Author: Alpha Ziman, PMP, PMI-PBA

Celebrating IPM Day 2024: Highlights from the Ultimate Project Management Challenge!

In celebration of International Project Management Day 2024, PMI Switzerland Chapter in collaboration with Sponsor STS, a Project Management Company hosted its first-ever Project Management Regional Competition on October 30, 2024.

This exciting event spanned three prestigious Swiss venues: SIX ConventionPoint in Zurich, Roche in Basel and the STS Office in Lausanne.
A total of 83 participants from various regions joined, forming teams of 3 to 5 members to promote cross-regional collaboration and friendly competition.

The PMI event began with the customary registration and check-in, but this time with an engaging twist: individuals who hadn’t pre-registered as part of a team were encouraged to network and form teams with other solo participants on the spot. This approach fostered collaboration and interaction from the very start. Meanwhile, participants who had already registered as a team joined seamlessly, creating a dynamic mix of pre-formed and newly formed teams, all set to dive into the competition. 

This inaugural event format sparked creativity and team spirit with teams coming up with playful and unique names.
Zurich-based teams chose names like Analytics & Chill, SIX PM Community, Takeda POPMs, Project Mavericks, Solutions Squad, Scope Creepers, PHAMM and Spooked PMs.
In Basel, teams adopted names such as Roche Mavericks, Milestone Masters, Seagull and Agile Avengers, while Lausanne added to the fun with Scrum & Coke.
These names reflected the lively spirit and enthusiasm of the participants across all locations.
With the teams energized and ready, the event moved into the next phase: the SimulTrain Competition.
Following the opening presentation by the PMI Switzerland Chapter, Mr. Patrick Lehmann, CEO of STS, introduced the SimulTrain Competition, setting the stage for an engaging and immersive experience.

The SimulTrain competition ran from 17:00 to 19:00, immersing each team in a challenging, real-time project scenario where they had to take over an already-initiated project.
Working within their newly formed teams, participants guided the project through planning, execution, monitoring-controlling and closure.
The atmosphere was both intense and energetic, as teams collaborated under pressure, fully engaged and enjoying the thrill of the challenge.

No competition is complete without celebrating its champions.
After the intense competition, the awards ceremony took place.
The event honored three teams as Regional PM Champions and crowned one team as the Swiss PM Champion.
In Basel, team “Seagull” earned the title of “Basel PM Champions,” while team “Team 2” from Lausanne claimed the “Romandie PM Champion” title.
In Zurich, team “Solutions Squad” emerged as the “Zurich PM Champion” and went on to win the ultimate title of “Swiss-wide PM Champion.”

The Solutions Squad was made up of three talented project managers: Ms. Anna Bajzikova, Ms. Stefanie Walt and Ms. Elena Milusheva.
Although they had not pre-registered as a team for the IPM Day 2024 SimulTrain Competition and were strangers prior to the event, they took the initiative to form a team on-site, demonstrating both their project management expertise and their ability to collaborate effectively.
Their teamwork earned them two championship titles and were rewarded with valuable prizes from both the PMI Switzerland Chapter and our esteemed sponsor, STS. 

To wrap up the event, an aperitif was hosted at each location, giving participants the chance to relax and celebrate their accomplishments together.
As the competition came to a close, attendees shared their excitement for this innovative PMI event format, valuing the opportunity to collaborate with new teams and apply their project management skills in real-time.
At PMI Switzerland Chapter, we greatly appreciate the valuable feedback we received from our participants on how to improve future events.

As we reflect on the success of this year’s competition, we’re excited about what’s to come in IPM Day 2025.
We invite you to join us for even more opportunities to connect with fellow project management professionals and compete for exciting prizes.

Stay tuned and visit our events page for updates!

Author: Yolanda Martín Mosquera

A Realistic and Engaging Simulation
SimulTrain®, a leading multimedia project management simulator developed by STS, provided the platform for a two-hour competition.
Each team, comprising three to five members, were tasked with navigating complex project scenarios that included risk management, resource allocation, cost control, and unexpected project adjustments.
To mimic real-world project dynamics, the simulation integrated phone call interruptions and urgent decision-making moments, pushing participants to respond swiftly and strategically.

Teamwork and Challenge
Participants quickly adapted, forming cohesive teams that approached the challenges with a competitive yet cooperative spirit.
The dynamic environment demanded quick thinking and strong collaboration, essential traits for any project manager.
The emphasis on key performance indicators (KPIs) kept the teams focused on balancing cost, schedule, quality, and team morale as they navigated each challenge. 

Enthusiastic Feedback from Attendees
The event was met with enthusiastic praise from participants, who appreciated the intense challenge under high time pressure, the excitement and shared adrenaline among team members and all the learnings this brought them in short time. Very positive feedback was given to the event organizers too, that underscored high energy, dedication and professionalism that they brought into making that day a great success.
One attendee shared, “Thank you once again for all your work organizing the IPM Day. It was a fantastic experience!”
Another participant expressed gratitude, noting, “It was a great event yesterday! Thanks again for the time and effort the Basel Event Team put in to make this happen.”
And another: “Congrats once again for the organization, you rocked it! The challenge and presentation: I loved it!”

Networking and Reflection
Following the competition, an apéro provided the attendees with a well-deserved opportunity to unwind and share insights from the experience.
This informal networking session allowed participants to discuss their strategies, learn from one another, and expand their professional networks. 

Conclusion
The IPMD event in Basel was a resounding success, blending skill development with friendly competition and community building.
Participants left not only with enhanced project management skills but also with a sense of camaraderie and the shared excitement of meeting and overcoming a complex, simulated project challenge.
And with a clear willingness to beat their performance and become the winner next year.
Such a great success leads the PMI organization to institutionalize this IPMD challenge every year and the Basel team can’t wait to organize the 2025 competition.

Author: Joachim Dehais, PMP

Book review: A small state's guide to influence in world politics, Tom Long, University of Warwick

Why a book review, why this book you may ask, not one of us works in international relations. Well not only do you, but you work in interdepartmental relations. Office politics can be a taboo subject due to its antisocial compenent; it is hard to observe and those good at it know better than to explain how. In fact, what little advice we get on this is biased towards individual, pro-social practices in specific cultures.
On the contrary, international politics and diplomacy show a wealth of cross-cultural examples in equally many context. In that it makes standardised analysis difficult, but insights and wisdom potentials strong.

So let's dive a little into the topic.

First, this is an academic book, therefore it relies on a long history of studying and on strong structure. This makes it somewhat hard to start but it is surprisingly approachable. It was also recently published and includes modern takes. In particular, there are lengthy explanations on how to approach diplomatic relationships. The more important of which is the shift from a globalised-absolute view of big vs small (difficult to generalise) to a differential view (bigger vs smaller country). This gives us the gift of easily changing context to, for example, a large department vs a small group of people.

Given that perspective, it becomes much easier to put things in perspective, though no system is perfect.

This is where the author gives use a great tool to analyse relationships, namely a typology of disagreements and their likelihood of successful resolution for smaller parties. This typology relies on three parameters: the difference of practice or opinion, how large it looms on the relationship, and how coherent the opinion is for the larger party. You can of course imagine that a large difference, that is at the forefront of the relationship, with a coherent interlocutor, will be hard to change.

The following chapters go into numerous and interesting case studies of the last century, demonstrating typical in each case and whether or how successful they were on their own. With cases in Asia, Africa, South America, and Europe, the coverage is quite high, and thankfully describes cases between regional actors, as well as globally recognised countries.

The following chapter provides further examples in the central role of contemporary intergovernmental bodies, governance, and rules. In particular, the author stresses the value of rule-based orders for smaller parties and their survival. Something that we often see and can leverage within our own organisations.

Finally, we can see how various unions of smaller parties can wrestle discussion agendas in international groups, apply peer pressure, and use their weaker statues to obtain concessions from "noble" larger parties.

What should you take away from it?
First, that politics are highly dynamic, and no single strategy (grinding, hardball, submission) will succeed for you everytime, in fact, you should be eminently attentive to the context, the window of opportunity. Study around you how people leverage (or not) different situations to read them better.
Second, that being clear on your goals helps, as does others being unclear.
Third, you can leverage disinterest for freedom, but otherwise need to garner interest and support in a topic, usually by having more parties speak of it in unison.

Author: Florian Ivan PMP, IPMA B, DAC, DASSM, CSP

AI Took My Job… To Make It Better

We’ve all heard the fear-mongering headlines: “AI is taking over our jobs!” But what if, instead of taking away our livelihoods, AI is here to help us unlock new opportunities, enhance creativity, and add more value in ways we couldn't before?
The reality is, AI isn’t taking away jobs—it's taking away the parts of our jobs that don't contribute much value.

In fact, AI may have "taken my job," but it’s also given me the tools to make it better. Let’s explore how.

AI and the Shift Away From Non-Value-Adding Tasks

We all have parts of our jobs that feel like time sinks—those repetitive, mundane, and sometimes mind-numbing tasks that don't really drive the needle forward. Whether it’s sifting through emails, filling out endless spreadsheets, or trying to schedule meetings across time zones, these tasks are necessary, but they don't add value. They just take up time and energy.

Enter AI.

With AI, these non-value-adding tasks are being automated. Instead of spending hours on administrative work or data crunching, AI tools can now handle these tasks in a fraction of the time and with greater accuracy. By taking over routine and repetitive functions, AI frees us up to focus on what truly matters: high-value, impactful work.

In essence, AI allows us to spend more time doing the things that humans are uniquely good at.

Shifting Focus to Value-Adding Tasks

Now that AI is handling the repetitive work, we have the capacity to focus on value-adding tasks. What are value-adding tasks? These are the activities that generate meaningful impact for your company, your customers, or your team. This includes things like:

• Developing innovative solutions to complex problems
• Building relationships and fostering collaboration
• Crafting creative strategies that move the business forward
• Leading initiatives that inspire and motivate teams

AI can even enhance these high-value activities by providing new tools, new insights, and new ways of thinking. For example, AI can analyze vast amounts of data and uncover patterns we might have missed, giving us fresh ideas to consider. It can also assist in brainstorming by generating new concepts or enhancing our own creativity with suggestions that we may not have thought of.

In this way, AI doesn't just eliminate non-value-adding tasks—it empowers us to maximize the value we create in our roles.

Are You Creating Value in Your Role?

Here's the tough question: How much of your job is truly adding value?

If your daily tasks primarily consist of repetitive, low-skill activities, there’s a good chance that AI could one day replace your job entirely. But if you're already focused on creative, strategic, or problem-solving work, AI will make you even more valuable.

The future belongs to those who contribute in ways that AI cannot. If your role involves critical thinking, empathy, leadership, or creativity, you’re in a position to not only survive but thrive alongside AI. The key is recognizing what parts of your job are high-value and continuously developing those skills.

AI: A Partner, Not a Threat

Rather than thinking of AI as a job thief, it's more useful to think of it as a partner. AI tools are here to help us do our best work. They're not here to replace the human mind but to augment it, giving us more bandwidth for creativity and innovation.

In every industry, AI is helping us get rid of the noise—the routine tasks that clutter our days—and allowing us to focus on what really matters.

The Future of Work: Embrace AI to Enhance Your Value

So, instead of fearing that AI might "take your job," ask yourself: How can AI help me add even more value in my role? If you're focused on creating impact through innovation, leadership, and creativity, then AI isn’t a threat—it's a tool that can help you achieve even greater success.

In this new era of work, value-adding tasks will be the key to staying relevant and competitive. The question is, are you ready to embrace AI as a partner in your career evolution? Because if you are, AI won’t take your job—it will make it infinitely better.

AI Masterclass

Should you wish to deepen your understanding of how AI can be effectively applied in project management, we would like to invite you to attend the 1-day masterclass on November 9th. This class has been designed to equip you with the knowledge, tools and insights that would allow you to put AI to work in real-life scenarios.

For further information and registration, please visit the event page.