IT PMO Townhall Oct 25, 2017

Enterprise PMOs vary in scope and practices from organization to organization.  How they operate is also impacted if other PMOs such as IT PMOs operate within the same company.  Governance within EPMOs is a critical component to their effectiveness.

At this PMO town hall, Terri and Derek will share with us their insights in a number of EPMO areas including:

·       Scope of the ePMO and Governance Practices

·       How intake, program/project management happens

·       Evolution of the ePMO

·       Collaboration with other internal ePMOs

·       Metric reporting to Executive

What is the Value Of Benefits Mapping?

On March 29, 2017 at 11:45am, PMI SAC continues its lunch hour event, “IT PMO Townhall”.  The meeting will encourage structured, open discussion on topics relating to IT PMOs.  A panel of local IT PMO leaders will engage with the audience to address questions, exchange ideas and debate opinions on specific topics.  The meeting is open to anyone and is intended to encourage idea exchange and professional networking.

Benefits Mapping can be a very potent tool for organizations when designed and implemented correctly.  The information and insights gained from mapping provides the audience with an understanding of not only WHAT a project/program is delivering but also WHY.   This dual functionality also enables these valuable documents to morph into other key artifacts such as project/program charters and benefits master logs to enable traceability and alignment towards corporate goals.

At this PMO town hall, Dauna will discuss the journey that Cenovus has taking to design, develop and rollout this tool.  She will share WHAT these tools are, WHY they are being used and HOW they have been implemented for success (think change management).

Cyber Security Networking Breakfast

Taleo Social

Social gathering for Taleo consultants and associates

Taleo/Gartner Charity Poker Event

Ongoing poker tournament hosted jointly by Taleo Project Services and Gartner.  Its an opportunity to meet new people, enjoy a fun spirited poker tournament and enjoy food, drink and conversation in a historic setting.  Best of all we raise funds and give back to a local Calgary charity in the process.

Competency Assessment and Capacity Planning for Project and Program Managers

Competency – As project management continues to mature, today’s project managers face a confusing array of standards and certifications; on-the-job training, performance criteria, knowledge and skills expertise is often missing or vague.  It can be difficult for managers and project manager’s to know what skills they should be developing, what areas of project management knowledge they should be seeking to understand, and how their performance should be measured.

Capacity and Effort – Capability planning in terms of what skills, knowledge and experience is required of project and program managers for the entire organisation is an important service of PMOs.  Additionally PMOs should also assess what skills, knowledge and experience is required for specific projects within the portfolio. Some of the available tools include program/project complexity assessments, organizational maturity assessments or a simpler Effort matrix.  The result is having a ranked premeditated portfolio of project resources with the right capabilities.

The information present in this session can be used by 1) individual project managers in creating their plan for professional development 2) by organizations in establishing a detailed specification of knowledge, skill and performance expectations of project managers and 3) PMOs to assist in capability and effort planning.

Survive Your Next Adventure

Our guest speaker, Laval St. Germain, is an outdoor enthusiast, airline captain and former check pilot who takes adventure to new extremes.  Though his exploits often involve significant risks, Laval takes a deliberate and comprehensive approach to safety, survival and risk management.  Laval treats each one of these expeditions as a project in terms of design, planning, execution and review.  Using a structured approach, learned in part through airline risk management, Laval applies concepts that literally affect the probability of survival for him and his team members.

In this session, we will hear about Laval’s explorations and the concepts of risk management and lessons learned through the unique lens of an adventure extremist who has overcome the odds for survival in a targeted manner.

The Art of Being Interviewed Well – Dinner Event

Interested in having an edge over the competition at your next interview. Upcoming PMI dinner event on March 31, 2016 starting at 5pm will provide insights into what Calgary hiring managers are looking for. Tap into feedback gathered from hundreds of interviewees and interviewers.

Calgary and the province have fallen on very difficult times.  Depressed oil prices, stalled pipeline expansions, high unemployment and increasing provincial debt are combining to negatively impact job opportunities.  In a job market rich in contractor supply and poor in demand for contractors’ services, individuals need to identify additional ways to improve their odds of securing an opportunity. Performing well in the interview is the ultimate differentiator and typically leads to successfully landing the position. This will be the focus of the evening presentation and discussion and will include the following:

·       How to increase your odds of getting an interview

·       Recent feedback from Calgary hiring managers – what they ask, how interviewees under perform, what their typical interview looks like

·       The secrets behind proactive referencing techniques

·       How to effectively prepare and excel in your interview

PMI – ACP Exam Prep

Taleo Project Services And Mike Griffiths Present…

Did you know?
The PMI-ACP exam is changing in the fall 2015!

• Sign up for the PMI-ACP Exam Prep course delivered by Mike Griffiths.

• Fee is $1290.00 for the entire 3-day course and includes Mike Griffiths’ renowned PMI-ACP Exam Prep book, a color printed workbook, sample exam questions, USB stick of additional materials and free parking. Also, continental breakfast, lunch and snacks daily. The course will be capped to 30 people for better Q&A.
• If you are a past or present Taleo consultant or client – ask for your 5% discount!
• Book your ACP Exam before it changes and before the discounts are over! Receive a 20% rebate on your exam fees when booking @pmi.org from July 16 to Aug 16, 2015.

Effective Portfolio Management Practices

Portfolio management is becoming the new norm in many organizations, yet the complexities in this area can lead to unnecessary challenges with the projects and programs it supports. This IT PMO Townhall is focused on discussing strategies around developing effective portfolio management and how these practices impact people within the portfolio. A previous town hall focused on enabling tools in portfolio management, this session will focus on the processes and practices independent of any technology. It takes more than classifying projects to run an effective portfolio.  Michelle Vincent and Joey Roa will present examples of portfolio operations and lessons learned to allow you to also build an effective PMO.