PMI Europe Leadership Institute Meeting 2024

Author: Thando Dube (PMI Swiss Chapter VP, MBA, PMP) 

I am thrilled to share insights and key takeaways from the recent PMI Europe Leadership Institute Meeting (LIM) held in Lisbon from December 1st to December 4th, 2023. This event provided an exceptional opportunity to connect, learn, and collaborate with fellow chapter leaders from across Europe.

Over the four days in Lisbon, Stefan Vesenmeier and I had the honour of representing our chapter at this annual gathering. Engaging with Chapter Leaders offered invaluable insights into their challenges, successes, and the impactful outcomes of volunteer-driven initiatives.
The LIM featured enlightening presentations on various topics, including PMI's global initiatives. Notably, the introduction of a Single Payment for PMI membership (Pilot Phase) and the forthcoming changes to PMI Global's strategy, set to be fully unveiled in Berlin in April 2023, were presented.

Thematic workshops designed to meet specific requirements for chapter functional areas were proposed. These workshops underscored the importance of learning and exchanging insights with other chapters, emphasising that the value of interacting and connecting with fellow Chapter Leaders far exceeds that of virtual meetings alone. Regretfully we were unable to participate in all workshops covering Volunteers, Membership, Partnership, and other functions, however, I did manage to attend the functional workshops on Marketing, which shed light on challenges faced by the chapters in aligning due to the broad and diverse tools being utilised. This emphasized the need for common marketing tools and affordable solutions globally.

During the event, 42 chapters were represented, and this year, our chapter proudly joined the ranks of the Top 6 chapters in Europe! With 1800 members, our chapter attained a major milestone, placing us amongst the top-performing chapters. It was a pleasant surprise for Stefan and I, to find ourselves grouped with the other 5 chapters in Europe, namely: France, Germany, UK, Italy, and Ireland. Although our two-person representation may have been humbling when compared with that of Chapters, who literally brought their entire Board Member Team, the atmosphere was characterised by a strong sense of sharing, and a dynamic that transcended chapter size.

A major highlight of the LIM Conference 2024 was the Awards Ceremony, where we celebrated the achievements of individuals and chapters. Congratulations to: Olalla Garcia Perez (PMI Galicia, Spain Chapter), the recipient of the 'Rising Leader Award'; Andreas Madjari (PMI Austria Chapter), the recipient of  the 'Chapter Leadership Impact Award'; and the PMI Southern Italy Chapter for achieving 'Chapter of the Year'.

27 chapters received special mentions for projects that embody PMI's cultural values. Our Chapter was recognized for its exceptional commitment to Social Impact & Youth Initiatives. Kudos to the entire team for their great achievement.

As a closing note, the event was a wonderful opportunity to connect with other chapters. Today, in my department, we are working closely and sharing ideas with 5 chapters that I would otherwise not have connected with, had it not been for introductions at the LIM conference. Further, our chapter has initiated organisation of joint events, in collaboration with other chapters. A key message that I want to share with the project community at large, is that AI is now part of the daily landscape. We need to embrace it and not view it as a threat, but as an enablement to project management.

Thando Dube

Connect with the author on LinkedIn.
Connect with Stefan Vesenmeier on LinkedIn.

Author: James Heidrich (PMP, ACP, DASSM, RMP, DAC, Prosci)

Dear PMI Switzerland Members,

As a passionate member of our community and a master's candidate, I am excited to invite you to participate in a pivotal survey for my thesis: "Exploring Programme Management Frameworks and Methodologies: The Path to Successful Business Transformations."
This survey aims to gather diverse perspectives and experiences from professionals like you, offering a unique opportunity to contribute to groundbreaking research in our field.

Why Participate?

1. Influence the Future of Programme Management: Your insights will directly shape the understanding of how different methodologies impact business transformations, influencing future practices and strategies.
   
2. Access to the Final Thesis: As a token of appreciation, participants who choose to leave their email at the end of the survey will receive an exclusive copy of the completed thesis. This document will offer comprehensive insights and analysis, potentially benefiting your future projects and professional development.
   
3. Networking Opportunity: Your participation opens the door to future collaborations and networking with professionals who share your interest such as our planned PMO Community of Practice.
   
4. Enhance Your Knowledge: By engaging with the survey, you'll gain a deeper understanding of current trends and methodologies in programme management from the shared results.

Survey Details:

1. Duration: The survey will take approximately 8-10 minutes to complete.
2. Confidentiality: All responses will be kept confidential and used solely for the purpose of this research.
3. Feedback Option: Participants can opt to receive the final dissertation, and results will be shared in a future PMI Switzerland newsletter article.
   

How to Participate:

Please follow this link to the survey to begin. Your input is invaluable, and I sincerely appreciate your time and expertise.
Thank you for your support in advancing our field and contributing to a comprehensive understanding of programme management frameworks and their effectiveness in business transformations.

Warm regards,

James Heidrich

The PMI Swiss Corporate Networking Group: 3 Top-Class Meetings in 2023

Author: Martin Härri (PMP, PMI-SP, PMI-ACP, DASSM)

Whilst the focus of the Chapter is upon project management practitioners, the Swiss Corporate Networking Group (SCNG) brings together experts who are driving project management topics at an organization level, namely: Heads of Corporate PMOs; Portfolio Managers; Project Leads; Academics and others.

Founded in 2010, the SCNG meets 3 times per year for full-day conferences on topics chosen by the members. At these conferences, SCNG members (or subject matter experts from within their organizations), as well as PMI global and Swiss Chapter representatives, totalling approximately 30 participants, attend presentations and engage in knowledge exchange. So, let’s look back on the past year and reflect upon the topics currently trending in Swiss organizations.

Data-Driven / AI Projects (RUAG, January 2023)

By now, 'AI in project management' is all over the place, including PMI, which has launched the AI Resource Center. In January 2023, the topic had not yet surfaced, so it seems that we were ahead of time.
The first meeting of the year was hosted by RUAG, the Swiss defense company, in Thun (see photo). The participants were welcomed by the CEO, followed by an enjoyable and very interesting PwC presetation, provocatively titled "The failure of Artificial Intelligence in project management", which focused on 'Tech hype topics' which had failed to prove commercial value. Other presentations focused on how consistency of data quality helped Holcim to significantly improve project estimations; how the Program Lead of one of Procter & Gamble’s largest programs manages the tasks of project teams exceeding 2000 members; and how IBM uses AI to assess the health of projects in their portfolio.

Meeting in January 2023 at RUAG, with the CEO Brigitte Beck

Organizational Transformation (Holcim, June 2023)

Mid-year, the SCNG met in Holderbank, the location of the headquarters of a global building materials company, Holcim. The first presentation was a mind-blowing example of radical organizational transformation. The main product of Holcim is cement, accounting for ~8% of the global CO2 emissions. Now consider that Holcim’s goal is to be carbon-neutral by 2050! What an incredible challenge!
Another presentation conducted by PostFinance, discussed how the different project roles within the company had changed when the company moved to a large-scale Agile approach. As the final presentation, we even had Tahirou Assane, Director of Brightline at PMI, presenting virtually from Canada on PMI's Organization Transformation Initiative.

Linking Projects with Strategy (OM Pharma, October 2023)

The final meeting of the year took place in Geneva at OM Pharma. 3 companies, Skyguide, SIX and Nestlé, presented their approaches on the topic: "Linking Projects with Strategy". Following those presentations, a very high-ranking guest (having travelled from Paris to present), Lenka Pincot (PMI’s Chief of Staff to the CEO), shared the latest PMI Thought Leadership updates, including how the organization adapts its strategy according to emergent trends.

The SCNG is a unique organization within the PMI world. As far as we know, no other chapter worldwide has anything similar. And the success story continues... with the team already planning the next meeting on the topic of Portfolio Management, taking place in February 2024 at PostFinance in Bern.

 Author : Geetanjali Bhat, PMP

Dear members and newsletter subscribers!

Today, I see good sunshine and long bright evening outside my window giving all of us a ray of hope ahead. As we mark in 20^th year of PMI Switzerland, “the new normal” with longer lockdown and stricter measures, we from PMI community are continuously learning, innovating new ideas and sharing with the world.

Last year, we all know how an exceptional year it had been starting with online events. This year we have planned for more exciting events with latest subject’s expertise going on, all over the world. Soft skills sessions like “How to present powerfully online” would be soon held this month.

And of course, the much-awaited 20^th Anniversary event would be announced soon; I am sure there will be loads of fun and surprises to all of us in coming months. Stay Tuned!

I would like to thank PMI Switzerland community for creating innovative events and surprises that we continue to learn and aspire each of us in the community.

I wish every member of PMI community, healthy and safe days ahead. Let’s all think positive and keep learning and motivating each other in our PMI community.

Cheers!

Geetanjali Bhat, PMP