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/

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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.

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.

“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.