Author: Leandro Benda., PMP

On Tuesday 9 November 2021, our 8th PMI Switzerland Open Space took place on Zoom. In Open Spaces, each participant is able to freely ask questions and/or share his or her expertise and opinion.

The topic of this online event was "The PMBOK 7". The topic was hosted with great talent by our volunteer Patryk Nosalik. On this occasion, 26 project managers joined from different sectors such as food processing, IT consulting, trading, building construction and more.

Different "virtual rooms" of 15 minutes each were created during the event in order to have various exchanges on themes of the participants’ choice. These virtual rooms were each managed by a facilitator to encourage engagement and ensure the best experience for everyone.

The questions selected for the discussion included:

1. What is the biggest change in PMBOK 7 compared to PMBOK 6?
2. What is the risk of PMPs in the future? Will they be less technical with the new PMBOK 7?
3. What will change in the content of the PMP exam?
4. Is PMBOK6 obsolete now?
5. Do ITTOs still have value?
6. Where will PMs find technical knowledge if not in PMBOK?

Each participant was able to freely ask questions and share his or her expertise and opinion and interesting answers were provided on these topics.

From these exchanges, it resulted that the PMBOK 7 will have the following new features compared to the PMBOK 6:

- More pragmatic approach

- More tailoring

- More global picture approach

- Offers more tools for the daily business, for example on the topic of leadership

This more global picture approach could perhaps allow project managers in the future to have more time to focus on tasks that bring even more added value. However, PMBOK6 still remains the reference for traditional methodology and it still has value for existing or new PMs.

We invite you all to register for our future Open Spaces which will take place online via Zoom. Dates and topics will be communicated soon. You will have the opportunity to share and learn more on the numerous and important changes that this new edition proposes.

All our events can be consulted via the PMI Switzerland events page.

Leandro Benda, PMP

Author: Karolina Letowska, PMP

PMI Switzerland Chapter President 

As we are still celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Chapter, we continue with anecdotes from the past. “My” first president of the chapter, Paul Selwold, a very positive and charismatic person, shared his memory of the chapter. I still remember when we met at our first Board of Directors dinner, I was then elected as VP Finance. Paul said to me: Karo, so you are my VP Finance… hmm that would be an interesting year for us… and he smiled.

Anecdotes from Paul Selwold

My favorite memory, overall, is one that occurred when I had been volunteering as a journalist in the Comms team.  Since we are a distributed team, it was rare to see one another face-to-face, and we decided to have a Saturday afternoon together at the Blausee.  Team members arrived from every direction.

As it turned out, I was able to connect with Filippo Meloni on the way. He boarded the train at Olten that I was riding from Zurich.  We had a great time catching up and talking about life and enjoying the prospect of finally having the team together.  Then, from Bern to Blausee, we had to board the Postbus which went up the mountain. And during this time, shortly before we arrived at Blausee, it occurred to me that I did not bring anything to start the campfire with!  I asked Filippo if he had anything.  No. When we arrived at Blausee, I asked at the gift shop if they had matches or lighters.  No.

So there we were, waiting for the others to arrive, holding raw meat that we could not cook.

As people arrived, it was clear, no one smoked and so no one had any matches.  But we were all saved by Michael Schmid, clearly the one trained to survive in the woods.  With barely a shrug, he collected two twigs and started a campfire in the rain that had started to fall.  We were all able to enjoy cooked meat after all!  We had a great day in the end.  When we finished cooking, a family standing not far away approached and asked if they could borrow our fire if we were finished with it.  And I have repeated this story many times, usually when I see Michael has joined the group, because the trajectory from misery to happiness was so quick and so well appreciated by everyone.  …

In the past years we have many memories together which will stay with us and be shared with the next PMI Switzerland generations.

I hope the Chapter has still many years to go and many stories to build.

All the best,

Karolina Letowska

Anne-Laure has 20+ years of international Project Management experience with European and Chinese SME/SMI active in various fields such as human resources and entertainment, non for profit, safety equipment’s manufactory, wine trading and healthcare.

Having two Master’s one in philosophy and one in Business Management she started her career piloting HR projects as consultant facilitating team building. She continued in the Trust industry where she graduated STEP (Trust and Estate Practitioner) managing complex structures and foundations for HNWI. She acted as trustee advising clients in launching, planning and structuring any type of assets holding.

She founded her fiduciary company Capital Emergence SA in 2009 developing a project methodology and in association with Chinese based partners launching investment match-making services to bridge Latin American and EU projects with China. She is specialist in strategy implementation and corporate management acting at C level for different companies and family-owned business.

Her last involvement is as Director and Head of Trading for a Swiss Chinese company piloting health and educational project for autistic children in China.

She has three fantastic kids 15, 21 and 23 and is passionate for traveling, dancing, reading and among all sailing. She grew up sailing and competed more than 15 years as a skipper in Mediterranean and French Atlantic coasts.
She graduated PMP in June 2021 and joined the Swiss PMI chapter to network, exchange know-how with peers and finding new project and position opportunities. She is volunteer to develop the network of French speaking part of the Swiss PMI chapter.

You can learn more about Anne-Laure by visiting her LinkedIn profile.

Author: Joachim Dehais, PMP

Autumn is underway, Indian summer colours our days, and our mentors are hard at work, bettering themselves and their protegees in one fell swoop. In the mentoring program, you will be put in contact with experienced professionals that can advise you on a course of action to advance in life.

For example, last year, one of our mentees decided to go on a sabbatical to reflect before taking new steps. On his return, he applied to a highly sought job, and with the help of his mentor, got the position he so desired!

Give it a try, see what’s in it for you, it costs nothing but a membership.

You can join via our platform, or simply look at the latest mentoring news on our website!

I look forward to talking with you,

Joachim Dehais, PMI Switzerland mentoring program lead