PMIWDC

2011 Chief Financial Officer's Report

Fortunately, the Board of Directors decided to operate our Chapter as a business a couple of years before the economic downturn.  This included maintaining sufficient liquidity for Chapter activities while following Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and PMI guidelines. 

We aligned budgets, expenses and revenue streams with the respective operational Vice Presidents, including our current budget of $1.1M for 2012.  VPs conduct budget review meetings monthly to keep an eye on expenses while prudently balancing your needs, risks and revenue streams.

Going Solo: Understanding the Bill Rate Question for Project Management Professionals

Article Summary: Before you establish your bill rate, get educated on the various approaches that are used to set this important number. This article provides an overview of three generally accepted approaches, helping define a bill-rate strategy for a project management professional considering going solo.

Project management is a skill set that is in high demand today, and for those with the right tenure and professional network, 2012 may be a time to consider going solo.

The 9 Step Project Plan to Becoming an Independent Consultant

Article Summary:  Today there is more opportunity than ever for PMPs to leverage their experience and skills to become independent consultants.  Flexibility, control and a better work-life balance are all reasons for considering the transition. But is it right for you, and if so, where do you start? This article provides common motivations for starting an independent career and 9 key steps that will start you on your journey from employee to consultant.

Demonstrating the Value of Your PMO

Hundreds of articles have been written about establishing and improving the Project Management Office (PMO). So why is it that Gartner Research Group reports that PMOs frequently experience a 50 percent failure rate? The answer is not only in the setup of a PMO, but the constant maintenance and ceasing any carried work that is no longer valuable.

Cheetah Learning performed their due diligence to research how to maintain a successful PMO in the creation of the 60 PDU Cheetah PMO (www.cheetahpm.com) online course, and we’d like to share what we learned with you.

6 Ways to Avoid Becoming a Risk to Your Own Project

Projects fail when they are not delivered on time, not finished within budget or when the system does not work according to the requirements. Traditional risk management frameworks include identification, evaluation and prioritization followed by eliminating ambiguities, minimizing the possibility and impact of adverse events along with monitoring and controlling them.

However, as a project manager, you can be another risk yourself or trigger creation of new risks that aren’t inherent in the project itself.

The Age of the Project Manager

Optimally, you started your day today by getting up, having breakfast, driving to work while finalizing your appointments on your cell phone headset, and arriving on-time, refreshed and ready to go.  Now imagine you wake up and there is no food in your house. You walk out to start your car and the engine makes a horrible noise and dies because you forgot to get your oil changed. You take a taxi to work so that you won’t be late, and you realize that you forgot to charge your cell phone. Which type of morning sounds more appealing to you?

10 Tips to Help Project Managers Shine When They Present to Senior Executives

The opportunity for Project Managers to present to senior executives can be a “good news, bad news” venture.  The good news is that it gives the PM the chance to showcase his or her capability before the people in the organization who have great influence on promotions, decisions on which projects to bid on,etc. The bad news is that a poor presentation to these senior people can cast a negative shadow over the perception of the PM’s capability.