Author: Luis Aragon, PMP

Thrive in a Changing World: Open Space for Project Professionals

Are you ready to take charge of your career in a world of constant change?
This event invites you to explore innovative strategies to future-proof your career while staying relevant and marketable in the competitive project management landscape.

This isn’t your typical sit-and-listen event. We’re using an Open Space format, designed to empower you as an active participant. Unlike traditional meetings with rigid agendas and passive attendees, Open Space is built on principles that foster creativity, collaboration, and meaningful discussions:

• The right people will come.
• The outcomes will be what they’re meant to be.
• Sessions start when the energy starts and conclude when they naturally finish.
• You have the freedom to move between discussions (thanks to the Law of Two Feet).

Expect highly-engaging interactions where you shape the sub-themes that matter most. You’ll engage with peers and industry leaders to share challenges, exchange ideas, and co-create actionable solutions tailored to your professional journey.

What to Expect:

• Discover Practical Strategies: Learn how to adapt to emerging trends, build resilience, and enhance your career marketability.
• Shape the Conversation: Bring your questions, insights, and challenges to the table—this is your opportunity to lead or contribute to discussions that matter to you.
• Expand Your Network: Connect with other Geneva-based professionals, PMI members, and thought leaders in a relaxed, collaborative environment.
• Take Home Actionable Insights: Leave with tangible ideas, tools, and inspiration to implement in your career and daily practice.

This event is for project managers, industry professionals, and anyone looking to thrive in a rapidly changing world. Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting your journey, you’ll gain the tools and confidence to future-proof your career while building meaningful connections.

Author: Claire Chin, PMP 

On March 25’th, PMI Switzerland brought the innovation buzz to Basel. Participants explored the ever-growing role of innovation in business—and more importantly, what it means for project managers. Led by Frédéric Sauzet, innovation consultant and founder of Innovecteur, he guided participants through real-life stories, practical models, and candid reflections on how innovation works (or doesn’t) across startups and large companies alike.

Innovation can take different forms, improving what already works, growing new ideas, and exploring uncharted territory. Getting that right balance of number of projects and what they cost, is critical—not just for growth, but for long-term survival of startups and large companies.

Innovation doesn’t follow a Gantt chart.  Fredric introduced exploration strategies that use iterative and parallel methods, or a combination of both, to test ideas, pivot early, and manage complexity—a powerful approach for those working in volatile, fast-changing environments.

Innovation needs structure, not just inspiration. Fredric presented ISO 56001, the emerging international standard for innovation management offering a practical framework to guide organizations from intent to value creation. It will give project leaders a common language and toolkit to confidently lead innovation—not just manage it.

Next up: Geneva, April 10’th For those who missed it, fear not:  the conversation continues at Geneva on April 10th at our next PMI innovation event, focusing this time on          “Strategic Innovation: Financial and Non-Financial Pathways”. Whether you're a project, program, or portfolio manager, or perhaps working         on bold ideas inside your organization—then this session is for you. If Basel was any indication, expect an evening of insight, inspiration, and maybe just a little creative chaos.

👉 Do you have an innovative project or approach worth sharing? How is your organization working with innovation? We’d love to hear your story—and maybe shape a future PMI event together. Get in touch with us!

Authors: Isabelle Jaggi McCoy and Daniel Rodellar, PMP

The annual members meeting was a fantastic opportunity for everyone to connect, share ideas, and look back on the past year. Held at the SICPA unlimitrust campus in Prilly, Vaud, this year’s event had an inviting atmosphere that made it easy for conversations to flow.

From the moment guests arrived, there was a buzz of excitement. Whether discussing industry trends, swapping experiences, or brainstorming new ideas, everyone had something valuable to contribute.

Feedback from members included “I always look forward to this gathering, (as) it’s a great chance to catch up with colleagues and have great conversations.” Also, “It was good to have the AMM in Romandie. Hopefully there will be more chances to meet with peers to share experiences and knowledge on project management subjects”, referencing Romandie having proportionally less number of face-to-face events than Deutschschweiz.

 The event included the presentation of our new Board members who are (from left to right) Joaquim, Nikola Goran, Martin, Mafalda, Philippe, Paul, and Konstantinos.

  One topic that sparked a lot of discussion was the financial presentation. Some members suggested a better approach: giving attendees time to review the budget slides on their own before highlighting the biggest changes and answering questions. “It’s more helpful to explain the reasons behind the numbers rather than reading them line by line,” one member pointed out.

Amongst the varied feedback on the PMI-CH year-in-review presentation, many members requested that future meetings include more on programme and project management topics in addition to financial updates. Furthermore, some members recommended that the AMM include more structured networking opportunities, thereby allowing newcomers who didn’t know many faces in the room, to be presented in an informal manner. This would create “More time to meet people (which) would be amazing,” according to one participant. 

The evening’s presentations ended with our keynote speaker, Katarzyna Grzybowska, Regional Sustainability Manager, Nestlé AVP, who delivered an in-depth exposé on Nestlé’s approach to Sustainability in Food Production. This topic is spot-on with today’s market environment and it was very interesting towards better understanding one corporation’s steps towards sustainability.

The event closed with the traditional apéro-dinatoire et networking during which time all participants had the opportunity to start using their attendance gift, the PMI Switzerland notebook! Good cheer was had by all…“The meal was fantastic,and it made the evening feel even more special.”

Hosting the event in Romandie was an excellent choice as we at PMI-CH strive to balance AMM locations across our country’s regions.

We’d like to especially thank SICPA and Unlimitrust Campus for hosting the event and creating such a welcoming space for everyone!

By the end of the night, attendees left feeling inspired, full of great food, and looking forward to next year’s event. This meeting is always a highlight. It reminds us why we’re here: to connect, grow, and support each other.

Author: Daria Frey, PMP

I won’t spend time telling you how AI is transforming project management, you already know that. But here’s something worth thinking about: the way you ask AI for help can completely change the results you get. Let’s look at an example.

Two project managers, Kai and Gerda, need a project risk analysis for an upcoming initiative. They both use ChatGPT, but their approaches differ.

Kai’s prompt:
"Provide a risk analysis for Phase 1 clinical trial supply project".

Gerda’s prompt:
"Act as a senior risk management consultant with 20 years of experience in clinical trial supply. Generate a structured risk analysis for a clinical trial supply process for a Phase 1 study conducted in the US, with supply manufacturing in Canada. Identify at least ten key risks across logistics, regulatory compliance, quality control, and operational efficiency. For each risk, classify its severity (low, medium, high), describe its potential impact, suggest specific mitigation strategies (e.g., contingency planning, supplier audits, cold-chain validation), and align recommendations with GMP, GDP, ICH Q9, and applicable FDA and Health Canada regulations. Format the analysis as a structured report suitable for clinical trial managers and regulatory compliance teams, using clear, professional language. Where applicable, reference dependencies on CDMOs, third-party logistics providers, and clinical trial sites. Provide the risk analysis in a table format with columns for “Risk Category”, “Severity Level”, “Potential Impact”, “Mitigation Strategy”, and “Industry Best Practices".

You can imagine how different the responses would be. Try it yourself and see.

This example highlights a simple but crucial takeaway: The quality of AI output is directly dependent on the quality of the input. This is the essence of prompt engineering – the ability to craft precise, strategic instructions that guide AI systems to deliver meaningful insights and actions.

I hope this demonstrates that to use AI at its full capacity, you need to master your prompts. Now, let’s break down the core principles.

Crafting Effective Prompts: Core Principles

1. Defined Role or Perspective – Assign a role to AI for more contextually accurate responses.
   Example: “Act as a project risk analyst and identify potential cost overruns”
2. Clarity & Specificity – Clearly articulate the task, avoiding vague or overly broad requests.
   Example: “Generate a project timeline for a new product launch, including key milestones and dependencies”
3. Contextual Relevance – Incorporate industry-specific guidelines, frameworks, or past project data.
   Example: “Analyze risks based on the PMI risk management framework”
4. Tone and Audience Consideration – Specify the expected tone, depth, and target audience.
   Example: “Summarize this project update for senior executives in a concise, data-driven format”
5. Use of Examples – Provide examples to clarify expectations and guide AI interpretation.
   Example: “Provide a Gantt chart template similar to [insert known example]”
6. Ethical Considerations & Compliance – Ensure compliance with company policies and ethical AI use.
   Example: “Generate a stakeholder communication plan while adhering to GDPR data privacy guidelines”

You can check Gerda’s prompt above as a good example that utilises these principes.

Furthermore, to master your prompt engineering skill, avoid these common mistakes:

• Information Overload – Keep prompts focused, avoid asking for too much at once;
• Vague Requests – Generic prompts lead to generic (and often unhelpful) responses;
• Skipping Validation – AI-generated outputs should always be reviewed against project goals and industry standards.

Remember, AI-generated responses improve with refinement. After receiving an initial output, refine your prompt using:

"Review your response considering: accuracy and alignment with project goals, risk assessment completeness, and resource optimization opportunities"

Additionally, to allow AI to probe for missing details, ensuring a more tailored and useful output, include this phrase:
"Ask me clarifying questions to provide the most effective response"

AI can make mistakes, therefore always follow the V3 Principle:

• Verify against current industry standards
• Validate with subject matter experts
• Version Control successful prompts for future use

The second most important rule? Data security is non-negotiable – never share sensitive or proprietary information with AI systems.

If you’re interested in diving deeper into prompt engineering, I highly recommend the PMI course “Talking to AI: Prompt Engineering for Project Managers”.

Ultimately, the level of detail in your prompt should match the complexity of the task. If you're simply looking for basic information, a short prompt may be enough. But when tackling high-impact tasks, it's worth leveraging AI’s full potential with a well-structured prompt.

As AI’s role in project management continues to expand, we, as committed project management professionals, must stay ahead of the curve by using AI to:

• Faster, smarter decision-making
• Greater efficiency in daily tasks
• More strategic and impactful leadership