Projectified Folgen

As the world marks International Women’s Day this week, Projectified® spoke with two women project leaders making their mark in traditionally male-dominated sectors: cybersecurity and mining. Guests are:  Kat Megas, PMP, cybersecurity for Internet of Things program manager, National Institute of Standards and Technology, McLean, Virginia, USA: Megas discusses leading projects in cybersecurity, how women communicate differently—but no less decisively—than men and her hope that different leadership styles are recognized rather than females having to fit an existing mold.  Sevi Rich, senior portfolio manager, project development, BHP, Perth, Australia: Rich discusses the ways companies can improve gender equity and how she’s helping BHP recruit and retain women in mining. She also discusses solutions for working women, such as seeking out both male and female mentors, and companies offering more flexible work schedules.  Key themes [01:14] COVID-19’s toll on working women[03:47] Male versus female communication styles[06:48] Supporting future women leaders in cybersecurity[10:51] Recruiting and retaining women leaders in mining[13:28] The value of having male and female mentors

When project management office (PMO) leaders help define strategy, they can deliver more value. Guests include: Katitja Molele, PMP, strategy and innovation PMO manager, Africa operating unit for The Coca-Cola Co., Johannesburg, South Africa: Molele talks about how PMOs are evolving and how actively engaging PMO leaders in crafting strategy helps companies turn ideas into reality. Tom Kuczynski, vice president, IT, DC Water, Washington, D.C., USA: Kuczynski discusses how he helped build—and evolve—the organization’s IT PMO, winner of the 2020 PMO of the Year Award. He also outlines how he and the team look beyond basic on-time and on-budget metrics to whether the project achieved its intended benefits.  Key themes [00:58] PMOs helping craft strategy can deliver more value[02:02] The PMO’s role in turning ideas into reality[03:40] Defining value to better meet business goals[06:33] Building DC Water’s IT PMO[11:53] Measuring success 

Five megatrends are reshaping The Project Economy, fundamentally altering how we live, work and play. We talk to project leaders taking on these trends through projects:  Farhad Abdollahyan, PMI-RMP, PMP, head of the project management office at the U.N. Office for Project Services in Niger, discusses the group’s infrastructure projects aimed at bolstering the country’s economy. He talks though how the organization measures these projects’ outputs and impact, and how it engages with partners to increase efficiency.  Rob Wilhite, senior vice president and director of global distributed energy at U.S. construction giant Black & Veatch, shares how he’s seen COVID-19 accelerate projects to battle climate change in the energy sector as well as AI’s growing role in infrastructure and engineering projects. Key themes [02:21] Investing in infrastructure to bolster Niger’s economy[06:23] Measuring project outputs as well as outcomes and impact[08:51] How partners contribute to success[11:18] How COVID-19 is fueling projects to address climate change in the energy sector[12:55] AI’s role in infrastructure, engineering projects