I passed the PMP exam in 2014 and could take on more complex projects in the company I worked for. At the end of last August, I quit after 13 years as a Senior Project Manager and am now teaching project management to PMI standard at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) and I have founded my own company, 3C Keller, to share best practice in project management across industries; consult, coach and communicate with organizations and teams, enabling them to complete projects successfully.

Moreover, having been a mentor in the PMI mentoring program since spring 2019, I have had the chance to test and sharpen my coaching and mentoring skills. My mentee was very grateful and she is now registered to take the PMP exam herself. I am very proud of her.

I truly enjoy having mentees and being part of the mentoring team at PMI Switzerland. Learning about other people’s companies and the difficult situations arising in their areas as a project manager are so exciting and remind me a lot of what I have experienced myself working in an international company with a great deal of change and reorganizations. It is so rewarding to share know-how and give back to the profession. This builds relationships that will last long after the mentorship will be over.

If you are interested in our mentoring program, check and apply here

Author: Karolina Letowska, PMP

An unforgettable experience during “Project Management – Skills for Life” in Nairobi

The Project Management profession is changing; as a practice Project Management is evolving and as a specified role it will merge and grow with other roles with the diverse nature of responsibilities associated with it.

Project Management knowledge and skills are (and will remain to be) in demand, but they are slowly moving into the direction of general knowledge and skills for the next generation, a self-reliant and self-managed workforce. At the same time, Project Management as a profession will move more towards a people centric and leadership practice, where collaboration and co-creation will become the norm.

The Football Foundation for Africa is leading the way to a world where Project Management knowledge and skills can be applied and taught regardless of social, economic or hierarchical status.

Born out of the Obama Cup, The Football Foundation for Africa (FFA) is an international social enterprise seeking to drive investments into the development of grassroots football in Africa. The ultimate goal is to create employment opportunities while at the same time enhancing the employability of young adults in Africa through football. The organization works with 3 key pillars: Education, Infrastructure and Governance.

They are transforming the landscape through social good and educational foundation initiatives, where Project Management knowledge has been applied to support communities to help them overcome challenges rising from inequality or economical restraints by organizing a football tournament in Nairobi, Kenya. The tournament was preceded by a two day workshop where they were introduced to different project management principles and how to apply these techniques to help them succeed and reach their goals as volunteers.

As a football, adventure, volunteering and project management enthusiasts I couldn’t say NO to the Football Foundation for Africa when I was asked to lead the two day Project Management workshop in Nairobi by Brian Wesaala (Founder and CEO of FFA). The “Project Management – Skills for Life” workshop was facilitated by Ms. Janet Mbula from PMI Kenya and myself (representing PMI Switzerland). The initiative was positively received by participants as a welcome initiative by the organizers.

Furthermore, workshops such as these are seen as a way of injecting further professionalism into the football industry from a grassroots level. The 19 participants were chosen from the tournament’s community of stakeholders including the organizing committee, participating teams, partners and sponsors. The workshop was opened by PMI Kenya president, Mr. Clement Kitetu, who was keen to collaborate further and create more strategic engagements between sport and the project management practice. This is a sure way of promoting growth in the industry and ultimately creating opportunities for young adults in Africa.

The FFA is exploring collaboration with other Project Management associations and non-government organizations / associations to adapt and change the project management profession to keep the Project Management relevant.

To find out more about Football Foundation for Africa you can visit the page: https://footballfoundation.africa/

Author: Ka Yi Hui, PMP

On Saturday 27th April 2019, despite the wind and rain, more than 20 PhD students and post-docs from the Life Science Zurich Young Scientist Network(LSZYSN) participated in a 5-hour project management workshop organized by the PMI-Switzerland chapter social good team (Agata Czopek, Ph.D., PMP; Ana Zelaia, MBA, PMP, Ka Yi Hui, Ph.D., PMP and Veronika Galic) at ETH, Zurich.

Life Science Zurich Young Scientist Network(LSZYSN) is a non-profit organization created and run by a group of graduate students & post-docs of the University and the ETH Zurich. They aim to contribute to the local and global life science community by bridging the gap between academic research and industry. They host events like Zurich Life Science Day, Career chats, Company visits, and Life Science Week to allow young scientists to learn more about the biotechnology and pharma industry.

Managing their scientific research projects and the events at LSZYSN, they face numerous challenges in project management, such as leading the team, holding productive meetings, and giving feedback. Our workshop aims to equip the students with the essential tools and techniques for making their projects successful.

We first explained some key concepts in project management and then we focus in-depth on leadership and communication.

After we discussed the theory, the students had the chance to practice what they learned by doing some hand on exercises. One of the most striking activities is "Find the ball", where the students need to find a hidden ball according to different feedback styles, for example, the silence feedback, the only positive, the only negative and specific feedback. The feedback givers got to experience the effect they have upon the receiver. The take-home message was clear: only the student receiving specific feedback was successful in finding the hidden ball.  This powerful illustration also showed the students, how feedback could affect performance and to never be shy to ask questions when they are at the receiving end.

Moving on, we have covered more on team dynamics, including personality, cultural influences and conflict resolutions. Finally, the students put into practice what they have learned by competing in the tower game (freely available on PMIEF website, pmief.org).  We are always amazed by the creativity of students with simple materials like plastic cups, bamboo sticks. To conclude the day, we reflected on their ah-ha moments and things they would start implementing in their projects.