‍December 2021 Newsletter Content

Editorial‍

Dear faithful readers of the PMI Switzerland Chapter newsletter,

We are pleased again to present a newsletter full of useful information about your chapter, including events and advice to bolster your own continuous improvement.

Your chapter President, Karolina Letowska, shares a motivational Message from the Board to remind us of what’s important in this year-end; and, in her continuing contribution, offers more amazing anecdotes about the 20-year anniversary of the Switzerland Chapter.

For those of you who missed the 10th PMI Switzerland Conference on 29 September in Zurich, we are lucky to have a special behind the scenes look at the highlights of this grand event.

A retrospective of Open Spaces 8 about the PMBOK reminds us of the excellent value of these innovative virtual events, allowing members to share views and draw conclusions in an effective and collaborative way. Similarly, the Community of Practice about Agile reports about its activity and invites you to join in bringing sense to Agile. Mark your calendars for December 14th 2021: Why did I get into Agile?

Seeking advice? Read this month’s book review to learn how to avoid digital exhaustion in remote teams and be an effective virtual leader. And, from the PMI Switzerland Master Class series, learn how to say “no” in a more elegant and constructive way. As always, be sure to check in on our social media channels and consider how you can contribute and volunteer to keep up your precious certifications.

Enjoy the newsletter and hoping you will stay inspired, enjoy the year end break and come back charged up for 2022!

Philip SPRINGUEL, PMP

Newsletter Copy Editor

‍Message from the board

Dear Member, 

The holiday season is around the corner. It’s a very special time of the year that gives people a break from the hustle of our everyday working schedules. It provides many of us with some time to enjoy the company of family and friends that is all too often missing the rest of the year. I encourage each and every one of you to reflect on these special moments.

The year 2021 has been one of the most exciting years for me. Being elected as President of the PMI Switzerland Chapter is an honor. At the same time, this year, like 2020, has been one of the “special” ones, because we and also some dear friends are going through difficult situations due to world events. While keeping with the spirit of this joyous time, it is equally important to take a few moments and recall these other events and keep people in our thoughts.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Volunteers of PMI Switzerland for the tremendous effort they put in day in and day out to make sure that our members are well looked after. Many of us do not see all they do, but their work is greatly appreciated. 

I also wish to acknowledge the participation of our Chapter Board Directors. They commit endless hours of volunteer time to make sure our members are provided with opportunities to continue learning, to network and socialize with other professionals. 

Lastly, to you the Members, my sincere appreciation for your support of the PMI Switzerland Chapter. You are the source of the strength of the Chapter. 

On behalf of my Board of Directors colleagues and myself, we hope this holiday season is an exceptionally good and safe one, and that the New Year brings you much health, happiness, and prosperity.

Karolina Letowska

PMI Switzerland Chapter President

10th PMI Switzerland Conference - Behind the scenes

Introduction

On 29th of September, the 10th PMI Switzerland Conference took place in Zurich. Considering that Covid-related restrictions were still in force in many areas of life, it was quite a brave thing to do, but eventually the courage paid off: 120 participants came to enjoy 15 presentations under the guiding theme of “Innovation in Project Management – Expertise for Changing Times”. Looking back, we asked the leads of the 4 organization streams about their impressions and memories.

Discussion:

Agnieszka: What is your impression about the Conference? Would you like to organize it again?

Martin: I am so glad...

Enjoy the full article: [Click here]

Retrospective for Open Space 8 about PMBOK 7

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:...

Enjoy the full article: [Click here]

Anecdotes of the early PMI Switzerland years, continued

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...

Enjoy the full article: [Click here]

‍Members Update

A warm welcome to all new members that joined our Chapter.

Congratulations also to the members who obtained certifications in October.
 
The following members provided information about themselves: Sami El Attar, Anne-Laure Héritier, Dr. Deasún Ó Conchúir and Laurent A. Rigoni.

Book Review – Remote Work Revolution by Tsedal Neeley

I still remember vividly when we set up a workshop with a customer in a special video conferencing room a good five years ago. A couple of specialists were involved to hook up the two companies and their special rooms to make it happen.

As you are reading this now, you are probably asking yourself why this is a big deal. That is precisely the point. Remote collaboration and hybrid work arrangements are becoming the norm in many industries to manage the interconnected global economy. Many of us, including myself, forget what this looked like just a few years back. While the fast global digitalization in the last two years accelerated this development, the remote work trend already started in the ’90s.

The question now is no longer if dispersed remote teams work but rather how to make them work. 

Hence, now is an excellent time to take a moment, reflect, upskill and adjust to this new working style. 

Therefore, I was excited when I came across the recent book “Remote Work Revolution” by Harvard Business School Professor Tsedal Neeley...

Enjoy the full article: [Click here]

Agile CoP: What about some real Agile for once?

The reality of the world today with lots of nuances, intricacies and complexities makes it very hard to have all the solutions to all the problems. On the other hand, whatever the problem you are facing might be, most likely somebody, somewhere already faced it and solved it. Through a Community of Practice, you can learn, grow and solve problems in a formal, hands- on and fun way.

On November 2nd PMI Switzerland launched the official Agile Community of Practice, dedicated to bringing together experiences and realities of Agile practice in Switzerland. More than 20 professionals got together for this first edition and got to know each other. Since a CoP is an opportunity to learn, we’ve had some special guests who shared some stories with us. Yvan Pinto insisted on the importance of being value driven, Frank Tassone shared his experience from working with other CoPs and Raphael Branger explained how you mix Agile and big data. All this in a friendly and exciting atmosphere...

Enjoy the full article: [Click here]

PM Master Class: Become your own chairperson and set boundaries

Dear members and friends of the PMI Switzerland Chapter,

Today I'm sharing one of my favorite questions with you.

Think about it consciously:

-> If you say "yes" to X, what are you saying "no" to?

Why is this one of my favorite questions?
Because it sums up so well what is important to you in life.

You are allowed to decide over and over again.

Let's say you have invited friends over for dinner. You haven't seen them for ages. After all, everyone is always busy. You've already done the shopping. At 5 p.m. you want to go home, but the CEO comes to you. He urgently needs you at a meeting tomorrow and you have to present a report. You didn't know about it until now. 

Apparently, your predecessor used to do it and it was forgotten until now...

Enjoy the full article: [Click here]

What's‍ New on Your Youtube Channel?

The PMI Switzerland Chapter has developped its own Youtube channel. Every month you can watch interesting topics about project management and all around.

Discover the last 3 videos posted on the channel:

‍The PMI Switzerland Chapter is a non-profit professional business organization, and is a chartered chapter of the Project Management Institute (PMI), Newtown Square, PA, USA.

Views and opinions expressed in the newsletter are those of the authors and, unless otherwise stated, do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the chapter or PMI or imply partnership.

© Copyright 2021 Project Management Institute Switzerland Chapter. All rights reserved.

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