Author: Philip Springuel, PMP 

Newsletter Copy Editor

Dear readers,

This month your newsletter opens with a Message from Ala Lutz, VP Membership, placing deserved importance on the next edition of the Project Management Conference, set for 18 October. Also this month, we revisit the April event in Geneva that brought you PwC’s Michka Guerrier on resilient project leadership; the SIX ConventionPoint workshop in May on facilitating strategy planning; and a look into how PMI Switzerland’s own running team did at a recent 20k in Lausanne.

Essays this month include a third installment in a series, focused on equity this time, and an outlook on AI impact for project managers. Five new members are also profiled this month.

Don’t forget to check the website and your social media for upcoming events, and do consider the Board’s message calling for speakers at the PM Conference.

With best wishes,

Philip SPRINGUEL

Author: Ganesh Gopalan, PMP

A seasoned Project Manager is one who by now would have hit middle age, going through mid-life crisis - or has seen one, and or contemplating his/her plans for retirement and thinking about his/her future financial security. In my several meetings and Aperos with Project Managers, the constant conversation the last 6 to 8 months revolves around how Artificial Intelligence is going to rule the world or ruin the life of a Project Manager :)  Most of these managers have handled Risk Management of the projects, but the real Risk Management is going to be NOW, on how they are going to manage themselves in the fast-racing world of AI, Generative AI, Bard, ChatGPT and the like!

Though not sounding too pessimistic, the real challenge now is the way forward on how to cope with the emerging technologies and ensure a steady career ahead. I recently met a few veterans in the field of AI and Project Management, and would like to enumerate on some of the best pointers they conveyed:

Nothing to panic - AI is not going to take away the Project Management role or PMO office overnight. We are still in the nascent stage, and it would take years before the PMO might or could be replaced by AI. Maybe by that time, we might as well have retired : )

Sustainability – While AI may replace a few jobs in near future, it's always smart for a Project Manager to learn the basics of AI, ML etc., and understand some of the jargon with a bit of technological summary on what these are about. Happy news is, they are not expected to learn programming, coding, or any software architecture. The key tip here is to learn some amount of AI as it would become easier to talk to clients and navigate this sudden tide and keenly understand how the AI industry would shape up, down the years.

Knowledge Management – It is observed that certain sections of Project Managers immediately rushed to join high level AI courses from reputed educational institutes by spending a good amount of money, with the hope to secure their future in the IT industry. The practical answer to this is, such a gush is not at all needed. While it may benefit a minority of Project Managers coming from a technical background, it need not hold good for any Project Managers, taking up such a course. There are a lot of free YouTube, Online courses which are sufficient to go through and get the nuances of AI, rather than spending heavily on such courses. In other words, understanding a decent level of AI knowledge is enough for a Project Manager.

Getting into best fitment – As much as none can predict the future of the industry, we have spent considerable years in IT. Thus we need to ensure we enable ourselves to become the correct fitment in the correct team and technology. Since the entire world would revolve around AI in the years to roll by, it's time the Project Managers of today slowly move out of their comfort zone: Start liaising with the AI teams within their companies; connect with friends and professionals who are already into AI, to gain insight on the required specific skills of the future. Once we get a rough idea, we need to find such teams or companies and see the possibilities of getting inducted there, to not only foolproof our future, but also to be a forerunner in such skills and be the first generation that would deal with the latest technologies. It would surely be a matter of pride that we are a part of the winning team that’s going to decide how humanity would run its course based on our ideas and technologies we are developing well in advance!

Thus, to sum up, it always pays to grasp, learn new technologies, be slightly ahead than our counterparts, to ensure we are scaled up and be at par in this “technological inflation” and enjoy doing the role of a Project Manager but with better equipped AI knowledge!!! 

Author: Eric Jelenje, PMP

Hi again!

It’s been an exciting last 2 months of delving into Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, highlighting how beneficial it can be for organisations seeking to sustain innovation and competitiveness, and, a sequenced overview of all the key aspects,  beginning with Diversity.

This month, we transition to the next waypoint, Equity.

To continue, I’ll use sport as an analogy. 

The list of sports I like to watch is quite diverse: football, tennis, basketball, golf.

A common question amongst fans has been who to rank as Greatest Sportsperson of All Time: Ali? Federer? Tiger? Serena? Graf? Jordan? Ronaldo? Messi? King? Navratilova?

Whoever your choice here, they each have a valid claim. 

As I’ve pondered over the debate, I have concluded that they all deserve a seat at the table. Let us appreciate them all for their respective talents and outstanding achievements. Give each one a VIP ticket to the “Greatest Of All Time” party.

This approach is the hallmark of Equity.

The global consulting firm Gallup coined a quite comprehensive description, explaining it as “fair treatment, access and advancement for each person”, accounting for “historical and socio-political factors that affect opportunities and experiences”, and addressing “peoples’ unique needs without one person or group having an unfair advantage over another”.

Another part of the conversation is the relationship between Equality and Equity, two words that are erroneously used interchangeably but are different. Referencing Gallup’s definition, Equality is fairness for all. However, Equity takes it further, recognising the distinctive circumstances, past and present, that would require a contextual approach to truly achieve that desired fairness.

You may have seen an Einstein-inspired cartoon online in which some animals are lined up for a test. To ensure “fairness”, a man instructs them to climb a tree, much to the bemusement of the fish, seal, dog and penguin. You can guess the monkey’s and bird’s reactions! In other words, Equality is the same tree-climbing test for each animal. With Equity, the swimming abilities of the seal, penguin, dog and fish would also be recognised and that would be tested too. 

This is a simple but powerful illustration highlighting how important Equity is to the DEI conversation. Put simply, by leaning on Diversity, achieving Equity ensures a level playing-field for all stakeholders.

How then can organisations ensure they move towards Equity?

Gallup advises conducting equity audits using 3 metrics, fairness, pay and opportunities for advancement . This often means asking the tough questions: Do our hiring practices favour all regardless of age, gender or ethnicity? Are our workplace policies flexible in supporting individual staff needs such as parenting and elderly care? Are our pay packages fair in rewarding expertise regardless of demographic? Do our staff at all levels feel they can progress career-wise within? 

Ultimately, if the results reveal a difference in outcomes between demographics, it is those circumstances that need to be addressed. Beyond diagnosing the issues, organisations should work on developing remedial actions that change the status quo: Pay parity, flexi-working, diversity-based recruitment and more.

When effective, striving for Equity will effectively complement the balance achieved through embracing Diversity. As with Diversity, achieving Equity will not happen overnight. As one blogger remarked, progress will be about steady improvements and not perfection. With Diversity across workforces and Equity through parity, organisations steadily build a platform for fostering a culture that makes everyone feel respected and comfortable to give their best.

This Inclusivity is our discussion for next month.

What are your experiences with and beliefs about Equity? 

Do you think it is an attainable objective? 

What have you noted about equity-driven organisations and vice versa? 

Food for thought!

See you in July!

Author: Thando Dube

VP Communications & Brand Development

Last month, I participated in the biggest running event in Lausanne, 20km de Lausanne alongside other volunteers from our PMI chapter.

 “If you want to run, run a mile. If you want to experience a different life, run a marathon”, said Emil Zatopek, the legendary long-distance runner best known for winning three gold medals at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. We did not run a marathon, but this was an excellent team building experience that nurtured a positive impact on the PMI running Team.  This event has several race formats.  Each year, there are over 20 000 participants. Our team consisted of 7 participants from 5 different cantons. We had 4 runners participating in the 10km race and 3 runners in the 20km race respectively.

After several months of preparation for this event, I was thrilled to meet other team members just before the start of the race!  We had some brief introductions and we quickly put on our lovely running-shirts branded with PMI colors. We then took some photos and exchanged last minute running tips before heading off to the start line. The 20km runners started first followed by the 10km participants.  

Everyone had a good run besides the steep, uphill and downhill runs that make this race one of the most challenging urban running events! After the race, we got together as a team to share our running experience and most importantly to refuel! We had some drinks and food together! My takeaway from this experience is the bonding that has resulted from this event.  We have created a running group, and we regularly share tips and other information not only related to running but other daily interactions! We are already working on other different formats of running events to come. The group dynamics that we have created is helping us to work closer with each other on other PMI volunteering activities. I encourage other volunteers to join our running group, “you only need a pair of good running shoes and the desire to walk or run and to share your favorite drink with the team after the run”!

Finally, a big thank you to all the PMI running team members for the fun we had together, I look forward to our next race!  I extend my thanks also to all the volunteers that contributed to the preparation and organization of this event, Ala, Pia, Joachim and finally Leandro who did a great job in coordinating this event “Vielen Dank, Merci, Grazie, Thank you”!