Author: Alpha Ziman, PMP, PMI-PBA
Title: Celebrating IPM Day 2024: Highlights from the Ultimate Project Management Challenge!
In celebration of International Project Management Day 2024, PMI Switzerland Chapter in collaboration with Sponsor STS, a Project Management Company hosted its first-ever Project Management Regional Competition on October 30, 2024.
This exciting event spanned three prestigious Swiss venues: SIX ConventionPoint in Zurich, Roche in Basel and the STS Office in Lausanne.
A total of 83 participants from various regions joined, forming teams of 3 to 5 members to promote cross-regional collaboration and friendly competition.
The PMI event began with the customary registration and check-in, but this time with an engaging twist: individuals who hadn’t pre-registered as part of a team were encouraged to network and form teams with other solo participants on the spot. This approach fostered collaboration and interaction from the very start. Meanwhile, participants who had already registered as a team joined seamlessly, creating a dynamic mix of pre-formed and newly formed teams, all set to dive into the competition.
This inaugural event format sparked creativity and team spirit with teams coming up with playful and unique names.
Zurich-based teams chose names like Analytics & Chill, SIX PM Community, Takeda POPMs, Project Mavericks, Solutions Squad, Scope Creepers, PHAMM and Spooked PMs.
In Basel, teams adopted names such as Roche Mavericks, Milestone Masters, Seagull and Agile Avengers, while Lausanne added to the fun with Scrum & Coke.
These names reflected the lively spirit and enthusiasm of the participants across all locations.
With the teams energized and ready, the event moved into the next phase: the SimulTrain Competition.
Following the opening presentation by the PMI Switzerland Chapter, Mr. Patrick Lehmann, CEO of STS, introduced the SimulTrain Competition, setting the stage for an engaging and immersive experience.
The SimulTrain competition ran from 17:00 to 19:00, immersing each team in a challenging, real-time project scenario where they had to take over an already-initiated project.
Working within their newly formed teams, participants guided the project through planning, execution, monitoring-controlling and closure.
The atmosphere was both intense and energetic, as teams collaborated under pressure, fully engaged and enjoying the thrill of the challenge.
No competition is complete without celebrating its champions.
After the intense competition, the awards ceremony took place.
The event honored three teams as Regional PM Champions and crowned one team as the Swiss PM Champion.
In Basel, team “Seagull” earned the title of “Basel PM Champions,” while team “Team 2” from Lausanne claimed the “Romandie PM Champion” title.
In Zurich, team “Solutions Squad” emerged as the “Zurich PM Champion” and went on to win the ultimate title of “Swiss-wide PM Champion.”
The Solutions Squad was made up of three talented project managers: Ms. Anna Bajzikova, Ms. Stefanie Walt and Ms. Elena Milusheva.
Although they had not pre-registered as a team for the IPM Day 2024 SimulTrain Competition and were strangers prior to the event, they took the initiative to form a team on-site, demonstrating both their project management expertise and their ability to collaborate effectively.
Their teamwork earned them two championship titles and were rewarded with valuable prizes from both the PMI Switzerland Chapter and our esteemed sponsor, STS.
To wrap up the event, an aperitif was hosted at each location, giving participants the chance to relax and celebrate their accomplishments together.
As the competition came to a close, attendees shared their excitement for this innovative PMI event format, valuing the opportunity to collaborate with new teams and apply their project management skills in real-time.
At PMI Switzerland Chapter, we greatly appreciate the valuable feedback we received from our participants on how to improve future events.
As we reflect on the success of this year’s competition, we’re excited about what’s to come in IPM Day 2025.
We invite you to join us for even more opportunities to connect with fellow project management professionals and compete for exciting prizes.
Stay tuned and visit our events page for updates!