Author: Patryk Nosalik, PMP

With so much disruption going on, where can you discuss the fundamentals of your everyday PMP practice? At PMI Open Spaces (OS)!

Since many of you like the interactive workshops where you can make network connections, whilst being heard in a safe space, we are starting 2021 with a bimonthly cycle of Open Spaces.

Last year we broached Agile topics, we went far out on the role of the Product Owner.  We found this on one hand ‘sexy’ but on the other maybe not so many of us actually are or have had much to do with all forms of Agility.  Yet most of us are, or hope to become, Project Management Professionals, so in conducting a retrospective of our last session, we want to start with something probably more relevant to all of us.

How many of you find that… you don’t use all of the knowledge areas covered by the PMBOK in your daily work? Yet are you fascinated by those areas?

Or, when flashing your PMP credential, may it be that the new project / new employer/ new client, could expect your expertise where maybe you haven’t had so much practice recently?

Or particularly in Switzerland, where so many PMI members are of an international background, would you like specific help on Swiss stakeholder management? Or even, are you Swiss and would like to put these international PMs straight?

Or have you found that the application of a particular knowledge area or technique is more problematic in your particular environment than you had thought just from learning about it? And despite the forthcoming changes in the new PMBOK, you still need to know the fundamentals of project management. 

So, this is why we feel there is a need to provide a safe space to address these potential issues and questions you may have. In order to make sure it is safe, i.e. that you may want to share some of the things that you find difficult, we are making some improvements to our meeting:

• No recording – no, you won’t see the event after the event. You are free to share secrets and it stays within the few people in your breakout room.
• Smaller breakout rooms – it is easier to open up to a few people than to many, so we will open many small break out rooms to create the necessary intimacy and so you can build trust more easily with your colleagues.
• It may sound obvious, but we’ll facilitate an ice-breaker so you know who you are sharing your know-how with, and this will help you make good network connections, something you can’t always do at a typical webinar.
• We only have the topics that you bring, in this way we don’t have issues someone else found interesting but could be irrelevant for you. So do come armed with your real-life problems you want solved by your trusted expert colleagues.

We can go over any topics you have, as that is how an Open Space works. Since we also like to share the know-how of the facilitation format as much as we see value in its outcome, I provide here the Open Spaces principles and how this next session is to be run.  Of course you can adapt to your own needs in your company. Usual purposes of these are to use the collective intelligence of all the participants, not hampered by hierarchy or silo, such as for creative ventures, problem solving and retrospectives.

OS Principles:

• Whoever comes is the right people
• Whatever happens is the only thing that could have
• When it starts is the right time* 
• When it's over, it's over **
• The Law of Two Feet ***

Now since they were devised for a physical environment, I here offer adaptations to an online format: 

* We will start on time, but when we go to breakout-rooms within the event may vary  

** We will probably go on until the allocated time, but we can give ourselves the flexibility in the future

*** “The Law…” this refers to the possibility of using your “two feet” to go elsewhere if you want to add or gain value elsewhere, so online this would mean going between breakout rooms at the event. If leaving the event altogether, for the benefit of learning so important in agility, please do let us know why you leave if you do, it would be most kindly appreciated.

Proposed OS format for 18th February: 

1. All participants start in one room with an introduction of the theme to be addressed.
2. All participants introduce themselves in say 10-30 seconds (depending on numbers) say name, position, company, what is the main thing they’re coming with  (a summary, not the detailed question or case study at this stage).
3. The participants are invited to add their questions for discussion to the backlog 
4. The Backlog of items to be discussed is in the hands of the facilitator and could be visible to all.
5. Participants can add to the backlog either on own or via organiser or facilitator depending on the set up chosen.
6. A backlog of items can either be collected in advance or from the participants, or brought in for the meeting, (on the 18th we will do it at the meeting itself) in which case a part of the time of the session is for this backlog creation.
7. Facilitator will take a few items, create breakout rooms for each, and participants may go to any room they like.
8. The room will be held open for a short time, say 5-10 minutes.
9. The person whose question it is, should ask it to the group to get answers and clarify any uncertainties until they get the required understanding. 
10. Anyone else in the room can answer, comment, and so on.
11. Discussion for each item is timeboxed to a predetermined several minutes, i.e. 5-10 minutes.
12. People can change rooms (law of two feet).
13. At the end of the time, everyone comes back to the main room.
14. Facilitator takes the next few items to be addressed, and the rooms are recreated for the new items.
15. Participants can add to the backlog at any time.
16. At the end, everyone should reconvene for a general Q&A / feedback sharing.

Now whilst the theme is classic PMP areas, Open Spaces themselves are an agile meeting format, so we do reserve the right to some changes on the 18th, and that’s ok. If this event goes well, we’d like to hear of participants' engagement to fuel topics for further themes to these cyclical drop-in interactive events made by PMI Switzerland for you, be it around classic PMP or agile PM topics. In the meantime, see you 18th February!

Author: Geetanjali Bhat, PMP 

Dear members and newsletter subscribers!

A difficult year gone by! With 2021 ringing in, new hopes and desires of well-being throughout the world arises. As Switzerland is going through stricter measures and regulations during this pandemic, we continue to learn and grow together in PMI Switzerland community. There is no stopping for all of us to work and learn harder than ever, keeping our spirits alive.

PMI Switzerland community is striving continuously the best learning outcomes through latest innovations in various subject areas. Last year, we had an exceptional response for our online events, our online events and meets are continuing to be successful with newer additions. With a series of events that would support all our members in their careers is the latest edition to our regular online events.

It’s great to see that we were able to put PMI’s structures and processes today in these challenging times into practice. With successful PMI online coffee meets, online events, online workshops, and now the latest addition of career event series. I am sure this is just the beginning, there is more to rejoice and learn together in 2021.  

I would like to thank PMI Switzerland community for creating innovative online events and takeaways every month,aspiring  all of us to stay committed and focused in our expertise.

I wish every member of PMI community, a very Happy, Healthy and Safe Year. Let’s all think positive and keep learning ensuring  a great 2021 ahead.

Cheers!

Geetanjali Bhat

Author: Stefan Vesenmeier, PMP

The past year was certainly not the easiest for all of us, and it was probably not the most beautiful either. But nevertheless we made the best of it. 

Today I would like to share with you my very personal PMI-Year in review and above all show the positive that we achieved 2020 at PMI Switzerland despite or thanks to COVID-19.

Just as a great effort is required to move a rock, it sometimes needs external pressure in our lives (private as well as professional) to move us further.

My PMI year started in January with the notification that I was elected by the members to the board. After 10 years as a volunteer, a great wish has come true for me and I have taken on this opportunity with energy and a large list of visions. In addition to enhancing our successful live events, my agenda also included some innovations that I wanted to introduce together with the volunteer team.

But everything turned out differently!

Although we initially assumed a temporary and regionally limited impairment of our usual live events, we decided early on to offer online events as soon as possible. But what was initially intended to be more a supplement to our usual evening events, quickly became the only way to keep in touch with our community and to continue with sharing relevant knowledge for Project Management Professionals.

But after it started to become apparent at the beginning of March that there is a high chance of regional restrictions or even bans on live events due to Corona, I launched a call in mid-March to team interested members to help me realize my vision “PMI Switzerland goes Virtual”.

Two weeks later, I met 15 volunteers virtually to kick off the “online events” initiative. The great interest and the numerous positive responses to my appeal surprised and pleased me very much. But what followed was absolutely fantastic!

Based on the given vision and a few specifications, three teams were formed in the kickoff, each of which wanted to organize their own online event. From the beginning, each team had the freedom to work independently and open-endedly, which led to three resulting events each having a different topic and varied format.

It was really great to see how the first event was prepared, advertised and carried out within just four weeks. And I was overwhelmed by the incredible number of 250 registrations within 2 weeks.

Since this starting signal at the end of April, PMI Switzerland has now been offering an online event approximately every 2 to 3 weeks.

Also since the beginning of April, we have been offering our monthly “PMI Coffee Talks”. It is an open and freely accessible “online” coffee corner where we can meet to exchange information and ideas about current or desired topics in an informal and relaxed atmosphere (it usually takes place on the first Friday morning of the month).

The fact that, despite the general increasing Zoom-Fatigue, there is still great interest in our virtual events and that we are receiving many positive feedback, shows me that our offered events meet the needs of our community. And it also confirms to me that the way the event teams are planning and carrying out the online events is right and good.

And for that, the only ones to thank are the event volunteers!  They are not only willing to take on responsibility and ownership, but also contribute to the success of the events with their high time commitment.

And it makes me very happy to see that a large part of the volunteers involved in the three initial projects stayed at PMI Switzerland as volunteers, and actually most of them are still organizing virtual events.

There is nothing good, unless you do it.

From today's perspective, it is clear to me that PMI Switzerland will keep the virtual events as an integral part of the event calendar. And that even then, when we can finally hold in-person events again and consider the chapter Corona as closed.

At last, I would like to give a brief outlook on the coming events year.

During the planning and implementation of the events last year, many new ideas emerged, which we unfortunately were not able to implement all in 2020. The good thing is that we now have a large backlog with lots of great ideas. In the TODO column, we can find for example formats such as: virtual panels, virtual workshops, regular virtual open space sessions, community of practice, introduction of PM tools, and more. As main topics we see among others: Disciplined Agile, Career and Job Seeker Support, Leadership Skills, Power Skills, etc.

And one thing is also firmly on the agenda - my promise - as soon as the situation allows again, we will organize in-person events to meet friends and do live networking with you again. We have already scheduled the PMI Conference, which was cancelled last year, as a live event in 2021.

So much for my review of 2020 that I will not be remembered as the “corona year”, but as the year of birth of our virtual events.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to making 2020 such a good PMI Switzerland year!

Don't look back, because that is where the past lies. Look ahead, because that is where the future lies!

Stefan Vesenmeier

VP Professional Development & Events

Author: Geetanjali Bhat, PMP

Dear members and newsletter subscribers,

Autumn has set in; winters are on their way!!! Beautiful weather with new hopes and dreams filling our days. As we all are going through the second phase of virus situation, I am sure we will fight our ways to bring our normal lives back in track soon. These difficult phase in the country has not deterred us, this community of projects managers out here are working harder than ever.

PMI Switzerland Chapter continues to learn and grow more. Our Online events and meets are continuing to be a great success! With Online Workshops added to our regular online events, I am sure it becomes interesting to work and learn well remotely.

With great subject matter expertise, PMI has been ensuring latest contents in tough times through insightful events.

Members or Non-Members participating Online events had insightful takeaways from those sessions. It’s great to see that we were able to put PMI’s structures and processes today in these challenging times into practice. With successful PMI online coffee meets, online events and now online workshops, I am sure there is no stopping us into learning and growing more.

I would like to ask you all to Stay Safe and Healthy. Let’s all think positive and keep learning ensuring for better tomorrow.

Cheers!

Geetanjali