Dear PMI Switzerland Community,

I hope you all had a wonderful summer — sun‑soaked, well‑rested, and filled with just enough ice cream to justify the extra steps on your fitness tracker. As we ease into September, the holidays wind down, the inboxes wake up, and Switzerland starts showing those first hints of autumn colours. The air gets cooler, the days get shorter, and yes… it’s officially cardigan season. Time to swap the beach towels for meeting notes and get ready for a line‑up of events that will carry us straight into the heart of project leadership, transformation, and learning.

We begin on 17 September with the Program Managers Roundtable in Geneva — a session designed to unpack what program management really means beyond the usual “big projects” stereotype. Through stories, peer insights, and open discussion, this event is perfect for project managers curious about stepping into program leadership. It may also reveal whether you’re genuinely ready for program thinking… or whether you’re simply curious to learn more beyond project management and explore what program management really is.

Next, on 23 September, we move online for the AI Governance Masterclass led by Markus Kopko of the PMI AI Standard Core Team. This session explores why traditional project management often breaks when applied to AI initiatives, and introduces three governance questions you can use immediately in your work. It’s free for PMI Switzerland members and earns 1 PDU — so please, claim it afterwards. Let’s not add another lonely PDU to the great forgotten pile.

On 1 October, we continue the change‑leadership momentum with “Myths & Truths About Change Management” in Geneva. Antonio Lopez will guide us through five myths that quietly sabotage transformation efforts, shifting the focus from activity reporting to behaviour‑based adoption. Expect practical insights on leading versus lagging indicators, qualitative signals, and the Monday‑morning behaviours that reveal whether change is truly taking root.

On 29 October, Zurich hosts the PM Conference 2026, themed “Swiss Iconic Projects & Innovations – The Future of Project Leadership.” With over 200 attendees expected and speakers from Nestlé, UBS, IOC, Holcim, CERN, Sunrise, SIX Group, PMI, and more, this conference brings together the best of Swiss innovation and leadership thinking. It’s a full day of insights on AI, transformation, and the evolving role of project leaders — and it comes with 10 PDUs, which is practically a certification spa day. Go, learn, network, and make sure you claim your PDUs so the day counts fully toward your professional growth.

We wrap up the season on 5 November in Geneva with a deep dive into practical change management using the ACAEM model — Analyse, Connect, Align, Engage, Measure. Led by Grégoire Willommet, this workshop focuses on making change actually happen rather than simply talking about it. If your organisation loves announcing transformation but struggles to execute it, this session will feel like a much‑needed crash course in turning intention into action.

Applications are now open for the PMI Switzerland Chapter Elections for the 2027–2028 term, with a deadline of 30 September 2026. The chapter is seeking candidates for three Board of Directors positions, one Election Committee Member, and one Financial Auditor Committee Member. Ideal candidates embody PMI values, show initiative, collaborate effectively, and navigate complexity with confidence. And if you’ve ever said, “I wish PMI would do X,” this is your chance to be the person who actually makes X happen. For questions or submissions, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

As we move into autumn, this month’s articles point to a clear evolution in our profession: project managers are no longer defined by delivery alone — we are increasingly responsible for creating value that lasts. The seven articles in this edition highlight the capabilities shaping that shift.

AI literacy is becoming essential, not as a buzzword but as a practical governance skill that helps us make better decisions. Program thinking pushes us to look beyond tasks and milestones toward benefits, alignment, and long‑term outcomes. Change leadership reminds us that transformation only succeeds when people adopt it, not when slides announce it. The Myths & Truths session reinforces the importance of behaviour‑based indicators and early signals. And the Curator’s Pick brings us back to fundamentals: clarity, expectations, and the ability to explain project management in a way that aligns people around purpose.

Together, these perspectives show that modern project managers are stepping into a broader role: leaders of transformation, stewards of value, and architects of outcomes that endure well beyond project closure.

As you explore this edition, I invite you to look beyond what we deliver and consider what we make possible — for our teams, our organisations, and the communities we serve. Project management is evolving, and so are we.

Here’s to what we make possible next,
Aren CHIU, Newsletter Copy Editor 

Have you ever had to explain what a project manager actually does? Or introduce your colleagues to the basics of project management?

As project managers, we do not only manage projects. Quite often, we also have to explain what project management is, why it matters, and how our role fits alongside product owners, architects, subject matter experts, and sponsors. In this sense, knowing the basics of project management is not enough. Being able to explain them clearly is what sets strong project managers apart.

I have learned over the years that mastering the fundamentals—and explaining them to others—makes my own work easier. It creates clarity, reduces friction, and helps teams and stakeholders work with more realistic expectations. At a time when we are quick to rely on unverified AI-generated answers, access to credible and well-structured learning content matters even more.

So, here are this month’s picks from PMI to master the fundamentals or share them with colleagues who are not (yet) project managers.

PMI Kickoff
A practical and accessible 45-minute introduction to project management basics, including a shareable badge. A great starting point for non-PMs.

PMI Infinity
A useful, vetted source for definitions, role descriptions, and explanations of project management concepts for day-to-day questions. It is especially useful when you need a quick, reliable way to explain concepts to others.

ProjectManagement.com
Whatever project management challenge you are facing, someone else has probably faced it before. Explore thousands of blogs, articles, and webinars from practitioners worldwide. For example, check out the Back to PM Basics Series by Bruce Garrod or Teaching PM Basics to Non-PM Staff by Stephanie Jaeger.

PMI is not only about certification. It is a learning community where we can learn, share, and pass knowledge on to others.

Don't miss our next evening event on October 1st 2026!

Led by Antonio Lopez, Founder of Antonio Lopez Consulting and trainer in Project and Change Management.

Most change initiatives don't fail because people "resist change". They fail because we are measuring the wrong things and telling ourselves the wrong story.

Join Antonio Lopez as he dismantles the "70% of change initiatives fail" myth and the activity-based reporting - trainings delivered, emails sent, town halls held - that organizations mistake for real adoption. He names five myths quietly sabotaging change in most organizations, from "change = communication and training" to "it's HR's job". Then he makes the case for a fundamental shift: from change as a project with a checklist, to change as a pattern of behaviours, routines, and early signals you can actually track.

You'll leave with:

• A sharper read on why conventional change reporting hides more than it reveals
•  Five myths you can spot - and dismantle - in your own organization
•  A working model for measuring what matters: leading vs. lagging, qualitative vs. quantitative
• One concrete challenge: what will you do differently starting next Monday?

If you lead, support, or live through change, this session will change how you think about change itself.

Antonio brings over 35 years of international sales and after-sales experience in engineering and industrial companies - including Caterpillar Overseas, Charmilles Technologies, Rain Bird and DEC Group - and has run Antonio Lopez Consulting, his Geneva-based practice, since 2019. Specializing in Project and Change Management, he guides organizations and stakeholders through transformation and the adoption of new ways of working, bringing a practical, people-first approach shaped by his front-line industry background.

Register now Myths and truths about Change Management and start measuring what actually matters.

→ Join us on the 23 September, 18:00 to 19:15 (Zurich time) 🔗 link

What happens when traditional project management meets AI?

AI projects introduce challenges that many established PM frameworks weren’t designed to handle - from explainability and model drift to data quality and AI-specific risks.

Join us for an online session with Markus Kopko, a member of PMI’s Core Development Team for its new AI standard. Get a first-hand look at why AI requires a different approach to governance and what this means for project, program and portfolio leaders.

What you can expect:

• Opening
• The Governance Gap - Three scenarios where proven PM practice stops working on AI projects: explainability, model drift, and data quality.
• Inside the New PMI AI Standard - Why PMI built the standard, what it changes for risk in AI-driven environments, and what it means for program and portfolio leaders. Told first-hand from inside the Core Development Team.
• What You Can Do Monday Morning - Three governance questions every project leader can ask their team this week, and what a team needs in place to answer them.
• The Masterclass Preview - What the full day on 14 November in Zurich delivers, participant benefits, and how to register.
• Q&A session
• Wrap up

Come with the AI questions your projects are already raising. Leave with three governance questions you can put to your team on Monday morning, and a clear picture of what your team needs to answer them.

This session will give you a sneak preview of our full-day Masterclass on 14 November (Zürich) where we’ll turn those questions into a practical working method.

About your speaker: Markus Kopko (PgMP, PMP, PMI-CPMAI)

Markus brings 25+ years of project and program management experience and is a member of the Core Development Team of The Standard for Artificial Intelligence in Portfolio, Program, and Project Management (PMI, 2026). As founder of PMotion.ai and The PM AI Coach, he helps organizations close the governance gap AI brings to project work.

→ Register here. Free for PMI Switzerland members, 15 CHF for non-members. The session earns 1 PDU (0.5 Business Acumen, 0.5 Ways of Working).