Practices in IT Management,” published by Van Haren. He is a
dynamic and popular speaker at industry conferences in the U.S. and abroad. |
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Vendor Corner: |
Rosetta Stone hosted by Mike Sheehan, Northeast Regional Sales Manager msheehan@rosettastone.com; 540-236-7597 (Office), 781-414-1386 (Cell)
Rosetta Stone is the world’s leading language learning software company – learn more at www.rosettastone.com
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Career Corner: |
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Location: |
The Royal Palace, 77
Knollwood Road, Town of Greenburgh, in the Greenburgh Shopping Plaza next to
Cinema 100. Phone: 914-289-1988
Directions /
Get map |
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Fees: |
$20 Westchester Chapter
Members, $25 Non-Westchester Chapter Members.
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SimNet Meeting
Wednesday,
Nov 19, 2008
5:30 PM |
“Simply
Networking”
hosted
by Sushil Bhatia, PMIW Director of Marketing
Attendees:
Open to all PMI members
(current and future) and guests
Purpose:
The #1 reason people join PMI is to network with other PMs. In this
event, everyone will have
a chance to speak to the entire group and say whatever they want others to
know about
themselves.
Location: Lower Hudson Regional Information Center - BOCES - Elmsford
Directions
Fee: $10 contribution for food and beverages
RSVP: Email
sushil@infobrella.com
to let us know you’re coming
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Breakfast
Roundtable
Thursday
Nov 20, 2008
7:30 - 8:45 AM |
"Communications
Styles"
or “How to get what you want
from others”
facilitated by Joanne Guerriero
Location:
108 Corporate
Park Drive, White Plains ground level cafeteria
Fees: None. Breakfast is available for purchase if you desire. |
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Chapter Mtg
Tuesday
Dec 9, 2008
5:30 - 7:30 PM
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Agenda
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5:30 |
Networking, buffet
dinner, vendor and recruiter access. |
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6:15 |
Chapter business and
announcements. |
|
6:30 |
Program |
|
7:30 |
Meet the speakers,
continued networking, buffet, vendor and recruiter. |
|
7:45 |
PMO & Quality SIG meetings hosted
by Gus Sanchez & Linda Dowdell |
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Topic: |
Whole Brain Training™
for IT Teams - Mission Productivity! -
If Project Management was an
Olympic swim event, you would want your collective team to be Michael
Phelps! Delivering the best quality results each time, every time. This
hands-on and entertaining workshop addresses the critical area of team
productivity using Whole Brain Training™. Through a guided case study
method, you will participate in putting together a randomly selected team of
imaginary workers to function at its highest potential. |
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Speaker: |
Reenaa Chawla
is a serial entrepreneur, President and Founder of The Brain Studio™, a
pioneer social enterprise in the field of brain fitness consultancy
focusing on results-oriented solutions and services for individuals, groups
and businesses.
Ms. Chawla, a former Senior Business Analyst for Fortune 100
firms in India and the US, such as Morgan Stanley and EDS, is an experienced
educator. A member of American MENSA, Reenaa is an innovative, energetic, and proactive
leader with vision as well as the proven ability to successfully deliver
results, while adhering to rigorous quality norms. Background includes
extensive experience in strategic planning, team management, project
planning, and management programming and training. Excellent communication
skills with proven leadership abilities. Reenaa has also authored the
booklet, "Brain
Fitness in Your Back Pocket". |
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Vendor Corner: |
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Career Corner: |
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Location: |
Casaletto’s Fine
Italian Cuisine, 15 Saw Mill River Road, Elmsford,
914-592-5980 |
Directions |
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Fees: |
$20 Westchester Chapter
Members, $25 Non-Westchester Chapter Members.
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Chapter Mtg
Tuesday
Jan 13, 2009
5:30 - 7:30 PM
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Agenda
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5:30 |
Networking, buffet
dinner, vendor and recruiter access. |
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6:15 |
Chapter business and
announcements. |
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6:30 |
Program |
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7:30 |
Meet the speakers,
continued networking, buffet, vendor and recruiter. |
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7:45 |
PMO & Quality SIG meetings hosted
by Gus Sanchez & Linda Dowdell |
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Topic: |
The New Rules of Process Improvement - How to use GMP, ISO, Lean and Six Sigma to Optimize Productivity and Minimize Costs!
The main objective of all organizations whether manufacturing, service, or even non-profit is to excel and thus provide ever-increasing value to each and every stakeholder. While the 'man-bites-dog' mentality of the media is focused on negative events like subprime mortgage failures, with subprime being a euphemism for 'junk' loan, there exist mainstream organizations who methodically build value everyday thereby ensuring positive returns-on-investment regardless of the vagaries of the overall economy.
In order to help sustain the growth that's demanded in today's global marketplace, Project Management Professionals can best serve their organization by becoming effective resources whose activities are fully integrated with core business objectives. This road however is often fraught with obstacles: Management has often been known to view guidelines such as GMP and ISO as 'necessary burdens' that make unfair demands and where the only certainty is inflated overhead costs. Meanwhile initiatives like Lean, Six Sigma, Continual Improvement, etc. may start with good intentions, but frequently stall after the low-hanging fruit is harvested. (While articles that proclaim: "How We Lowered Costs by Implementing a Lean Six-Sigma Program" are common in the literature, when was the last time you saw one that read: "Five Years of Lean Six Sigma and Our Breakthroughs Keep Coming Strong!")
The New Rules of Process Improvement offer a reasonable approach that's designed to provide sustainable benefits such as predictable output that's always 'On Target with Minimum Variation'! Moreover the New Rules are inherently aligned with regulatory requirements such as cGMP process validation & change management activities along with ISO-9001's emphasis on a process approach that includes preventive actions and continual improvement. Likewise organizations who have or are planning to implement Lean and Six Sigma programs will find the New Rules as the most effective way to organize the tools in their quality-management toolchest. Thus by taking advantage of these natural process alignments the New Rules will enable the Project Management Professional to overcome current inefficiencies and contribute ongoing value to their organization. The presentation will describe what the New Rules are all about as well as how they can be used to create effective GMP, ISO, Lean and Six Sigma quality systems. Quantitative case studies will also be presented.
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Speaker: |
Carl Perini
is a member of the Corporate Quality staff of International Specialty Products, Wayne NJ. Concurrently he is the Chairperson of the ASQ North Jersey Education Committee. His degrees include an MS in Organic Chemistry from Adelphi University and BA in Chemistry & Education from Queens College CUNY. He is a senior member of ASQ and has the following certifications: CQA & CSSGB.
Perini has direct experience in a broad number of high technology industries including pharmaceutical, microelectronics, polymers & chemicals, aerospace & telecommunications, as well as all aspects of electrical & mechanical assembly. He has had the good fortune of serving as the chief Materials & Process Engineer for the design, production, and integration of the electronic payload employed on the GPS satellite system.
In addition to over fifteen years of professional support for quality management system (QMS) initiatives such as ISO 9001 and FDA Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Perini has run successful QMS based continual improvement programs that have resulted in sustainable cost benefit along with enhanced operational productivity. Perini has also had the opportunity to study under Donald J. Wheeler who is the author of the statistical textbooks used for the many of the section's courses including Continual Improvement using Process Behavior Analysis.
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Vendor Corner: |
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Career Corner: |
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Location: |
Casaletto’s Fine
Italian Cuisine, 15 Saw Mill River Road, Elmsford,
914-592-5980 |
Directions |
|
Fees: |
$20 Westchester Chapter
Members, $25 Non-Westchester Chapter Members.
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Chapter Mtg
Tuesday
Feb 10, 2009
5:30 - 7:30 PM
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Agenda
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5:30 |
Networking, buffet
dinner, vendor and recruiter access. |
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6:15 |
Chapter business and
announcements. |
|
6:30 |
Program |
|
7:30 |
Meet the speakers,
continued networking, buffet, vendor and recruiter. |
|
7:45 |
PMO & Quality SIG meetings hosted
by Gus Sanchez & Linda Dowdell |
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Topic: |
Rescuing a project using Agile and Lean principles – a Case Study
A number of studies over the years have pointed out that a large number of IT projects are considered failures. The reasons why they are considered failures vary, and the causes of failure vary as well. But the warning signs are almost always there - and many failures could be avoided if these warning signs were recognized and acted upon.
The principles and practices of Agile and Lean methods are a great mechanism for identifying and addressing risks and issues on projects. As one of the leaders in the use of Agile and Lean methods, ThoughtWorks has been called on a number of times to apply these principles and practices to help rescue projects that are in trouble. In this session Joe Zenevitch will present a case study on one such project for a client in the medical systems industry.
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Speaker: |
Joe Zenevitch is a Senior Project Manager with ThoughtWorks, Inc., a global IT consultancy which utilizes leading edge technologies and practices to develop custom software for Fortune 100 companies. With the self-declared mission of revolutionizing the IT industry, ThoughtWorks has continuously been on the forefront of emerging technologies such as J2EE, .NET and Ruby on Rails, along with Agile and Lean development practices. For the better part of his 10 years with ThoughtWorks, Joe has been on the forefront of the practical application of Agile development principles and practices, in addition to providing coaching and mentoring for companies seeking to transform their software development organizations. Prior to joining ThoughtWorks Joe worked for 10 years with GE Capital, where he was instrumental in the effort to introduce Object Oriented technologies and migrate legacy mainframe applications to client server. In his spare time Joe dodges speeders on RT684 and unwisely continues to play contact sports. He can be reached at joez@thoughtworks.com, or at his blog at http://agile-pm.blogspot.com. |
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Vendor Corner: |
TBD
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Career Corner: |
TBD
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Location: |
Casaletto’s Fine
Italian Cuisine, 15 Saw Mill River Road, Elmsford,
914-592-5980 |
Directions |
|
Fees: |
$20 Westchester Chapter
Members, $25 Non-Westchester Chapter Members.
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