Am I Safe Here? Psychological Safety and Trust We invite you to join your fellow PMI Central Iowa Chapter members at our next event on February 19th, discussing Psychologiclal Safety and Trust. Speaker Breanna Ward from ForWard Consulting, LLC will cover healthy workplace trust and stress management techniques that we can utilize to maintain and sustain our overall wellness. Learning objective include barriers to work wellness, examining levels of trust, workplace self-care plan, and more! Join us to earn 1 PDU in Power Skills! DATE: 2/19/2025 11:30am-2:00 (lunch will be provided) LOCATION: The Des Moines Embassy Club- West. 520 Market Street West Des Moines, IA 50266   Join Breanne Ward, a seasoned mental health clinician, as we delve into the crucial elements of psychological safety and trust within the workplace. In this engaging session, we will explore practical strategies for fostering healthy workplace trust and managing stress. Breanne will guide you through techniques to enhance individual and collective wellness, creating an environment where both personal and team well-being thrive.   Learning Objectives: Examine a worker stress report to understand key stress factors Identify barriers to workplace wellness and how to overcome them Explore different levels of trust within teams and organizations Develop a workplace self-care plan for both individuals and teams Commit to building trust and operating with confidence About the Speaker: Breanne Ward is a licensed mental health clinician with extensive experience in crisis intervention, particularly serving young adults and families. As the founder of ForWard Consulting LLC, Breanne is passionate about transforming communities through motivational speaking and education on trauma, inclusion, and mental health. Since founding ForWard Consulting in 2014, Breanne has been helping organizations improve workplace dynamics by addressing divisiveness, cultural clashes, and biases that impact job satisfaction and productivity. Her goal is to work alongside clients to identify challenges, develop actionable plans, and implement positive change. Breanne’s guiding motto is, “Life is a marathon, not a sprint.”   https://www.moveforward2day.com/   Register for this event     Management guru Peter Drucker claimed that “Culture eats strategy for lunch.” Former IBM CEO Lou Gerstner stated, “Culture isn't just one aspect of the game; it is the game.” It has long been known that culture is a critical part of every organization, but for many, it is hard to explain and even harder to understand how to influence it.  In this talk, we will look at what organizational culture is and how different cultures can exist in the same organization. We will also provide some suggestions that you can use to navigate the boundaries between different cultures as a Project Manager.  Date: 1-23-2025 Check-in and lunch served: 11:30-Noon Presentation: Noon-1pm Location- Aureon Consulting 7760 Office Plaza Dr SWest Des Moines, Iowa, 50266 https://aureonconsulting.com/  Join us at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Center on August 23rd! Network with peers and hear from accomplished project manager, Kate Langdon about breaking into a new culture.August Chapter Meeting  Join us for the August chapter event at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Center. Network with peers and hear from accomplished project manager, Kate Langdon about breaking into a new culture. Attendance is limited to 50 people. Sign up today to make sure you reserve your spot!   When: Wednesday, August 23 5:30 PM Arrival and Dinner 6:00 PM Breaking into a New Culture 7:00 PM Networking   Where? Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden 909 Robert D. Ray Dr.Des Moines, IA, 50309   Featuring: Kate Langdon  Program Manager IT & Digital | PMP | CIO Certification Holder | MBA Candidate About the speaker... Kate Langdon is an accomplished Program Manager with a diverse background in both the military and the corporate world. Currently serving as the Program Manager for IT & Digital at Pella Corporation, Kate brings a wealth of experience and expertise to her role. Kate's journey to success began in the military, where she served with distinction in the US Army Reserves as a Civil Affairs Specialist. Her commitment to excellence and dedication to service earned her respect and recognition from her peers, and she later transitioned to the US Navy as an Electronics Technician, specializing in repairing radar equipment. After her service, Kate embarked on a career in the private sector, initially as an R&D Technician for Americana Superconductor, where she honed her technical skills and passion for innovation. Her pursuit of excellence led her to Maryland, where she contributed her talents as a defense contractor for BAE Systems, making a significant impact in the defense industry. Always seeking new challenges and opportunities for growth, Kate made a remarkable transition into management, assuming the role of Production Manager for a reputable wire & cable harness company. Her leadership skills and ability to drive results were instrumental in the company's continued success. Throughout her career, Kate Langdon has been recognized for her exceptional contributions to various projects and initiatives. She was awarded the prestigious Corporate Volunteer of the Year by Biz Times, acknowledging her commitment to making a positive impact on the community. Additionally, she was named Project Manager of the Year by Welch Allen, a testament to her outstanding project management abilities and dedication to achieving results. Kate's passion for continuous improvement, combined with her technical expertise and strategic mindset, makes her an invaluable asset to any organization. Her leadership style is characterized by empathy, clear communication, and the ability to inspire teams to reach their full potential. Outside of her professional pursuits, Kate enjoys exploring new cultures through travel and volunteering her time to support various charitable causes. Her dynamic and well-rounded approach to life enriches her perspectives and enhances her ability to connect with people from diverse backgrounds. With a proven track record of success and a passion for driving innovation, Kate Langdon is a sought-after keynote speaker who shares her insights and experiences to inspire and motivate others in their professional journeys.  The PDD team is ecstatic to share that Spencer Horn will be speaking about "Flexible Authenticity" during ProDev Day 2023! Continue reading to learn more about Spencer and what you will gain from his presentation at PDD.  Flexible Authenticity by Spencer Horn   Who is Spencer Horn? Spencer is the President of Altium Leadership. He has previously been the CEO of a leadership development company and Vice President of a NASDAQ company, which developed IMAX theaters in tourist destinations. There he worked with major organizations such as IMAX Corp., National Geographic Television, Radio City Productions, Disney Films and more. He has been speaking professionally since 2009. He has been speaking and presenting at PMI chapter development conferences since 2010 and has been a regular speaker at the PMI Leadership Institute Meeting (LIM) North America Conference, since 2014 and the closing keynote speaker of LIM AP & NA 2021. He is speaking again at LIM 2023. He is consistently one of the highest rated speakers for the yearlong, PMI Leadership Institute Master Class (LIMC) since 2015. Businesses globally look to Spencer as an enthusiastic, insightful source for counsel and advice on developing productive and focused corporate cultures. Spencer draws upon his 31 years of executive experience to reenergize seasoned and emerging professionals and increase organizational effectiveness. He inspires change, to develop: a powerful culture, effective communication, high performing teams, and engagement. Websitehttp://altiumleadership.com LinkedIn Profilehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerhorn/ Twitter Profilehttps://twitter.com/SpencerHorn Facebook pagehttps://www.facebook.com/AltiumLeadership/   Flexible Authenticity: Paradox or Necessity? Attendees will learn the crucial skill of adapting their leadership style to achieve the results they desire. Leadership and behavioral expert, Spencer Horn, will delve into various leadership styles. He’ll show us how to overcome our rigid view of authenticity by embracing our own discomfort, to effectively use weaknesses in many circumstances. Attendees will also discover how to navigate new promotions, receive feedback, and self-advocate, all while staying true to their values! This fascinating topic will provide valuable insights. This is a must-attend event for anyone looking to improve their leadership skills. What can you expect to take-a-way from this presentation? Identify your leadership strength and weaknesses Personal plan and strategy to strengthen blind spots and weaknesses Confidence to "show up" for your team in ways they need Improve your reputation and personal brand Breakthrough barriers to growth Breakthrough barriers to rigid thinking Set the stage for team performance and organizational change   Join us for Pro Dev Day 2023 “Delivering the Future”! September 14-15, 2023 Register today!  Visit www.prodevday.com for more information.  Have a group that would like to attend together?  We offer corporate discounts available for groups of 10 or more attendees.  Email support@prodevday.com for more information on our corporate rates and registering your group. Presented by: PMI of Central Indiana, PMI of Central Illinois, PMI of Central Iowa PDD is coming up! We are excited to announce that Jen Donahue will be this year's ending keynote speaker. This virtual event is a collaboration among the Central Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa chapters.  This year’s theme is “Delivering the Future”.  Mark your calendars for September 14-15, 2023! Becoming a Warrior by Jenn Donahue   Who is Jenn Donahue? Jenn Donahue PhD is a retired US Navy Captain and former Commodore for an 1,800 personnel Regiment. She is also a civil engineer who works on large scale, high profile geotechnical projects. Over her 27-year military career, Jenn has built a bridge across the Euphrates River in the midst of the Iraq war, commanded an 800-personnel Battalion in Afghanistan, and constructed combat outposts in the middle of deserts filled with insurgents. Jenn has led earthquake and tsunami reconnaissance missions in places like Samoa and Japan; designed the seismic plans for a bridge over the Panama Canal; and built roads by blasting and drilling in the coldest climes of Ketchikan. Astonishingly, Jenn has even served as the seismology expert at no fewer than five nuclear power plants. Along the way she mentored scores of young leaders. Today Jenn runs JL Donahue Engineering. She also lectures at UC Berkeley and UCLA. What can you expect to take-a-way from this presentation?  Identify the key factors that are holding you back from achieving your goals and dreams Describe the steps to overcome fear, indecision, or disorientation to plan a path for success Discuss the benefits of pushing through the obstacles that stand in your way The world needs more warriors... Warriors are men and women looking to become agents of change for the betterment of their own lives and the world around them. A warrior is someone who is willing to stand up for what is right. A warrior leans into their strengths to overcome the imposter syndrome that might be holding them back. A warrior may be afraid sometimes but continues on with courage when it’s hard to take that first step. A warrior stands up for themselves and others and wants to see their people do well and be heard. This is our time to dare to rise. Are you ready to become a warrior? Real world warrior Jenn Donahue will share experiences from her military and civilian career with insights about how she gained traction to overcome barriers and how you can enact change in your own life to achieve your dreams.   Register Today! Mark your calendars for September 14-15, 2023! Visit www.prodevday.com to reserve your spot.  Have a group that would like to attend together?  We have Corporate discounts available for groups of 10 or more attendees.  Email support@prodevday.com for more information on our corporate rates and getting your group registered. Stay tuned for more information on speakers, workshops, and details around PDD 2023.  We hope to see you there!! PDD is coming up!  This virtual event is a collaboration among the Central Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa chapters.  This year’s theme is “Delivering the Future”.  Mark your calendars for September 14-15, 2023! Early bird pricing ends May 31, 2023 at midnight.  PDD is coming up!  This virtual event is a collaboration among the Central Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa chapters.  This year’s theme is “Delivering the Future”.  Mark your calendars for September 14-15, 2023! Registration is now open.  Visit www.prodevday.com to register.  Take advantage of our Early Bird pricing by registering before May 31, 2023!  Early Bird (PMI Members): $180.00 Early Bird (Non PMI members): $260.00 Have a group that would like to attend together?  We have Corporate discounts available for groups of 10 or more attendees.  Email support@prodevday.com for more information on our corporate rates and getting your group registered. Keynote Speaker:  Anne Bonney Anne Bonney is a fun, energetic international keynote speaker and courage ignitor. She is an authority on Change Management, two-time author, host and creator of Dancing in the Discomfort Zone Podcast and an experienced virtual and in-person presenter. After 20 years in highly successful corporate and non-profit leadership positions, Anne, now uses her experience, education, and expertise to ignite YOUR courage to build resilience in change, take on difficult communication and thrive with emotional intelligence. Presentation Theme: Power Skills  Presentation Title: Ignite Your Team: Fired Up to Follow Leadership Key Take-a-Ways • Connection skills that immediately impact your culture with greater engagement, collaboration and motivation, resulting in increased productivity• Reduce “water cooler” talk that negatively influences attitudes within the workplace• Improve individual performance and reduce unwanted behaviors You need to be savvy to lead teams in today’s workplace. You’ve got different generations with varying levels of experience, cultural assumptions and the never-ending change happening in your industry, organization and team. Your best bet for success is to be the kind of leader your people WANT to follow.In this engaging (and fun!) presentation, Change Management Authority Anne Bonney will ignite your leadership with skills that will heat up your team’s motivation and performance. Teaching connection, communication and delegation to get even better output from your team; Anne will bring you rapid-fire content to reduce turnover, increase engagement and productivity directly impacting your culture so positivity and collaboration catch fire, and create an inferno of goal achievement and satisfied customers. Who doesn’t want that? Stay tuned for more information on speakers, workshops, and details around PDD 2023.  We hope to see you there!!      Are you pursuing the PMP? Not sure where to start? Not even sure what it is?    The Central Iowa Chapter is here to help! Fill out the PMP Interest Survey and let us know what you need to be successful. We will take the responses and create tailored resources to support members of all backgrounds.    Information about the Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification may be found here.    Thanks for sharing your thoughts,  The Central Iowa Chapter Board PDD is coming up!  This virtual event is a collaboration among the Central Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa chapters.  This year’s theme is “Delivering the Future”.  Mark your calendars for September 14-15, 2023!   Registration is now open.  Visit www.prodevday.com to register.  Take advantage of our Early Bird pricing by registering before May 31, 2023!  Early Bird (PMI Members): $180.00 Early Bird (Non PMI members): $260.00 Have a group that would like to attend together?  We have Corporate discounts available for groups of 10 or more attendees.  Email support@prodevday.com for more information on our corporate rates and getting your group registered. Key Take-a-Ways • Connection skills that immediately impact your culture with greater engagement, collaboration and motivation, resulting in increased productivity• Reduce “water cooler” talk that negatively influences attitudes within the workplace• Improve individual performance and reduce unwanted behaviors You need to be savvy to lead teams in today’s workplace. You’ve got different generations with varying levels of experience, cultural assumptions and the never-ending change happening in your industry, organization and team. Your best bet for success is to be the kind of leader your people WANT to follow.In this engaging (and fun!) presentation, Change Management Authority Anne Bonney will ignite your leadership with skills that will heat up your team’s motivation and performance. Teaching connection, communication and delegation to get even better output from your team; Anne will bring you rapid-fire content to reduce turnover, increase engagement and productivity directly impacting your culture so positivity and collaboration catch fire, and create an inferno of goal achievement and satisfied customers. Who doesn’t want that?   About the Speaker Anne Bonney is a fun, energetic international keynote speaker and courage ignitor. She is an authority on Change Management, two-time author, host and creator of Dancing in the Discomfort Zone Podcast and an experienced virtual and in-person presenter. After 20 years in highly successful corporate and non-profit leadership positions, Anne, now uses her experience, education, and expertise to ignite YOUR courage to build resilience in change, take on difficult communication and thrive with emotional intelligence.   Stay tuned for more information on speakers, workshops, and details around PDD 2023.  We hope to see you there!!       PMI Central Iowa wants to give a big shout out to Aureon, Robert Half Management Resources, John Deere Financial, and Apex Systems for all the support you showed us in Q1, 2023! We couldn't have put on such great events without your generosity, time, and commitment. We look forward to continuing to work with you in the future, and thanks again for putting project management at the forefront! Austin is a new addition to the team filling the role of Director of Publications for the Central Iowa Chapter. His background is in engineering and construction project management but wanted experience with digital content creation and building a brand online. A perfect example of how PMI is an opportunity to expand your skills and gain experiences in different aspects of business! Please reach out to learn more about volunteer opportunities if you can relate and want to try something different from your current profession! https://pmi-centraliowa.org/volunteer-form 2023 is set to be a big year for PMI Central Iowa! After 2 long years of being stuck completely virtual and adapting to new practices, this year we are returning full swing! Watch this video with an important announcement from this year's Chapter President, Brian Shadle!   PMI is a large organization but our mission is to focus on the most important part. You the members! We are all here on a mission to advance our professional skills and careers. Our duty as this chapter's board is to ensure you have the best experience possible while pursuing these goals! That means you are our greatest resource on how to provide this service. We are here to serve you the members and want you to know we are always open to your feedback and ideas. We also hope to see eveyrone in person at one of our many events this year as we return to our montly in person meetings! Keep an eye out for upcoming announcements and info! We are all looking forward to making 2023 the best year yet!       Register Here! https://pmi-centraliowa.org/event-registration?eventId=14862     Link to Volunteer Form: https://pmi-centraliowa.org/volunteer-form    PMI-CIC Annual Meeting Reminder!   The annual meeting is around the corner, and we want you to be apart of the fun! You can count on the following:   Celebration and Fun! Networking!   We need this from you:   Your Feedback! Your Expertise To Help Us Shape 2023!               PMI-CIC is seeking help to support our Chapter for the year 2023! Anyone interested in learning about project management, looking to network with peers, and earning PDUs (yes! You can earn up to 25 PDUs as a PMP) should check out opportunities including: Creating new or improving existing slideshows with music for the monthly Chapter gatherings Interviewing one or more PMI-CIC "Featured Members" every month and posting a short blog on our website Creating new or use existing surveys to send out monthly to our Chapter gathering attendees Learn to create monthly marketing campaigns for the Chapter There are so many other ways to get involved, so please feel free to reach out to any of our leaders at this link or simply fill out the volunteer form.   Learn more about earning Giving Back PDUs!   Featured Member – Stephen Rodriquez Last week (11/3) was International Project Management Day, so we thought we would reach out to one of our past Central Iowa Chapter Board Members to talk about Project Management.   {PMI-CIC} Tell us about project management in your current role. {Stephen} "I just recently started a new role in May of 2020 as an IT Project Manager for the Iowa Department of Revenue. My main focus are projects related to legislative changes. As with many positions there are a few hats to wear. There is a business analyst flavor to my role along with implementing projects using a variety of project management methodologies. {PMI-CIC} What kind of historical experience do you have in project management {Stephen} "I have been involved with project management for a long time. I am PMP® certified and have been a member of the Project Management Institute since 2010. In addition to IT, I have also been the project manager for construction, telecommunications and infrastructure projects. I have held several positions on the Board for the Central Iowa Chapter of PMI and have taught the PMP® Exam prep course." {PMI-CIC} Tell us more about how you been involved with our chapter over the years? {Stephen} “I joined the Chapter and started going to the in-person Chapter meetings. It was a great way to both learn and network. Members of PMI-CIC are willing to help others. If a project was going sideways there was usually someone at the meetings that would have a suggestion on how to get it back on track. As a Board member I was able to go to conferences that include people from all over the world. The international contacts I made at these events are just as willing to reach out for advice or to provide insight on project management changes in their area. Bringing that global project management perspective back to Central Iowa is the biggest benefit of the PMI-CIC.” {PMI-CIC} What is one thing you're excited about in the field of project management? {Stephen} "Change – the project management field is not a one-time learning event. It is ever changing with new or modified methodologies, tools and techniques, and, of course, people. If you are not learning something new you are falling behind." {PMI-CIC} Tell us 3 random facts about you! {Stephen} "I was a paramedic. It taught me the importance of documentation." "I was a short order cook. It taught me that stakeholders have some unusual requests." "I delivered newspapers when I was younger. It taught me that on-time is not easy, it has to be planned." {PMI-CIC} What is your greatest project accomplishment to-date? {Stephen} “I would say that the most rewarding project I worked on was a project that consisted of site development, engineering, and optimization of a statewide land mobile radio system with 95 percent mobile coverage throughout the State of Iowa. This project provided a way for public safety entities to communicate with each other.” {PMI-CIC} Anything you would like to leave us with on International Project Management Day: {Stephen} "Like most things in life you cannot do it on your own. If you are a seasoned project management professional, I would encourage you to seek a board position. If you are new to project management, I would encourage you to come along side one of the board positions and offer assistance.” Thank you, Stephen, for sharing your experience. In 2023, the PMI-CIC Board is planning on ‘getting back to the new normal’ with in person meetings and networking events. We do want you to be a part of that experience. If you have volunteer time to share, please reach out to us by filling in our volunteer form (https://pmi-centraliowa.org/volunteer-form). Even if you have done this in the past, please fill in your current information. If you do not have volunteer time, we hope you will be able to make it to one of our events. More details will be provided before the end of the calendar year.         2022 Annual Chapter Business Meeting   Event: Annual Business meeting Location: Des Moines Art Center Date: 12/3 Time: 5-8pm Member Cost: Free (including a +1 for an immediate family member) Non-Member Cost: $50   Join us for cocktail hour and this year's annual business meeting at the Des Moines Art Center at 5pm on December 3rd!  Let's celebrate this year's accomplishments and the return to in-person meetings while we look ahead to even bigger things in 2023!  Also, there might be a special Art Center related treat for those who attend, so don't miss out!  ;)   Register Here     PMI CENTRAL IOWA CHAPTER IS SEEKING NOMINATIONS FOR THE FOLLOWING 2023 ELECTED BOARD ROLES. *President- Elect - 3 -1-year term commitments; requires commitment to the full three years Vice President of Operations (2-year term) Vice President of Membership & Volunteerism (2-year term) *President-Elect is a three-year commitment filling the following three one-year term positions: President-Elect, President, and Immediate Past President. ARE YOU INTERESTED IN MAKING AN IMPACT IN THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT COMMUNITY? Do you have a desire to be more involved with your local PMI Chapter? If so, consider becoming a volunteer leader and serve on the PMI-CIC Board of Directors! Nominate yourself or nominate another PMI-CIC Member interested in serving in a PMI-CIC Board position. Please submit your nomination(s) to the PMI-CIC Nominations Committee by email at pastpresident@ pmiofcentraliowa.org by October 28, 2022 @ 5 pm CT. Feel free to reach out to the Past President, Lynn Aubrey, (at the above email) if you have questions.  Networking, Axe Throwing, and Happy Hour!   When: Thursday, August 25th, 5pm-7pm Where: Ironside Axe Club,2700 University Ave Suite 100, West Des Moines, IA 50266 Cost: Free for Members and Students; $49 for Non-Members Details: We're excited to announce that the Central Iowa Chapter of the Project Management Institute is returning to in-person networking events ! Join us at Ironside Axe Club on August 26th at 5pm for happy hour, and at 6pm for axe throwing. This event is free to members, but registration is requested at https://www.pmi-centraliowa.org/   Professional Development Day 2022! Register Now! September 15, 2022 11:00 am - 5:30 pm CST September 16, 2022 8:am - 1:30 pm CST PMI of Central Iowa is excited about the upcoming 2022 Professional Development Day! Our chapter is partnering with PMI of Central Illinois and Central Indiana for the 2nd year in a row! Our three chapters are thrilled to deliver the latest project management research, topics, and speakers directly to your home or office on September15th and 16th! As a participant, you will be able to attend live speakers, informational workshops, and engage with other working professionals,exhibitors, and sponsors. Our hope is to equip you for success and make it easier to discover ProjectManagementsolutions that will positively impact yourcareer. Needing PDU's? We got you. We will provide you with PDUs across the talenttrianglewith 2 excited Keynote speakers and multiple tracks each day. Have a group of ten people or more? Reach out to us via support@prodevday.com for special rates. Visithttp://www.prodevday.com for more information on the event and to register. Sponsorship Opportunities, email both our Chapter President ElectBrian Shadle -presidentelect@ pmiofcentraliowa.org Lastly, pajamas bottoms but business casual for tops are mandatory to participate in the sessions. Okay, we are kidding. See you at the PDD! Brought to you by:     New Event/Class Offered! Title: Empowering Changemakers Length: Full Day,Date/Time: delivered Live/In-Person, August 11, 8:30-4:30 PM Central Time Presenter: Sinikka Waugh, PMP Event Location: Palms Theatre in Waukee, IA (200 NE Westgate Drive, Waukee, IA 50263) Cost: $299 for Members, $499 for Non-Members PDU's: 8 Learning Objectives: By attending this session, participants can expect to: • Increase your own ability to enable change• Equip you to leverage the principles and processes of project management as tools that fostersuccessful change• Enable you to identify and empower changemakers around you Session Abstract: They say that change has never come at us this fast, and it will never be this slow again. But intentional change in an organizational context requires capable changemakers, and those changemakers need to be equipped and empowered. Projects and initiatives are created to effect change, but that doesn’t happen without people leading them and driving them forward. And too often, if those people are ill-equipped, the project goes off the rails, leaving stakeholders dissatisfied. Changemakers are the individuals who make things happen, and more often than not, the people who could make things happen are missing either the principles, the tools, the process, the influence skills, or the know-how to get from A to B. With just a handful of simple, easy to grasp and quick to apply concepts, individuals can become influencers. Project managers become change leaders. Change agents can become changemakers. Join us for this engaging and highly interactive workshop that brings together best practices to help you improve your own ability to enable change and empower changemakers wherever you find yourself. Join our very own Central Iowa Chapter member and popular speaker and trainer Sinikka Waugh the world premiere of this workshop here in Central Iowa. This workshop features the principles of the standards of Project Management as laid out in the 7th Edition of the PMBOK and tying them back to the realities of what we really face in our day to day project lives and includes Sinikka’s famous blend of engaging and real-life stories, discussion and activities, and try-this-now application with tools you can use right away to make workdays even better wherever you find yourself.   New Event Offered! See below. Title: How Empowered Are Changemakers By You? Date/Time: delivered live/virtually, July 26, 2022, 4:30-5:30 PM Central Time via Zoom, Presenter: Sinikka Waugh, PMP Cost: Free PDU's: 1   Learning Objectives: By attending this session, participants can expect to • Evaluate your own ability to enable change • Explore how project management principles can foster successful change in your world• Become better equipped to identify and empower changemakers around you Session Abstract: Change is inevitable; change is relentless; change is coming at us faster than ever. Of the many things we could say about change, one thing we don’t say about change is that it’s “wildly popular” or “often greeted with open arms”. Why is that? How empowered are changemakers anyway? If changemakers are the folks who are going to make the little stuff as well as the big stuff happen in our organizations and in our worlds, then we need the changemakers to be empowered. And whether you read “by” as “near” or “as a result of”, the question remains… “How empowered are changemakers by you?” Join us for this engaging and interactive quick hit session to help you improve your own ability to enable change and empower changemakers wherever you find yourself with our very own Central Iowa Chapter member and popular international speaker and trainer Sinikka Waugh of Your Clear Next Step as she offers a sneak peek at her August 11th full-day workshop making its world premiere here in Central Iowa. Register at www.pmi-centraliowa.orgThe Central Iowa Chapter of the Project Management Institute is in its 30th year, and it's time to celebrate! On August 7th at 1:30pm, Chapter members and their immediate families are invited to join us at Spare Time Entertainment at Jordan Creek in West Des Moines for an afternoon of fun and an opportunity to reconnect with other members. While this event is open to all Chapter members and their immediate families, I'm asking for an RSVP. An event will be posted on the Chapter web site within the next few days; please let us know if you'll be attending, and how many immediate family members you plan to bring!The Central Iowa Chapter of the Project Management Institute is in its 30th year, and it's time to celebrate! On August 7th at 1:30pm, Chapter members and their immediate families are invited to join us at Spare Time Entertainment at Jordan Creek in West Des Moines for an afternoon of fun and an opportunity to reconnect with other members. While this event is open to all Chapter members and their immediate families, I'm asking for an RSVP. An event will be posted on the Chapter web site within the next few days; please let us know if you'll be attending, and how many immediate family members you plan to bring! More information about the venue is available here https://www.sparetimeentertainment.com/desmoines/     Join Us for PMI-Central Iowa Virtual Book Club    What: A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Seventh Edition and The Standard for Project Management are combined into one book and can be downloaded for free to any PMI member at the link: https://www.pmi.org/pmbok-guide-standards/foundational/pmbok.   The PMBOK® Guide – 7th Edition is PMI’s flagship publication and is a fundamental resource for effective project management in any industry. The Standard for Project Management is the foundation upon which the vast body of knowledge builds, and the guide serves to capture and summarize that knowledge.   These resources were developed by project management practitioners for project management practitioners. This series of book club meetings will explore how these PMI resources apply to your organization. We will discuss such questions as: Are the standards relevant to my organization? Can I and my organization benefit from reading and applying this material? What information do you think is missing that would be helpful to me and my organization? What do you think about PMI’s move from a process-based standard to a principle-based format? Where do you think the project management profession is headed, and is PMI aligned in that direction? When: Tuesday, July 26th, 2022 6:00pm-7:00pm – The Standard for Project Management (pp. 3-60)             Tuesday, August 30th, 2022 6:00pm-7:00pm – PMBOK Guide – 7th Edition (pp. 3-92)             Tuesday, September 27th, 2022 6:00pm-7:00pm – PMBOK Guide – 7th Edition (pp. 93-144)             Tuesday, October 25th, 2022 6:00pm-7:00pm – PMBOK Guide – 7th Edition (pp. 145-195) and Appendices (pp. 207-225)       Where: Virtual Google Meet Meeting (Once registered, you will receive an email link and passcode at least one day before each meeting) Who: All PMI-Central Iowa Chapter members and anyone else who has a stake in project management. There is no charge for non-members, so invite others from your organization to join in the discussion!   How: Register at www.pmi-centraliowa.org. You must be logged in to register. Please have the First HALF of the book read before the meeting. This book will be worth “Leadership and Technical” PDUs under Reading and Informal Learning. We look forward to seeing you!     Join Us for PMI-Central Iowa Virtual Book Club   When: Tuesday, June 28th 2022 6:00pm-7:00pm Where: Virtual Zoom Meeting (Once registered, you will receive an email link and passcode at least one day before the meeting) What: The Catalyst: How to change anyone’s mind. By Jonah Berger (Second Half) “This book is designed for anyone who wants to catalyze change. It provides a powerful way of thinking and a range of techniques that can lead to extraordinary results. Whether you're trying to change one person, transform an organization, or shift the way an entire industry does business, this book will teach you how to become a catalyst.” How: Register at www.pmi-centraliowa.org. You must be logged in to register. Please have the First and Second HALF of the book read before the meeting. This book will be worth “Leadership and Technical” PDUs under Reading and Informal Learning. We look forward to seeing you!   Join Us for PMI-Central Iowa Virtual Book Club  When: Monday, February 28, 2022 6:00pm-7:00pm Where:            Virtual Zoom Meeting (Once registered, you will receive an email link and passcode at least one day before the meeting) What: Rethinking Agile: why agile teams have nothing to do with business agility. By Klaus Leopold “This book shows you what goes wrong with many agile transitions and why the desired improvements fail to materialize. You also learn how to get out of a dead end and what can be done before starting a transformation in order to prevent heading down a dead end to begin with. A little preview: Do not start by making teams agile – this will save your nerves and lots of money!” How: Register at www.pmi-centraliowa.org. You must be logged in to register. Please have the HALF (page 89) of the book read before the meeting. This book will be worth “Technical and Strategic” PDUs under Reading and Informal Learning. We look forward to seeing you! PMI-CIC would like to announce our 2022 Election results! Our Chapter will remain in good hands in the year 2022 with the addition of the following individuals in leadership roles: Brian Shadle - President-Elect Dawna Van Roekel - VP of Marketing & Communications Shane Albrecht - VP of Professional Development Paul Tarsius - VP of Finance Navigate to our Home page to learn more about these members who are ensuring the success of our Chapter and giving back to the Project Management Community HERE!  2021 ProDevDay Speaker Highlight! We are one week away from ProDevDay! Here is your chance to learn about the remaining five speakers. Jeremy Harper presenting a topic called, Navigating Your Career Towards Leadership. Julie Kowalski presenting a topic called, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) 101 for Project Managers. https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-kowalskispizzerinctum/ John Stenbeck presenting a topic called, PMBOK Guide 7th Edition Challenges – Overcoming the Obstacles Facing Every PMP. https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnstenbeck/ Steve Salisbury presenting a topic called, High Speed Change: How Whirlpool Acquired and Integrated Maytag in Seven Months. https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-salisbury/ Malaz Boustani presenting a topic called, Agile Mindset and Principles.   **Still Spots Remaining in Pre-Conference Workshops – Don’t Miss Out!! Needing PDU's?  You'll get 20 PDUs for the conference alone, with two add-ons: a Wednesday all-day with Sinikka Waugh for 7 PDUs and a DASM course that is 12 PDUs!. The DASM course meets the week of PDD, but at times that allows you to attend most of the conference live. For more about the speakers please visit: https://hopin.com/events/prodev-day-2021#schedule Have questions? Reach out to the Support team at support@prodevday.com   2021 ProDevDay is going virtual and we are teaming up with PMI of Central Illinois and Central Indiana! Our three chapters are thrilled to deliver the latest project management research, topics, and speakers directly to your home or office on September 23rd and 24th! As a participant, you will be able to attend live speakers, informational workshops, and engage with other working professionals, exhibitors, and sponsors. Our hope is to equip you for success and make it easy to discover PM solutions that will positively impact your career.  Have a group ten people or more? Reach out to us at president@pmi-centraliowa.org for special rates.  Visit http://www.prodevday.com/ for more information on the event. To register directly please visit https://hopin.com/events/prodev-day-2021 Vaccinated or unvaccinated, all are welcome, so grab your tickets and enjoy the show!   2021 ProDevDay Speaker Highlight! We are 14 days away from ProDevDay! Here is your chance to learn about three more speakers in our line-up. Daniel Rieger presenting a topic called, How to Successfully Advance Your Career. https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-rieger-16443711/ Hannah Love presenting a topic called, Getting Through Team Conflicts: Tips and Tricks to Improve Team Performance. https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-love/ Jesse Fewell presenting a topic called, Personal Feedback Loops. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessefewell/ For more about the speakers please visit: https://hopin.com/events/prodev-day-2021#schedule Have questions? Reach out to the Support team at support@prodevday.com   2021 ProDevDay is going virtual and we are teaming up with PMI of Central Illinois and Central Indiana! Our three chapters are thrilled to deliver the latest project management research, topics, and speakers directly to your home or office on September 23rd and 24th! As a participant, you will be able to attend live speakers, informational workshops, and engage with other working professionals, exhibitors, and sponsors. Our hope is to equip you for success and make it easy to discover PM solutions that will positively impact your career.  Needing PDU's?  You'll get 20 PDUs for the conference alone, with two add-ons: a Wednesday all-day with Sinikka Waugh for 7 PDUs and a DASM course that is 12 PDUs!. The DASM course meets the week of PDD, but at times that allows you to attend most of the conference live. Have a group ten people or more? Reach out to us at president@pmi-centraliowa.org for special rates.  Visit http://www.prodevday.com/ for more information on the event. To register directly please visit https://hopin.com/events/prodev-day-2021 Vaccinated or unvaccinated, all are welcome, so grab your tickets and enjoy the show!   2021 ProDevDay Speaker Highlight! We are 21 days away from ProDevDay! Here is your chance to learn about three more speakers in our line-up. Brian Shadle presenting a workshop titled, Going Vertical with Operational Excellence https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianshadleprofile/  Chris Masucci presenting a topic called, Design Thinking at ISG Kate Castiglione presenting a topic called, Wicked Problem Solving For more about the speakers please visit: https://hopin.com/events/prodev-day-2021#schedule Have questions? Reach out to the Support team at support@prodevday.com   2021 ProDevDay is going virtual and we are teaming up with PMI of Central Illinois and Central Indiana! Our three chapters are thrilled to deliver the latest project management research, topics, and speakers directly to your home or office on September 23rd and 24th! As a participant, you will be able to attend live speakers, informational workshops, and engage with other working professionals, exhibitors, and sponsors. Our hope is to equip you for success and make it easy to discover PM solutions that will positively impact your career.  Needing PDU's?  You'll get 20 PDUs for the conference alone, with two add-ons: a Wednesday all-day with Sinikka Waugh for 7 PDUs and a DASM course that is 12 PDUs!. The DASM course meets the week of PDD, but at times that allows you to attend most of the conference live. Have a group ten people or more? Reach out to us at president@pmi-centraliowa.org for special rates.  Visit http://www.prodevday.com/ for more information on the event. To register directly please visit https://hopin.com/events/prodev-day-2021 Vaccinated or unvaccinated, all are welcome, so grab your tickets and enjoy the show!   2021 ProDevDay Speaker Highlight! We are 28 days away from ProDevDay! Here is your chance to learn about three more speakers in our line-up. Jon Colby presentating a workshop titled, Yes, and…” Improving Communication and Leadership Through Improv https://www.linkedin.com/in/joncolbyspeaks/ Bob Galen presentating a topic called, Building Your Future Self https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobgalen/ Andrew Soswa presenting a topic called, Why Your Methodology Fails Your Projects https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewsoswa/ For more about the event check out the event information below. Have questions? Reach out to the Support team at support@prodevday.com   2021 ProDevDay is going virtual and we are teaming up with PMI of Central Illinois and Central Indiana! Our three chapters are thrilled to deliver the latest project management research, topics, and speakers directly to your home or office on September 23rd and 24th! As a participant, you will be able to attend live speakers, informational workshops, and engage with other working professionals, exhibitors, and sponsors. Our hope is to equip you for success and make it easy to discover PM solutions that will positively impact your career.  Needing PDU's?  You'll get 20 PDUs for the conference alone, with two add-ons: a Wednesday all-day with Sinikka Waugh for 7 PDUs and a DASM course that is 12 PDUs!. The DASM course meets the week of PDD, but at times that allows you to attend most of the conference live. Have a group ten people or more? Reach out to us at president@pmi-centraliowa.org for special rates.  Visit http://www.prodevday.com/ for more information on the event. To register directly please visit https://hopin.com/events/prodev-day-2021 Vaccinated or unvaccinated, all are welcome, so grab your tickets and enjoy the show!   2021 ProDevDay Speaker Highlight! We are 34 days away from ProDevDay! Here is your chance to learn more about Sinikka Waugh, who will be giving presentations called Learning to Fail In Order to Grow and Advanced Collaboration. Visit Sinikka's LinkedIn page at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sinikkawaugh/ and we look forward to seeing you at her presentation next month! For more about the event check out the event information below.    2021 ProDevDay is going virtual and we are teaming up with PMI of Central Illinois and Central Indiana! Our three chapters are thrilled to deliver the latest project management research, topics, and speakers directly to your home or office on September 23rd and 24th! As a participant, you will be able to attend live speakers, informational workshops, and engage with other working professionals, exhibitors, and sponsors. Our hope is to equip you for success and make it easy to discover PM solutions that will positively impact your career.  Needing PDU's?  You'll get 20 PDUs for the conference alone, with two add-ons: a Wednesday all-day with Sinikka Waugh for 7 PDUs and a DASM course that is 12 PDUs!. The DASM course meets the week of PDD, but at times that allows you to attend most of the conference live. Have a group ten people or more? Reach out to us at president@pmi-centraliowa.org for special rates.  Visit http://www.prodevday.com/ for more information on the event. To register directly please visit https://hopin.com/events/prodev-day-2021 Vaccinated or unvaccinated, all are welcome, so grab your tickets and enjoy the show!   2021 ProDevDay Speaker Highlight! We are 42 days away from ProDevDay! Here is your chance to learn more about Julee Everett, who will be giving a presentation called, Rethink your career: The Agile PM. Visit Julee's LinkedIn page at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juleeatnorthstarproductlabs/ and we look forward to seeing you at her presentation next month! For more about the event check out the event information below.    2021 ProDevDay is going virtual and we are teaming up with PMI of Central Illinois and Central Indiana! Our three chapters are thrilled to deliver the latest project management research, topics, and speakers directly to your home or office on September 23rd and 24th! As a participant, you will be able to attend live speakers, informational workshops, and engage with other working professionals, exhibitors, and sponsors. Our hope is to equip you for success and make it easy to discover PM solutions that will positively impact your career.  Needing PDU's?  You'll get 20 PDUs for the conference alone, with two add-ons: a Wednesday all-day with Sinikka Waugh for 7 PDUs and a DASM course that is 12 PDUs! The DASM course meets the week of PDD, but at times that allows you to attend the conference. Have a group ten people or more? Reach out to us at president@pmi-centraliowa.org for special rates.  Visit http://www.prodevday.com/ for more information on the event. To register directly please visit https://hopin.com/events/prodev-day-2021 Vaccinated or unvaccinated, all are welcome, so grab your tickets and enjoy the show! Dear Members,  Well, these last couple of years have been something, haven't they?  We've all hung in there and we are pretty sure that there is light at the end of the tunnel.  The Chapter has been hanging in there, too. We moved from in-person events to virtual events and we are looking forward to PDD in September.  The fall also brings us to elections. WE NEED VOLUNTEERS to serve on the board.  Are you interested in serving as President? Or are numbers your gig and you want to help us with our financial obligations?  If so, please contact our Past President, Shelly Lawrence ASAP! We need to have these two positions voted on by the membership, so we need to find willing volunteers!!!  The President position spends one year as President Elect (to learn the ropes), one year as President (to deal with the ropes), and one year as Past President (to help others with the ropes).  The Finance VP is a two-year term and is responsible for making sure that checks are cut, financial forms are filed, and the monthly report is given to the Board.  We are happy to talk to you about what the next couple of years are looking like for the Chapter.  These two positions are REQUIRED for us to remain a chapter with Global, so please consider throwing your hat in the ring!   Hello PMI-CIC members! We would like to know what types of project management tools you make use of within your career. Please follow this link to participate in our LinkedIn survey and leave comments as to what you like best about the project tool. While you are out there on LinkedIn, please check out our page and hit the Follow button! Thank you!Your Clear Next Step is happy to support our PMI-CIC chapter members with a special discount on a full day class called Foundations of Project Management. This lively and highly interactive session will give individuals the critical essentials for getting a project done well, regardless of the size or complexity, offering you techniques, concepts, and tools that will save you time and energy right away.  For more information, please view and visit: Foundations of Project Management - YouTube Sinikka's August 3, 2021 class is one of the most sought after, and with the discount code, each seat will go from $318 to $300. Please visit https://info.yourclearnextstep.com/foundations-of-pm-coupon-code to get started. After filling out the easy form, you’ll see the web page response showing a discount code and receive an email with the code and the following invitation: Follow this link then enter the code at checkout to save on the class!  If you have any questions or issues, just contact Your Clear Next Step, and we'll be happy to help!  We can't wait to see you on August 3rd! When: Tuesday, August 3rd from 8:30am - 4:30pm Where: Virtual Zoom meeting information will be distributed by Your Clear Next Step. Interested individuals will register for the event with YCNS, who will be responsible for distributing the information to registrants.  Price: PMI-CIC Member price - $300, Non-member price $318 *Register now through Friday, July 30th Program Description This class is designed for individuals who are new to the PM space and need an introduction, or those more seasoned PMs who could use a refresher. This class includes everything you need to know to manage a successful project. Filled with fun activities and plenty of group interaction, this class will introduce you to many topics including, what a project manager is, what a project is, the project lifecycle, and helpful mnemonics. Additionally, participants will walk away with tools they can apply right away. Speaker Bio Sinikka is a recognized leader in understanding people and in adapting tools, techniques, and processes to meet the demands of the situation at hand. As a popular presenter and trainer, her energetic and engaging style drives home the art and science of making business better for individuals, teams, and organizations. Since 1996, Sinikka has successfully applied analysis and leadership expertise to improve performance in a wide array of industries. As a project manager, business analyst, facilitator, trainer, and coach, Sinikka is known for consistently helping teams find innovative ways to solve problems and get things done. Since 2006, Sinikka has provided compassionate leadership in transformation initiatives. Her results-driven professionalism blends seamlessly with her down-to-earth, “try this now” approach and her passion for helping others reach their goals and interact more effectively with others. Join Us for PMI-Central Iowa Virtual Summer Book Club When: Thursday, July 29, 2021             Monday, August 30, 2021             Thursday, September 30, 2021      Where: Virtual Zoom Meeting *** The Zoom meeting information will be distributed on the afternoon following registration cutoff. For security purposes, please do not share this information with any non-registered person.***   What: Project to Product: How to survive and thrive in the age of digital disruption with the flow framework By Mik Kersten. Mike, technology business leader, introduces the Flow Framework―a new way of seeing, measuring, and managing software delivery. The Flow Framework will enable your company's evolution from project-oriented dinosaur to product-centric innovator that thrives in the Age of Software. If you're driving your organization's transformation at any level, this is the book for you. How: Register at www.pmi-centraliowa.org. You must be logged in to register. We will be reading this book over the course of three months (July pp.1-90), August (pp.91-180), September (pp.181-272). This book will be worth “Technical and Strategic” PDUs under Reading and Informal Learning. We look forward to seeing you! ARE YOU INTERESTED IN MAKING AN IMPACT IN THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT COMMUNITY? Do you have a desire to be more involved with your local PMI Chapter?  Become a volunteer leader and serve on the PMI-CIC Board of Directors! Nominate yourself or nominate another PMI-CIC Member interested in serving in a PMI-CIC Board position. Please submit your nomination(s) to the PMI-CIC Nominations Committee by email at nominationscommittee@pmi-centraliowa.org  by July 16, 2021 @ 5:00 p.m. CT.   PMI CENTRAL IOWA CHAPTER IS SEEKING NOMINATIONS FOR THE FOLLOWING 2021 ELECTED BOARD ROLES.    *President- Elect - 3 -1-year term commitments; requires commitment to the full three years  Vice President of Finance (2-year term) Vice President of Professional Development (2-year term) Vice President of Communications and Marketing (2-year term)   *President-Elect is a three-year commitment filling the following three one-year term positions: President-Elect, President, and Immediate Past President.   ELECTION TIMELINE: CALL FOR NOMINATIONS BY Monday, June 28, 2021 NOMINATIONS CLOSE AT 5:00 PM CT Friday, July 16, 2021 SLATE OF NOMINEES SENT TO ELECTRONIC VOTING PROVIDER BY Friday, July 23, 2021 ONLINE BALLOT INSTRUCTIONS EMAILED TO MEMBERS IN GOOD STANDING BY Friday, August 6, 2021 ONLINE BALLOT VOTING CLOSED AT 5:00 PM CT Friday, August 27, 2021 BALLOT VALIDATION COMPLETED BY Thu. September 23, 2021 VOTING RESULTS ANNOUNCED TO MEMBERS BY Fri. September 24, 2021 2022 ELECTED & APPOINTED BOARD MEMBERS TAKE OFFICE Saturday, January 1, 2022   OFFICE TERMS & ELIGIBILITY Nominees must be members in good standing with PMI Central Iowa.  PMI Central Iowa Chapter members in good standing as of July 31, 2021 will be eligible to vote for the board positions up for election in 2021. Terms of office for elected positions (exception for the offices of President and President-Elect) shall be [2], limited to [2] consecutive terms in the same position, and no more than [4] consecutive terms on the Board in general. The Offices of President and President-Elect are open only to members who have served previously in one of the Board of Director officer positions, either on the PMI-CIC Board or at another PMI Component Chapter, for a minimum of twelve (12) consecutive months. No past President is eligible to become President or President-Elect for three (3) years after his/her most recently expired term as President. Chapter by-laws, and additional documents can be found on the PMI-CIC website at https://pmi-centraliowa.org/documents. Detailed position descriptions and appointed director roles can be found on the  PMI-CIC website at https://pmi-centraliowa.org/board-position.   BRIEF ROLE DESCRIPTIONS FOR OPEN ELECTED BOARD ROLES                                                                                                     The President-Elect shall keep the records of all business meetings of the Chapter and meetings of the Board, maintain the policies, procedures, processes, and position descriptions of the Board, and utilize parliamentary procedures to conduct all meetings of the Board. The President-Elect will represent the President in meetings where the President is not present.  The Vice President of Finance shall serve as the PMI-CIC treasurer and oversee the budgeting and management of funds for duly authorized purposes of the PMI-CIC, which includes providing all necessary financial reporting. The Vice President of Professional Development is responsible for promoting the project management profession through the development and delivery of educational opportunities, including programs for PMI-CIC meetings, for the benefit of the membership and the Central Iowa community at large. The Vice President of Communications & Marketing is responsible for the management of internal and external communications for the PMI-CIC and for promoting PMI® and the PMI-CIC to local businesses, schools and professional association internal and external publications and through partnering with local businesses.   NOMINATION PROCESS A Nominating Committee shall prepare a slate containing nominees for each Board position and shall determine the eligibility and willingness of each nominee to stand for election. Candidates for Board positions may also be nominated by petition process established by the Nominating Committee or the Board. Elections shall be conducted: (a) during the annual meeting of the membership; or (b) by mail ballot to all voting members in good standing; or (c) by electronic vote in compliance with the legal jurisdiction. The candidate who receives a majority of votes cast for each office shall be elected. Ballots shall be counted by the Nominating Committee or by tellers designated by the Board.     IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THOSE RUNNING FOR OFFICE In accordance with PMI® policies, practices, procedures, rules and directives, no funds or resources of PMI® or the PMI-CIC may be used to support the election of any candidate or group of candidates for PMI®, PMI-CIC or public office. No other type of organized electioneering, communications, fund-raising, or other organized activity on behalf of a candidate shall be permitted. The PMI-CIC Nominating Committee, or other applicable body designated by the PMI-CIC, will be the sole distributor(s) of all election materials for PMI-CIC elected positions. Nominees, as a condition of expressing their interest in being a nominee, will submit a signed statement verifying that they have read, understand, and agree to abide by these policies and rules. This includes the following statement: “As a condition of my potential nomination or candidacy, I agree that I will not initiate, encourage, accept or endorse conduct on behalf of my potential nomination or candidacy which is in violation of the policy relating to the election as adopted by the PMI-CIC. To violate this policy may result in revocation of my nomination by petition or candidacy for office.”  PMI-CIC welcomes Steve Bench to the May Chapter Gathering! In his most popular keynote presentation, Steve tackles stereotypes and builds understanding between generations through a fun and humorous approach! This presentation will deliver a refreshing perspective and deeper understanding of our generational differences, and foster an engaging discussion to help strengthen relationships and ultimately improve the culture of your workplace.  Steve is a nationally recognized speaker who has shared his message with audiences across the country. Prior to founding Generational Consulting, Steve was program director for Business World where he worked with thousands of teenagers every year and those Millennials have informed and inspired his presentations. A proud Millennial himself, Steve will energize your event and get people talking! Steve's presentations deliver engagement strategies for attracting and retaining Millennials, empowering Generation X, capturing Boomer wisdom, and cultivating future leadership by leveraging the strengths of each generation. Steve has shared his message with audiences across the country.  Check out Steve's video clips! https://www.generationalconsulting.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOVPM7mEW3k&t=18s What: May Chapter Gathering When: Thursday, May 20, 2021 from 4pm to 5:15pm CDT Where: Zoom Virtual Meeting *** The Zoom meeting information will be distributed on the afternoon following registration cutoff.  For  security purposes, please do not share this information with any non-registered person.***  Register HERE. This event is worth 1 PDU in Leadership.   PMI-CIC welcomes Kit Welchlin at the April gathering! The most effective professionals have a high degree of what has come to be known as emotional intelligence. The qualities that make up emotional intelligence – self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skill – enable the most successful professionals to raise their own and others’ performance to a higher level.   Here’s the bottom line; having negative thoughts and feelings is unavoidable. However, if we understand and expand our Emotional Intelligence capabilities, we will be able to overcome our negative thoughts and feelings, and learn to act in a way that reflects our values, rather than what we are feeling at the moment.   In this highly interactive session you will learn:  How to Enhance Your Personal Brand How to Understand Your Emotions and Respond Professionally How to Incorporate Perception Checking and Keep Conversations Civil How to Motivate Yourself and Others How to Build a Supportive Communication Climate How to Give and Receive Professional Criticism  About Our Speaker - KIT WELCHLIN  Grew up on a hog and dairy farm in southern Minnesota and began public speaking at the age of 9 in a 4-H public speaking contest.  At age 21 he purchased his first manufacturing company and by age 26 served as C.E.O. and Chairman of the Board of 3 manufacturing companies in 3 states.  Has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Speech Communication, Business Administration and Political Science.  Received a Masters Degree in Speech Communication and Business Administration.  In 1991, Kit started Welchlin Communication Strategies and Seminars On Stress, providing speeches and seminars, to private and public organizations.  Kit taught part-time for 26 years for the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, where he received the Teaching Excellence Award and had been repeatedly nominated as Outstanding Faculty. He is a Professional Member of the National Speakers Association and has earned the Certified Speaker Professional designation. In 2014, Kit was inducted into the Minnesota Speakers Association Hall of Fame.  He has delivered more than 3,000 speeches and seminars to more than 500,000 people over the past 27 years.  Check out Kit's video clip and website:  https://welchlin.com/  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyD4Mevhuqk  What: April chapter gathering When: Thursday, April 15 4:00-5:15 PM Where: Zoom Virtual Meeting *** The Zoom meeting information will be distributed on the afternoon following registration cutoff.  For  security purposes, please do not share this information with any non-registered person.***  Register HERE. This event is worth 1 PDU in Leadership.    Join Us for PMI-Central Iowa Virtual Book Club    ​When: Monday March 29th, 2021 6:00pm-7:00pm Where: Virtual Zoom Meeting (Once registered, you will receive an email link and passcode at least one day before the meeting) What: Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if your Life Depended on It by Chris Voss with Tahl Raz Never Split the Difference takes you inside the world of high-stakes negotiations and into Voss’s head, revealing the skills that helped him and his colleagues succeed where it mattered most: saving lives. In this practical guide, he shares the nine effective principles—counterintuitive tactics and strategies—you too can use to become more persuasive in both your professional and personal life. How: Register at HERE. You must be logged in to register. Please have the second HALF of the book from page 140 read before the meeting. This book will be worth Strategic PDUs under Reading and Informal Learning. We look forward to seeing you!   Join us in March for Coach Kush’s signature presentation. It is also the title of his latest book. Kevin discusses what it takes to be a contributing member of a team. The presentation is ideal for in-service training to improve a staff’s ability to function as a team. Believing in the team concept Respecting everyone Overcoming adversity Handling change Demonstrating high energy Accepting feedback Being accountable and more . . . Mr. Kush has been involved in coaching and teaching for over thirty years.  Coach Kush spent 21 of those years working with at-risk youth at Boys Town in Omaha Nebraska. As a head football coach, he compiled a remarkable record of 164 wins and just 58 losses with 13 of those teams finishing in the top 10. Mr. Kush now shares his experiences with a variety of groups including teachers, youth organizations, and companies.  He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in marketing and business education, and a Master of Arts degree from the University of Nebraska in vocational and adult education. Mr. Kush was featured on ABC World News Tonight as their Person of the Week.  He is the author of 3 books: The 100 Yard Classroom,  Competing With Character and  A Piece of the Puzzle--8 Traits of a Quality Teammate. When: Thursday March 18, 4:00-5:15 pm Where: This will be a virtual event.  *** The Zoom meeting information will be distributed on the afternoon following registration cutoff.  For  security purposes, please do not share this information with any non-registered person.***  How: Register HERE. This event will be worth 1 PDU in the Leadership category. Also check out Coach Kush at this video link: https://coachkushspeaks.com/video   PMI-CIC is seeking help to support our Chapter! Anyone interested in learning about project management, looking to network with peers, and earning PDUs (yes! You can earn up to 25 PDUs as a PMP) should check out the following opportunities: Creating new or improving existing slideshows for the monthly Chapter gatherings and/or PDD promotional videos Partner with Midwest Speaker's Bureau to select speakers for PDD and/or monthly Chapter gatherings Creating new or use existing surveys to send out monthly to our Chapter gathering attendees Provide support to our PDD swag team to create a swag box to be mailed out to all attendees Join our PDD sponsorship team to help contact past sponsors to coordinate swag, speaker, and promotional plans   Contact Charity Dunwoody, VP of Marketing at vpmarketing@pmi-centraliowa.org to learn more!   Learn more about earning Giving Back PDUs!   Join Us for PMI-Central Iowa Virtual Book Club    ​When: Wed. February 24th, 2021 6:00pm-7:00pm Where: Virtual Zoom Meeting (Once registered, you will receive an email link and passcode at least one day before the meeting) What: Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if your Life Depended on It by Chris Voss with Tahl Raz Never Split the Difference takes you inside the world of high-stakes negotiations and into Voss’s head, revealing the skills that helped him and his colleagues succeed where it mattered most: saving lives. In this practical guide, he shares the nine effective principles—counterintuitive tactics and strategies—you too can use to become more persuasive in both your professional and personal life. How: Register at HERE. You must be logged in to register. Please have the first HALF of the book through page 140 read before the meeting. This book will be worth Strategic PDUs under Reading and Informal Learning. We look forward to seeing you!   Join us February 18, and earn 1 Strategic PDU! The PMI Central Iowa Chapter presents Erik Therwanger: The Goal Formula – Completing the Big Picture of Your Life in the February Chapter Gathering. ACCOMPLISH PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL GOALS How Important are Your Goals? Identify Your Greater Purpose Enhance Your Career Maximize Your Time Build Confidence From his life-changing book, The GOAL Formula, Erik will share the goal setting strategies and techniques he developed as his wife's caregiver, during her four battles with cancer. Accomplish your goals - no matter what circumstances you face. Transform Your Team Into Focused, Goal-Oriented Leaders and Learn the 5 Necessary Steps to Accomplishing any Goal. Check out Erik's video clip: https://www.thinkgreat90.com/videos/  Erik is the founder of Think GREAT and draws from his experiences as a U.S. Marine, executive business leader, sales professional, and entrepreneur to help organizations achieve new levels of success. He uniquely combines leadership development, team building, sales training, and goal-setting into strategies and techniques that empower team members and leaders to exceed expectations. Erik has inspired audiences at companies such as US Bank, Sam’s Club, Shutterfly, RE/MAX, Hubbard Broadcasting, Thomson Reuters, U.S. Foods, armed services commands ranging from the Air National Guard to the U.S. Marine Corps, charities like The American Cancer Society, law enforcement and government agencies, and organizations in the health care and education industries. Think GREAT is a Certified Veteran-Owned Business and Erik is also author of The Think GREAT Collection. Erik shares the successful, proven concepts in his six books to give individuals and organizations the competitive edge needed for achieving new levels of success. When: Thursday February 18, 4:00-5:15 pm CST Where: Virtual link to be provided to registered attendees Register HERE PMI-CIC is seeking help to support our Chapter! Anyone interested in learning about project management, looking to network with peers, and earning PDUs (yes! You can earn up to 25 PDUs as a PMP) should check out the following opportunities: Creating new or improving existing slideshows with music for the monthly Chapter gatherings Interviewing one or more PMI-CIC "Featured Members" every month and posting a short blog on our website Creating new or use existing surveys to send out monthly to our Chapter gathering attendees Learn to create monthly marketing campaigns for the Chapter   Contact Charity Dunwoody, VP of Marketing at vpmarketing@pmi-centraliowa.org to learn more!   Learn more about earning Giving Back PDUs!  Thursday February 4th, at 6:00 CST. Register at the link found below!   The PMBOK® Guide – Seventh Edition creates interesting challenges for every PMP® credential holder. Performance Domains replace Knowledge Areas. Project Delivery Principles and Value Delivery replace Process Groups. Business Environment is a whole new category. It doubles down on the Agile ‘take-over’ that started in the last edition with a complete revamp of the architecture of the Guide!      During this super-charged 1-hour Webinar Enterprise Agility Expert and three-time Amazon #1 Best Selling Author, John G. Stenbeck, PMP, CDAI, PMI-ACP, CSP, CSM, will share exactly what is driving it, what it all means and how you can use it put your career into high gear.      Everyone who attends will see why the changes were unavoidable, and how to make them favorable to their career and future. It will be especially potent for experienced PMP’s because it will outline exactly how to integrate these Agile dictums into their existing best practices.      John has spent his career investing in PMI because he believes it is the profession of the future. He wants to help you achieve the best version of your future career!  As you know, the PMBOK® Guide – Sixth Edition (2017) was ground-breaking because it included AGILE in every Knowledge Area. The PMBOK® Guide – Seventh Edition (2020) takes it even further and creates interesting challenges for every PMP® credential holder. Even the architecture of the PMBOK® Guide has changed. Performance Domains replace Knowledge Areas. Project Delivery Principles and a Value Delivery System replace Process Groups. Business Environment is a whole new category. Please visit https://johngstenbeck.leadingthebest.com/UMCW0002 to learn more and make sure to call us at 509.844.4050 with any questions. We hope you can make it!   When: Tuesday January 26th, 2021 6pm-7pm Where: Via Zoom What: Are your Lights on? How to Figure out what the Problem Really is. By Donald C. Gause and Gerald M. Weinberg “The fledgling problem solver invariably rushes in with solutions before taking time to define the problem being solved. Even experienced solvers, when subjected to social pressure, yield to this demand for haste. When they do, many solutions are found, but not necessarily to the problem at hand. Whether you are a novice or a veteran, this powerful little book will make you a more effective problem solver.” How: Register HERE. You must be logged in to register. Please have the ENTIRE book read before the meeting. This book will be worth 3 Strategic PDUs under Reading and Informal Learning.      Join us in January for words of wisdom from Michael Veltri! DECISION-MAKING MASTERY: HOW TO DELIVER STUNNING BOTTOM-LINE RESULTS Michael Veltri draws on his background as a battle-hardened business executive and decorated U.S. Marine veteran to teach CEOs and senior executives better decision-making skills that deliver stunning results. As a professional-level Japanese martial arts instructor, Veltri blends the fluid and flexible qualities of the martial arts with bleeding-edge business savvy to bring a completely fresh perspective on decision-making skills. His inspiring presentation delivers practical tools that can be used immediately to increase productivity and deliver bottom-line results.   The audience will learn to: ·         ​Master the 5 most powerful decision-making solutions that you've never heard of; ·         Build a culture that celebrates fresh thinking and embraces new decision-making ideas; ·         Implement better decision-making skills on a daily basis across all business activities and roles; ·         Avoid the 5 biggest decision-making traps that kill successful organizations; Apply best decision-making practices from successful companies worldwide. About Michael:   Michael Veltri is a leadership expert, battle-hardened business executive, and Nationwide Bestselling author. Recognizing that success in business and life is created by the daily decisions we make, Michael elevates teams, fuel-injects leadership, and improves business performance through better decision-making practices. From ancient Japanese warriors to brain science, from business titans to academic research, Michael tapped wide-ranging resources to develop a groundbreaking model for better decision making that leads to exponential leadership growth and peak performance with balance, not burnout. Simple, elegant, and effective, Michael's approach has positively impacted some of the world’s most successful organizations, brands, and leaders. Michael is also a cancer survivor, decorated U.S. Marine veteran, and master-instructor in classical Japanese martial arts. He brings his business savvy, martial arts discipline, and Marine Corps leadership to every keynote speech inspiring, motivating, and educating audiences worldwide. Check out his webiste HERE: https://michaelveltri.com/business-keynote-speaker  Where: This is a Virtual meeting; the link will be emailed to those who register When: Thursday January 21, 2021 from 4:00-5:00 pm Register HERE   Please join us for a virtual celebration!   Let's take a look back on the highlights of 2020 and thank everyone for their hard work. We have awesome volunteers in this chapter!   Afterwards, for those who wish to stay, join us for some fun and games to round out the year.   Please register no later than Tuesday December 8, 2020.   Register Here   Where: Virtual link will be provided to registrered attendees prior to the event   When: Thursday December 10, 2020 at 6:00 pm         The PMI Central Iowa Chapter is excited to present Alex Weber! Alex will be sharing how to turn failure into success at our November gathering. We all face obstacles, setbacks, and failures, and we all have fears about our future. Challenges will always be there, and how we respond to these challenges is everything. What we do about it, how we lead ourselves, and how we lead others decides our success. As a TEDx Official said, "Alex has discovered a way to create positive impact from difficult times in our lives." Alex is an expert in turning faulire into success.      Virtual demo reel:  https://vimeo.com/422902552       Alex Weber is an international speaker, award-winning performer, and American Ninja Warrior. Alex is also a World Record holder, 5x TEDx speaker, World Champion athlete, and one of the youngest coaches ever to be awarded US Lacrosse Coach of the Year. Transforming and empowering audiences live and through media around the world, Alex has positively impacted over 3.5 million people and worked with major companies like NBC, LinkedIn, Under Armour, University of Pennsylvania, Los Angeles Lakers, AirBnB, Stanford School of Business, and more! Alex is highly sought after for his unique combination of uplifting energy, riveting storytelling, and powerfully igniting audineces to lead beyond fears, failures, and challenges to achieve their goals!   When: Thursday, November 19 from 5:45pm-7:30pm Where: Virtual Register HERE.             PMI-CIC October Education Event and Networking: Creating High Performing Teams with Ronee Andersen A group of people on a team doesn't make them effective. There are important attributes that a team needs to be effective. Session highlights include: The #1 thing high performing teams have in common How to set up teams to reach their full potential When: Thursday October 15, from 4:00-5:15 pm  Where: Virtual Event Register HERE. During this invigorating event, the following items will be discussed: the #1 thing high performing teams have in common, how to set up teams to reach their full potential, why it's okay to have healthy disagreements and how they can be productive for the team, the case for having cognitive diverse teams, the importance of feeling psychologically safe within the team and the keys to effective communication.  RONEE ANDERSEN, MBA, SPHR, CTACC Ronee brings 20 years of progressive human resources experience in the private and public sectors in companies ranging in size from 50 to 6,000 employees.  Her focus has been in the banking and biotech industries. She, also, has experience helping build and taking a company public on NASDAQ.  Ronee has held positions from HR Officer to Senior HR Director.  Ronee has a bachelor’s in Social Science, MBA with an emphasis in Human Resources. She has her Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certification and an Advanced Certificate in Strategic Human Resources from Cornell University.  She is a certified coach through Coach Training Alliance (CTACC).   She is an avid learner and is always taking steps to grow personally and professionally.  Leaders, teams, individual contributors and an organization’s company culture can have a dramatic impact on the success or failure of a company.  Ronee is very passionate about creating leaders, teams, and cultures that solve problems and bring a positive impact to the bottom-line. This session is worth 1 Strategy PDU.   No time to hesitate! Last day to register for PDD 2020 is Friday, September 18th!! Hurry! BIO: Randy Dean, the “E-mail Sanity Expert” TM, is a professional speaker and expert on time & e-mail management, effective organization, and the related use of technology. For more than 20 years, Randy has been leading training and speaking programs for major corporate, university, association, and government audiences. Obsessed with time management and personal productivity, he left a successful career as a graduate program admissions director, professional marketer, and manager to become a leading speaker and trainer. The author of the recent Amazon bestseller, Taming the E-mail Beast, he has led programs for thousands of satisfied and inspired students, managers, and professionals on being more productive with their time and life. His highly informative and entertaining speaking and training programs leave audience members with immediately-usable tools, strategies, and skills on how to better manage their time, technology, and information overload following their program experience. About the Session: From Distracted to Productive In this new program reflecting our current times with the coronavirus outbreak, Randy Dean, MBA, The E-mail Sanity Expert®, has modified his very popular program on From Distracted to Productive to include strategies for “Work from Home”. He will take his 16+ years of working from a home office and leading multiple client meetings and webinars virtually, and provide you with tips that can greatly help increase your productivity and effectiveness with both, while reducing distraction from family, kids, dogs, etc. We'll discuss critical set up, equipment, software, tools, and apps that will make your work from home experience consistently more productive andless distracting. We will also discuss a few critical tips for running and/or attending online virtual meetings so they can be more useful and effective, as well as your traditional distractions like e-mail, texts, social, smart phones, and more. All in a quick webinar program! Session Category: Strategic Register HERE!Bio: Patty Hendrickson is a booked and busy speaker. She delivers high-energy and interactive 45-minute to 3-hour programs with upbeat visuals but NO PowerPoint overload. People engage in her solid content through experiential activities, short video clips, conversation, data, stories and reflective processes. Whether the audience is live or virtual, robust conversations and engagement are always included. Her mantra of “None of us are as smart as all of us” is felt throughout her programs. Live with small discussion groups or virtual with breakout rooms, the fellowship and camaraderie make a big difference. In 2000, she earned the prestigious designation of Certified Speaking Professional from the National Speakers Association. Patty is an award-winning speaker, organizational leader, and author with a Masters of Business Administration. She is most proud of her business with over 90% repeat and referral clients. Since 1987, she’s spoken to more than a million people. Clients often say – Patty’s energy inspires, so her message sticks! About the Session: What’s Your Leadership Legacy? – Making Work Meaningful at a Distance This upbeat and highly interactive session will feature at least four strategies to reengage with team members. Meaningful work happens when talent, training and tasksmeet. YOU play an enormous role in bringing these three elements together. Comeexplore these actionable tools and hear “what’s working” from others. Session Category: Leadership Register HERE!PMI-CIC would like to announce our 2021 Election results! Our Chapter will remain in good hands in the year 2021 with the addition of the following individuals in leadership roles: Brent Humphries - President-Elect Jim Allen - VP of Membership and Volunteerism Lejla Frazee - VP of Operations Navigate to our Home page to learn more about these members who are ensuring the success of our Chapter and giving back to the Project Management Community HERE!  Sinikka Waugh is a longtime member and supporter of this Chapter. Sinikka is a known “people-ist” who likes to describe herself as part trainer, part motivational speaker! See her short video HERE. Bio: Sinikka Waugh is a recognized leader in understanding people and in adapting tools, techniques, and processes to meet the demands of the situation at hand. As a popular presenter and trainer, her energetic and engaging style drives home the art and science of making business better for individuals, teams, and organizations.As a project manager, business analyst, facilitator, and coach, Sinikka is known for consistently helping teams find innovative ways to solve problems and get things done, and her results-driven professionalism blends seamlessly with her down-to-earth, “try this now” approach.   Sinikka holds a BA from Central College, an MA from the University of Iowa, and is a certified Project Management Professional through the Project Management Institute and has been a longtime supporter of the PMI Central Iowa Chapter.  President and Founder of the Central Iowa training and coaching company Your Clear Next Step, Sinikka works every day to help people have better work days so they can have better evenings and better weekends, and so they can contribute their discretionary time to helping build better communities and a better tomorrow. About the Session:  Don’t just manage projects, manage them as an emotionally intelligent project manager. Join engaging presenter Sinikka Waugh as she packs an hour full of tips and relatable stories and lessons learned on how to make sure that as a Project Manager, you’re maximizing your emotional intelligence throughout the project lifecycle.  Each phase in the project lifecycle offers its own unique challenges to those who are working on it, and a one-size-fits-all approach simply won’t work for all your stakeholders throughout the lifecycle.  Learn not only how to adjust your leadership approach and messaging for the people, but more compellingly, what’s top of mind and top of moods for them at the specific moments of the project lifecycle.  Whether you’re following a traditional waterfall approach, a highly iterative agile approach, or anything in between, these tips help you leverage the best of emotional intelligence and lifecycle management to move yourself, every member of your project team, and your key stakeholders forward in a powerfully positive way. From the first stages of ideation and initiation, when the glimmer of an idea is started, these proven tips help you understand where: others are coming from and how to help the project start off on the right foot. During planning, whether for the product roadmap or the project or the sprint, these techniques help you bring out the best in everyone involved in the planning effort, and set the stage for those who will consume the plan. During the ongoing monitoring and controlling of the execution, whether waterfall or iterative, these approaches help you keep the work moving forward effectively and with a spirit of continuous improvement. During the often-unfairly-minimized moments of closing, these insights in will help you and the project participants finish strong. By attending this session, participants will gain practical, applicable ways to connect with stakeholders throughout the project lifecycle in a way that applies effective emotional intelligence and increases the success of the project. Session Category: Technical Register HERE!   Bio: Erik is the founder of Think GREAT and draws from his experiences as a U.S. Marine, executive business leader, sales professional, and entrepreneur to help organizations achieve new levels of success. He uniquely combines leadership development, team building, sales training, and goal-setting into strategies and techniques that empower team members and leaders to exceed expectations. Erik has inspired audiences at companies such as US Bank, Sam’s Club, Shutterfly, RE/MAX, Hubbard broadcasting, Thomson Reuters, U.S. Foods, armed services commands ranging from the Air National Guard tothe U.S. Marine Corps, charities like The American Cancer Society, law enforcement and government agencies, and organizations in the health care and education industries. Think GREAT is a Certified Veteran-Owned Business and Erik is also author of The Think GREAT Collection. Erik shares the successful, proven concepts in his six books to give individuals and organizations the competitive edge needed for achieving new levels of success. Session: Strategic Planning Session Category: Strategic   Bio: Dr. Celina Peerman currently serves as an organizational psychologist with over 27 years of experience from front line to senior level positions, in a wide range of industries and organizations. She is passionate about engaging our human resources in new ways to achieve even better organizational results. Celina is a strategist with a sense of humor and a love for building capacity in organizations. She has presented at numerous conferences for local, state, and national audiences. Her work in Southeast Asia, Canada and Central America give additional operations experience, further developing her strong international interests with the ability to walk into every type of company daily to learn firsthand the challenges and opportunities to build better performance.Celina holds a Ph.D. in Psychology, a master’s degree in business, with undergraduate degrees in psychology and international studies. She sees over 250 groups a year: including over 6000 people in 2019, large groups, small groups, and even one-on-one learning about the opportunities and challenges we face every day with leadership, strategy, and workplace behavior. Sessions: Holding Others Accountable Through Troubled WatersEveryone makes mistakes, but not everyone will admit it when they do. In this time of change and uncertainty, this can be even harder. This session includes a discussion about how to create a culture where people feel they can admit mistakes, take responsibility for them, apologize for them, and learn from them. Leaders must do and model this every day. Learn more about steps to take to show this to others and the words to say when you or your employees lack accountability.Increasing Your Effectiveness as a PM - Action Steps for Improving CompetenciesDemand for effective project management is increasing. What does it take to move interest to skills and skills to competencies? Come join us for action steps to improve your skills. How can you actually become a more effective leader? What does it take to improve technical project management skills? What can you do to increase your strategic and business acumen? Pick up new insights from our speaker to move your professional expertise to the next level and make an even bigger impact with your team. Session Categories: Leadership and Technical, respectively in the Talent Triangle Register Here!   AmyK is a speaker, author, trainer, coach, master communicator, and cool Aunt! Check out her video HERE! Bio: AmyK Hutchens is an international award-winning speaker, Amazon bestselling author and has over 19 years’ experience training, coaching and consulting. With over 75+ speaking events per year for clients such as Starbucks Canada, Expedia, Lockheed Martin, Securian Financial, IBM, Wells Fargo, Walmart, John Paul Mitchell Systems, and many more, AmyK travels the world helping leaders become Master Communicators so they can lead, innovate, sell and collaborate more effectively. One. Conversation. At. A. Time. As a featured contributor for Entrepreneur magazine and with her brand new book, GET IT: Five Steps to the Sex, Salary and Success You Want, AmyK teaches executives, biz owners, influencers and go-getters how to get the EXACT results they desire without saying something they regret, giving their power away or damaging relationships along the way. AmyK received her M.S. from Johns Hopkins University and has been a featured guest on numerous TV and radio networks including Bloomberg, NBC and ABC. She resides in San Diego, CA. Session Category: Leadership Talent Triangle Register Here! John Register, a born athlete who has overcome adversity will inspire you! Check out his video HERE. Bio:  John has been featured on television shows such as PAX's "It's a Miracle," MSNBC's "Morning Blend," NBC's "the Weekend Today Show," and FOX's "The Edge." He has been featured in the Washington Post, the New York Times, and the Chicago Tribune. John was also invited to give not just one, but two TEDx talks. Consultant / Advisor for The United States Olympic and Paralympic CommitteeJohn founded the United States Olympic Committees Paralympic Military Sports Program, which showed wounded, ill, and injured service members how to use sports as a tool for their rehabilitation. His program was the impetus for the DoD Warrior Games and Prince Harry's Invictus Games. John was also called to assist USA Bobsled to embrace a new normal mindset by building positive team dynamics before the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. Team USA faced many challenges before the games. John researched the unique challenges facing the Olympic team and brought a new perspective that united the team toward their common goal.  John's Story: From Olympic hopeful, to an amputee in a single week. On May 17th, 1994 at 5:29 pm, John was a four-time all-American collegiate track athlete, a two-time Olympic Trials Qualifier, and an Olympic hopeful in the 400m hurdles. On May 17th, 1994 at 5:30 pm, John would never run another hurdle in his life.  While training to be an Olympic hurdler, one misstep in a practice session left him with a life-changing choice: Live the rest of his life in a wheelchair or amputate his left leg. John chose amputation and was fitted with a prosthesis. For any other athlete, this would have been devastating. John found a way to embrace a new normal mindset. He rehabilitated by swimming. 22 months later he made the Paralympic swim team. It was at the Paralympic Games, in Atlanta, John was introduced to Paralympic track and field. Four years later, he won the Paralympic silver medal in the long jump in Sydney, Australia. His keynote address, "Hurdling Adversity: Embrace the New Normal," takes a deep dive into three areas which lead us from fear to freedom. Inspiring others to elevate.John has coined the phrase, "inspirational is the catalyst to motivation. Motivation causes action. John's ability to pinpoint what paralyzes us to move beyond our fears and release us to action has inspired and transformed audiences across 4 continents. Session Category: Leadership Talent Triangle Register Here!    Waldo Waldman is known as “The Wingman.” Check out his Video! Bio: Lt Col (ret.) Waldo Waldman is the author of National Bestseller Never Fly Solo. He helps organizations build collaborative cultures of trust, courage and commitment in order to adapt to change, break performance barriers, and overcome adversity. Decorated Fighter Pilot. New York Times Bestselling Author. Hall of Fame Speaker. In addition to his time in the military, Waldo has real world corporate sales experience and is an expert on changemanagement and resilience – having overcome a fear of heights and claustrophobia to achieve his dream of becoming a fighter pilot. His compelling stories and tactics on overcoming adversity, performing under pressure and servant-based leadership are extremely relevant to organizations who are going through disruptive change and seeking to build a “One Team, One Mission” culture of excellence and trust. Waldo is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and also holds an MBA with a focus on Organizational Behavior. He is an inductee into the Professional Speakers Hall of Fame, and is the founder of The Wingman Foundation whose mission is to build funds and awareness for veterans and their families in need. He has been featured on CNN, Fox News, Inc. Magazine, and The Harvard Business Review, and his clients include Verizon,American Express, GE, The Denver Broncos, ExxonMobil, New York Life, Siemens, Merck, and dozens of national associations. Session: Waldo will be our Keynote Speaker on Day 2, Friday, September 25th at 11:05am. His session is titled Crisis Leadership. During his interactive program, Waldo shares combat tested tools and techniqueson managing change, performing under pressure, and building trustingrelationships to help cultivate resilience, courage and focus during challengingtimes. Leaders will learn: How to leverage one’s mindset to maintain focus amidst uncertainty The three steps peak performers take to face adversity with courage Tactics to cultivate resilience and confidence to lead under pressure How to grow influence and impact with customers, coworkers and partners Session Category: Leadership Talent Triangle Register Here!     Announcing the agenda for this year's Professional Development Day (PDD)! The agenda for the 2020 PDD is now available! You can access it on the PMI CIC website at https://pmi-centraliowa.org/2020pddpmicentraliowa DATES: Thursday September 24, 12:30 pm - 5:45 pm and Friday September 25, 7:30 am - 12:15 pm Registration ends on September 18, 2020  COST: Early Bird Registration is available now through August 31, 2020! $175 Member Early Bird, $225 Non-Member Early Bird, and $75 Student  Beginning September 1, 2020, $225 Member, $275 Non-Member, and $75 Student  WHY SHOULD I ATTEND PDD? PDU’s – Earn 8 PDUs to help maintain your PMP® certification. Learn – Gain valuable new skills for your toolbox from accredited industry experts and leaders. Grow – Be challenged to think outside the box with what you have learned and apply those skills to your career. QUESTIONS?  Please email all questions to dirpdd@pmi-centraliowa.org. Search https://pmi-centraliowa.org/, our Blog https://pmi-centraliowa.org/blog, or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/centraliowapmi/ for the latest PDD updates! Register Here!   Register Now for the PMI CIC Professional Development Day (PDD) 2020! 2020 PMI Central Iowa - Professional Development Day Navigating Uncertainty Without the element of uncertainty, the bringing off of even, the greatest business triumph would be dull, routine, and eminently unsatisfying. - J. Paul Getty Early Bird Registration is available now through August 31, 2020 $175.00 Early Bird Member, $225.00 Early Bird Non-Member, Student $75 Register: PMI-CIC 2020 PDD Registration When: Event is two half days - Sept 24 PM and September 25 AM Where: Virtual More Information: 2020 PDD Info and Agenda       Join us for Professional Development Day 2020! This year's PMI Central Iowa Chapter PDD will be virtual for the first time ever! Please plan to join us this September for two half-day sessions of professional speakers addressing timely and relevant topics to help you Navigate Uncertainty in today's environment. When: Thursday September 24, 1:00 pm - 6:30 pm and Friday September 25, 7:45 am - 12:30 pm Where: Virtual Cost: $200 for August registrations, $225 for September registrations, $250 for September late registrations Online registration coming soon! SAVE THE DATE! Professional Development Day 2020   Yes, we are having a Professional Development Day this year. This year’s event will be all virtual for the First Time Ever!   This year’s theme, “Navigating Uncertainty,”  is very fitting given the events we have experienced over the last 7 months.   To accommodate our members better we are trying something else new this year. Why not - it's 2020…  We will be having the event in 2 sessions this year: the first session in the afternoon of September 24, 2020, and the second session in the morning of September 25, 2020.   Look for a lower price this year.   More details to come this month!   ARE YOU INTERESTED IN MEETING AND WORKING WITH YOUR PROJECT MANAGEMENT PEERS?   Do you have a desire to be more involved with YOUR local PMI Chapter?  Become a volunteer leader and serve on the PMI-CIC Board of Directors! Nominate yourself or nominate another PMI-CIC Member interested in serving in a PMI-CIC Board position. Please submit your nomination(s) to PMI-CIC Nominations Committee by email at nominationscommittee@pmi-centraliowa.org  by July 31, 2020 @ 5:00 p.m. CT.   PMI CENTRAL IOWA CHAPTER IS SEEKING NOMINATIONS FOR THE FOLLOWING 2021 ELECTED BOARD ROLES.    *President- Elect - 3 -1-year term commitments; requires commitment to the full three years  Vice President of Membership & Volunteerism (2-year term) Vice President of Operations (2-year term)   *President Elect is a three-year commitment filling the following three one-year term positions: President Elect, President, and Immediate Past President.   ELECTION TIMELINE: CALL FOR NOMINATIONS BY Monday, June 15, 2020 NOMINATIONS CLOSE 5:00 PM CT Friday, July 17, 2020 SLATE OF NOMINEES SENT TO ELECTRONIC VOTING PROVIDER BY Friday, July 24, 2020 ONLINE BALLOT INSTRUCTIONS EMAILED TO MEMBERS IN GOOD STANDING BY Friday, August 7, 2020 ONLINE BALLOT VOTING CLOSED 5:00 PM CT Friday, August 28, 2020 BALLOT VALIDATION COMPLETED BY Thu. September 24, 2020 VOTING RESULTS ANNOUNCED TO MEMBERS BY Mon. September 28, 2020 2021 ELECTED & APPOINTED BOARD MEMBERS TAKE OFFICE Friday, January 1, 2021   OFFICE TERMS & ELIGIBILITY Nominees must be members in good standing with PMI Central Iowa.  PMI-Central Iowa Chapter members in good standing as of July 31, 2020 will be eligible to vote for the board positions up for election in 2020. Terms of office for elected positions (exception for the offices of President and President-Elect) shall be [2], limited to [2] consecutive terms in the same position, and no more than [4] consecutive terms on the Board in general. The Offices of President and President-Elect are open only to members who have served previously in one of the Board of Director officer positions, either on the PMI-CIC Board or at another PMI Component Chapter, for a minimum of twelve (12) consecutive months. No past President is eligible to become President or President-Elect for three (3) years after his/her most recently expired term as President. Chapter by-laws, and additional documents can be found on the PMI-CIC website at https://pmi-centraliowa.org/documents. Detailed position descriptions and appointed director roles can be found on the  PMI-CIC website at https://pmi-centraliowa.org/board-position.   BRIEF ROLE DESCRIPTIONS FOR OPEN ELECTED BOARD ROLES                                                                                                     The President-Elect shall keep the records of all business meetings of the Chapter and meetings of the Board, maintain the policies, procedures, processes, and position descriptions of the Board, and utilize parliamentary procedures to conduct all meetings of the Board. The President-Elect will represent the President in meetings where the President is not present.  The Vice President of Membership & Volunteerism is a voting member of the Board responsible for overseeing the team that develops and implements PMI-CIC’s membership and volunteer plan, which ensures continued growth and retention and focuses on active participation of the membership base through volunteerism to PMI-CIC, PMI®, and the project management industry. The Vice President of Operations is responsible for the processes related to the ongoing, internal operations of the PMI-CIC, including oversight of legal and contractual agreements, records management, controlling and accounting for PMI-CIC assets and is responsible for fulfilling the technology requirements of the PMI-CIC.   NOMINATION PROCESS A Nominating Committee shall prepare a slate containing nominees for each Board position and shall determine the eligibility and willingness of each nominee to stand for election. Candidates for Board positions may also be nominated by petition process established by the Nominating Committee or the Board. Elections shall be conducted: (a) during the annual meeting of the membership; or (b) by mail ballot to all voting members in good standing; or (c) by electronic vote in compliance with the legal jurisdiction. The candidate who receives a majority of votes cast for each office shall be elected. Ballots shall be counted by the Nominating Committee or by tellers designated by the Board.     IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THOSE RUNNING FOR OFFICE In accordance with PMI® policies, practices, procedures, rules and directives, no funds or resources of PMI® or the PMI-CIC may be used to support the election of any candidate or group of candidates for PMI®, PMI-CIC or public office. No other type of organized electioneering, communications, fund-raising, or other organized activity on behalf of a candidate shall be permitted. The PMI-CIC Nominating Committee, or other applicable body designated by the PMI-CIC, will be the sole distributor(s) of all election materials for PMI-CIC elected positions. Nominees, as a condition of expressing their interest in being a nominee, will submit a signed statement verifying that they have read, understand, and agree to abide by these policies and rules. This includes the following statement: “As a condition of my potential nomination or candidacy, I agree that I will not initiate, encourage, accept or endorse conduct on behalf of my potential nomination or candidacy which is in violation of the policy relating to the election as adopted by the PMI-CIC. To violate this policy may result in revocation of my nomination by petition or candidacy for office.”     Hello,   Registration closes on TOMORROW… June 9th and you know: As a PMP® you benefit from having PMI’s Disciplined Agile certification The PMI-DA certification is for serious professionals who want the best career possible The Chapter’s collaboration with GR8PM is making this simpler and easier for YOU!   We are all wondering, “Have you decided?” Will you improve your career by design…or wait for it to happen by accident? Will you leverage the enterprise agility opportunity or get crushed FAANG?   You do not have to be a PMP or a Scrum Master to get great value out of this Enterprise Agile class special. That is why the Chapter is collaborating with GR8PM to bring it to YOU!   We are offering 3 classes, all delivered virtually in 3.5-blocks, so you can take them from the comfort of your in-home office while you are sheltering-in-place. The classes and schedule are: GR8PM Lean Fundamentals (2 Sessions) at 07:30AM on Tues/Thurs, 06/16 & 06/18 GR8PM Agile Fundamentals (2 Sessions) at 03:30PM on Mon/Weds, 06/22 & 06/24 PMI’s DA Lean Scrum Master (4 Sessions) at 07:30AM on Tues - Fri, 07/07-07/10   The Registration closes TOMORROW… June 9th! But you can still use the Member Code PMICIC-50 during checkout to save an additional $50 off the DA Lean Scrum Master class!   Register now at https://www.gr8pm.com/dalsm-2020-07.   The PMI-CIC Board wants to help you maximize your career. We hope you agree this Disciplined Agile certification opportunity does that. Get more info on our website or go to https://www.gr8pm to sign up.   Best regards,   Jeff   Jeff Tuttle, PMI-Central Iowa Vice President, Professional Development   PS – You can check out video #5 at https://vimeo.com/416465493.   PSS – And videos #1 thru #4 at https://vimeo.com/416461324 and https://vimeo.com/416462766 and https://vimeo.com/416463990 and https://vimeo.com/416464679.   PMI-CIC: Dan Pink, Enterprise Agile & YOU! Hello,   Did you know that the research in Dan Pink’s renown book “DRiVE” revealed part of why Agile works? In DRiVE he revealed the core principle that Knowledge Workers – the kind you have on your teams – are motivated by Autonomy, Master and Purpose. If you want to AMP your team up, then be sure they have Autonomy, Master and Purpose. Coincidentally, enterprise agility pivots to success by integrating best practices that deliver those 3 elements!   But there are three questions you should be asking yourself.   * Am I one of those successful PMP®s using core Agile practices without knowing it? * Am I waiting for an “Important and Urgent” crisis – like an unexpected “career transition” – to force me to invest in myself? * Do I really think that Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Google, (FAANG) haven’t changed my customer’s expectations and therefore my career needs?   Opportunity knocks, but it does so softly. Are you listening?   You do not have to be a PMP or a Scrum Master to get great value out of this Enterprise Agile class special. That is why the Chapter is collaborating with GR8PM to bring it to YOU!   We are offering 3 classes, all delivered virtually in 3.5-blocks, so you can take them from the comfort of your in-home office while you are sheltering-in-place. The classes and schedule are: GR8PM Lean Fundamentals (2 Sessions) at 7:30AM on Tues/Thurs, 06/16 & 06/18 GR8PM Agile Fundamentals (2 Sessions) at 3:30PM on Mon/Weds, 06/22 & 06/24 PMI’s DA Lean Scrum Master (4 Sessions) at 7:30AM on Tues - Fri, 07/07-07/10   The Member Early Bird prices EXPIRE TODAY… Friday, May 22nd! GR8PM Lean Fundamentals, 7 PDUs, and Member Early Bird for only $197 GR8PM Agile Fundamentals, 7 PDUs, and Member Early Bird for only $197 PMI’s DA Lean Scrum Master, 14 PDUs, and Member Early Bird for only $697   Register now at https://www.gr8pm.com/dalsm-2020-07.  And use the Member Code PMICIC-50 during checkout to save an additional $50 off the DA Lean Scrum Master class!   The PMI-CIC Board is committed to helping your career flourish. We believe this Disciplined Agile certification opportunity does that. Get more info on our website or go to https://www.gr8pm to sign up.   Best regards, Jeff Jeff Tuttle, PMI-Central Iowa Vice President, Professional Development   PS – By now you know, you can check out video #4 at https://vimeo.com/416464679. PSS – And videos #1, #2 and #3 at https://vimeo.com/416461324 and https://vimeo.com/416462766 and https://vimeo.com/416463990.   PMI-CIC: Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix & Google Agree   Hello,   Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, and Google - respectfully referred to as "FAANG!" - agree they have altered customers' expectations! The marketplace has changed - past tense - and Agile is here; just ask PMI. The PMBOK® Guide - Sixth Edition validated it. More than 30,000 PMI-ACP® certifications confirmed it! Acquiring the Disciplined Agile Consortium and pouring a ton of resources and a bucket-load of money into Disciplined Agile (DA) certifications and marketing guarantees it!   For PM professionals, having a PMP® credential gets you the interview; but knowing what you know about Agile gets you the job! That is so because the FAANG effect means you must wield influence with sophistication supported by proven principles - Lean principles!   Are you among the many successful PMP®s using Progressive Elaboration, Rolling Wave Planning and Decomposition without knowing they are core Agile practices?!?   The Chapter is collaborating with GR8PM to bing you an Enterprise Agile class special.   We are offering 3 classes, all delivered virtually in 3.5-blocks, so you can take them from the comfort of your in-home office while you are sheltering in-place. The classes and schedule are: GR8PM Lean Fundamentals (2 Sessions) at 7:30 AM on Tues/Thurs, 06/16 & 06/18 GR8PM Agile Fundamentals (2 Sessions) at 3:30 PM on Mon/Weds, 06/22 & 06/24 PMI's DA Lean Scrum Master (4 Sessions) at 7:30 AM on Tues-Fri, 07/07-07/10   Hurry to get the Member Early Bird price and save a bundle... it expires on Friday, May 22nd! GR8PM Lean Fundamentals, 7 PDUs, and Member Early Bird for only $197 GR8PM Agile Fundamentals, 7 PDUs, and Member Early Bird for only $197 PMI's DA Lean Scrum Master, 14 PDUs, and Member Ealry Bird for only $697   Register now at https://www.gr8pm.com and use the Member Code PMICIC-50 during checkout to save an additional $50 off the DA Lean Scrum Master class!   The PMI-CIC Board is working hard to help you stay one step ahead of the crowd. We hope you see this Disciplined Agile certification opportunity as evidence of that. Get more info on our website or go to https://www.gr8pm.com/dalsm-2020-07 to sign up.   Best regards,   Jeff   Jeff Tuttle, PMI-Central iowa Vice President, Professional Development   P.S. If you like, you can check out video #3 at https://vimeo.com/416463990.    P.S.S. - If you missed video #1 or #2 you can find them at https://vimeo.com/416461324 and https://vimeo.com/416462766.        PMI-CIC: Quick Alert - Getting 28 PDUs, virtually, ASAP   Hello,   It's official. Agile is here to stay. The PMBOK® Guide - Sixth Edition added Agile in every Knowledge Area. The PMI-ACP® certification became the fastest growing certification in PMI history. Now PMI has "doubled down" with the acquisition of the Disciplined Agile Consortium and plans for a huge marketing campaign to make the world aware that Disciplined Agile (DA) is an amazing Scaled Agile Toolkit for unleashing enterprise success.   Will you benefit... or get left behind?   In addition, the great news is that Discplined Agile (DA) is NOT the same old, tired anti-PMI agile snake oil you may have seen in the past! It is an amazing, integrate toolkit of Lean principles and practices, and project management wisdom (old and new), brought together in a practitioner's toolkit that makes you more effective and more efficient!   Browse to this 7 minute video, "DA and Every Required Mistake",  to see for yourself (https://vimeo.com/416461324).   How is it that many successful PMP®s use Progressive Elaboration, Rolling Wave Planning and Decomposition without knowing they are core Agile practices?!?   That is why the Chapter is collaborating with GR8PM to bring you an Enterprise Agile class special.   We are offering 3 classes, all delivered virtually, in 3.5 hour blocks so you can take them from the comfort of your in-home office while you are sheltering in place. The classes and schedule are: GR8PM Lean Fundamentals (2 Sessions) at 7:30 AM on Tues/Thurs, 06/16 &06/18 GR8PM Agile Fundamentals (2 Sessions) at 3:30 PM on Mon/Weds, 06/22 & 06/24 PMI's DA Lean Scrum Master (4 Sessions) at 7:30 AM on Tues-Fri, 07/07-07/10   Grab the Early Bird price and you save a bundle! GR8PM Lean Fundamentals, 7 PDUs, and Member Early Bird for only $197 GR8PM Agile Fundamentals, 7 PDUs, and Member Early Bird for only $197 PMI's DA Lean Scrum Master, 14 PDUs, and Member Early Bird for only $697   Register now at https://www.gr8pm.com.  And use the Memebr code PMICIC-50 during checkout to save an additional $50 off the DA Lean Scrum Master class!   The PMI CIC Board want to help you maximize your career with a Disciplined Agile certification. We hope you agree these classes can do that. Get more information on our website or go to https://www.gr8pm.com/dalsm-2020-07 to sign up.    Best regards,   Jeff   Jeff Tuttle, PMI-Central Iowa Vice President, Professional Development   P.S.  If you liked that first video, check out video #2 at https://vimeo.com/416462766.     PMI-CIC: Quick Update – Enterprise Agile Class Special (28 PDUs)   Hello I'll keep this brief. If you had to bet on which of two identical farmers wins - the one who fertilizes their crops or the one who doesn't - which would you choose? It is obvious that those who invest in their career win; and btw, regular small doses of fertilizer work better than huge doses when you find yourself unexpectedly in transition. Simple truths, and the Central Iowa Chapter wants to make then easy for you to apply. PMI is pouring a ton of resources, and soon a huge marketing campaign, into making the world aware that Disciplined Agile (DA) is an amazing Scaled Agile Toolkit for unleashing enterprise success. That is why the Central Iowa Chapter is bringing you an Enterprise Agile class special with 28 PDUs available... and the path to becoming a PMI Certified Disciplined Agile Practitioner (CDAP)... soon to be the hottest certification in PMI history according to our partner, GR8PM.  We are offering 3 classes, all delivered virtually in 3.5 hour blocks, so you can take them from the comfort of your in-home office while you are sheltering-in-place. The classes and schedule are: GR8PM Lean Fundamentals (2 sessions) at 7:30 AM on Tues/Thurs, 06/16 & 6/18 GR8PM Agile Fundamentals (2 sessions) at 3:30 PM on Mon/Weds, 6/22 & 6/24 PMI's DA Lean Scrum Master (4 sessions) at 7:30 AM on Tues-Fri, 7/7-7/10 Grab the Member Early Bird price and you save a bundle! GR8PM Lean Fundamentals, 7 PDUs, and Memebr Early Bird for only $197! GR8PM Agile Fundamentals, 7 PDUs, and Member Early Bird for only $197! PMI's DA Lean Scrum Master, 14 PDUs, and Member Early Bird for only $697! Register now HERE and use the Member Code PMICIC-50 during checkout to save an additional $50 off the DA Lean Scrum Master class! The PMI CIC Board wants to help you maximize your career with a Disciplined Agile certification. Best regards, Jeff   Jeff Tuttle PMI Central Iowa Chapter Vice President, Professional Development PS -  If you want to understand the details of Disciplined Agile certification, please view the video HERE.   7 Sentences to Propel Your Project Management Career Forward   A brief excerpt from a new Your Clear Next Steps class being offered in 2020, Advanced Collaboration, this one-hour session features seven sentences that will propel you forward in your career. With phrases such as "Communication is..." "I have not arrived..." "Think forward..." and "I spy..." among others, this session includes a handful of very tactical tools you can apply every day to help you reflect on how your actions, collaboration, and communication today are helping you achieve the goals you've set for your own development, and to improve your application of emotional intelligence every single day.   Especially for Project Managers, communication and collaboration are critical to our success and to our continued advancement in the profession and in our careers, and emotional intelligence continues to be a game changer for those who want to succeed. No matter where you are in your career, and no matter how you spend your day, you're sure to find value in these simple, useful tips, punctutated with engaging stories and relevant application, brought to you by an engaging and passionate developer of people.    When: Thursday May 21, 3:00-5:00 pm Where: Virtual Meeting via Zoom, Register HERE Cost: Free   Sinikka Waugh is a recognized leader in understanding people and in adapting tools, techhniques, and processes to meet the demands of the situation at hand. As a popular presenter and trainer, her energetic and engaging style drives home the art and science of making business better for individuals, teams, and organizations.   As a project manager, business analyst, facilitator, and coach, Sinnika is known for consistently helping teams find innovative ways to solve problems and get things done. Her results-driven professionalism blends seamlessly with her down-to-earth, "try this now" approach. Sinikka holds a BA from Central College, an MA in from the University of Iowa, is a certified Project Management Professional through the Project Manangement Institute, and has been a long time supporter of the PMI Central Iowa Chapter. President and Founder of the central Iowa training and coaching company, Your Clear Next Step, Sinikka works every day to help people have better work days so they can have better evenings and better weekends, and so they can contribute their discretionary time to helping build better communities and a better tomorrow.      Thank you to all who were able to participate in our April Focus on Agile Session.  It was great to get John Stenbeck’s insights on how to keep our EPMO focused on our stakeholder’s needs and how Disciplined Agile can complement and even enhance an organization's implementation of agile. We do want to apologize to those who tried to join the event and were not able to because we experienced some issues with Zoom. To address this, we hope to make a recording of both hours available to everyone who registered. For additional lessons learned, we look forward to receiving your feedback when you respond to the survey. Finally, note that the chapter will not be reporting PDUs for the event, therefore, if you participated on April 16th, or eventually listened to the recording, and would like to receive 2  Technical PDUs, you can report them at the following URL https://ccrs.pmi.org/claim.  The following is information you will need to provide: Education - Organization Meetings Activity Title: PMI Central Iowa Chapter April Virtual Meeting: A Focus on Agile in April Date Started: 16 Apr 2020 Date Completed: 16 Apr 2020  The PMI Central Iowa Chapter Board wants to thank you all for your commitment to excellent Project Management.  Instead of our normal in person monthly Education Event, PMI Central Iowa Chapter is holding a special 2 hour April Virtual Education Event, and with the extra challenges the world is currently facing, this will be a free event.  First Hour: "If, When & How to Implement Enterprise Agility and an ePMO" with John Stenbeck… and John has done it again.  He truly does have his finger on the pulse of project management, Agile, and the ePMO.  With this presentation, we will be better able to arm ourselves with the knowledge to make our Enterprises, including ePMOs, more Agile. Second Hour: Since PMI’s recent acquisition, Disciplined Agile, is creating quite a buzz in the project management community, John Stenbeck will cover “Integrating PMI’s Disciplined Agile with SAFe, Scrum@Scale, and Other Agile Strategies”.  So, no matter which of the following strategies you have chosen as your Way of Working (WoW): Scrum, SAFe, Scrum@Scale, Lean, Kanban, XP, etc., find out how Disciplined Agile can help you optimize your WoW! John Stenbeck, PMP, PMI-ACP, CSM, CSP, CDAI, is the Founder of GR8PM, Inc.  John is a three-time Amazon #1 Best Selling author.  He has also been a guest on VoiceAmerica talk radio, Good Morning America, the Today Show, Fox News, and the Oprah Winfrey Show.  John is a sought-after speaker because he enables executives and professionals to become powerfully product leaders!  For more information about John, see https://www.johngstenbeck.com/meet-john When: April 16, 11:30-1:30 Register HERE.   A Message from the PMI-Central Iowa President regarding COVID-19 Decisions (03-15-20) PMI-Central Iowa Members, I wanted to personally reach out to you given the concerns over the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and inform you of the immediate effects it has on our organization and our action plan moving forward. Our first priority is to protect the health and wellbeing of our members; the PMI-Central Iowa and PMI Global staff are paying close attention to new developments with COVID-19. They are monitoring local, national and international public health departments and agencies for the latest updates and guidance. After careful consideration, we have determined it now becomes necessary for us to make additional decisions to further safeguard our community.  At this time, we are cancelling the March 19th Chapter Meeting.  Anyone who has already paid their registration fee will receive a refund. In addition, the following action items are being taken by PMI-Central Iowa and PMI Global moving forward: Effective March 12, 2020, PMI Global has required all employees work remotely for 30 days The PMI Region 2 Conference planned for April 2020 in Milwaukee has been suspended Chapter Presidents in our Region are meeting with our Global Liaison on March 16, 2020 to discuss how other Chapters are addressing COVID-19 The PMI-Central Iowa Board is conducting its regular, monthly meeting on March 17, 2020 virtually.  During this meeting, we will be discussing our upcoming events We will continue to heed the advice of public health experts and provide regular updates to our members. Please contact me directly with any questions or concerns. We are grateful for the ongoing support of our members and appreciate your patience. Sincerely, Shelly Lawrence PMI-Central Iowa President   Join Us for PMI-Central Iowa Book Club    ​When: Monday, March 30, 2020 5:30pm-6:30pm    Where: Smokey Row Coffee  1910 Cottage Grove Ave  Des Moines, IA 50314  What: Are your Lights on? How to Figure out what the Problem Really is. By  Donald C. Gause and Gerald M. Weinberg  “The fledgling problem solver invariably rushes in with solutions before taking  time to define the problem being solved. Even experienced solvers, when  subjected to social pressure, yield to this demand for haste. When they do,  many solutions are found, but not necessarily to the problem at hand. Whether  you are a novice or a veteran, this powerful little book will make you a more  effective problem solver.”  How: Register at www.pmi-centraliowa.org. You must be logged in to register.   Please have the ENTIRE book read before the meeting. This book will be worth  “Strategic and Technical” PDUs under Reading and Informal Learning.   We look forward to seeing you!    Please join us for the April Lunch Education and Disciplined Agile Events! In April PMI CIC is offering a special focus on Agile with two events.  Lunch Education Event - If, When & How to Implement Enterprise Agility and an ePMO  The April Lunch Education Event will include "If, When & How to Implement Enterprise Agility and an ePMO" with John Stenbeck... and John has done it again. He truly does have his finger on the pulse of project management, Agile, and the ePMO. With his presentation, we will be better able to arm ourselves with the knowledge to make our Enterprises, including ePMOs, more Agile.   Register Here to attend the event and earn 1.0 Technical PDU.   When: Thursday April 16, 11:30-1:00 Where: Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden 909 Robert D. Ray Drive Des Moines, IA 50309   Special Event Following the April Lunch Education Event: Since PMI's recent acquisition of Disciplined Agile is creating quite a buzz in the project management community, John Stenbeck will cover "Integrating PMI's Dsciplined Agile with SAFe and other Agile Strategies". So no matter which of the following strategies you have chosen as your Way of Working (WoW): Scrum, SAFe, Scrum @ Scale, Lean, Kanban, XP, etc., find out how adding Disciplined Agile can help you optimize your WoW!   Register Here to attend the event and earn 2.0 Technical PDUs.   When: Thursday April 16, 1:00-3:00 Where: Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden 909 Robert D. Ray Drive Des Moines, IA 50309   John Stenbeck, PMP, PMI-ACP, CSM, CSP, CDAI, is the Founder of GR8PM, Inc. John is a three-time Amazon #1 Best Selling author. He has also been a guest on VoiceAmerica talk radio, Good Morning America, the Today Show, FOX News, and the Oprah Winfrey Show. John is a sought after speaker because he enables executives and professionals to become powerfully product leaders! For more information about John, see https://www.johnstenbeck.com/meet-john.     Caucus Lessons for The Project Manager  The Iowa Caucus is over and the candidates have moved on. Since the results were announced (still not  completely final at this writing) there have been numerous stories and articles dissecting just what went  wrong. Whose fault was it anyway, and how can it be prevented from ever happening again? Will this kill  the Iowa Caucus as we know it? Let’s leave it to the pundits to continue the discussion about methods  for counting delegates, alleged interference with the Iowa Democratic Party phone banks, or the now  infamous “APP.”  Like many folks interested in politics, I tuned in to the media to learn the results of the caucus. I  optimistically stayed up later than usual hoping for some breaking news. But there were only angry  journalists and quizzical expert analysts. For some reason my thoughts that evening turned to the many  times I’ve read and heard about the high percentage of projects that fail, and what a good project  manager should do to ensure success. As a project manager, what lessons could I learn from this event?  First, have some empathy. Haven’t most of us experienced a project that failed? The possible causes are  endless, and no matter what the textbook says, a project manager usually doesn’t have control over all  the variables. I don’t know who the project manager was in this case, or even if there was one, but  whoever the people involved were, I feel badly for them. I know what crisis management is, and it is  hard.  Managing risk has also been a strong theme as I think about the caucus. It isn’t hindsight that tells us  that the impact of failure was off the charts. We’ve seen it play out before our eyes in a very public way.  But how do we measure the probability of failure? In this case there were multiple points of potential  problems, ranging from the event itself and the tabulation of results to the primary and secondary  methods for reporting the information. The fact that there could be no flexibility in the launch date was  also a factor. For many projects, the act of pushing back the schedule a week isn’t such a big deal. For  this event, no such opportunity existed. As I think about my current and future project activities, this is a  stark reminder to take risk management very seriously.  Hidden in the reporting was a small item that stood out to me as an issue that may have increased the  risk of failure. The essence is that an external party had allegedly required a security update shortly  before moving the application into production. The specific facts are not known, but haven’t we all  experienced the last-minute request of a stakeholder or product owner? Of course, we want to be agile  and satisfy the request, but we also know that the introduction of something new can increase risk and  affect the quality or performance of a product.  A final lesson for me is the importance of communication with all of the stakeholders. In this case it  included the caucus participants, the volunteers in the so-called “boiler room,” the media, the  candidates themselves and the entire community of the State of Iowa. As project managers we will all at  some point be confronted with the challenge of balancing the desire to “buy time” and “get it fixed first”  with the benefits of being open and transparent with all of our stakeholders. That is such a tough  judgment to make, but when the impact and probability of failure is high, I am reminded that it is vital to  plan for those communication actions in advance.  My hope is that cool heads will prevail and that the Iowa caucuses will continue. It is an imperfect but  valuable process. In the meantime, these are a few lessons that will stay with me for a long, long time.    PMI CIC March Dinner Education Event and Networking: Creating High Performing Teams with Ronee Andersen A group of people on a team doesn't make them effective. There are important attributes that a team needs to be effective. Session highlights include: The #1 thing high performing teams have in common How to set up teams to reach their full potential Please join us Thursday March 19th. Registration opens at 5:15 pm and the presentation begins at 5:30 pm. The meeting location is: Christopher's Restaurant 2816 Beaver Des Moines, IA During this invigorating dinner the following items will be discussed: the #1 thing high performing teams have in common, how to set up teams to reach their full potential, why it's okay to have healthy disagreements and how they can be productive for the team, the case for having cognitive diverse teams, the importance of feeling psychologically safe within the team and the keys to effective communication.  RONEE ANDERSEN, MBA, SPHR, CTACC Ronee brings 20 years of progressive human resources experience in the private and public sectors in companies ranging in size from 50 to 6,000 employees.  Her focus has been in the banking and biotech industries. She, also, has experience helping build and taking a company public on NASDAQ.  Ronee has held positions from HR Officer to Senior HR Director.  Ronee has a bachelor’s in Social Science, MBA with an emphasis in Human Resources. She has her Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certification and an Advanced Certificate in Strategic Human Resources from Cornell University.  She is a certified coach through Coach Training Alliance (CTACC).   She is an avid learner and is always taking steps to grow personally and professionally.  Leaders, teams, individual contributors and an organization’s company culture can have a dramatic impact on the success or failure of a company.  Ronee is very passionate about creating leaders, teams, and cultures that solve problems and bring a positive impact to the bottom-line. This session is worth 1 Strategy PDU.     PMI Central Iowa Chapter Presents Coach Jim Miller "Going the Extra Mile" PMI-CIC February Luncheon Education Event will take place on Thursday, February 20th beginning at 11:30am. Please join us at: Iowa Hall of Pride 330 Park St.Des Moines, Iowa, 50309 Register HERE. Parking:  Main entrance lot (Southside of Hy-vee Hall) Iowa Events Center parking Street parking or public ramps   Main Entrance: Southside of Hy-vee Hall   Meeting location: Iowa Experience Theater  ABOUT THE SPEAKER: On July 1, 2019 Jim Miller was named the Executive Director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame/Dan Gable Museum in Waterloo IA.Jim was a Waterloo, Iowa native. He grew up as the youngest of six children. He went through the Waterloo Community Public Schools and then attended the University of Northern Iowa. As a College Athlete, Jim Miller was a 2X NCAA Champion for UNI in NCAA Division II, and also a 2X NCAA Division I All American. As a Coach, he had a 37 year career coaching the sport of wrestling, the last 22 years at Wartburg College, where his career dual meet record was 413-34. He won 21 Consecutive Iowa Conference Championships and 10 NCAA Team Championships. He is only one of Four NCAA Wrestling Coaches in the History of the sport that has won 10 NCAA Championships. Coach Miller is now a Nationally Known Corporate, Athletic, and Leadership speaker  Some crazy statistics: The last time Wartburg lost a Conference Dual meet was February of 1993... (All members of the present team had not been born yet) In Coach Miller's 22 years at Wartburg, his teams finished 1st or 2nd in the Nation 18 times. Coach Miller is a member of Ten Hall of Fames Coach Miller was awarded the National D3 Coach of the Year 5X Awarded the prestigious Dan Gable (All NCAA Divisions Coach of the YR Award) in 2004 and 2013 BA in Education MA in Secondary Administration (Both from UNI) The PMI Central Iowa Chapter is looking for volunteers who would like to shadow the VP of Operations. The person(s) interested would still need to follow the nominations and elections process for the 2021-2022 term.  The purpose of this endeavor is to get potential nominees familiar with the board governance and prepare for a smooth transition. Transition and succession planning are essential to sustaining operations and maintaining or increasing the performance of the PMI Central Iowa Chapter. Although the PMI Central Iowa Vice President and President positions are elected, the board appoints those positions in the event that one of those positions are vacated. The Vice President of Operations is responsible for the daily operations of the PMI Central Iowa Board. Areas of oversee include Technology, Website, Logistics, Registration and Records. Technology covers all the hardware the chapter owns as well as security, email and infrastucture needs. The chapter recently moved to a new website provider. Website includes making sure the website is functiioning properly and current. Logistics deals with venue and catering selections. Registration covers any registration set up task and is the member interface at chapter meetings. Records ensures that appropriate document retention is occuring.    If you are interested in learning more or would like to shadow the VP of Operations, please email the 2019-2020 VP of Operations at vpoperations@pmi-centraliowa.org  When: Tuesday, February 25, 2020 5:30pm-7:00pm Where:            Scenic Route Bakery                         350 E Locust Street #104                         Des Moines, IA 50309 What: Leading the Unleadable by Alan Willett “Are you a great manager? Of course you believe you are. So don’t just put up with your difficult employees. Anyone can do that. Turn them into the tremendous team players everyone wants them to be!”   How: Register at www.pmi-centraliowa.org. You must be logged in to register. Please have the ENTIRE book read before the meeting. This book will be worth “Leadership” PDUs under Reading and Informal Learning. We look forward to seeing you!  We are currently looking for a few project managers for our technology partnership with ISU. This partnership is with an ISU class in the Master of Information System (MIS) program that that focuses on the following skills: developing free of charge websites creating fundraising data bases moving data to the cloud moving information to other data bases   This a free service and a great way to help impact students' learning experience! They always love a new challenge! The ISU students would like you to attend the following classes to present their work to you and receive additional input for further development. The classes are typically Monday evenings and we are predicting class attendance days of: Kickoff meeting on 1/22/20 Project Charter review meetings every Wednesday from 3:30 to 4:55 pm virtually Demo of Initial Design Final Presentation of finished technical project end of April        Let me tell you a little more about us: Collaborate to Succeed (C2S) is a volunteer program sponsored by the Project Management Institute-Central Iowa Chapter (PMI-CIC) that supports member project managers engaging with local not-for-profit organizations to the benefit of all involved – organization, volunteer, chapter and community. The goal is to provide project management services and/or advise organizations on how they can use project management methodology to get more value out of their projects. We can help by:  Mentoring existing staff on use of project management techniques with internally driven projects to improve project execution.  Acting as the project manager by providing short-term support on a specific project.  Offering additional development support as part of our partnership with Iowa State University and their information systems capstone class to help with specific needs, such as development of a mobile app or website creation or enhancements.* *Implementation into an existing online environment, hosting applications or websites, and ongoing maintenance is the responsibility of the sponsoring organization and/or their vendor. PMI-CIC is not able to assist with any integration expenses. The PMI-CIC project manager will assist in scope definition as needed with the sponsoring organization and the student-led teams. Our assistance is in the form of content development and administrative functions for use by organization in its ongoing support. Thank you for your interest in our program I look forward to hearing back from you soon.    Twee Duong, Director of Collaborate to Succeed Email: dirc2s@pmi-centraliowa.org Cell Phone: 515.657.1841         The January PMI-CIC Chapter Meeting Dinner will take place on Thursday, January 16th beginning at 5pm with networking, speaker opens at 6pm. Please join us at Crown Point Community Center, 6300 Pioneer Parkway, Johnston, IA 50131. Register HERE.   ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Jacy Imilkowski Jacy Imilkowski (just think “I-milk-cows-on-skis”), PMP, CPCC, ACC, CLL is an energetic speaker, born storyteller, and self-admitted communication nerd. Specialized in resilience and the neuroscience of conversation, Jacy combines emotional intelligence and brain science to create new perspectives on how emotion impacts all parties in our business relationships. Jacy has spent 20+ years as a team leader, speaker, trainer, and coach, including 10 years with a Fortune 50 healthcare account. She’s also an adjunct instructor on communication and leadership for the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Madison Area Technical College. During that time she’s developed and delivered hundreds of learning sessions to individuals and organizations, including: Mayo Clinic Health Systems Wisconsin Law Enforcement Command College Marshfield Clinic Federally Qualified Health Centers Mead & Hunt engineering and architecture The Wisconsin Department of Health Services and Division of Long-Term Care Professional associations for healthcare, project management, talent development, and more Jacy holds a Certificate of Patient Experience Leadership from the Beryl Institute. She is a certified Project Management Professional®, Myers-Briggs® administrator, Co-Active® coach, Conversational Intelligence® Enhanced Practitioner, and Certified Laughter Leader®. She also gave her first TEDx Talk, “What’s Your Rhubarb Pie? How Trauma Impacts Choice” in August 2019. Recognized as one of 2018's 40 Under 40 young professionals in Madison, WI, Jacy truly lives her values of building personal and professional communities. When not working she enjoys volunteering as a Speakers Academy Dean for the National Speakers Association-Wisconsin chapter and a foster home for Greyhound Pets of America. She loves her dog, and probably loves your dog too.  ABOUT THE SESSION: What Did Our Brains Just Say? The Neuroscience of Expert PM Conversations Have you ever said something to someone that unintentionally upset, or even offended them? Even with the best intentions, our words sometimes have unintended impacts. How do you recover from the disconnection and rebuild trust when that happens? This session provides one solution to that problem: Conversational Intelligence® (C-IQ®). C-IQ is a neuroscience framework for recovering from unintentional impacts and building trust in communication. During a conversation, there’s a neurochemical cocktail that’s influencing all parties involved. These influences are unconscious; however, we can learn to recognize the signs of neurochemical impacts. That knowledge is key to building relationships with intention and having effective conversations with teams, leaders, and stakeholders. Identify the impact of different neurochemicals on communication and trust Learn to differentiate three levels of conversation and how to switch between them Apply three neuroscience strategies to restore positive relationships following a disconnection Overcome blind spots that negatively impact trust 5:00 Registration and networking 5:30 Announcements 6:00 Speaker presentation 7:00 Giveaways followed by networking 8:00 End of program The PMI Triangle component: Technical Deadline to register is Monday, November 13th by noon. The registration fee for Members is $20, Non-Members $30, and Students $10.   Join us for an EXCLUSIVE PMI-CIC Webinar in person or online! PMI-CIC Book Club for PDUs is featuring… Terry Schmidt Author of Strategic Project Management Made Simple . (One of PMI-CIC Book Club's favorites this year!) Terry brings 35 years of global strategic experience, and is a recognized expert in strategic thinking, planning, project manageme...     Join us for an EXCLUSIVE PMI-CIC Webinar in person or online! PMI-CIC Book Club for PDUs is featuring… Terry Schmidt Author of Strategic Project Management Made Simple. (One of PMI-CIC Book Club's favorites this year!) Terry brings 35 years of global strategic experience, and is a recognized expert in strategic thinking, planning, project management, and leadership development. When: December 12th, 2019 4:00pm-5:00pm CST. What: "Turn Strategy into Action!" Webinar. Terry explains a step-by-step process with an interactive thinking tool that takes a strategic approach to designing projects and action initiatives.   Where: Hilton Garden Inn Urbandale/Johnston 8600 Northpark Dr Johnston, IA 50131 You may also join online via Zoom. (PMI-CIC Annual Meeting to follow at 5:30pm CST) How: Link to register for the Webinar bit.ly/DEC12EVENT Link to register for the PMI-CIC Annual Meeting here. Both Events are FREE for Members! 1 Strategic PDU for the Webinar presentation The International Project Management day (IPM day, 11/7/2019) is intended to encourage project-based organizations worldwide or organizations who utilize project management methodologies to schedule some type of recognition event within their organizations or coordinated locally with others to truly demonstrate appreciation for the achievements of project managers and their teams.The International Project Management day (IPM day, 11/7/2019) is intended to encourage project-based organizations worldwide or organizations who utilize project management methodologies to schedule some type of recognition event within their organizations or coordinated locally with others to truly demonstrate appreciation for the achievements of project managers and their teams. This year marks the 50th anniversary of PMI and the members are celebrating by pledging 100,000 hours of global volunteer service. The Central Iowa Chapter, CIC, is the local chapter of PMI and contributed to this total by actively volunteering in our community. For IPM day, a few PMI-CIC board members visited the Principals of Management class at DMACC in Ankeny. It was a great opportunity for students to understand what our profession is and how they can benefit from it. We educated students on project management process, discussed our current projects, as well as, benefits of becoming a PMI of Central Iowa member. Reference: http://internationalpmday.org/about-ipm-day/ Left: Lejla Frazee, Joel Wolcott, Angela Lovan and DMACC Business Instructor, Elizabeth Crandon. ​   Iowa's Governor Acknowledges PMI-CIC on International Project Management Day Iowa's Governor Kim Reynolds noted the positive contributions of PMI-CIC and central Iowa project managers with the following International Project Management Day declaration:      Project management and change management are not the same thing. Yet, both disciplines are necessary to deliver an effective solution that your organization will embrace. As a project manager, how can you incorporate change management practices to engage your stakeholders, increase business participation, and enhance the overall project experience?The PMI-CIC Chapter Meeting Lunch will take place on Thursday, November 21st at 11:30am. Please join us at John Deere Financial , 6400 NW 86th, Johnston, IA. Register HERE. ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Terri Jensen Terri Jensen, President of Three Elements Consulting, is an experienced business and technology executive and leader who focuses on developing and implementing technology solutions that bring business vision to life. She is a disciplined, results oriented leader whose strength is aligning people and processes with strategy. Terri has transformed IT departments from break/fix order-takers to high-performing teams that provide businesses with technology as a competitive advantage. Terri is a builder of businesses, teams, and people. She founded and grew an innovative and disruptive technology training and consulting firm for 14 years, led client services in a software development startup affiliated with a large enterprise, and became CIO of that enterprise. As CIO she has led organization-wide change in the higher education, construction, and insurance industries. Throughout her career, Terri has put people and relationships first. She has built strong, customer-focused teams, and mentored many technology leaders and staff to increase retention by enhancing the human side of leadership; communication, empathy, career development, and succession planning. A graduate of Drake University, Jensen earned her B.A. in Computer Science. She also holds a master's in Organizational Leadership from Colorado State University. ABOUT THE SESSION: Project management and change management are not the same thing. Yet, both disciplines are necessary to deliver an effective solution that your organization will embrace. As a project manager, how can you incorporate change management practices to engage your stakeholders, increase business participation, and enhance the overall project experience? This session will help you create the perfect marriage of project and change management, by introducing: similarities and differences of project and change management common change management tools to increase stakeholder engagement ways to enhance effective project communication stakeholder partnering opportunities to build project excitement Terri will share some of her lessons learned and helpful tips on creating that perfect marriage of project and change management that will lead to a lifetime of successful implementations and happy business partners. The PMI Triangle component: Leadership Deadline to register is Monday, November 18th by noon. The registration fee for Members is $20 and Non-Members is $30. The Age of Agile by Stephen Denning. "An unstoppable business revolution is under way--and it is Agile. Sparking dramatic improvements in quality, innovation, and speed-to-market, the Agile movement has helped companies both large and small learn to connect everyone and everything…all the time.PMI-CIC Book Club - The Age of Agile at the Scenic Route Bakery The Age of Agile by Stephen Denning "An unstoppable business revolution is under way--and it is Agile. Sparking dramatic improvements in quality, innovation, and speed-to-market, the Agile movement has helped companies both large and small learn to connect everyone and everything…all the time. With rapidly evolving consumer needs and technology that is that is being updated quicker than ever before, businesses are recognizing how vitally essential it is adapt. And adapt quickly." Read with Us! PMI-CIC Book Club for PDUs is reading The Age of Agile by Stephen Denning for our October book club meeting. The Meeting will be held at the Scenic Route Bakery in East Village (Des Moines, IA) on October 28th at 5:30. PDUs are obtainable through "reading" and "informal learning". All PMI Central Iowa Chapter Members were sent an electronic election ballot from PMI Global, asking each of you to vote in our PMI Central Iowa Chapter's 2020 election.  Our 2019 PMI Central Iowa Chapter board elections are underway!  All PMI Central Iowa Chapter Members were sent an electronic election ballot from PMI Global, asking each of you to vote in our PMI Central Iowa Chapter's 2020 election.   Open offices include nominations for President Elect, VP of Professional Development, VP of Finance and our VP of Communications & Marketing!  Your vote counts, and the process is extremely quick!  Please direct any questions to PastPresident@pmi-centraliow.org  Voting ends on October 31, 2019So, do you want to learn a bit about how agile REALLY works? Shawn Whitmore, Vice President at Wells Fargo, will review his experiences at throughout fifteen years at Wells Fargo and walk through the evolution of agile within the organization today. Please come listen to how a dynamic agile team was founded, grew, and developed into the vibrant practice it is today. The agenda will cover many agile practice areas, so be ready to ask questions and share experiences. ​ABOUT THE SPEAKER: SHAWN WHITMORE Shawn is a Vice President within Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. He provides oversight and management of initiatives pertaining to Portfolio Management and Software Delivery within the Wells Fargo Home Mortgage division. His experience in LEAN techniques began at Wells Fargo in 2006 when he learned the Six Sigma principles and became a certified Green Belt. Throughout Shawn's career, he has held various technology positions such as: Database Administration, Application Developer, Analyst-Programmer, Team Leader, Program Management, Project Management, Technical\Data Analysis, Business Analyst, Developer and Process and Delivery Leadership roles.   ABOUT THE SESSION: THE AGILE JOURNEY AT WELLS FARGO  Format: ​55 minute presentation So, do you want to learn a bit about how agile REALLY works? Shawn Whitmore, Vice President at Wells Fargo, will review his experiences at throughout fifteen years at Wells Fargo and walk through the evolution of agile within the organization today. Please come listen to how a dynamic agile team was founded, grew, and developed into the vibrant practice it is today. The agenda will cover many agile practice areas, so be ready to ask questions and share experiences. Deadline to register is Monday, October 14th by noon. The registration fee for Members is $20.00 and Non-Members is $30. PMI of Central Iowa would like to thank the following business partners for continuing to be such a big support for our annual Professional Development Day (PDD) on September 27th 2019. We appreciate your support not only for the day, but for the continued support of the chapter and for our community of project managers. PMI of Central Iowa would like to thank the following business partners for continuing to be such a big support for our annual Professional Development Day (PDD) on September 27th 2019. We appreciate your support not only for the day, but for the continued support of the chapter and for our community of project managers. A big THANK YOU and round of applause to you all!    ​If you would like to become a sponsor for our chapter, please contact dirmarketing@pmi-centraliowa.org. If you still have not signed up for our PDD 2019, you still have time to do so... Register at EventBrite now.  Join us on Thursday, September 26th at 5:30! PMI-CIC Book Club for PDUs is reading The Age of Agile by Stephen Denning for our September and October book club meetings. Meetings will be held at the Scenic Route Bakery in East Village (Des Moines, IA). PDUs are obtainable through "reading" and "informal learning".    The Age of Agile by Stephen Denning "An unstoppable business revolution is under way--and it is Agile. Sparking dramatic improvements in quality, innovation, and speed-to-market, the Agile movement has helped companies both large and small learn to connect everyone and everything…all the time. With rapidly evolving consumer needs and technology that is that is being updated quicker than ever before, businesses are recognizing how vitally essential it is adapt. And adapt quickly." if you are part of the senior project management leadership in your organization or are aspiring to be a senior project management leader in your organization, you will not want to miss this event! From our PMI-CIC President: 2019 PMI CIC Senior Leadership Summit Thursday, September 26th (the day before PDD) Boosting Organizational Value through Portfolio Management if you are part of the senior project management leadership in your organization or are aspiring to be a senior project management leader in your organization, you will not want to miss this event! To find out more and register for the event, click on the following link, which is powered by our Platinum Sponsor, Aureon:  https://www.aureon.com/eventpages/2019-senior-leadership-summit/ *** Note that because the event includes interaction among participants, registration is limited. Don't delay in registering! *** >>> To be clear, this event is independent of our September 27th, Professional Development Day. So, if you have been looking for some very focused, advanced project management training, please join us at our PMI CIC Senior Leadership Summit… and then also join us the next day for our annual Professional Development Day. It would be great to see you at both events. <<< And may your portfolio of programs and projects add maximum value to your organization! Best regards, Craig Hinson, PMPPMI CIC President Jacy Imilkowski (just think "I-milk-cows-on-skis"), PMP, CPCC, ACC, CLL is an energetic speaker, born storyteller, and self-admitted communication nerd. She is also an adjunct instructor on communication and leadership for the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Madison Area Technical College.  Jacy Imilkowski (just think "I-milk-cows-on-skis"), PMP, CPCC, ACC, CLL is an energetic speaker, born storyteller, and self-admitted communication nerd. She is also an adjunct instructor on communication and leadership for the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Madison Area Technical College. A communication expert specialized in resilience and the neuroscience of conversation, Jacy combines emotional intelligence and brain science to create new perspectives on how emotion impacts all parties in our business relationships.     Jacy will be presenting the following two topics on PDD 2019: Session 1: Core Values Connection: Find Your Values, Find Your Impact Session 2: The Brilliance of Resilience:Beat Burnout and Maintain Maximum Impact  Make sure to click on the video below to listen to message from Jacy.  And don't forget to register at Event BriteDo you have a desire to be more involved with YOUR local PMI Chapter? Become a volunteer leader and serve on the PMI-CIC Board of Directors!!     ARE YOU INTERESTED IN MEETING AND WORKING WITH YOUR PROJECT MANAGEMENT PEERS? Do you have a desire to be more involved with YOUR local PMI Chapter? Become a volunteer leader and serve on the PMI-CIC Board of Directors!! Nominate yourself or nominate another PMI CIC Member interested in serving in a PMI-CIC Board position. Please submit your nomination(s) to the PMI-CIC Nominations Committee by email at nominationscommittee@pmi-centraliowa.org by September 13, 2019 @ 5:00 p.m. CST. PMI CENTRAL IOWA CHAPTER IS SEEKING NOMINATIONS FOR THE FOLLOWING 2020 ELECTED BOARD ROLES: President- Elect - 3 -1-year term commitments; requires commitment to the full three years Vice President – Finance (2-year term) Vice President – Communications & Marketing (2-year term) Vice President – Professional Development (2-year term) ELECTION TIMELINE:   Nomination Steps Estimated Timelines Duration CALL FOR NOMINATIONS Thurs Aug 29, 2019 x NOMINATIONS CLOSE AT 5:00 PM CST Fri, Sep 13, 2019 2 weeks SLATE OF NOMINEES SENT TO ELECTRONIC VOTING PROVIDER Mon Sep 16 - Fri Sep 27 2 weeks ONLINE BALLOT INSTRUCTIONS EMAILED TO MEMBERS IN GOOD STANDING Wed Oct. 4, 2019 1 week ONLINE BALLOT VOTING CLOSED 5:00 PM CST Wed Oct. 25, 2019 3 weeks BALLOT VALIDATION COMPLETED Thurs Oct. 31, 2019 1 week VOTING RESULTS ANNOUNCED TO MEMBERS VIA BLOG & EMAIL Fri Nov. 01, 2019 1 day 2020 ELECTED & APPOINTED BOARD MEMBERS TAKE OFFICE Wed Jan. 1, 2020 x OFFICE TERMS & ELIGIBILITY Nominees must be members in good standing with PMI Central Iowa. PMI-Central Iowa Chapter members in good standing as of September 15, 2019 will be eligible to vote for the board positions up for election in 2019. Terms of office for elected positions (exception for the offices of President and President-Elect) shall be [2], limited to [2] consecutive terms in the same position, and no more than [4] consecutive terms on the Board in general. The Offices of President and President-Elect are open only to members who have served previously in one of the Board of Director officer positions, either on the PMI-CIC Board or at another PMI Component Chapter, for a minimum of twelve (12) consecutive months. No past President is eligible to become President or President-Elect for three (3) years after his/her most recently expired term as President. To ensure consistency in establishing strategic goals, presidential nominees must agree to a three-year term commitment of - 1 year respectively to the sequential roles of President Elect, President, and Immediate Past President. Chapter by-laws, and additional documents including detailed position descriptions and appointed director roles, can be found on thePMI-CIC website home page under the "About Us" tab at http://www.pmi-centraliowa.org. BRIEF ROLE DESCRIPTIONS FOR OPEN ELECTED BOARD ROLES  As found in the PMI Central Iowa Chapter Charter Agreement and Bylaws. The President-Elect shall keep the records of all business meetings of the Chapter and meetings of the Board and maintain the policies and procedures of the Board. These duties include oversight and whose interpretation shall be considered final of the parliamentary procedures used to conduct meeting of the Board. The President-Elect will represent the President in meetings where the President is not present. The Vice President of Communications & Marketing is responsible for the management of internal and external communications for the PMI-CIC and for promoting PMI® and the PMI-CIC to local businesses, schools and professional associations. The Vice President of Professional Development is responsible for promoting the project management profession through the development and delivery of educational opportunities, including programs for PMI-CIC meetings, for the benefit of the membership.  The Vice President of Treasury & Finance shall serve as the PMI-CIC treasurer and oversee the budgeting and management of funds for duly authorized purposes of the PMI-CIC, which includes providing all necessary financial reporting. NOMINATION PROCESS A Nominating Committee shall prepare a slate containing nominees for each board position and shall determine the eligibility and willingness of each nominee to stand for election. Candidates for Board positions may also be nominated by petition process established by the Nominating Committee or the Board. Elections shall be conducted: (a) during the annual meeting of the membership; or (b) by mail ballot to all voting members in good standing; or (c) by electronic vote in compliance with the legal jurisdiction. The candidate who receives a majority of votes cast for each office shall be elected. Ballots shall be counted by the Nominating Committee or by tellers designated by the board. IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THOSE RUNNING FOR OFFICE In accordance with PMI® policies, practices, procedures, rules and directives, no funds or resources of PMI® or the PMI-CIC may be used to support the election of any candidate or group of candidates for PMI®, PMI-CIC or public office. No organized or personal electioneering, communications, fund-raising or other organized activity on behalf of yourself or another candidate shall be permitted. The PMI-CIC Nominating Committee, or other applicable body designated by the PMI-CIC, will be the sole distributor(s) of all election materials for PMI-CIC elected positions. *Those not in compliance of the nomination policies may be subject to disqualificationPMI Central Iowa would like to thank Bob and The Uncommon League for being our Gold sponsor for this year's Professional Development Day 2019 event. Bob will also be presenting two sessions on the day of the event; "The Most Important Moments in Your Career" and "Preventing the Rise of Super Hero Project Villains: PM and BA Role Overlap".   PMI Central Iowa would like to thank Bob and The Uncommon League for being our Gold sponsor for this year's Professional Development Day 2019 event. Bob will also be presenting two sessions on the day of the event; "The Most Important Moments in Your Career" and "Preventing the Rise of Super Hero Project Villains: PM and BA Role Overlap". Why We Sponsor?The Uncommon League is proud to support the Business Analysis and Project Management professionals of Iowa to continue our mission of growing and serving these communities with exciting educational speakers. Join us to think, learn, and work differently. About Us Bob the BABob the BA is an award-winning trainer and the developer of one of CIO Magazine's Top 10 Business Analysis Boot Camps. He has always had a natural inclination to help people think, learn and work differently with a passion in helping business analysts become the best version of themselves. His unique style brings together modern business analysis training rooted in international standards to create dynamic learning experiences that exceed expectations. The Uncommon LeagueBob can't change the world on his own, so he's expanded his team to provide superior business analysis training, consulting and mentoring services. This team of uncommon, out of the box thinkers are global business analysis thought leaders, helping to shape the profession's future – today. Bob the BA is an IIBA Endorsed Education Provider serving business analysis practitioners with in-person Instructor-led, Virtual Live, and On-Demand training. ​Don't forget to sign up and earn 7.5 PDUs by attending our Professional Development Day 2019 - Find Your Impact! Click on registration link here.   PMI Central Iowa would like to thank Wellmark for being our Gold sponsor for this year's Professional Development Day 2019 event.   PMI Central Iowa would like to thank Wellmark for being our Gold sponsor for this year's Professional Development Day 2019 event. Why We Sponsor: Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield believes in supporting local events like the Project Management Institute's Professional Development Day (PMI). PMI helps to grow the project management function within our community, offers networking opportunities and makes it easy for us to invest in our team by dedicating a complete day to develop and polish their skills. About Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield:Wellmark, Inc. (Wellmark.com) does business as Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa. Wellmark and its subsidiaries and affiliated companies, including Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Dakota, Wellmark Health Plan of Iowa, Inc. and Wellmark Value Health Plan, Inc., insure or pay health benefit claims for more than 2 million members in Iowa and South Dakota. Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa, Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Dakota, Wellmark Health Plan of Iowa, Inc. and Wellmark Value Health Plan, Inc. are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.  If you would like to be one of our sponsor, please kindly contact Director of Professional Development Day at dirpdd@pmi-centraliowa.org  We would like to thank our Gold level Sponsors for this year's PDD! We appreciate your partnership and support of our chapter.  We would like to thank our Gold level Sponsors for this year's PDD! We appreciate your partnership and support of our chapter. If you haven't registered for PDD, please click here and register for PDD 2019 today!    Sometimes one person is all it takes to make an impact on your company's future. And there's a good chance Aureon Consulting knows that person.  Sometimes one person is all it takes to make an impact on your company's future. And there's a good chance Aureon Consulting knows that person. Our reputation is based on providing clients with the right talent to guide them towards success. We're proud of our long-standing partnerships with businesses of all sizes in a variety of industries. Our close customer relationships have enabled us to employ consultants with a wide range of disciplines: application and software development, quality assurance and testing, program and project management, data and business intelligence, scrum, and many more.  Since the start of Aureon Consulting nearly 20 years ago, as Midwest Project Partners, we have valued the role the Central Iowa Chapter of PMI plays in our market by fostering a progressive project management community. PMI's Professional Development Day is vital to the growth and promotion of project managers in Des Moines and across Iowa, which has greatly contributed to the success and core values of Aureon Consulting. We look forward to continuing our tradition of sponsoring the Professional Development Day. Please stop by on September 27 for a visit or explore how you can find your impact with us at AureonConsulting.com Celebrate PMI's 50th Anniversary with your PMI Central Iowa Chapter on Wednesday, August 21st from 5:30 to 9!!!Celebrate PMI's 50th Anniversary with your PMI Central Iowa Chapter on Wednesday, August 21st from 5:30 to 9!!! For Members Only (plus one at a discounted cost) -- Join us to celebrate PMI's 50th Anniversary with a night of music and friends at the Zoo! We will be hosting a room at Zoo Brew "Wild for Wine". You can come into the Discovery Room in the main building and hang with us (and the food), or meander the Zoo grounds, listening to Balefire play while sipping on beverages and seeing the animals (until they go to bed -- they have an earlier bedtime than we do). * You must be 21 or over. You must have a valid ID with you as you will be carded at the gate. * Please bring $ with you for the brew at the Zoo. Adult beverages are not included in *our* hospitality room but will be available on zoo grounds. However, proceeds from adult beverage sales go to support the Zoo. Fees: Members are free. If you do not register for the event through us, you can still attend Zoo Brew, but it will be $14 at the door for non-Zoo members. +1s: $9 each Are you a Zoo Member? Is your +1 a Zoo Member? (Zoo members get in free.) Please enter the number of registrants as1 then add to the 'Registrar Note' field if you and/or your guest is a Blank Park Zoo member. Include the full name of your guest in the guest name field. Zoo members get in free to Zoo Brew, but in order to have enough food, we do need attendees to our Anniversary Bash to pre-register. Note: No PDU's available for this event.  Registration closes at noon, Monday, August 19th ·Doors open at 5:30 pm and the Zoo closes at 9:00 pm. ·You must be 21 or over. You must have a valid ID with you as you will be carded at the gate. Please bring $ with you for the brew at the Zoo. Adult beverages are not included in *our* hospitality room but will be available on zoo grounds. However, proceeds from adult beverage sales go to support the Zoo. Second half of "Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress Free Productivity" by David Allen (Revised 2015 Version). "Since it was first published almost fifteen years ago, David Allen's Getting Things Done has become one of the most influential business books of its era, and the ultimate book on personal organization. "GTD" is now shorthand for an entire way of approaching professional and personal tasks, and has spawned an entire culture of websites, organizational tools, seminars, and offshoots."Join us for the next PMI-CIC Book Club on Monday, August 26th at 5:30pm at Smokey Row Coffee Company. Our next read is: Second half of "Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress Free Productivity" by David Allen (Revised 2015 Version). "Since it was first published almost fifteen years ago, David Allen's Getting Things Done has become one of the most influential business books of its era, and the ultimate book on personal organization. "GTD" is now shorthand for an entire way of approaching professional and personal tasks, and has spawned an entire culture of websites, organizational tools, seminars, and offshoots." This book will be worth "Strategic" and "Leadership" PDUs under Reading and Informal Learning. Please have the second half of the book read by August 26, 2019 for discussion. We look forward to seeing you!    For Members Only (plus one at a discounted cost) -- Join us to celebrate PMI's 50th Anniversary with a night of music and friends at the Zoo! We will be hosting a room at Zoo Brew "Wild for Wine". You can come into the Discovery Room in the main building and hang with us (and the food), or meander the Zoo grounds, listening to Balefire play while sipping on beverages and seeing the animals (until they go to bed -- they have an earlier bedtime than we do).Celebrate PMI's 50th Anniversary with your PMI Central Iowa Chapter on Wednesday, August 21st from 5:30 to 9!!! For Members Only (plus one at a discounted cost) -- Join us to celebrate PMI's 50th Anniversary with a night of music and friends at the Zoo! We will be hosting a room at Zoo Brew "Wild for Wine". You can come into the Discovery Room in the main building and hang with us (and the food), or meander the Zoo grounds, listening to Balefire play while sipping on beverages and seeing the animals (until they go to bed -- they have an earlier bedtime than we do). * You must be 21 or over. You must have a valid ID with you as you will be carded at the gate. * Please bring $ with you for the brew at the Zoo. Adult beverages are not included in *our* hospitality room but will be available on zoo grounds. However, proceeds from adult beverage sales go to support the Zoo. Fees: Members are free. If you do not register for the event through us, you can still attend Zoo Brew, but it will be $14 at the door for non-Zoo members. +1s: $9 each Are you a Zoo Member? Is your +1 a Zoo Member? (Zoo members get in free.) Please enter the number of registrants as1 then add to the 'Registrar Note' field if you and/or your guest is a Blank Park Zoo member. Include the full name of your guest in the guest name field. Zoo members get in free to Zoo Brew, but in order to have enough food, we do need attendees to our Anniversary Bash to pre-register. Note: No PDU's available for this event. https://pmi-centraliowa.org/event-listing-new-template/general-events/special-events/pmi-50th-special-event ·Registration closes at noon, Friday, August 16th ·Doors open at 5:30 pm and the Zoo closes at 9:00 pm. ·You must be 21 or over. You must have a valid ID with you as you will be carded at the gate.   ·Please bring $$ with you for the brew at the Zoo. Adult beverages are not included in *our* hospitality room but will be available on zoo grounds. However, proceeds from adult beverage sales go to support the Zoo.                                          PRICING:   Members: Free NON-Members: not available to non-members  Members' +1: $9 LOCATION: Blank Park Zoo 7401 SW 9th Des Moines  Don't miss out! Join us for PDD 2019 as we engage with some dynamic keynote and session speakers. Earn up to 7.5 PDU's! Don't miss out! Join us for PDD 2019 as we engage with some dynamic keynote and session speakers.  Time: 8:00-4:30 Date: Friday, September 27th, 2019 Location: Prairie Meadows, The Meadows Events & Conference Center, 1 Prairie Meadows Dr, Altoona, IADon't miss out! Join us for PDD 2019 as we engage with some dynamic keynote and session speakers. Earn up to 7.5 PDU's!Don't miss out! Join us for PDD 2019 as we engage with some dynamic keynote and session speakers. Earn up to 7.5 PDU's! Time: 8:00-4:30 Date: Friday, September 27th, 2019 Location: Prairie Meadows, The Meadows Events & Conference Center, 1 Prairie Meadows Dr, Altoona, IA  PMI Central Iowa chapter is looking for volunteers to help with our annual Professional Development Day (PDD) on September 27, 2019.   PMI Central Iowa chapter is looking for volunteers to help with our annual Professional Development Day (PDD) on September 27, 2019.  We are looking for volunteers to help us on the day of this event. Each volunteer can earn up to 7.5 PDUs for their time and will also be awarded a specially designed event shirt.  If you are interested to volunteer or need additional details for this year's event, please contact Janet Tan at dirpublications@pmi-centraliowa.org  Professional Development Day 2019 Early Bird registration is ending!Professional Development Day 2019 Early Bird registration is ending!Register NOW for $285.July 21st registration cost moves to $325. Don't miss out on the Early Bird $40 Savings!! Due to the summer schedule, PMI-Central Iowa does not have Chapter Meetings scheduled for July and August. There is also no Chapter Meeting in September to make way for PMI-Central Iowa's Professional Development Day.Earn FREE PDUs with PMI-Central Iowa Chapter's Book Club! Due to the summer schedule, PMI-Central Iowa does not have Chapter Meetings scheduled for July and August. There is also no Chapter Meeting in September to make way for PMI-Central Iowa's Professional Development Day. How about a Christmas in July special? In honor of PDD, one person who registers and attends the July Book Club meeting will receive September's Book Club book: The Age of Agile by Stephen Denning FREE! Register for the PMI-Central Iowa Book Club this summer and earn FREE PDUs. We are currently reading Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress Free Productivity by David Allen. "Since it was first published almost fifteen years ago, David Allen's Getting Things Done has become one of the most influential business books of its era, and the ultimate book on personal organization. "GTD" is now shorthand for an entire way of approaching professional and personal tasks, and has spawned an entire culture of websites, organizational tools, seminars, and offshoots." Please have at least half of the book read by July 24, 2019 for discussion. The other half will be discussed during the August 26, 2019 Book Club Meeting. Register at https://pmi-centraliowa.org/events/pmi-cic-book-club. You must be logged in to register. This book will be worth "Strategic" and "Leadership" PDUs under Reading and Informal Learning.   Early Bird pricing is in effect! Register now to save $40 on your ticket to attend this year's Professional Development Day and Find Your Impact!Early Bird pricing is in effect! Register now to save $40 on your ticket to attend this year's Professional Development Day and Find Your Impact!NON-PMI Members - we want you to save up to $70 on PDD 2019 registration! Click on this link www.pmi.org and go to the membership tab on the PMI.org website. During the membership process do not choose a local membership, simply by-pass it. Upon completion of the purchase you will receive a confirmation email from PMI, of your purchase(new member $139/renewals $129) Forward the PMI email confirmation to dir-membership@pmi-centraliowa.org At that time, we will provide you a code, to purchase the CIC membership at no cost After completing that process, you may go HERE to register for Professional Development Day 2019 at the member price of $285 *any other questions or issues please send to pm-pdd@pmi-centraliowa.orgJohn G. Stenbeck is an Enterprise Agility Expert who works with organizational leaders to achieve meaningful, measurable progress towards market leadership with pragmatic thought-leadership and actionable insight.John is the Founder of Great PM Inc. and a three-time Amazon #1 Best Selling author. He has been a guest on Voice America talk radio, Good Morning America, Today Show, Fox News and the Oprah Winfrey Show. John was featured on the front page of the Los Angeles Times and the San Diego Union. ​John G. Stenbeck, PMP, CSM, CSP, PMI-ACP is our Professional Development Day 2019 afternoon keynote speaker. John G. Stenbeck is an Enterprise Agility Expert who works with organizational leaders to achieve meaningful, measurable progress towards market leadership with pragmatic thought-leadership and actionable insight.John is the Founder of Great PM Inc. and a three-time Amazon #1 Best Selling author. He has been a guest on Voice America talk radio, Good Morning America, Today Show, Fox News and the Oprah Winfrey Show. John was featured on the front page of the Los Angeles Times and the San Diego Union.  John will be delivering the afternoon keynote speech entitled "The MBA's Guide to Enterprise Agility by Design! Moving Beyond Scrum Into Scalable Agile Practices".  There will also be two breakout sessions in the afternoon presented by John himself; Understanding OPEN-SOURCE Scaled Agile – Choosing the Right Solution for Agile Excellence Understanding PROPRIETARY Scaled Agile – Choosing the Right Solution for Agile Excellence Early Bird pricing is in effect! Register now to save $40 on your ticket to attend this year's Professional Development Day and Find Your Impact!Early Bird pricing is in effect! Register now to save $40 on your ticket to attend this year's Professional Development Day and Find Your Impact!Jacy Imilkowski (just think "I-milk-cows-on-skis"), PMP, CPCC, ACC, CLL is an energetic speaker, born storyteller, and self admitted communication nerd. She is also an adjunct instructor on communication and leadership for the University of Wisconsin Madison and Madison Area Technical College. A communication expert specialized in resilience and the neuroscience of conversation, Jacy combines emotional intelligence and brain science to create new perspectives on how emotion impacts all parties in our business relationships.Jacy Imilkowski (just think "I-milk-cows-on-skis"), PMP, CPCC, ACC, CLL is an energetic speaker, born storyteller, and self admitted communication nerd. She is also an adjunct instructor on communication and leadership for the University of Wisconsin Madison and Madison Area Technical College. A communication expert specialized in resilience and the neuroscience of conversation, Jacy combines emotional intelligence and brain science to create new perspectives on how emotion impacts all parties in our business relationships. Session 1: Core Values Connection: Find Your Values, Find Your Impact Does "fair" mean that everyone is treated the same, or that everyone is treated as an individual? The answer is: Yes. Core values are the foundational, guiding principles that dictate our behaviors and actions. They're also one of the fastest ways to create the foundation of connection, or conflict, which sets the tone for an entire project. The ability to recognize core values gives profound insight into what keeps us, our teams, and our clients moving forward connected and moving  forward, even when there are conflicting beliefs or points of view.  Participants will learn to identify core values by: Listening to what people are saying, and not just the words they use Seeing personal and environmental cues that can indicate an expression of core values Inquiring about values with positivity, respect, and acceptance Connecting to core values is a powerful way to find your unique impact.  Participants will leave able to: Design relevant, customized solutions more effectively Apply skills for exceptional scope and risk management Enhance interpersonal and team communication Build stronger relationships between team members and stakeholders Session 2: The Brilliance of Resilience: Beat Burnout and Maintain Maximum Impact The burnout crisis is real, and the numbers are staggering. 23% of employees are chronically burned out, and 47% more are headed in that direction. So how do you keep providing high-impact team leadership when times are tough? You know, when everyone is already at full capacity and the project deadline moves up, increasing the workload. Or a key team member leaves and there's no one to fill the gap. Answer: Be a strong, adaptable team leader that plans for challenge and cultivates resilient teams. Resilience is the capacity to recover from difficulties. It's foundational to embracing growth and beating burnout in the face of challenge. This session teaches key skills to create psychologically safe spaces that support resilience in our teams and ourselves. This open, honest, and funny program looks at how to embrace imperfection and choose resilience and growth over burnout and frustration.  Participants will learn to: Explore personal relationships with challenge, resilience, and growth Generate powerful conversations that shatter stigmas around challenge and burnout Create psychologically safe spaces for those experiencing challenge Utilize tools and strategies to stop fighting and start growing from challenges  Session 1 is categorized under the Technical Talent Triangle. The second session is categorized under the Strategic Talent Triangle.Sinikka Waugh, President and Founder of Your Clear Next Step, is a recognized leader in understanding people and in adapting tools, techniques, and processes to meet the demands of the situation at hand. As a popular presenter and trainer, her energetic and engaging style drives home the art and science of making business better for individuals, teams, and organizations.Her background in languages and literature, her natural inclination as a relentlessly positive "people-ist", and her career in project management and business analysis have prepared her to easily connect with people to lead and coach them to even better.Sinikka Waugh, President and Founder of Your Clear Next Step, is a recognized leader in understanding people and in adapting tools, techniques, and processes to meet the demands of the situation at hand. As a popular presenter and trainer, her energetic and engaging style drives home the art and science of making business better for individuals, teams, and organizations.Her background in languages and literature, her natural inclination as a relentlessly positive "people-ist", and her career in project management and business analysis have prepared her to easily connect with people to lead and coach them to even better. Session 1: Facilitating Good Stakeholder Relationships Through the Languages of Appreciation Expressing appreciation at work is critical to building healthy employee morale, but sometimes it's easy to forget, and it's even easier to overlook when it's unfamiliar territory. Designed as a realistic and applicable "How-To" guide for busy professionals, this class will help you take those critical first steps to appreciate those around you for the valuable work they do within your organization. The keys to expressing appreciation in a meaningful way are consistency, personalization, and accountability. So how do you express sincere appreciation appropriately in your environment? We'll introduce the 5 Languages of Appreciation and take a closer look at who and where they fit, along with tactical tips to help you get your appreciation across. Designed as a realistic and applicable "How-To" guide for busy professionals, this session will help you take those critical first steps to appreciate those around you for the valuable work they do within your organization. Session 2: Harnessing the Power of Your Team Putting a group of people together in a room doesn't make them a team: unless we're intentional about it, they're still just a group of individuals. Building team dynamics demands some attention to the forming and storming and norming of teams before we get to performing – but we don't always have the luxury of time to go through these stages. And sometimes, we're accountable for leading the team, while other times, we can influence from our non-leadership seats. Each of us has the ability to be a helpful team member and help influence those around us to adopt the characteristics of a high-performing, psychologically safe, effective team, regardless of which seat in the team we occupy. Sinikka Waugh will share five characteristics of a healthy and high-performing team and explore specific ways we can influence our teams to good health. Practical and tactical as ever, with real-life examples and tools you can use, this session will offer insights to help you ensure your team has the five characteristics of a healthy and high-performing team: a common goal a healthy level of self-awareness a reality-based set of mutual expectations and norms an effective standard of communication at least a dose of unconditional positive regard Looking at each of these individually, as well as in the context of a reusable tool, Sinikka will walk through an approach to team health, from any seat, and even address some of the most common "yeah, but…" responses. Regardless of how much or how little time you have with your team, and how much or how little authority you have over the team itself, this approach will help you positively influence your team to greatness, setting the stage both for holding each other accountable for effective behaviors and for offering grace and forgiveness when we misstep.  Both Sessions are categorized under the Leadership Talent Triangle.Iain Fraser is the former CEO and Group Managing Director of Project Plus Ltd. He is a PMI Fellow (and Fellow PMINZ) and has served on the PMI global board. Iain is an independent director of Software Education Holdings Ltd. Iain Fraser is the former CEO and Group Managing Director of Project Plus Ltd. He is a PMI Fellow (and Fellow PMINZ) and has served on the PMI global board. Iain is an independent director of Software Education Holdings Ltd. He is also on the Advisory Board for the Graduate School of Engineering at Auckland University and was previously an Advisory Board member to Victoria University of Wellington's Faculty of Commerce and Administration. He is the author of the top-selling business book "The Business of Portfolio Management - Boosting Organisational Value". His 30 years of experience is gathered from working in a variety of roles and sectors around the world. Session 1: Value Management  This is an in-depth discussion on value, its management, and its themes and types. It allows for the all-important bridging of strategy development and its implementation which allows for greater value to be captured. Morning Session 2: Balanced Scorecard  This offers a focus on a light version of a Balanced Score Card that allows EPMO and others to assist greatly in overseeing what is truly important.  Both sessions are categorized under the Strategic Talent Triangle.Bob Prentiss - Speaker, author, mentor, coach and Business Analysis thought leader. Bob is passionate about helping you think, learn & work differently so you can become the best version of yourself.  Bob Prentiss - Speaker, author, mentor, coach and Business Analysis thought leader. Bob is passionate about helping you think, learn & work differently so you can become the best version of yourself. Bob is the CEO and founder of The Uncommon League providing Agile, Project Management, Business Analysis, and Leadership training, consulting and mentoring services. The Uncommon League helps organizations transform their practices utilizing modern techniques, an agile mindset and street-smart approaches to get the work done faster. Session 1: The 5 Most Important Moments in Your Career (Leadership) What defines a career? What are those key moments that will shape the work that you do and define who you are happily ever after? These crucial, defining moments are what will lead you to career success and happiness. How do you know when these moments will happen? How can you learn from them? Most people will say they did not recognize these important moments happening until much later. The problem? You could wait an entire lifetime if you take that approach. And who wants to wait that long for career happiness? Come join me for a dynamic and eye opening session that will help you not only recognize the most important moments of your career but help you define the impact you have on people, your projects and your organization when you have them. Key Learnings: 1. Learn what the top 5 moments in your career are. 2. Learn how to accelerate these top 5 moments. 3. Understand how you impact the people, the projects and the organization when these moments occur. 4. Learn my personally designed model for change readiness that you will use to determine your appetite for new change and new career moments. Session 2: Preventing the Rise of Super Hero Project Villains: PM and BA Role Overlap Have you been in the scenario where the project was going well and then out of the blue the PM or the BA turned into a Super Hero Project Villain? What's up with that? Often, we will point to role clarity. Clarify the role and the problem clears up, right? What I often find is how one defines 'role clarity' is not the same as understanding what is happening in our ever changing technology approaches that impact today's roles. Not understanding role overlap and the nuances of how to handle it can create Super Hero Project Villains. Truly understanding the overlaps, the similarities, the dos and don'ts are so much more than just clarifying roles. It is not enough to say "You do the plan and you do the requirements." It is the more finite areas of why a PM might need to step in on a nonfunctional requirement or a BA steps in to enforce a project milestone. Then complicate that with Agile practices, DevOps, and Digital Transformation its no wonder why Super Hero Project Villains are created. In this dynamic and entertaining session we will take role clarity and overlaps to a whole new level and prevent the rise of the Super Hero Project Villain! Attendees will: Understand role clarity in today's world. How to get comfortable with ambiguity and role overlap. Develop a checklist that helps you understand role overlap on your projects before problems can set in. Session 1 topic is categorized under the Leadership Talent Triangle and Session 2 topic is categorized under Technical Talent Triangle. "Chip Eichelberger brings the perfect combination of experience, passion, and enthusiasm to any room he enters." said one of his raving fans - Dave Breslin. As a motivational speaker, Chip's programs surpass most keynotes with a highly engaging, interactive workshop approach that is truly transformative."Chip Eichelberger brings the perfect combination of experience, passion, and enthusiasm to any room he enters." said one of his raving fans - Dave Breslin. As a motivational speaker, Chip's programs surpass most keynotes with a highly engaging, interactive workshop approach that is truly transformative. Chip will be presenting a keynote speech at the PMI Central Iowa Chapter's annual Professional Development Day this year. He had customized a special video for all of our members... Click on the video below to watch his message...  Don't forget to sign up now at Event Brite to get the early bird pricing...Neil Ihde (Ee-dee) is a speaker, lecturer, consultant and founder of Life IQ where he motivates groups and individuals to work, play, relate and live intelligently. He has worked with numerous managers, directors, corporate leaders, and teams to improve their personal and professional effectiveness. Neil has worked with over 25 Fortune 500 companies including AT&T, DiscoverCard, Domino's, Transamerica, and GE among others. Neil Ihde (Ee-dee) is a speaker, lecturer, consultant and founder of Life IQ where he motivates groups and individuals to work, play, relate and live intelligently. He has worked with numerous managers, directors, corporate leaders, and teams to improve their personal and professional effectiveness. Neil has worked with over 25 Fortune 500 companies including AT&T, DiscoverCard, Domino's, Transamerica, and GE among others. Neil has also consulted internationally with clients from a dozen countries. He is a TEDx speaker and his Life IQ YouTube channel recently eclipsed a half-million views. Neil's academic background includes a B.A. in Psychology, a B.A. in Sociology, and a MA in Counseling. Neil and his wife Deb have two children and live in Appleton, Wisconsin. Neil's first presentation is "The Planning Fallacy...and Other Cognitive Biases that Waylay Projects!" We know the goal: get the project done on time. But according to PMI data barely half of projects finish according to plan!! Certainly, there are factors outside of our control, but most of the time the pain is self-inflicted. We fall victim to the planning fallacy. The planning fallacy is a tendency to underestimate the amount of time it will take to complete a task. The planning fallacy is just one of the cognitive biases–the psychology of human misjudgment–that can waylay projects. A cognitive bias is a systematic pattern of deviation from norm or rationality in judgment where individuals create their own "subjective social reality" from their biased perception. There are many obstacles in completing a project on time. Learn how to avoid being your worst enemy by examining proven estimation techniques and steps to avoid additional cognitive biases. Plan on it! Neil's second presentation is "Influencing Your Team for Peak Performance Throughout the Project Life Cycle". Project management is essentially people management...managing people managing a project. And homo sapiens come to the table with different personalities, perspectives, and motivations. But there are proven hacks and techniques to deal with the inherent variabilities of human behavior to ensure effective life cycle and performance management. We will walk through a case study of a masterful project manager and how he influenced peak performance throughout the project, highlighting the key motivational and informational needs at the initiation, planning, execution, and closure phases.  The first topic is categorized under the Strategic Talent Triangle, and the second topic is categorized under the Leadership Talent Triangle.On April 23, 2019, PMI-Central Iowa's Book Club for PDUs hosted a live video conference with author John Stenbeck at the West Des Moines Public Library. After book club members read and discussed The Project Managers Guide to Understanding Agile in the PMBOK 6th Edition and the Agile Practice Guide, John spoke about intriguing topics including the future of Agile and our role as PMs in influencing and empowering our profession.On April 23, 2019, PMI-Central Iowa's Book Club for PDUs hosted a live video conference with author John Stenbeck at the West Des Moines Public Library. After book club members read and discussed The Project Managers Guide to Understanding Agile in the PMBOK 6th Edition and the Agile Practice Guide, John spoke about intriguing topics including the future of Agile and our role as PMs in influencing and empowering our profession. His approach to using Agile and Predictive methods harmoniously were incredibly insightful. Coincidentally, he will also be a keynote speaker for the 2019 Professional Development Day on September 27th. PMI-Central Iowa’s Live Q&A with Author John Stenbeck! The PMI-CIC Book Club for PDUs meets for one hour the last week of every month. A new book is introduced every month, so you are able to jump in at any time. Joining is FREE for PMI-CIC members, and the format is very casual. Our objective is to discuss interesting project management topics while earning PDUs by reading and informal learning. Each month of reading and discussion earns about 1-4 PDUs. If you are new to PMI-CIC or just getting back in, this is the perfect setting to get your feet wet. If you are weary about showing up alone (like I am), bring a friend! This month's book is How to Implement Change in Our Personal Lives and Professional Careers. If you are interested in joining, please do not hesitate to contact me at dirlogistics@pmi-centraliowa.org. If you would like to register for the book club, please do so on our website at www.pmi-centraliowa.org.The PMI-CIC Chapter Meeting Dinner will take place on Thursday, June 20th at 5:30pm. Please come early for networking at 5!  Venue: Christopher's located at 2816 Beaver Ave. Des Moines, IA 50310. ABOUT THE SPEAKER: TERRY RICH Terry Rich is the retired President and CEO of the Iowa Lottery. During his tenure, he increased sales by over one billion dollars. He also served as President of the North American Lottery Association, which is responsible for helping states raise over 80 billion dollars for good causes and served on the board of Powerball as its audit chair. Under his leadership, the Iowa Lottery cracked the nation's largest lottery fraud and for those efforts, he received the prestigious international Gambling Compliance Outstanding Achievement Award. Prior to the lottery, he was CEO of the Blank Park Zoo; President and CEO of Rich Heritage Inc., a national marketing and television production company which produced shows for HBO, ESPN and Comcast, among others; and Vice President of Marketing for Heritage Communications Inc. As an entrepreneur, Terry developed Rich Heritage Inc., along with four other companies including radio station KBBM, US Digital Video, Newsletter Ease, and the World Championship Soccer League, LLC. Numerous national media appearances include ABC, NBC, HBO, CBS, 20/20, CNN, CNBC, USA Today and The New York Times; a movie host on Starz!; and as a panel guest on the "Tonight Show." Terry has won numerous entrepreneurial and leadership awards in television production and marketing, has a Bachelor of Science in Speech from Iowa State University, is a Bankers Trust Community Board Member, Governor Emeritus at ISU, a member of the legacy Cable TV "Pioneers", and Director Emeritus of the Blank Park Zoo. ABOUT THE SESSION:  THE $80 BILLION GAMBLE- A LOTTERY TICKET, HOT DOG, AND BIGFOOT FOILED THE LOTTERY FRAUD How a lottery ticket, a hot dog, and Bigfoot foiled the largest lottery fraud in US history. Your day's going great... and then you get the unexpected call that a fraud may have occurred under your watch. Your decision and direction could affect jobs, your business, and personal friendships. As most companies focus on external hacking and fraud, Terry Rich will discuss an internal vendor fraud case to explore how established checks and balances, and a little luck, helped crack the largest lottery fraud in US history. Deadline to register is Monday, June 17th by noon. The registration fee for Members is $20.00 and Non-Members is $30. PMI Triangle - Leadership - 1 PDU For the past ten years, The Braintrust Consulting Group has built and served the Agile community by expanding its reach throughout the United States and offering the latest in training, coaching, and certifications. Braintrust has aided in the Agile transformations of well over 10,000 professionals and their organizations. We have regularly scheduled public Scrum classes in the Des Moines area for many years and have also provided private training and coaching to numerous clients in central Iowa. For the past ten years, The Braintrust Consulting Group has built and served the Agile community by expanding its reach throughout the United States and offering the latest in training, coaching, and certifications. Braintrust has aided in the Agile transformations of well over 10,000 professionals and their organizations. We have regularly scheduled public Scrum classes in the Des Moines area for many years and have also provided private training and coaching to numerous clients in central Iowa. We have been privileged to sponsor PMI Central Iowa's Professional Development Day for the past six years, and look forward to doing so again this year. Because of this ongoing partnership, we offer Chapter members a $100 discount on all public Scrum classes and, as a Registered Education Provider for PMI, we are able to offer PDUs for all of our training opportunities. To receive your discount, just enter PMICIC when registering for any class. Your PMI discount can be combined with the special pricing that we are currently offering on our June classes. To browse all upcoming classes in Des Moines, visit www.braintrustgroup.com/classes/des-moines To watch a video about what to expect in a Braintrust class, visit https://youtu.be/c1Y3i15OHrI  Daniel Custódio is one of the leading authorities on Lean with over 18 years of experience in continuous improvement in industry and as a consultant. He is the first and only Lean Gold Certified professional in services as recognized by the Shingo Institute and is the author of "Sacred Workday: How to Create an Awe-Inspiring Business."Daniel Custódio is one of the leading authorities on Lean with over 18 years of experience in continuous improvement in industry and as a consultant. He is the first and only Lean Gold Certified professional in services as recognized by the Shingo Institute and is the author of "Sacred Workday: How to Create an Awe-Inspiring Business." Daniel's first presentation will be "Catch-ball: How to create alignment". In this session, you will learn will learn about how to create alignment through strategy deployment (Hoshin Kanri) in order to ensure everyone knows where they are going and what the right things are to work on to get there. Daniel's second presentation is "Humble Inquiry: The main leadership tool for building trust." In this session, leaders will learn the difference between command-and-control leadership and servant leadership and will explore how humble inquiry allows them to build trust. Leaders will practice using humble inquiry via exercises. Both topics are categorized under the Technical Talent Triangle.Early Bird Registration opens May 20 for the 2019 PMI CIC PDD Event!Early Bird Registration opens May 20 for the 2019 PMI CIC PDD Event! Join us as we engage with some dynamic keynote and session speakers. Time: 8:00-4:30  Date: Friday, September 27th, 2019  Location: Prairie Meadows, The Meadows Events & Conference Center, 1 Prairie Meadows Dr, Altoona, IA The PMI-CIC Chapter Meeting Luncheon will take place on Thursday, May 16th at 11:30. Please join us at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Center located at 909 Robert D. Ray Dr., Des Moines, IA. The PMI-CIC Chapter Meeting Luncheon will take place on Thursday, May 16th at 11:30. Please join us at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Center located at 909 Robert D. Ray Dr., Des Moines, IA. Project teams have been using agile techniques and approaches in various forms for several decades, yet there remains significant confusion around what it really means to be agile in implementing projects. Therefore, for our May 16th Chapter Meeting, we have gathered a panel of local professionals to help provide clarification. One of the four panelists is: Bryan Gill Bryan Gill, an experienced Software Architect and now a Product Owner as the Director of the Digital Experience at Berkley Technology Services. Given Bryan's agile software development and product ownership experience, combined with his critical thinking and problem solving abilities, he will be a great addition to our panel discussion.   May Chapter Meeting Sponsored By: Deadline to register is Monday, May 13th by noon. The registration fee for Members is $20.00 and Non-Members is $30. PMI Triangle - Strategic - 1 PDU Make sure to join us this year in our Professional Development Day event "Find Your Impact!" to get inspired and learn from the Enterprise Agility Expert, speaker John G. Stenbeck.Make sure to join us this year in our Professional Development Day event "Find Your Impact!" to get inspired and learn from the Enterprise Agility Expert, speaker John G. Stenbeck. John G. Stenbeck is an Enterprise Agility Expert who works with organizational leaders to achieve meaningful, measurable progress towards market leadership with pragmatic thought-leadership and actionable insight. John is the Founder of Great PM Inc. and a three-time Amazon #1 Best Selling author. He has been a guest on Voice America talk radio, Good Morning America, Today Show, Fox News and the Oprah Winfrey Show. John was featured on the front page of the Los Angeles Times and the San Diego Union. John will be the lunch keynote speaker with "The MBA's Guide to Enterprise Agility by Design! Moving Beyond Scrum Into Scalable Agile Practices" presentation. Enterprise agility has become a matter of survival for every Fortune 2000 company, institution, and government agency regardless of whether they are publicly or privately funded. Agile has moved out of the tech-centric enclave and become a required organizational competency spread across larger horizons and more complex challenges. Make no mistake, the market is desperate for professionals who can scale Agile across the enterprise! Your biggest challenge is deciding whether highly-structured proprietary approaches or a custom-tailored open source approach aligned with proven business school standards is the right decision. Cookie cutter recipes don't work so a reality-based, technically-sophisticated answer is demanded. His afternoon workshops "Understanding OPEN-SOURCE Scaled Agile – Choosing the Right Solution for Agile Excellence" and "Understanding PROPRIETARY Scaled Agile – Choosing the Right Solution for Agile Excellence" addresses durable, reliable estimated that integrate risk management as critical to the survival of every successful project manager and PMO leader. Unfortunately, the GAFA (Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple) effect has raised stakeholder expectations to unreasonable and unachievable levels. Is there an answer to this conundrum? An answer that delivers concrete best practices combining Traditional and Agile approaches usable in highly-complex Hybrid environments?!?.  Both topics are categorized under the Technical Talent Triangle.  Chip Eichelberger has spent twenty-one years studying success and failure and how to equip people to get switched on and plugged back in. Getting switched on each day as we engage our customers, teammates and family is essential. His experience includes six years promoting self help super star Tony Robbins throughout Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. He is a proud member of the National Speakers Association; one of only 7% of its members to earn the Certified Speaking Professional designation.Make sure to join us this year in our Professional Development Day event "Find Your Impact!" to get switched on and plugged back in with speaker Chip Eichelberger. Chip Eichelberger has spent twenty-one years studying success and failure and how to equip people to get switched on and plugged back in. Getting switched on each day as we engage our customers, teammates and family is essential. His experience includes six years promoting self help super star Tony Robbins throughout Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. He is a proud member of the National Speakers Association; one of only 7% of its members to earn the Certified Speaking Professional designation. Chip will be opening the event with his presentation, "Get Switched On! Reevaluate and Recharge" The "Get Switched On!" program fills the room with a vibrant energy and enthusiasm that is absolutely contagious. This is the perfect morning program to energize you for the entire day. You will be inspired and Switched On to increase sales, enhance customer service, learn something new and consistently perform at higher levels. Chip will also be presenting morning workshops on how to "Switch On Your Leadership." Sometimes you get so good at putting out fires, you forget how to light them. These are interactive workshops to get really clear on what is important for your leadership future. It is not a speech. Each participant will leave with a completed form to use every day to live the message. He will focus on: Clarity on your priorities Expanding your compelling vision What you must STOP doing What limiting beliefs you must destroy Serving others and creating positive momentum Create and live by your Code of Conduct Both topics are categorized under the Leadership Talent Triangle.Dorothy: There's the Emerald City. Oh, we're almost there at last, at last! It's beautiful, isn't it? Just like I knew it would be. He really must be a wonderful Wizard to live in a City like that! BAs QAs and PMs Oh My! Follow the yellow brick road to the annual Iowa Business Analyst Development Day! Dorothy: There's the Emerald City. Oh, we're almost there at last, at last! It's beautiful, isn't it? Just like I knew it would be. He really must be a wonderful Wizard to live in a City like that! Attention all PMs!  The PMI Central Iowa Chapter is collaborating with the local chapter of the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) to offer you, as PMI members, their annual Iowa Business Analyst Development Day (IBADD) at membership rates.The IBADD offers a great opportunity to hear challenging speakers, earn PDU's and network with project team members with differing perspectives. Use your PMI membership number during registration to receive the IIBA member rate!   ​What Iowa Business Analyst Development Day When May 9-10th ​Where ​Prairie Meadows Conference Center in Altoona, IA   Speakers Speaker Spotlights: Quoc-Bao Do: Capability Planning for Engineering Projects   Alex Randell: Cycling Through Strategy, Business Architecture, and Agile Execution Lisa Schaefer: Avoiding Stress and Burnout Creating a Drama Free Workplace Our keynote Jim Morris is getting excited to follow the yellow brick road are you?  Project teams have been using agile techniques and approaches in various forms for several decades, yet there remains significant confusion around what it really means to be agile in implementing projects. Therefore, for our May 16th Chapter Meeting, we have gathered a panel of local professionals to help provide clarification. Mike Wemhoff, Panelist, Discusses Implementing the Agile Project Management Approach in Central Iowa Project teams have been using agile techniques and approaches in various forms for several decades, yet there remains significant confusion around what it really means to be agile in implementing projects. Therefore, for our May 16th Chapter Meeting, we have gathered a panel of local professionals to help provide clarification. One of the four panelists is:   Mike Wemhoff Mike is a Developer Lead for John Deere Intelligent Solutions Group (ISG). Mike has led agile teams for the last 7 years of his career. He is passionate about solving customer problems and leading global teams to solve complex problems. Mike started working on agile teams right out of college during his first job for Cerner corporation. In 2008, Mike took a job at John Deere Financial. During this opportunity he had the chance to work on the first team to implement Agile with IT and business partners. Mike spent his time working closely with the business to break down problems into manageable pieces that his development team could implement. In 2015 Mike took on his current role as Developer Lead for the Systems organization of ISG at John Deere. Mike has been able to implement agile across multiple scrum. In addition, he has built a cross functional team located in Urbandale and India. Mike is also a release manager across his organization serving as the main point of contact for deployments and releases. With his leadership across multiple teams he has seen many implementations of agile and scrum. He has learned how much agile can differ from team to team and remain successful. May Chapter Meeting Sponsored By:   Strategic Project Management Made Simple by Terry Schmidt. "Terry is founder of www.ManagementPro.com, and of StrategicPlanningAcademy.com. He is a certified PMP, and the fourth person in the world to receive the distinguished Strategic Planning Professional certification from the Association for Strategic Planning (ASP). He regularly teaches executive programs at UCLA and MIT, and developed the SHARPEN YOUR STRATEGIC SUPERPOWERS program."Strategic Project Management Made Simple by Terry Schmidt "Terry is founder of www.ManagementPro.com, and of StrategicPlanningAcademy.com. He is a certified PMP, and the fourth person in the world to receive the distinguished Strategic Planning Professional certification from the Association for Strategic Planning (ASP). He regularly teaches executive programs at UCLA and MIT, and developed the SHARPEN YOUR STRATEGIC SUPERPOWERS program." This book will be worth "Strategic" PDUs under Reading and Informal Learning. Please have the entire book read by May 29, 2019 for discussion. We look forward to seeing you! When: May 29, 2019, 5:30pm-6:30pm Where: Valley Junction Find your impact as we engage with some dynamic keynotes and session speakers. Early bird registration runs May 20 - July 21, 2019.Early Bird Registration is open for the 2019 PMI CIC Professional Development Day Event! Find your impact as we engage with some dynamic keynotes and session speakers. Early bird registration runs May 20 - July 21, 2019. Time: 8:00-4:30  Date: Friday, September 27th, 2019  Location: Prairie Meadows, The Meadows Events & Conference Center, 1 Prairie Meadows Dr, Altoona, IAAnnouncing the theme for PMI Central Iowa Chapter's Professional Development Day 2019Announcing the theme for PMI Central Iowa Chapter's Professional Development Day 2019 Find Your Impact! Save the date!  Time:      8:00-4:30 Date:      Friday, September 27th 2019Location: Prairie Meadows, The Meadows Events & Conference Center, 1 Prairie Meadows Dr, Altoona, IAImplementing the Agile Project Management Approach in Central Iowa. The PMI-CIC Chapter Meeting Luncheon will take place on Thursday, May 16th at 11:30. Please join us at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Center located at 909 Robert D. Ray Dr., Des Moines, IA.Implementing the Agile Project Management Approach in Central Iowa The PMI-CIC Chapter Meeting Luncheon will take place on Thursday, May 16th at 11:30. Please join us at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Center located at 909 Robert D. Ray Dr., Des Moines, IA.     CHAPTER MEETING SPONSORED BY Project teams have been using agile techniques and approaches in various forms for several decades, yet there remains significant confusion around what it really means to be agile in implementing projects. Therefore, for our May 16th Chapter Meeting, we have gathered a panel of local professionals to help provide clarification. The panel includes: Andrea Brunk, PMP, Assistant Vice President Project Management Office at Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company. Andrea's Agile contributions will take into account her journey that began in earnest three years ago when she took on the task of building from scratch the PMO at Grinnell Mutual.The extensive overhaul included new Enterprise Architecture and Software Quality Assurance teams, Process Excellence efforts leveraging Six Sigma and Lean, formalized IT Service Management, and, of course, an Agile mindset. Mike Wemhoff, Development Lead at John Deere.When we started talking about putting the Agile panel discussion together, multiple members told us we need to include Mike.With his vast experience with the Agile approach to software development, he will be a significant contributor to our event. Bryan Gill, an experienced Software Architect and now a Product Owner as the Director of the Digital Experience at Berkley Technology Services. Given Bryan's agile software development and product ownership experience, combined with his critical thinking and problem solving abilities, he will be a great addition to our panel discussion. Don Kerr, Past President of PMI Central Iowa Chapter. Don began his foray into Agile back in 2001 when he was brought on to John Deere Financial to help stand up a new agile and eCommerce division as a proof of concept. He has acted as a project manager, scrum master, and a leader of project managers while clarifying Project Manager / Scrum Master interactions. Deadline to register is Monday, May 13th by noon. The registration fee for Members is $20.00 and Non-Members is $30. PMI Triangle - Strategic - 1 PDU Craig Hinson and I were able to catch up with a new member to Central Iowa PMI Chapter, Amber Cole. Amber is currently a Program Manager at WR Berkley in Urbandale Iowa. Craig Hinson and I were able to catch up with a new member to Central Iowa PMI Chapter, Amber Cole. Amber is currently a Program Manager at WR Berkley in Urbandale Iowa. [Alex] Can you give us some background on how you came into your project/program management role at WR Berkley? [Amber] I've always been in insurance, but got into the IT side of things about 11 years ago leading a BA team. I really loved being involved with the larger projects of the BA Team, and working directly with our customers at the six insurance companies we serve. So when this role became available, it was the perfect opportunity for me to have the opportunity to do both things with a great group of companies. My current projects involved 6 to 8 companies and can cause additional challenges. [Alex] What is one of the biggest challenges in your role today? [Amber] Having massive projects without having a direct access to project management tools and structure. Today I have to go out and do the research to build my own toolkit to help manage my projects. As I mentioned previously, my background is not in formal project management.My projects are large in size and typically span 6-8 companies, which requires a lot of organizational skills.Not having my own toolkit of PM resources has been the biggest challenge.I am sure there are more efficient ways to get things done, and I'm looking forward to learning more from this group to make that happen. [Alex] My understanding is that the Feb Chapter meetings was your first time attending the regularly scheduled meetings. How did it go and what did you take away from it? [Amber]​ I really enjoy listening to speakers when the topic is something that I can apply right now into my life. So many of the things he discussed had me nodding my head in agreement! And the feedback was actionable – I literally took his points back and started applying them to my project discussion immediately. [Alex] When dealing with difficult people on projects, what is your recommendation for others trying to overcoming the challenge? [Amber] Take a deep look at the person you find "difficult" and dive in to their motivation. What is driving them to be difficult – most of the time that passion is coming from a good place, it is just not received well in the space. I also try to make sure that I am taking time to listen and also to report back what I know or understand. Visibility and accessibility are two factors that cause problems in anything when they are missing. [Craig] Being a new chapter member, why did you join and what are you looking forward to accomplishing as a chapter member? [Amber] This is a talented group of PM's who are willing to share their experience and knowledge to make me better at what I do. I always learn best by watching and listening to others, so why not surround myself with people that have faced almost every challenge I will face in my job, and use their experience to make myself better. [Craig] What is your current goal in project management? [Amber] I am looking to build out my project management toolbox to utilize in my everyday. I am also looking forward to going for my PMP certification. [Craig] 3 fun facts about you? [Amber] 1. Signed up for a Tough Mudder, I am more athletic now as an adult then I was as a kid. 2. DIY Hack – Love to do DIY and my motto is "Perfectly Imperfect" 3. Favorite vacation is at the beach relaxing. [Alex] What is your favorite thing about Central Iowa? I am sure it won't be how much you love the cold?? [Amber] My favorite thing about central Iowa is the people!! "Iowa Nice" is a real thing and the two times I've moved away from Iowa have made me miss this state! It's a great place to live and work, and especially to raise my kids – knowing they will have good values ingrained in them.  PMI-CIC May Chapter Meeting Luncheon. Project teams have been using agile techniques and approaches in various forms for several decades, yet there remains significant confusion around what it really means to be agile in implementing projects. Therefore, for our May 16th Chapter Meeting, we have gathered a panel of local professionals to help provide clarification.     The PMI-CIC Chapter Meeting Luncheon will take place on Thursday, May 16th at 11:30. Please join us at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Center located at 909 Robert D. Ray Dr., Des Moines, IA.  Project teams have been using agile techniques and approaches in various forms for several decades, yet there remains significant confusion around what it really means to be agile in implementing projects. Therefore, for our May 16th Chapter Meeting, we have gathered a panel of local professionals to help provide clarification. One of the four panelists is:   Andrea Brunk Andrea's Agile journey began in earnest three years ago when she took on the task of building from scratch the PMO at Grinnell Mutual. The professional skill sets of portfolio, program, and project management were new concepts to the century-old company, but they were well-supported by the executive leadership's intent on changing the way IT worked to deliver the right business value faster. The extensive overhaul included new Enterprise Architecture, Software Quality Assurance teams, Process Excellence efforts leveraging Six Sigma and Lean, formalized IT Service Management, and, of course, an Agile mindset. This cohort of changes had the benefit of building in unison from the foundation up. No one area was so well established that it couldn't draw from another area. With the partnership of a talented staff, collaborative peers, supportive executive leadership, and a stellar Agile coach, Grinnell Mutual constructed teams, practices, processes, and tools to improve engagement in prioritized work. The initiation of a giant platform modernization program took the overhaul up a degree in difficulty but also tested the enterprise's ability to leverage fast feedback, continually improve, and rapidly adapt to change. The journey continues for Project Managers and Scrum Masters at Grinnell Mutual, who partner together as peers in the PMO, as well as the rest of the company. Andrea enjoys the challenge of tailoring the project management skill set to shape a sustainable environment in which motivated employees deliver customer value quickly. PMI Triangle - Strategic - 1 PDU The PMI Central Iowa Chapter is collaborating with the local chapter of the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) to offer you their annual Iowa Business Analyst Development Day (IBADD) at membership rates.The IBADD offers a great opportunity to hear challenging speakers, earn PDU's and network with project team members with differing perspectives.Please see the IBADD web site for more details (link below) and remember to identify yourself as a PMI-CIC member to receive the IIBA member rate! Attention all PMs! We're happy to announce a fantastic additional training opportunity. The PMI Central Iowa Chapter is collaborating with the local chapter of the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) to offer you their annual Iowa Business Analyst Development Day (IBADD) at membership rates.The IBADD offers a great opportunity to hear challenging speakers, earn PDU's and network with project team members with differing perspectives.Please see the IBADD web site for more details (link below) and remember to identify yourself as a PMI-CIC member to receive the IIBA member rate! http://​www.ibadd.org/ibadd/index.htm​ ​What ​​Iowa Business Analyst Development Day ​When ​May 9-10, 2019 Where Prairie Meadows Events and Conference Center in Altoona, Iowa   Speaker Spotlights Sinikka Waugh: Accelerated project Management - Crash course for Bas and Team Members 6 things PMs and Bas should know about each other Navigating through tough moments Harnassing THE Power of your team Ryland Leyton: It's about your career: Values & Visions, Goals, Gaps and Strengths Career Development and Planning - Part 1 Be seen, Be understood! Tell your career story and use STAR answers Job Interview Skills - Part 2 When will you be done? Talking to leaders and others about this in Agile efforts Rhonda Scharf: Maximize your Super Hero Robin Goldsmith: Writing Right Requirements Requirements are Requirements - or maybe not Use Cases for Requirements and Testing - Facts and Follies Project teams have been using agile techniques and approaches in various forms for several decades, yet there remains significant confusion around what it really means to be agile in implementing projects. Therefore, for our May 16th Chapter Meeting, we have gathered a panel of local professionals to help provide clarification.   The PMI-CIC Chapter Meeting Luncheon will take place on Thursday, May 16th at 11:30. Please join us at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Center located at 909 Robert D. Ray Dr., Des Moines, IA.Register here!Project teams have been using agile techniques and approaches in various forms for several decades, yet there remains significant confusion around what it really means to be agile in implementing projects. Therefore, for our May 16th Chapter Meeting, we have gathered a panel of local professionals to help provide clarification. One of the four panelists is: Don Kerr, PMP, CSM Don is a Past President of the PMI-Central Iowa Chapter and is a seasoned leader, mentor, and coach for project managers and scrum masters. He is a Certified Scrum Master, PMP, and Certified in Organizational Change Management through Prosci.   Don's foray into Agile began back in 2001 when he was brought on to John Deere Financial to help stand up a new Agile and eCommerce division from scratch. This initiative started in April 2001, one month before the Agile Manifesto was released. Don worked with the other stakeholders to build out an Agile methodology that was a light weight adaptation of the Rational Unified Process (RUP), utilized time boxing for sprints, and relied heavily on use cases.Later, as a consultant over the next nine years and then as a leader of project managers, he has helped organizations build out their Agile capabilities and integrate them into their existing project management frameworks. He has learned that it is inherent that role conflict can and does exist between scrum masters and project managers. Focusing on their interactions and overlapping roles and responsibilities is key to a successful implementation and adoption. Deadline to register is Monday, May 13th by noon.The registration fee for Members is $20.00 and Non-Members is $30.PMI Triangle - Strategic - 1 PDUBy: Lejla Vehabovic   I had a chance to meet Diane over a cup of coffee and truly enjoyed our conversation. She currently  works as a Senior Project Manager for Federal Home Loan Bank. Diane frequently attends our chapter  meetings and volunteers for membership appreciation event. Take a few minutes out of your day and  get to know Diane! {Lejla} Tell us about your project management experience? {Diane} I started my career as a developer and have evolved into a project manager. My first  exposure to project management was at John Deere. They needed to implement a process that would automate a paper calculation into a computer-based solution.  I was able to coordinate several teams to implement this project. In 2008 John Deere started to hire contractors as project managers and the company moved towards agile. I served as a Scrum master during this transition and took on several projects. I earned my PMP in 2014. My favorite part of project management is the exposure to a wide range of people and teams. It also gives me a good sense of accomplishment.  {Lejla} What is your greatest project accomplishment to date? {Diane} Installing SailPoint Access Management System. FHLB transitioned from a paper-based system to a completely automated application system. By implementing this project, we will ensure the right people have the right access to the right applications at the right time. {Lejla} Why did you get involved with PMI Central Iowa Chapter? {Diane} I like building my knowledge base. It's also interesting to hear about everyone's project management experience. There is a lot of synergy, technical approaches and interesting ways to handle a project. {Lejla} Provide us with five words that come to mind when you think of project management? {Diane} Challenges, Relationships, Change, Synergy and Fun. {Lejla} What do you do to keep your skills fresh? {Diane} I enjoy listening to project management podcasts. You should listen to "Project Management Happy Hour" podcast. In each episode they talk about a problem faced in project management, share practical advice, real-life examples and the occasional project horror story. Mark your calendars! PMI Central Iowa Chapter's biggest event of the year, PDD 2019 is on September 27th 2019.  Planning has kicked off for this year's Professional Development Day.  Keynote and session speakers are in the works. Stay tuned for more details.   The PMI Central Iowa Chapter is collaborating with the local chapter of the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) to offer you their annual Iowa Business Analyst Development Day (IBADD) at membership rates. The IBADD offers a great opportunity to hear challenging speakers, earn PDU's and network with project team members with differing perspectives. Please see the IBADD web site for more details (link below) and remember to identify yourself as a PMI-CIC member to receive the IIBA member rate! The PMI Central Iowa Chapter is collaborating with the local chapter of the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) to offer you their annual Iowa Business Analyst Development Day (IBADD) at membership rates. The IBADD offers a great opportunity to hear challenging speakers, earn PDU's and network with project team members with differing perspectives. Please see the IBADD web site for more details (link below) and remember to identify yourself as a PMI-CIC member to receive the IIBA member rate! http://www.ibadd.org/ibadd/index.htm BAs, QAs, and PMs Oh My! WhenThursday, May 9, 2019 at 8:00 AM CDT-to-Friday, May 10, 2019 at 5:00 PM CDTAdd to Calendar Where Meadows Events & Conference Center1 Prairie Meadows Dr.Altoona, IA 50009Driving Directions Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore. IBADD is happening May 9th-10th 2019 at Prairie Meadows Conference Center in Altoona. Speaker Spotlights: Bryan Arzani - What's Your Business Analyst Genius Chad Beier & Jeff Bubolz - Agile Loops Chad Beier, Jeff Bubolz, & Jeff Maleski - Ask me Anything Agile Jeff Bubolz & Jeff Maleski - Building Resilient Teams Jeff Bubolz & Jeff Maleski -Super Powers of Product Ownership - Validating Value Delivery and Knowing When It Will Happen Early Bird Pricing for IIBA Members, PMI members, DAQAA, and Business Architecture group is $400 for both days but only until April 1st, and that's no joke! Need a room for a night or two? Can book online or call in 1-800-957-3000 and reference your group code 05092019IIB. Just a reminder that the cutoff date is 05-08-19. PMI-CIC April Chapter Meeting Luncheon. The PMI-CIC Chapter Meeting Luncheon will take place on Thursday, April 18th at 11:30. Please join us at Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield located at 1331 Grand Ave. Des Moines, IA 50309. The PMI-CIC Chapter Meeting Luncheon will take place on Thursday, April 18th at 11:30.    ​ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Chuck Long Chuck Long's name has been synonymous with University of Iowa football for thirty years. As a former player and coach, his combination of charm, charisma and a winning attitude has motivated hundreds of young athletes and influenced multitudes of fans across the state of Iowa and beyond. Chuck will share lessons he's learned regarding leadership and teamwork - both on and off the football field. He'll also reflect on the individuals who not only encouraged him to achieve success, but to also understand the importance of lifelong learning, building relationships, and giving back. Deadline to register is Monday, April 15th by noon. The registration fee for Members is $20.00 and Non-Members is $30. PMI Triangle - Leadership - 1 PDU The first 5 Members to register will receive a FREE autographed copy of The Professional Project Manager's Guide to Understanding Agile by John Stenbeck. We are thrilled to announce that PMI Central Iowa will be hosting a monthly book club! With this, we are looking for smart readers who are willing to discuss enlightening, challenging, engaging and compelling topics relevant to Project Management.Join Us for PMI-CIC Book Club for PDUs Kick-Off! The first 5 Members to register will receive a FREE autographed copy of The Professional Project Manager's Guide to Understanding Agile by John Stenbeck. We are thrilled to announce that PMI Central Iowa will be hosting a monthly book club! With this, we are looking for smart readers who are willing to discuss enlightening, challenging, engaging and compelling topics relevant to Project Management. The first book we will be diving into is The Professional Project Manager's Guide to Understanding Agile by John Stenbeck. "John G. Stenbeck, PMP, PMI-ACP, CSM, CSP, is a sought-after Keynote speaker, three-time #1 Amazon Best Selling author whose books achieved over $3 million in sales, and the President of GR8PM, Inc." If you are wanting to better understand how Agile is now addressed by PMI, this book is a must read.It provides significant insights into the PMBOK Guide Sixth Edition and the Agile Practice Guide that describes the merger of Agile with traditional project management. What: Book Club Kick-Off Meeting When: Wednesday, March 27, 2019 5:30pm-6:30pm Where: Smokey Row Coffee Co. 1910 Cottage Grove Ave Des Moines, IA 50314In the fall of 2018, the PMI Central Iowa Chapter recognized milestones of chapter members, with the plans to continue that recognition quarterly in 2019.In the fall of 2018, the PMI Central Iowa Chapter recognized milestones of chapter members, with the plans to continue that recognition quarterly in 2019. I am pleased to report the following members achieved a milestone and will be recognized at our March 21, 2019 chapter meeting. Criteria for recognition at this quarterly meeting are: A current PMI Central Iowa chapter member as of Dec 31, 2018. A milestone reached between October 1, 2018 and Dec 31, 2018. Milestones we are celebrating this quarter are 20, 15, 10, or 5 years continuous membership New members New credentials earned Congratulations to the following PMI CIC members on their milestones and achievements! DownloadFor the past ten years, The Braintrust Consulting Group has built and served the Agile community by expanding its reach throughout the United States and offering the latest in training, coaching, and certifications. Braintrust has aided in the Agile transformations of well over 10,000 professionals and their organizations.  For the past ten years, The Braintrust Consulting Group has built and served the Agile community by expanding its reach throughout the United States and offering the latest in training, coaching, and certifications. Braintrust has aided in the Agile transformations of well over 10,000 professionals and their organizations. We have held regularly scheduled public Scrum classes in the Des Moines area for many years and have also provided private training and coaching to numerous clients in central Iowa. We have been privileged to sponsor PMI Central Iowa's Professional Development Day for the past six years, and look forward to doing so again this year. Because of this ongoing partnership, we offer Chapter members a $100 discount on all public Scrum classes and, as a Registered Education Provider for PMI, we are able to offer PDUs for all of our training opportunities. To receive your discount, just enter PMICIC when registering for any class. To browse all upcoming classes in Des Moines, visit www.braintrustgroup.com/classes/des-moines To watch a video about what to expect in a Braintrust class, visit https://youtu.be/c1Y3i15OHrI We recently ran an early bird special of $995 per person on our March Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) and Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) classes in Des Moines. Although that offer has expired for the general public, we are extending it until March 10 for PMI Central Iowa members! To receive this pricing, please use discount code PMICIC_EB. The PMI Central Iowa Chapter would like to keep our members, sponsors, and fans up to date with what we are up to! The easiest way to accomplish that is through social media! Please use the following links to find our pages and FOLLOW us! Thank you!The PMI Central Iowa Chapter would like to keep our members, sponsors, and fans up to date with what we are up to! The easiest way to accomplish that is through social media! Please use the following links to find our pages and FOLLOW us! Thank you! FACEBOOK LINKEDIN We are thrilled to announce that PMI Central Iowa will be hosting a monthly book club! With this, we are looking for smart readers who are willing to discuss enlightening, challenging, engaging and compelling topics relevant to Project Management.We are thrilled to announce that PMI Central Iowa will be hosting a monthly book club! With this, we are looking for smart readers who are willing to discuss enlightening, challenging, engaging and compelling topics relevant to Project Management. The first book we will be diving into is The Professional Project Manager's Guide to Understanding Agile by John Stenbeck. John G. Stenbeck, PMP, PMI-ACP, CSM, CSP, is a sought-after Keynote speaker, three-time #1 Amazon Best Selling author whose books achieved over $3 million in sales, and the President of GR8PM, Inc. If you are wanting to better understand how Agile is now addressed by PMI, this book is a must read. It provides significant insights into the PMBOK Guide Sixth Edition and the Agile Practice Guide that describe the merger of Agile with traditional project management. Participating in this Book Club qualifies for Technical PDUs with Reading and Informal Learning. If you would like to find out more, please contact Angela Lovan, Director of Logistics, at dirlogistics@pmi-centraliowa.org. The PMI-CIC Dinner Meeting will take place on Thursday, March 21st at 5:30. You are welcome to join us for Networking beginning at 5 at the  Hilton Garden Inn Des Moines/Urbandale, located at 8600 Northpark Dr, Johnston, IA 50131. The PMI-CIC Dinner Meeting will take place on Thursday, March 21st at 5:30. About the Speaker: Kit Welchlin  One of the busiest keynote speakers in the U.S., Kit Welchlin is often described as "high energy" and "entertaining." Kit weaves his light-hearted sense of humor, practical stories, and strategies into his keynote presentations and seminars, whether he's speaking about how to improve customer service, stress management in the workplace, intergenerational communication, or how to handle difficult people. Listed among Who's Who in Professional Speaking, Kit is a born public speaker who began public speaking at the tender age of nine. By age 16, he was speaking on leadership, citizenship, community service and motivation for the 4-H and Future Farmers of America. Kit Welchlin purchased his first manufacturing company at age 21, and by 26 was CEO and Chairman of the Board of three manufacturing companies in three states. He's been an instructor with the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, where he has been repeatedly nominated Outstanding Faculty. He is a Professional Member of the National Speakers Association. Kit has a B.S. Degree in Speech Communication, Business Administration, and Political Science. He earned an M.A. Degree in Speech Communication and Business Administration. In 2014, Kit was inducted into the Minnesota Speakers Association Hall of Fame. He has delivered more than 3,000 speeches and seminars to more than 500,000 people over the past 26 years. About the Session: Performance Management: Taking Your Talents and Your Team to the Top  Performance management is a method used to measure and improve the effectiveness of people in the workplace. Performance management is composed of several activities, including goal setting, tracking changes, coaching, motivation, appraisal, and employee development. Competitiveness in many of today's industries is based on the effectiveness of human assets on the ability of employees to create, to accumulate knowledge, to apply their skills, and to work effectively together. Learn: How to set goals that get results How to move from observation to discussion The rules of providing effective feedback The skills of an effective motivator How to appraise performance and coach for improvement Take a look at Kit's website for more information! https://welchlin.com/ Deadline to register is Monday, March 17th by noon. The registration fee for Members is $20.00 and Non-Members is $30. PMI Triangle - Leadership - 1 PDU  If you were not able to attend today's PMI CIC Chapter Meeting, you missed another GREAT one!!! If you were not able to attend today's PMI CIC Chapter Meeting, you missed another GREAT one!!! Neil Ihde, founder of Life IQ, provided us with some very insightful tips on how to deal with difficult people and the motivation to begin using them right away.  So, be prepared difficult people... those that attended today's session are now better equipped to help you be a more effective part of the team.  Next month, March 21st, Kit Welchin will be addressing "Taking your Talents and Your Team to the Top", and you will not want to miss out on that one.  Don't wait, take the time right now to sign up... and we look forward to seeing you there! by Jeff Tuttle and Craig Hinson Sinikka Waugh, Jeff Tuttle, and Craig Hinson recently met over a cup of coffee, and not only was the conversation very enlightening, but there were a few surprises.  {Jeff & Craig} Tell us about your project management pilgrimage. {Sinikka}"Initially, I actually thought I was going to be a teacher and did not see project management in my career.But early on after grad school, I was working as an administrative assistant for an individual who kept giving me bigger and bigger assignments.After about a year, he said, 'Have you noticed that I have been giving you harder and harder projects?' Eventually, he said that he noticed how my brain works and that he was convinced I had significant project management potential.So, he made arrangements for me to receive extensive project management training through EDS, where I worked, and I have never looked back.After being a Project Manager as an employee, and then as a consultant, I eventually realized I love to teach project management and related skills as well." {Jeff & Craig} Since you went through the EDS training, how did you find out about PMI?{Sinikka}"It wasn't until my second project management exposure at Nationwide that a fellow Project Manager put their arm around me and said that I needed to go to a PMI Central Iowa Chapter lunch and PDD.So, I joined the chapter, because that just makes sense, and then I got my PMP, and I have been involved ever since."  {Jeff & Craig} What is one thing you are excited about in the field of project management?{Sinikka}"The world is at crisis.We have food shortages.We have environmental and energy crises. We have people who don't get along, etc.We have things that just need to get fixed.I believe the abilities of Project Managers to bring people together, to talk with each other, and move things forward through our project management skills and capabilities can make dreams come true.Quoting Rick Morris, 'What if we could really make dreams come true?' - to solve these types of large-scale issues, that is my hope for us and what excites me about project management. {Jeff & Craig} What does this chapter do that provides you the most value? {Sinikka}"I have grown as a human being because of the relationships I have made in this chapter.The connections and discussions and opportunities to volunteer have been a wonderful chance to serve, and to lead, and to be part of something significant.The relationships have been an absolute blessing." {Jeff & Craig} Provide us with 5 words that come to mind when you think of project management. {Sinikka} "relief, get-it-done, preparedness, partnership/collaboration, and prove-it" {Jeff & Craig} From past conversations, I understand that you "love project management."Why do you love project management? {Sinikka}"Project management is the way in which we work together to make things better.What I love about it is the constant reminder that no one of us can do this alone; we need each other, and we are collectively working together to make it better… whatever it is that is put in front of us." {Jeff & Craig} Tell us 3 random facts about you. {Sinikka} "I have climbed inside pyramids in Egypt. My oldest daughter once described me as 'chill' (most people who know me don't think of me as 'chill', so I count that as a win!).And downhill skiing in Colorado is my idea of a great vacation." {Jeff & Craig} What is your elevator speech for what you do as a Project Manager?{Sinikka}"If a project is any body of work organized to accomplish a goal, bound by the constraints of time and cost, accomplished by a team of people who are managing risks and issues, then the project manager is the one who understands what that body of work is and helps the team stay within the boundaries, while moving forward to accomplish that goal."Unfortunately, we've hit the cap on attendees for the February 2019 Chapter meeting.  On the plus side, this now a networking opportunity: you can reach out to a fellow member who's attending and ask them for their notes!  ;) See you in March! The month of January was freezing and blustery, but hopefully everyone survived the cold days just fine! The month of January was freezing and blustery, but hopefully everyone survived the cold days just fine! New Members Our membership was certainly active. Please join me in welcoming these new members who joined our Chapter in the month of January 2019: Patricia Martin Tammy Roberts Erick Yego Kaleb Porter Kara Ellis Sherry Timmins Brittany Tibben Greg Hampton Vincent Highley Beth DeVries Krisha Gomez Troy Hoefflin Jacob King Carey Stover Amy Price Bettina Miller Welcome aboard, everyone! If you are brand new or returning after an absence, we are happy to see your smiling faces! New PMPs We didn't have any of our Chapter members achieve a PMP during January, but if you know of a new PMP or any of the other certifications, tell them "Congrats!" We are working on a way to acknowledge those who have achieved one (or more) the other certifications – if you are one of those individuals, the Membership Team says "WOOHOO! Good job!" Renewals If you haven't already signed up for automatic renewal, I highly encourage you to do so. This is an option with your PMI Global (pmi.org) membership. You can reach out to the Director of Membership (dir-membership@pmi-centraliowa.org) for some assistance, but you may need to reach out to PMI if you need help setting this up. ​ Member Feedback We are always looking for feedback from our membership. If you have suggestions for programs, speakers, activities, support – please feel free to send us an email at (vp.membership@pmi-centraliowa.org).Your Clear Next Step has proudly been a long-time supporter of PMI, the Project Management profession, and a strong local supporter of the PMI-Central Iowa Chapter since 2008. Your Clear Next Step has proudly been a long-time supporter of PMI, the Project Management profession, and a strong local supporter of the PMI-Central Iowa Chapter since 2008. As a public service announcement, we would like to let you know that Your Clear Next Step has two events coming up in the next couple of months to develop your project management skills, including a full-day workshop in Des Moines on February 26th. Please keep reading for further details... You've probably already felt it time and time again - when you and your team communicate well and work together for the good of your organization, and when you have the tools and skills to get the job done, you are happier, your business is better, and your community is even better! Your Clear Next Step exists to help people in business get even better at getting work done together. We have two great events coming up to help you do just that!   1. Advanced Facilitation – Full-day Workshop Tuesday, February 26 from 8:30am – 4:30pm https://www.yourclearnextstep.com/product/advanced-facilitation/ When meetings go sideways, we all lose. Gain skills for getting even the toughest folks in the toughest room back on track for a productive meeting. Eligible for 7 PDUs   2. How to Align the Project with Your Organization's Strategic Goals – LIVE Webinar   Friday, March 29 from 10:00am – 11:00am https://www.yourclearnextstep.com/product/live-how-to-align-the-project-with-your-organizations-strategic-goals/ We're too busy to waste time on projects that don't deliver value. Make sure you can describe how your project is in line with your organization's strategic goals, and save time and energy by getting all stakeholders on the same page about the project's value. Eligible for 1 PDU If you are still looking for something else to fill your PM toolkit or earn PDUs this year, we have a great lineup of Full-Day, Half-Day workshops, as well as LIVE webinars. Check all those out here! We're also thrilled to offer an entire library of On-Demand Webinars—be sure to check those out here and see what pops out at you!The PMI-CIC Lunch Meeting will take place on Thursday, February 21st at 11:30 am at Aureon Corporate Office, located at 7760 Office Plaza Dr. S, West Des Moines, IA 50266. The PMI-CIC Lunch Meeting will take place on Thursday, February 21st at 11:30 am at Aureon Corporate Office, located at 7760 Office Plaza Dr. S, West Des Moines, IA 50266. About the Speaker: Neil Ihde Neil Ihde (Ee-dee) is a speaker, lecturer, consultant and founder of Life IQ where he motivates groups and individuals to work, play, relate, and live intelligently. He has worked with numerous managers, directors, corporate leaders, and teams to improve their personal and professional effectiveness. Neil has worked with over 25 Fortune 500 companies including AT&T, Discover Card, Domino's, Transamerica, GE among others. Neil has also consulted internationally with clients from a dozen countries. He is a TEDx speaker and his Life IQ YouTube channel recently eclipsed a half-million views. Neil's academic background includes a B.A. in Psychology, a B.A. in Sociology and Neil and his wife Deb have two children and live in Appleton, Wisconsin.  About the Session: How to deal with difficult people Identifying difficult people… that's the easy part. Dealing with them? Well, that's a different story. Hoping and thinking that things will somehow get better hasn't worked. You need tools and strategies to deal with the stressful, emotional, and difficult interactions that occur. Keep your cool. Take a deep breath. (And maybe bring a mirror to look at yourself). The presentation will give you practical, everyday skills to deal with those challenging individuals in your life. Take a look at Neil's Website for more information!  lifeiq.com/about/ Deadline to register is Monday, February 18th by noon. The registration fee for Members is $20.00 and Non-Members is $30.  PMI Triangle - Leadership - 1 PDU Keep reading to see how you can get more involved in our Chapter, give back, and advance the Project Management profession!Keep reading to see how you can get more involved in our Chapter, give back, and advance the Project Management profession! Military to Project Management Program - The program focuses on refining the project talents of veterans and current military members, educating organizations on the value and relevance of military experience, and connecting the two groups to create a win-win solution. The program includes a combination of self-development and certification preparation resources, workshops, mentorship, employer awareness events, and networking opportunities. We are seeking people willing to support this program in various ways: Recruiters and hiring managers for resume reviews and mock interviews. Mentors with or without military backgrounds to help introduce candidates to various industries and coach them through placement, qualification for testing, and exam preparation. Advocates to raise awareness with employers, through individual and small group meetings and presentations. PDD volunteer – PMI-CIC is holding its annual Professional Development Day (PDD) on September 27, 2019. We are looking for volunteers to help us organize this event while working with a dedicated team of experienced leads who will guide you along the way. This opportunity will help you test the volunteering waters without getting overwhelmed with it. The volunteers earn PDUs for their time and will also be awarded a specially designed event shirt and participation promotional gifts. Board of Directors - PMI of Central Iowa has two opportunities to join our Board of Directors. Please keep in mind that the time commitment for each position is five to ten hours a month. Director of Social Media - The Director of Social Media ensures execution of external communications using the social media platforms on behalf of PMI-CIC and participates in committees or teams to advance the mission and vision of the PMI-CIC. The Director of Social Media is accountable to the Vice President of Communications & Marketing. Director of Photography - The Director of Photography creates and prepares visual media for Chapter use in print, online, and other media. This position performs photography and post-processing activities to produce compelling and effective photos. The Director of Photography must be a PMI-CIC member. The position requires a desire and focus to promote the PMI-CIC to the Central Iowa community and excellent photography and photo processing skills. If you are interested in learning more about these opportunities please fill out this volunteer application form and we will contact you promptly! Thank you for your consideration!I am really looking forward to tomorrow's (1/17) PMI CIC Chapter Meeting.  Sinikka has a wealth of knowledge and always provides tips that we can use right away. Happy New Year! We Want You! Calling All Volunteers for 2019! We have a variety of ways that you can get involved and give back to the development of the Project Management profession! Please read on to learn more about our volunteer opportunities and how to connect with the organizers.PMI-CIC Volunteers Needed! Happy New Year! We Want You! Calling All Volunteers for 2019! We have a variety of ways that you can get involved and give back to the development of the Project Management profession! Please read on to learn more about our volunteer opportunities and how to connect with the organizers.     We are getting ready to kick-off planning for our 2019 Professional Development Day (PDD). Listed below are the types of positions we would like to fill this year. If you have experience with any of these or are interested, please click on our volunteer form found below. When you have submitted the form, please get in touch with our Director of PDD, Sarah Otte at dirpdd@pmi-centraliowa.org. PDD 2019 Volunteer positions: Marketing Social Media Communications Technical/Website Project Coordinator Coordinator for Business Sponsor activities- You will spend an estimated three to five hours a month with your position activities. You will need to be able to attend our monthly planning meetings that are typically the last Thursday evening of each month. The PMI-CIC website (https://pmi-centraliowa.org/) received a new look during the spring of this year. We are now looking to make sure that the content is up to date and that all the links are working properly. We also want to see what new content we can add that would be beneficial to our 800+ members. We will be looking for a Director of Website sometime this summer, but for now we are looking for several types of individuals: Those individuals that have a keen eye and can spot areas that just do not look right. Those individuals that have a knack for grammar and word flow. Those individuals that have a background in website design and can assist with format and structure. Those individuals that have a background in website development and can assist with creating standards for the PMI-CIC website; incorporate best practices. Those people with vision that will assist in creating new ideas for website look and content.Lori Chambers, PMI-CIC Director of Collaborate to Succeed, held an outreach session with United Way recently and discovered an opportunity to help at Grand View University. Grand View has evening classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the months of March and April (8 Weeks total). We will meet weekly with the students and the nonprofit. The project is run in an agile "like" methodology. Whether we meet on Tuesdays or Thursdays is open for discussion. If you would like to get involved in one or more of the areas above, please fill out a Volunteer Application Form.You may or may not have noticed that the PMI-CIC website (https://pmi-centraliowa.org/) received a new look during the spring of this year. We are now looking to make sure that the content is up to date and that all the links are working properly. We also want to see what new content we can add that would be beneficial to our 800+ members.​You may or may not have noticed that the PMI-CIC website (https://pmi-centraliowa.org/) received a new look during the spring of this year. We are now looking to make sure that the content is up to date and that all the links are working properly. We also want to see what new content we can add that would be beneficial to our 800+ members.​   If you are new to PMI-CIC this is a great way to learn more about Your Chapter We will be looking for a Director of Website sometime this summer, but for now we are looking for several types of individuals: Those individuals that have a keen eye and can spot areas that just do not look right. Those individuals that have a knack for grammar and word flow. Those individuals that have a background in website design and can assist with format and structure. Those individuals that have a background in website development and can assist with creating standards for the PMI-CIC website; incorporate best practices. Those people with vision that will assist in creating new ideas for website look and content. Pop-up information was a new idea initiated in 2018 If you would like to get involved in one or more of the five areas above, please fill out a Volunteer Application Form.   [PMI is the world's leading not-for-profit membership association for the project management profession, with more than 600,000 members and credential holders in more than 185 countries. Our worldwide advocacy for project management is supported by our globally-recognized standards and credentials, our extensive research program, and our professional development opportunities.] PMI-CIC is excited to announce a partnership with the Central Iowa Chapter of International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA). Our partnership will give PMI-CIC members the same rate to 2019 Iowa Business Analyst Development Day (IBADD) as IIBA members receive. They will have a specific track for project management as well as tracks for agile, leadership, quality assurance, business analysis and business architecture. When you register please use your PMI-CIC member number in the PMI Member field to enjoy the IIBA member pricing. BA's, QA's, and PM's…Oh My! PMI-CIC is excited to announce a partnership with the Central Iowa Chapter of International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA). Our partnership will give PMI-CIC members the same rate to 2019 Iowa Business Analyst Development Day (IBADD) as IIBA members receive. They will have a specific track for project management as well as tracks for agile, leadership, quality assurance, business analysis and business architecture. When you register please use your PMI-CIC member number in the PMI Member field to enjoy the IIBA member pricing. The Central Iowa Chapter of IIBA officially invites you to follow them down the yellow brick road on May 9th-10th 2019 to Prairie Meadows Conference Center in Altoona, IA for personal growth and learning. Educational sessions will focus on business analysis, quality assurance, and project management…oh my! (We will have a separate track for Business Architecture as well!) What is at the end of the yellow brick road you ask? The Emerald City and the Wizard of Oz, of course. Actually, it's our keynote speaker Jim Morris. Jim Morris' story is the basis for the movie The Rookie. The Rookie is a heartwarming and unforgettable Disney blockbuster about chasing your dreams and keeping your promises. The Scarecrow might not have his brain but you sure do, Register now before the Early bird pricing ends. Early Bird Pricing for IIBA Members, PMI members, and DAQAA is $400 for both days, but only until April 1st. Send your registration request in on your company's 2018 budget. Sinikka Waugh, President and Founder of Your Clear Next Step is a recognized leader in understanding people and in adapting tools, techniques, and processes to meet the demands of the situation at hand. As a popular presenter and trainer, her energetic and engaging style drives home the art and science of making business better for individuals, teams, and organizations.About the Speaker: Sinikka Waugh of Your Clear Next Step Sinikka Waugh, President and Founder of Your Clear Next Step is a recognized leader in understanding people and in adapting tools, techniques, and processes to meet the demands of the situation at hand. As a popular presenter and trainer, her energetic and engaging style drives home the art and science of making business better for individuals, teams, and organizations. Her background in languages and literature, her natural inclination as a relentlessly positive "people-ist", and her career in project management and business analysis have prepared her to easily connect with people to lead and coach them to even better. From her earliest memories, Sinikka has felt called to teach. Since 2008, Sinikka has led the Iowa-based training company Your Clear Next Step. Your Clear Next Step is committed to making communities better by making business better for individuals and organizations. As a project manager, business analyst, facilitator, trainer, and coach, Sinikka is known for consistently helping people find innovative ways to work together, solve problems, and get things done. Since 2006, Sinikka has provided compassionate leadership in transformation initiatives, and her tools for helping others through change have positively impacted many individuals and organizations in the area and around the country. Sinikka is active with the Central Iowa Chapter of the PMI and the IIBA. She is a Rotarian and is consistently active in the faith community in Indianola, Iowa. Sinikka holds a BA from Central College, an MA from the University of Iowa, and is a certified Project Management Professional through the Project Management Institute. Sinikka and her husband Spencer live in Indianola, Iowa with their two daughters. About the Session: The fact that we have different generations at work isn't new. The "young whippersnappers" and the "old fogies" and everyone in between have always been at work, but it seems that every few years we have to stop and get our heads around how we can interact with each other more effectively. Looking at generational differences through a lens of disciplined, compassionate emotional intelligence, with a commitment to "even better" can help us work together more effectively. In this engaging and thought-provoking session, Your Clear Next Step coach Sinikka Waugh will present some tactical, try-this-now approaches to improving the way different generations interact on your projects. We'll focus on how to recognize, appreciate, and connect with colleagues from different generations, and how to make sure we're demonstrating communication and interpersonal styles that will resonate with others, without putting them in boxes! Quick overview of common generational groupings The power of curiosity and how to apply it Using norms to help put unspoken assumptions out in the open Words that work, and how to use them By attending this course, participants will:  Gain simple tools to help you recognize generational differences where you work Practice three proven ways to connect with other humans, regardless of their generational match to yours Gain a simple technique to help eliminate the pain of assumptions across generational lines  Engage more effectively with others through a handful of easy-to-apply words that help narrow the gap between generations. Join us by registering Here today! Deadline to register is Monday, January 14th by noon. Lori Chambers, PMI-CIC Director of Collaborate to Succeed, held an outreach session with United Way recently and walked away with many fantastic opportunities for Project Managers to give back! Please read on to discover how you can help! Lori Chambers, PMI-CIC Director of Collaborate to Succeed, held an outreach session with United Way recently and walked away with many fantastic opportunities for Project Managers to give back! Please read on to discover how you can help! Technology Projects range from assisting ISU and Grand View classrooms to a variety of non-profits. The ISU and Grand View projects require volunteers to attend classes during the reviews of students' progress. These classes take place on week nights.  ISU Class review schedule: The role we are looking to fill is a PM to assist the Student PM and project team to create a website or some type of database. The ISU students would like you to attend 4 of their classes to present their work and get more input for additional development. The classes are from 6:25 pm to 9:25pm on the following days:1. Kickoff meeting on 1/14/19 with a backup date of 1/28/19.2. Project Charter review on 2/11/19.3. Demo of Initial Design on 3/25/19.4. Final Presentation of finished technical project on 4/29/19 with a back up date of 5/6/19.  Grand View University Review Schedule: Grandview has evening classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the months of March and April (8 Weeks total). We will meet weekly with the students and the nonprofit. The project is run in an agile "like" methodology. Whether we meet on Tuesdays or Thursdays is open for discussion.  Non-profits: Many of the non-profits voiced needing guidance on how to best utilize the technology they currently own and how to maximize resources. These projects appear to be process improvement or Lean oriented. Please contact Lori Chambers for more information! Lori Chambers, PMPDirC2S@pmi-centraliowa.orgCell: 515-689-0616 By: Katie Dietz Kyra is a mover and shaker! I got the impression from my time with her that she doesn't stand idle and wait for good things to happen. She's much the opposite. She does her research and makes fact-based decisions which have lead her to success. And although she is just at the beginning of her project management career, I fully expect to see her propel into senior roles based on an intrinsic drive to learn and do more. Take a few minutes out of your day and read on to get to know Kyra! Her response to my final question is hands down the best answer I've received thus far and one which I'll be stealing. 😊 {Katie} What is your personal project management story? {Kyra} I started my career in Event Management as I owned and operated a wedding planning company. Through that I gained a lot of soft skills. I had the ability to see the holistic picture, manage tasks, etc. While managing that business, I began my career at Agri-Access as the Administrative Assistant. Now I lead all the strategic projects at Agri-Access in my current Project Manager role. {Katie} Tell us about project management in your current role. {Kyra} At Agri-Access, the type of projects I lead are compliance, systems updates, customer experience updates and mainly process improvements. {Katie} How have you been involved with our chapter over the years? {Kyra} I'm coming up on my first full year as a member. I participated in the Mentorship Program and attend monthly meetings and networking activities. I also wrote a blog post earlier this year. {Katie} What is one thing you're excited about in the field of project management? {Kyra} Agile and the normalcy of it. My first formal project role was Product Owner. I enjoyed the methodology and it's becoming more of the norm now. The structure of it makes sense to me and I think the style responds better to change over waterfall. {Katie} Tell us 3 random facts about you! {Kyra} 1. First Prom Queen at my high school – first year it was started! 2. I have a three-year-old daughter (Anna) and a one-year-old son (Elijah) 3. I planned and traveled with a group of Executive clients to The Masters in 2016 (talk about a major event to plan!) {Katie} What is your greatest project accomplishment to-date? {Kyra} I was on a one year long agile project where we were replacing a lender portal. I became the main Product Owner. I gained a lot of knowledge about the business and our products. I also gained exposure into how to manage projects and work with resources. I realized I was successful because of the relationships built. We are still working through enhancements today! {Katie} Tell me the first thoughts that come to mind when I say the following words: {Katie} Artificial Intelligence {Kyra} Robots {Katie} Project Sponsor {Kyra} Cheerleader {Katie} Agility {Kyra} Flexible {Katie} Scope creep {Kyra} Familiar {Katie} DevOps {Kyra} Ally – we rely on them! {Katie} When you tell someone you are a Project Manager, how do you explain your role or duties? {Kyra} Swiss Army Knife!  The Annual Meeting will encompass time for networking, heavy hors d'oeuvres, trivia fun, visiting with Board Members, a review of our Chapter's accomplishments and events from 2018, and plans for the upcoming year. *note that there will not be a speaker for the Annual Meeting; therefore, no PDUs will be awarded. Register today as the meeting is fast approaching on Thursday, December 13th at 5:30 PM! Register HERE to join us! About the session: December 13th, 2018 at 5:30 pm, PMI-CIC Dinner Meeting Registration closes at noon, Monday, December 10th!! 5:15 PM Registration Opens 5:30 - 5:40 PM Networking 5:40 PM PMI Chapter Meeting Welcome & Information 5:45 PM Hors d'oeuvres Served 6:15 PM 2018 in Review - Kickoff with Explanation 6:55 PM PMI Trivia 7:45 PM Closing     By: Katie Dietz {Katie} Please tell us your personal project management story. {Zach} "I had a unique start - my project management story began in Melbourne, Australia, where I worked as a Project Manager in Danfoss' Electronic and Controls Division managing a national network of sub-contractors. Our team focused on improving energy efficiency in existing supermarkets across Australia by retrofitting existing mechanical plants with more efficient electronic control technology in HVAC, refrigeration, and lighting applications. My wife and I [originally from Iowa] eventually moved back to central Iowa to be closer to family. I found a job with Mechdyne Corporation in Marshalltown and my wife returned to work at Dupont Pioneer in Johnston, where she had worked prior to us moving overseas. Ironically, my second project while working for Mechdyne Corporation, was with a University in Sunshine Coast, Australia. Much to my surprise, I found myself on a plane back to Australia 6 months after having moved back to Iowa. What a small world!" {Katie} Tell us about project management in your current role. {Zach} "I've been with Mechdyne for a little more than 4 years now. Every day is different – which keeps things interesting. I work with a range of clients in various industries across the globe, which you'd never expect from a company based in Marshalltown, Iowa! The vast array of clients we serve locally, nationally, and globally is continuously expanding. I've recently started focusing on local market expansion around the greater Des Moines area with conference room automation projects. Mechdyne got its start in complex, immersive virtual reality systems and has since branched into other areas of Audio-Visual markets, IT Services, and Software Development. I just recently wrapped up a four-year project for a new oil platform being constructed and commissioned for service in the Gulf of Mexico. Did I mention every day is different?!" {Katie} How have you been involved with the chapter over the years? {Zach} "I joined as a member about two years ago and regularly attend the monthly PMI meetings. PDD was a really great experience last year. The keynote [Colin Ellis] was from Australia, so we had a lot to chat about after his presentation. It turned out that the small suburb of Melbourne where he lived in was a frequent dinner spot for my wife and I. Again, small world!" {Katie} What is one thing you're excited about in the field of project management? {Zach} "What excites me about project management is the fact that it's applicable across so many different industries. There are opportunities to grow no matter what your ambitions are. Your experience in the profession can be a spring board to a higher-level management position, or you can easily spend your entire professional life in project management and have a rewarding career. The skills you gain in project management are so versatile. I have personally been able to apply all of the knowledge and skills I have gained across two entirely different industries. Although I went to school for mechanical engineering, I started in project management right out of college and I have no regrets. Project Management was absolutely the right choice!" {Katie} Can you share 3 random facts about you? {Zach} 1."Love DIY – my wife and I really enjoy doing home renovation projects." 2."I can ride a unicycle – maybe I should have joined the circus?!" 3."I'm an adrenaline junkie. I've gone skydiving in Iowa, bungee jumping in New Zealand, and shark cage diving in South Africa. There's a lot more on my bucket list I'd like to check off!" {Katie} What is your greatest project accomplishment to-date? {Zach} "While I was working for Danfoss Australia, the cost of refrigerant increased by something like 300% due to environmental tariffs. As a result, the need to prevent large-scale refrigerant leaks in supermarkets grew considerably; almost overnight. Our account manager introduced a new technology to the marketplace that hadn't made its way to Australia, but was widely accepted in the States. Technological change is often accompanied with opposition, and this was no exception. The technology we introduced was heavily scrutinized by the end users and technicians that were in charge of on-site maintenance and support post-installation. We encountered overwhelming resistance from the start. Not convinced it was working properly, we observed technicians disabling the technology almost immediately after it was installed. With much patience and perseverance, we returned to each job site whenever a major leak occurred to demonstrate the functionality of the system. We spent a great deal of time on-site at the technicians' beckoning call, day or night, accompanied with a mobile leak detection unit to pinpoint the source of the leaks. After the better part of a year had past, we found our champions. We identified a small group of traveling technicians who were tasked with chasing large leaks in supermarkets across the country. We targeted this group as the primary focus of our efforts. After we had them onboard with the technology, word began to spread. Eventually, the on-site technician's confidence in the technology began to increase based on word of mouth. The result – a project that was nearly terminated completely began to be praised for it's overwhelming success. Each of the traveling technicians would go on to carry their own personal mobile leak detection unit. Not only was it a rewarding project, but it had a direct impact on preserving the environment. Certainly, one of the greatest accomplishments I've had the pleasure of being a part of. {Katie} Do you have the PMP certification? If so, advice for anyone studying or thinking about taking it? {Zach} "I do have the PMP certification. The best advice I can provide - take a bootcamp!" {Katie} Tell us the first thoughts that come to mind when I say the following words: {Katie} Project Sponsor {Zach} "Manage expectations!" {Katie} Waterfall {Zach} "Sequential" {Katie} Agile {Zach} "Iterative" {Katie} Scope creep {Zach} "Inevitable" {Katie} Change {Zach} "Good!" {Katie} When you tell someone you are a Project Manager, how do you explain your role or duties? {Zach} "I usually tell them that I work with all the smart people, serving as the link between the client and the engineers. Always give credit to your team – as PM's we're just here to help make things happen!" By: Katie Dietz Those of us serving on the board know Allen very well! He's a Command Sergeant Major (Retired), Iowa Army National Guard. He's our first success story with the Military to Project Management (Mil2PM) program that we kicked off last year with leadership support from Joel Wolcott and Robert Olinger. Ironically enough, I first met Allen at the event at Camp Dodge in November 2017. We sat next to each other at one of the tables and he was telling me about how he was looking forward to the speaker topic of The Transitioning Military Project Manager. Since that day and over the last year we received updates on Allen's progress and were thrilled when we heard he got hired into a Project Manager role in Des Moines. Hope you all enjoy getting to know a little about Allen from our chat below! {Katie} Tell us about your new job! {Allen} "In September, I was hired as a Project Manager with Wells Fargo. Currently I'm supporting two major projects. First one is two phase, 24 months for the HR department using a technology workstream. The other one is building a software workflow for talent acquisition. I'm already seeing many dynamics and how they play into decisions and competing interests among stakeholders. I am already learning a lot and seeing some similarities to how projects are managed in the military." {Katie} Tell us about the PMI Central Iowa Chapter Military Program and how you got involved: {Allen} "Last year in November I was invited by Robert Olinger to the event at Camp Dodge. At that time, I had just recently started a Project Management training course through an online university. The event speaker [Jay Hicks] spoke about transitioning military experience into the project management profession. I could clearly see how my skills aligned to the project manager role." "Just yesterday we held another military event and I was a panel speaker. I was surprised to see so many familiar faces. On the panel along with me was Ben Garza and Jeff Tuttle. We showed military operations structure and how similar it is to a basic project management work breakdown structure. We answered a lot of questions and provided advice to others looking to transition their careers." {Katie} What has your chapter experience been like this past year? {Allen} "I attended the monthly chapter meetings at least every other month. My new employer supports my membership and chapter meetings going forward which is nice to know I have their support. Besides the great speakers at the monthly meetings, I have also really enjoyed the networking opportunities. I've talked to a lot of people with common interests and it's also been fun to meet others with varied backgrounds." {Katie} Since you are newly PMP certified, do you have any study recommendations or tips? {Allen} "I actually completed three courses online from Villanova. It was great for foundational knowledge and I was able to get the education hours needed to sit for the exam. I also downloaded an application on my phone for test simulations. I could choose questions based on knowledge area or just random. It was extremely helpful to see the areas I needed more focus on." {Katie} How do you explain what project management is or what your role entails to civilians? {Allen} "We are the people who make sure things get done. We start with the purpose, set a sequence of events and start scheduling. We also apply resources where needed whether it is people, funding, or building materials etc. Basically, we make sure the right people get the right material in the right order in order to find success in the project." {Katie} Can you share 3 random facts about you? {Allen} 1."I like to cook. Summer time I'm the grill master. My specialty is turkey breast in the smoker." 2."Love the outdoors. I enjoy a wide range of activities – hunting, fishing, biking, etc. It's my recharging station to get out in the middle of nowhere." 3."Jeep enthusiast and love rock driving. I have traveled to the Black Hills of South Dakota,Yellowstone Natl park area and Moab, Utah. I'm not much of a mud jeeper because that's too much mess to clean and hard on parts, so I like terrain that's dry, rocky, and/or sandy. I like to continually test my skills. My wife leads women's jeep trips when she's not traveling with me." {Katie} Veteran's Day is approaching. Do you have plans for the holiday? {Allen} "The Iowa Veterans Cemetery near Van Meter has a memorial service. It's a day I take for reflection to think about my past experiences and the loved ones lost. It's a great day but some times it can be harder than others."The November Dinner Meeting will include the recognition of our Chapter's volunteers from this year! Register today as the meeting is fast approaching on Thursday, November 15th at 5:30 PM!The November Dinner Meeting will include the recognition of our Chapter's volunteers from this year! Register today as the meeting is fast approaching on Thursday, November 15th at 5:30 PM! About the speaker: Gale Mote of Gale Mote Associates How many times have you heard this, "Well, that works great in the classroom but it doesn't apply in our business. We're different!" At Gale Mote Associates, we take pride in our ability to customize our training classes for every client. It's a priority and key to our success so we make the time to get to know you, your business, and your processes. Real-life examples and situations are used to discuss and practice techniques. When people come to Gale's presentations and workshops, they usually leave with one key question, "Where does she get that energy?" For 25 years, Gale has been designing and delivering motivational workshops and training classes for all types of industry and organizations. Her firm, Gale Mote Associates, specializes in high performance work cultures, team development, emotional intelligence, front-line manager training and organizational development consulting. Her sessions are creative, energizing, participant-centered and get results! Prior to starting her own company in 1990, Gale worked for various manufacturing enterprises including Del Monte, Square D Corporation, Quaker Oats, and Norand Corporation.In 2014, Gale received one of only four President and Provost Awards for Teaching Excellence from the University of Iowa. Gale has been twice honored by the YWCA Tribute to Women of Achievement. In 2005, she was awarded the Advanced Entrepreneur Award from Women Entrepreneurs in Cedar Rapids, IA. Gale is a four time award winner for the Best of Cedar Rapids Award in the Industrial & Labor Consulting Services category by the U.S. Commerce Association (USCA). Gale is a Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP®) by the Association for Talent Development (ATD) and is also an ATD Master Performance Consultant™. In addition, Gale is a Certified Coach and Facilitator for EQ-i 2.0®, a psychometric assessment which measures emotional intelligence and how it can impact people and the workplace. Gale is also an Authorized Partner with Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team™ and is an Everything DiSC® Authorized Partner. Everything DiSC is a transformational tool to help you understand yourself and others to have more effective relationships. She is a graduate of Coe College with multiple degrees in Business, Economics, and Education. Gale holds a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Iowa where she is an Adjunct Lecturer in the Tippie College of Business Professional MBA Program.On a personal note, Gale is married to the man of her dreams, loves animals (especially cats and horses), college sports (Go Hawks!), NASCAR, fishing, walking nature trails and laughing out loud! She has a passion for life and is committed to leave this world making a positive difference wherever and however she can! High Impact Training to Grow Your Organization About the session: Title: Be the Ideal Team Player - No One Volunteers Alone During this energizing presentation, volunteers will take an assessment of their strengths and areas to develop working collaboratively with others. Practical techniques will be provided on how to build each of these essential skills. We will also look at the importance of trust and productive conflict to build commitment for the team's decisions and outcomes. Registration closes at noon, Monday, November 12th!! November 15th, 2018 at 5:30 PM, PMI-CIC Dinner Meeting 5:15 PM Registration Opens 5:30 PM PMI Chapter Meeting Welcome & Information 5:35 PM Dinner 5:45 PM - 7:35 PM Speaker Intro, Topic, and Volunteer Recognition 7:35 PM PMI Prizes & Updates 7:45 PM PMI Closing PRICING: Members: $20NON-Members: $30Students: $10 LOCATION: Hilton Garden Inn 8600 Northpark Dr. Johnston, IA 50131PMI of Central Iowa would like to thank the following business partners for continuing to be such a big support for our annual Professional Development Day (PDD) on October 12th 2018. We appreciate your support not only for the day, but for the continued support of the chapter and for our community of project managers. PMI of Central Iowa would like to thank the following business partners for continuing to be such a big support for our annual Professional Development Day (PDD) on October 12th 2018. We appreciate your support not only for the day, but for the continued support of the chapter and for our community of project managers.A big THANK YOU and round of applause to you all. See you on October 12th! Platinum Sponsor -- Aureon Consulting  Gold Sponsor--The Braintrust Group  Apex Systems Collabera Cork Communications Grinnell Mutual IIBA QCI Robert Half TeamSoft University of Wisconsin Platteville Wellmark Your Clear Next Step Don't forget to register for PDD 2018. The speakers line up and their session descriptions can be found at Event Brite.  ​Enrollment for Mentees has closed; however, we are seeking seven more Mentors to match our amazing response to this program! PMI-CIC is looking for Mentors!!  ​Enrollment for Mentees has closed; however, we are seeking seven more Mentors to match our amazing response to this program! The Central Iowa Chapter Mentoring Program is an 8-month mentoring program that connects individual mentors and mentees beyond the working environment. This program is designed to encourage and facilitate growth in project management knowledge, professionalism, and skills in alignment with the PMI and Central Iowa Chapter goals. Participants who are certified PMPs may register time spent in mentoring activities for PDUs. This is a great opportunity for both mentees and mentors alike. Mentees gain valuable real-life knowledge from seasoned project managers and mentors consistently report that they find their own skills sharpened as a result of the mentoring relationship. The registration fee for Mentees is $50.00; there is no registration fee for Mentors. The deadline for Mentees has passed. The deadline for Mentor applications is October 31, 2018! Interested? Apply here. Questions? Contact Ryan Vanyo - dirmentoring@pmi-centraliowa.orgMI of Central Iowa would like to thank the following business partners for continuing to be such a big support for our annual Professional Development Day (PDD) on October 12th, 2018. We appreciate your support not only for the day, but for the continued support of the chapter and for our community of project managers.   MI of Central Iowa would like to thank the following business partners for continuing to be such a big support for our annual Professional Development Day (PDD) on October 12th, 2018. We appreciate your support not only for the day, but for the continued support of the chapter and for our community of project managers.A big THANK YOU and round of applause to you all! 2018 PDD Sponsors Platinum Sponsor -- Aureon Consulting Gold Sponsor--The Braintrust Group Apex Systems Collabera Cork Communications Grinnell Mutual IIBA QCI Robert Half TeamSoft University of Wisconsin Platteville Wellmark Your Clear Next Step Thank You and Looking Forward to 2019! By: Katie Dietz While I was interviewing Aaron, he reminded me of a very important lesson (and essentially the exact reason why I LOVE this spotlight article) that "you can't judge a book by its cover". He was detailing his technical experience in healthcare and it was very clear to me that his knowledge and expertise was far beyond that which my tiny brain could comprehend. Woofta! Ouch, it was quite difficult keeping up with him and he even asked if I had a recorder! Haha I truly wished I did! But I sh*t you not, maybe 5 minutes later he starts telling me he loves ballroom dancing! SAY WHAT! ME TOO! Mind. Blown. I challenge you all to take the time to spend a few extra minutes on your water cooler conversations this week. Don't just end it at, "Hey, how are you?" "Good, you?" "Good." Don't let them get away! Take a deeper dive. This conversation could turn out to be the highlight of their day. Maybe even yours. End rant! Now please enjoy getting to know Aaron 😊 {Katie} Tell us about project management in your current role. {Aaron} "Just recently started a new role in October of 2017 as Senior Project Manager at Cerner Corporation which does Healthcare IT and is based in Kansas City, MO. I became PMP certified in March.I have spent my 16 year career in Healthcare IT working either for Cerner or one of their clients. My focus is on electronic medical records projects at a local hospital utilizing our virtual Cerner team and local hospital based teams. {Katie} What kind of historical experience do you have in project management? {Aaron} "The past 9 years I was with a hospital system in northern Michigan. I have always supported projects but since getting my PMP I feel that I finally understand the rigor and purpose behind how to get things done appropriately. My role on projects was always as an Analyst – specializing in healthcare IT software (like Emergency Departments & Radiology). I customized software to support systems and I also have experience as a Systems Engineer when I previously worked for Cerner. I found I like the client facing side of things as a Project Manager." {Katie} How have you been involved with our chapter over the years? {Aaron} Just joined PMI and chapter in November 2017. I wanted to get more involved locally. I have attended lunches and I like the speakers. I'm glad to have these types of opportunities to earn PDU's. {Katie} What is one thing you're excited about in the field of project management? {Aaron} "Agile – but specifically when it's applied to healthcare IT. Typically this area is laggard and slow to adoption. However, we are getting to a place where there is an agile framework that is beginning to be used within our Organization. I'm excited to apply a new framework to my projects and be able to deliver value in a more relevant way." {Katie} Tell us 3 random facts about you! {Aaron} "I have 4 children." "I love ballroom dancing! I did it in college and now I don't do it often enough." "I recently took up biking. I rode the Bacoon and that got me hooked." {Katie} What is your greatest project accomplishment to-date? {Aaron} I recently lead a project to implement a new rehab hospital. I started in October and got it thrown at me the day I walked in the door. It ended up being much larger than originally planned. It was one of those projects that was tough to get through but I was very proud of the team completing the work. It's a truly phenomenal facility that went live in June. {Katie} Tell us the first thoughts that come to mind when I say the following words: {Katie} Artificial Intelligence {Aaron} "Radiology – I was just reading an article about how AI is absolutely transforming the efficiency with which Radiologists can read studies." {Katie} Project Sponsor {Aaron} "Crucial" {Katie} Agility {Aaron} "Future of project management" {Katie} Scope creep {Aaron} "Constant. Manage it well!" {Katie} DevOps {Aaron} "The people I don't interact with much but are crucial to my ability to deliver client value." {Katie} When you tell someone you are a Project Manager, how do you explain your role or duties? {Aaron} "I ensure everything is kept on track and that we accomplish our goals! And if we can't, then I help adjust what we can to get as close as possible." Happy Friday!!!!  PMI Central Iowa Chapter's biggest event of the year is officially a week away.  Online registration is opened until October 9th, 2018.  You will  earn 7.5 PDUs from this attending event. The theme for this year event is "Exercise Your Mind". Happy Friday!!!!  PMI Central Iowa Chapter's biggest event of the year is officially a week away.  Online registration is opened until October 9th, 2018.  You will  earn 7.5 PDUs from this attending event. The theme for this year event is "Exercise Your Mind". Our keynote speaker, Alana M. Hill aka The Miss Engineer Way will be kicking off the day with "Survival of the Fittest".  Alana is a passionate speaker, author, and learning consultant at 2Hill Consulting Services. Her experience as an engineer and certified Project Management Professional (PMP) in energy and talent development provides real‐world insight into how people and teams can excel, even in the face of adversity.Alan Mallory, our lunch keynote, will take us to a new height with his presentation on "Project Everest: Reaching New Heights in Project Management".Where else will you have the opportunity to earn up to 7.5 PDU's in one day? This one-day event will host amazing speakers on a wide range of professional topics, learning, networking, connecting, with great professional development and fun!  Register now! DATE AND TIMEFriday, October 12, 20188:00 AM – 4:30 PM CDT LOCATIONThe Meadows Event and Conference Center1 Prairie Meadows DrAltoona, IA 50009 Your Clear Next Step was founded in 2008 with a strong commitment to making work better for people in business. Our team includes trainers, coaches, and problem solvers who specialize across industries and disciplines, so we can support organizations, teams, and individuals from a variety of backgrounds—from finance and insurance to manufacturing and technology. Your Clear Next Step was founded in 2008 with a strong commitment to making work better for people in business. Our team includes trainers, coaches, and problem solvers who specialize across industries and disciplines, so we can support organizations, teams, and individuals from a variety of backgrounds—from finance and insurance to manufacturing and technology. We make business better. Period. Through inclusive and insightful solutions, coaching, training and workshops, we solve, deliver, and teach so your Business and your People grow. Our classes are hands-on and highly interactive to maximize your learning on topics relevant to your role. We bridge the gap between technical topics and the "soft" skills that wind up being harder than you think—influence, communication, emotional intelligence, and just about everything else you might need to be effective and get things done at your desk, in meetings, and beyond. When it comes right down to it, we're not just business people—we're people people. We know that organizations are most successful when their people are in a happy, healthy work environment—when you, your team, and your leaders communicate and work effectively together for the greater good of the business. We know that's easier said than done, which is where we come in! We're here to help however we can, whether it's a class, coaching, or more—our goal is to help you be the best you. Visit our website for a full list of workshops, webinars, and classes, and find out how we can make business better for you! Our founder, Sinikka Waugh, has been an active member of the PMI-Central Iowa Chapter for over a dozen years. She's served as a volunteer and on the board of directors, including a fairly recent term as the VP of Marketing and Communications. She's absolutely passionate about project management and about the opportunities – both for professional development and for personal and business relationships – that our local PMI chapter offers. And access to global PMI resources is just one more benefit of local chapter participation! PMI-CIC PDD has been part of Sinikka's annual calendar since 2005, and Your Clear Next Step has been proud to sponsor the event every year of our 10 years in business. We love the chance to connect with project leaders in October, and we can't wait to see you there! Don't forget to stop by our booth to say hello and to check out our fun giveaways this year!  Hurry!!! 5 more days to register for PMI Central Iowa Chapter PDD 2018 "Exercise Your Mind".  Grinnell Mutual, headquartered in Grinnell, we've protected our customers for more than 100 years, offering auto, home, farm, and business insurance. We are the 111th-largest property-casualty insurance company in the United States and the largest primary reinsurer of farm mutual companies in North America. Our mission and our core values focus on cultivating trusted relationships — with our customers, agent and mutual partners, communities, and more than 800 employees. Grinnell Mutual, headquartered in Grinnell, we've protected our customers for more than 100 years, offering auto, home, farm, and business insurance. We are the 111th-largest property-casualty insurance company in the United States and the largest primary reinsurer of farm mutual companies in North America. Our mission and our core values focus on cultivating trusted relationships — with our customers, agent and mutual partners, communities, and more than 800 employees. Our Project Management team is vital to ensuring Grinnell Mutual's continued growth and staying competitive in an ever-changing marketplace. We are proud to support PDD and PMI of Central Iowa; our partnership allows our team members to connect with peers across the state for collaborative education and networking opportunities.  7 more days to go!!!!! It is not too late to sign up for our biggest event of the year.  Please visit Event Brite for more information.  PMI of Central Iowa would like to thank the following business partners for continuing to be such a big support for our annual Professional Development Day (PDD) on October 12th 2018. We appreciate your support not only for the day, but for the continued support of the chapter and for our community of project managers.A big THANK YOU and round of applause to you all. See you on October 12th! Platinum Sponsor -- Aureon Consulting Gold Sponsor--The Braintrust Group  Apex Systems Collabera  Cork Communications Grinnell Mutual IIBA QCI Robert Half TeamSoft University of Wisconsin Platteville Wellmark  Your Clear Next Step Don't forget to register for PDD 2018. The speakers line up and their session descriptions can be found at Event Brite As a worldwide leader in Agile / Scrum training, The Braintrust Consulting Group offers energetic, highly interactive classes and coaching. Through practical, hands-on training and enterprise and team coaching, we help our clients learn, plan, and implement Agile processes. Our goal is to teach our clients how to increase predictability of delivery, decrease time-to-market, and improve overall client satisfaction. As a worldwide leader in Agile / Scrum training, The Braintrust Consulting Group offers energetic, highly interactive classes and coaching. Through practical, hands-on training and enterprise and team coaching, we help our clients learn, plan, and implement Agile processes. Our goal is to teach our clients how to increase predictability of delivery, decrease time-to-market, and improve overall client satisfaction. As a PMI Registered Education Provider, we have enjoyed sponsoring the PMI Central Iowa PDD for the past six years. We feel that our Agile training offerings perfectly complement PMI's ACP certification by providing in-depth Scrum education, with the additional benefit of all of our classes providing ACP-accepted PDUs. Certifications earned with The Braintrust Consulting Group are via the Scrum Alliance, the world's leading organization helping to set Scrum standards. Given that 85% of Agile teams are using Scrum, and that we provide the most recognized Scrum certifications available, Braintrust and PMI Central Iowa are the perfect Agile professional development partnership. The Braintrust Consulting Group would also like offer a PMI discount for all of their courses.  Please use the discount code  PMICIC and is good for $100 off any of their certified classes. You can check out their classes at https://www.braintrustgroup.com/classes/des-moines/  It is not too late to register for our PDD 2018 event on October 12th.  Click here to sign up now... The right consultants should offer brand new ideas, yet fit neatly into a company's culture as if they'd always been there. And that's exactly what you'll find at Aureon Consulting. We started nearly 20 years ago as Midwest Project Partners, and today we offer a full spectrum of project and business management solutions. We're proud of our long-standing partnerships with businesses of all sizes in a variety of industries, and we're committed to finding—and delivering—the right consultants for your success. The right consultants should offer brand new ideas, yet fit neatly into a company's culture as if they'd always been there. And that's exactly what you'll find at Aureon Consulting. We started nearly 20 years ago as Midwest Project Partners, and today we offer a full spectrum of project and business management solutions. We're proud of our long-standing partnerships with businesses of all sizes in a variety of industries, and we're committed to finding—and delivering—the right consultants for your success. Our close customer relationships have enabled us to employ consultants with wide ranging skills, including: ​Program Managers Project Managers Business Analysts Business Process Analysts Requirement Analysts Project Controllers Scrum Masters Application and Software Development Quality Assurance and Testing Data and Business Intelligence Enterprise Infrastructure Over the years our commitment and partnership with the Project Management Institute (PMI) has evolved. The Central Iowa Chapter of PMI plays an important role in Aureon Consulting's success, core values, and fostering a progressive project management community in our market. We look forward to continuing our tradition of sponsoring the Professional Development Day. Please stop by on October 12 for a visit or explore an opportunity with us at AureonConsulting.comThe PMI Central Iowa Chapter (PMI-CIC) is Iowa's preeminent authority on Project Management and the only organization in Central Iowa dedicated solely to the advancement of the profession. We are over 830 members strong and highly visible to the local PM professional community. Our Chapter is part of the PMI global organization and community with over 1 million project managers in over 80 countries holding a wide variety of certifications.PMI CENTRAL IOWA CHAPTER CALL FOR 2019 OFFICER NOMINATIONS  Overview The PMI Central Iowa Chapter (PMI-CIC) is Iowa's preeminent authority on Project Management and the only organization in Central Iowa dedicated solely to the advancement of the profession. We are over 830 members strong and highly visible to the local PM professional community. Our Chapter is part of the PMI global organization and community with over 1 million project managers in over 80 countries holding a wide variety of certifications. Get Involved Run for elected office! Each Year the PMI-CIC elects new, volunteer Chapter Officers to represent our dynamic member community and manage the business of our thriving, non-profit organization. In order to ensure continuity of leadership, the PMI-CIC alternates the Vice President/voting roles that become available each year. For the upcoming year, the following influential roles are opening up for nomination: President-Elect (3 year commitment – Year 1 as President-Elect, Year 2 as President, and Year 3 as Immediate Past President) Vice President of Membership and Volunteerism (2 Year Term) Vice President of Operations (2 Year Term)   ** The position of President-Elect has one prerequisite that the others do not – the candidate for this senior leadership role must have served as a Vice President of the PMI-CIC Board in a prior year. ** Detailed role descriptions can be found on our Chapter Website HERE Individuals may nominate themselves by contacting the nominations committee chair at nominationscommittee@pmi-centraliowa.org by 10/14/2018. New Board Members take office officially - (01/01/19)Featuring Alan Mallory - our lunch keynote speaker will be presenting "Project Everest: Reaching New Heights in Project Management" and "Managing Risk in the Face of Uncertainty"Featuring Alan Mallory - our lunch keynote speaker will be presenting "Project Everest: Reaching New Heights in Project Management" and "Managing Risk in the Face of Uncertainty" Please watch a sneak peek from Alan by clicking on the video below..  ​We have added the capability for you to Share, Tweet, and Post to all of our PMI-CIC communication channels! You will find social media icon links at the bottom of every e-mail newsletter, website article, and blog post. We encourage you to help us spread the word about our Chapter with your social media circles! Information about Project Management Institute membership, upcoming PMI-CIC events, Member of the Month, or any other topic that you find on the PMI-CIC website can be easily shared. Happy Sharing, Tweeting, and Posting to you!   By Katie Dietz I got the pleasure of sitting down and chatting with Mahlon Barker back in July. He picked Pancheros because of the proximity to his office and I'm also guessing it's a favorite lunch spot of his. I hope you all enjoy the chat because it certainly was a highlight to my day! {Katie} Tell us your personal project management story. {Mahlon} "Even though I haven't always had the title of Project Manager, I've still sort of been playing the role. For several years I was a System Support Manager at Continental Western Group. In that role, I supervised and lead the help desk along with managing Business Analysts. I would sometimes help with project management work for various projects. That was over the last 15 years before restructuring occurred at the company. In total though I have actually been with CWG for 34 years. The main project role I played over the years was mainly App Developer, involving coding in Assembler {Katie – "I've never even heard of that – haha!"} and projects focused on system conversions. I have a wealth of historical knowledge and I know the relationships with data so projects benefit from my insight and leadership." {Katie} Tell us about project management in your current role. {Mahlon} "I'm currently an IS Project Coordinator @ Continental Western Group, a Berkley Company. There has been restructuring the last 2 years. We have transitioned into an agile methodology now. I'm leading a team called "Tactical Support Team" – who deal with day to day issues and ongoing operations of what we have in production. We use the agile process (Kan Ban) and prioritize tasks to complete them quickly. I'm very interested in learning all things agile and enjoy these topics at PMI meetings." "One of my development goals is to attend 2/3rd of the chapter meetings this year. My favorite speaker so far this year was a couple months back and she spoke about ways to choose the work we do. The ROI [return on investment] isn't necessarily the best way to choose priority. We should ask, "What's the cost of doing nothing?". For example, a company had a code freeze right before black Friday and identified several issues. They chose to spend money to fix something that wouldn't necessarily generate revenue but it was a wise business decision. The fix was for a misspelled word on the company website which all customers would have seen. They figured customers would have thought poorly of their business even though the shopping experience was good. I basically liked the idea of prioritizing based on value and not just dollar wise for ROI." {Katie} How have you been involved with the chapter over the years? {Mahlon} "I have been a member for about 2 years now. Involvement has been limited to chapter meetings. I enjoy attending the meetings so I can build relationships, make contact points, and for learning more about the formal process of project management and governing agile." {Katie} What is one thing you're excited about in the field of project management? {Mahlon} "Learning how to incorporate agile methodology. It's tough because it's very different than how CWG has done things in the past. It can be a challenge partnering with other groups, other software teams even though you are under the same corporation. The main thing I've learned is that communication is key." {Katie} Tell us 3 random facts about you. 1.Married for 33 years and Father of 4 boys 2.Favorite movie is The Quiet Man with John Wayne 3.The first project I led was CWG's Y2K efforts (back in the day!). We started planning 5 years prior because a bond policy blew up in 1995. When we attempted to process a renewal from 1999 to 2000 it went haywire. {Katie} What is your greatest project accomplishment to-date? {Maylon} "It was a policy issuance system conversion 5 years ago. The project was slightly in chaos when I was brought on and I had to use a lot of soft skills to negotiate. We knew we wouldn't have everything perfect in the end but needed to reach it anyway. And we made it and the world didn't come to an end." {Katie} Please tell us the first thoughts that come to mind when I say the following words: {Katie} Sponsor / Business Owner / Product Owner {Mahlon} "Codling." {Katie} Waterfall {Mahlon} "Beautiful when it works." {Katie} Agile {Mahlon} "Mini-waterfall. For instance, you have the entire project and thing to be delivered, but agile is like little drops, or ripples, of the larger waterfall." {Katie} Scope creep {Mahlon} "You can't have everything or we will never be done!" {Katie} Change {Mahlon} "Life." {Katie} When you tell someone you are a Project Manager, how do you explain your role or duties? {Mahlon} "I see my role as a person who brings people together towards a common goal and have everyone put their own priorities aside for the greater good."Lenae Price excels at relationship and communications training, and story development. She specializes in employee professional development and stakeholder engagement.In her role leading Cork Cares, Lenae helps non-profit organizations develop their stories and their executive team's ability to deliver them with maximum impact. Lenae Price excels at relationship and communications training, and story development. She specializes in employee professional development and stakeholder engagement.In her role leading Cork Cares, Lenae helps non-profit organizations develop their stories and their executive team's ability to deliver them with maximum impact. With a proven track record from Tennessee to New York, she's earned her agencies double- and triple-digit percentage increases in earned and contributed revenue, individual and corporate engagement, volunteerism and overall program participation. Lenae earned her Degree from University of Tennessee.  Lenae will be presenting "Critical Conversations" at this year's PDD event. Click here toOur Professional Development Day (PMI-PDD) event is rapidly approaching and we are asking for your support via a sponsorship.Our Professional Development Day (PMI-PDD) event is rapidly approaching and we are asking for your support via a sponsorship. Would you be interested in being a sponsor for our event? The levels range from $1,000 to $4,000 with varying levels of benefits related to each. In order to put on a world class event...as we have consistently done each year over the last 24 years, we need your financial support and participation. This is the one event each year which allows you to get in front of our membership and impress them with your product or service offering. Don't miss out while your competitors appeal to our attendees. Be present and capture new markets and new opportunities! To participate, please get in touch with our Business Sponsor Coordinator, Mark Havlicek, trustee@pmi-centraliowa.org or our Director of PDD, Sarah Otte, dirpdd@pmi-centraliowa.org Let us know your desired sponsorship level and we will take it from there regarding getting you engaged and providing you the benefits and visibility to our members.  Please refers to the Business Partner Packet below for more information. Thank you in advance for your support of PMI of Central Iowa! Download​Paula Bell is the CEO of Paula A Bell Consulting, LLC. She is a Business Analyst, Leadership and Career Development coach, consultant, speaker and author with 20 years of experience in corporate America in project roles to include business analyst, requirements manager, business initiatives manager, business process quality manager, technical writer, project manager, developer, test lead and implementation lead. Paula has experience in a variety of industries to include media, courts, manufacturing and financial. The Kihon of Diversity and Inclusion: "Difference Brings Power" ​Paula Bell is the CEO of Paula A Bell Consulting, LLC. She is a Business Analyst, Leadership and Career Development coach, consultant, speaker and author with 20 years of experience in corporate America in project roles to include business analyst, requirements manager, business initiatives manager, business process quality manager, technical writer, project manager, developer, test lead and implementation lead. Paula has experience in a variety of industries to include media, courts, manufacturing and financial. Paula has lead multiple highly-visible multi-million dollar technology and business projects to create solutions to transform businesses as either a consultant, senior business analyst or manager. Currently she is a Business Initiatives Manager leading a revenue team to build capabilities to bring new and innovative products to market. Summary of Paula's presentation at our annual PDD Event - You do not want to miss this. "I'm quite sure everyone will agree working with different people every day is easy and every interaction goes smoothly, right? Okay, that is a HUGE stretch. Wouldn't it be great if that was the case though? However, if it was, life may be quite boring. What makes life interesting is the different perspectives, cultures, mindset, skill sets and more of individuals we interact with. When people hear the word "diversity" a lot of individuals immediately think of "race" or "ethnicity". However, diversity is quite broader than those categories. As a martial arts instructor, and student, I have to work with individuals of different age, physical ability, mindset, skill set, and knowledge to name a few. As a senior manager I have to work with different individuals who have many different ideas, and perspectives, to obtain the business goals and strategies. Finally as an entrepreneur, I have to be really keen on how to interact with current, and future clients to ensure I'm providing them the services they need no matter what part of life's journey they may be encountering. As project managers, or members of project teams, every day you are working with people. Each person is unique, and brings something of value to the table. However, sometimes our unconscious biases, lack of understanding, or just the day to day hustle and bustle stop us from really understanding, and embracing the diversity of each of these individuals. Not everyone is like you. That is a GREAT thing!!!! As the old adage goes, two heads are better than one. In addition, multiple heads can bring about change like no other. The powerful solutions, and ideas, are endless when you have an inclusive environment to embrace the diversity of ALL. In the spirit of the theme "Exercise your Mind" participants will leverage martial concepts to achieve the following objectives. Objectives: The Dimensions of Diversity – It's more than the surface. Unconscious Bias – identifying unconscious biases you may have and how to work through them. Creating and Fostering an Inclusive environment – embracing the differences and making everyone feel welcome to be who they are.  The Central Iowa Chapter Mentoring Program is an 8-month mentoring program that connects individual mentors and mentees beyond the working environment.The Central Iowa Chapter Mentoring Program is an 8-month mentoring program that connects individual mentors and mentees beyond the working environment. This program is designed to encourage and facilitate growth in project management knowledge, professionalism and skills in alignment with the PMI and Central Iowa Chapter goals. Participants who are certified PMPs may register time spent in mentoring activities for PDUs. This is a great opportunity for both mentees and mentors alike. Mentees gain valuable real-life knowledge from seasoned project managers and mentors consistently report that they find their own skills sharpened as a result of the mentoring relationship. The registration fee for Mentees is $50.00; there is no registration fee for Mentors. The deadline for Mentor and Mentee applications is October 17, 2018! Interested? Questions? Contact Ryan Vanyo - dirmentoring@pmi-centraliowa.org PMI-CIC members and their guests experienced an enjoyable evening of networking, music, wine, and tasty finger foods last Tuesday. The Board of Directors, along with their team of volunteers were pleased with the turnout. Hopefully, in years to come, more and more of the 800 plus members of the PMI – Central Iowa Chapter will be able to attend events like this one. PMI-CIC members and their guests experienced an enjoyable evening of networking, music, wine, and tasty finger foods last Tuesday. The Board of Directors, along with their team of volunteers were pleased with the turnout. Hopefully, in years to come, more and more of the 800 plus members of the PMI – Central Iowa Chapter will be able to attend events like this one. The team that was brought together to plan this event was extraordinary. Winston Churchill is quoted as saying, "Those who plan do better than those who do not plan even though they rarely stick to that plan." That was true for this event. Many things changed from the initial plan; including the venue, the food, and even the type of event. The following individuals were involved in preparing for or marketing this event: Alex Marckman, Brent Humphries, Brian Sardou, Charity Dunwoody, Craig Hinson, David May, Diane Higgins, Jen Pietila, Lejla Vehabovic, Lynn Reed, and Stephen Rodriquez. Planning began at the May PMI-CIC Chapter Meeting where Craig Hinson, PMI-CIC President-elect, asked for volunteers to assist with this event. Two of our event volunteers, Lejla and Charity were so impressed by the energy of the planning group that they accepted director positions on the PMI-CIC Board.  "Those who plan do better than those who do not plan even though they rarely stick to that plan." Winston Churchill Members participating in PM Connection networking The event took place at Jasper Winery (jasperwinery.com), located near Grey's Lake and Water Works Park. The wait staff was very pleasant and had a great time interacting with our members. The night's entertainment was provided by Larry Berenguel (larryberenguel.com, Facebook - larryberengueliowa). Larry is an acoustic guitar player, singer, and songwriter. Larry played a variety of music and was thoroughly enjoyed. There were two companies that catered the event; Taste to Go (tastetogo.net) and Cyd's Catering (cateringbycyd.com).For those that were at the event, Taste To Go was at the front half of the table and Cyd's Catering was at the back half. Each provided a variety of food that paired well no matter what you were drinking. A special shout out to Emily (Taste To Go), who went above and beyond with her hospitality and attentiveness to details. In addition to the food, there were fabulous prizes given away. There were two interactive time frames in which individuals were encouraged to get to know each other. For the first hour people needed to find out the favorite project of five individuals. For the second hour people needed to find out the least favorite project of five different individuals. The prizes were very unique and invoked a lot of participation. Prize winners were randomly drawn from participant entries that completed the task. And the prizes were … Flyington Drone – Take pictures and videos while flying a drone from your smart phone. Shockwave Speaker/Charger – It's a speaker and a phone charger! Onyt App-Enabled Smart Button – the name says it all. This app makes everyday tasks as easy as clicking a button. And the winners were ... Flyington Drone - Stacey Cole and Christy Jaworski Shockwave Speaker/Charger - Olivia Turner and Vinoth Kumar Sekar Smart Button - Tracy Smalley and Stacie Franklin It was a pleasure seeing many of you at this event! We hope that we showed you just how much we appreciate you and your contribution to our PMI Central Iowa Chapter! See you at the next Chapter Meeting! Are you a member and want to volunteer to work on an event or something else PMI-CIC is involved in? Fill out an application form located at pmi-centraliowa.org/get-involved/volunteer-form. Not a member? Go here to see how you can become a member and join the fun. "Keeping Technology Leadership Agile in the Virtual and Physical Worlds" "Keeping Technology Leadership Agile in the Virtual and Physical Worlds" ​Brandon McNulty ​is a senior executive with proven success leading high-performing teams in challenging environments. Over the past 25 years, Mr. McNulty has overseen military construction and operations projects, nuclear power plant projects, sports venue build and renovation projects, architecture of Enterprise Technology solutions and large-scale technology projects, migrations, and Cloud initiatives.He has deep technical experience in venue technology, datacenter, network, and systems architecture as well as operations, security, virtualization, storage, midrange computing, site resiliency, disaster recovery, and software development. He is a superb manager with an exemplary management record and continuously demonstrates outstanding communication skills that allow him to interface easily with all levels of an organization and the client and partner ecosystems Brandon's presentation focuses on the challenges of technology leadership in today's world with references to traditional software and solution development and technology construction project management of some of the world's premiere venues.Discussions will include leveraging project management and software development skills to meet and exceed business goals for the array of stakeholders.Project examples will include Virtual and Augmented Reality Development, Software Development, Construction Project Management, and building Technology Partnerships. ​Do you sign up for events early or do you wait until the last minute? If you are one of those last minute people or maybe even an after the deadline person, you may ask, "Why is there a deadline?" Believe it or not, cutoff dates and deadlines are important form a logistical perspective.​Do you sign up for events early or do you wait until the last minute? If you are one of those last minute people or maybe even an after the deadline person, you may ask, "Why is there a deadline?" Believe it or not, cutoff dates and deadlines are important form a logistical perspective. Typically the deadline to register for a PMI Central Iowa Chapter event occurs at noon on the Monday before the event. Our Chapter Meetings, for example, are held on Thursday. This leaves less than three (3) days (if it is a luncheon meeting) to get things done before the event. The PMI-CIC Board is made up of volunteers. One of the positions on the board is the Director of Registration. Within those three days, this person has to prepare the name badges and get ready to mark down everyone who attends. All of us work, so why not later in the day on Monday? Typically, our caterers want the final numbers by 1 pm on the Monday before the event. This gives them time to order ingredients and prepare for the meal. The Director of Registration provides the final numbers to the Director of Logistics so they can work with the venue and caterer to make sure everything is set up correctly. Do you have additional questions? You can contact either the Director of Registration (dirregistration@pmi-centraliowa.org) or the Director of Logistics (dirlogistics@pmi-centraliowa.org). The PMI Central Iowa Chapter Board of Directors is here to serve the 800+ members they represent. To see a full list of the PMI-CIC Board of Directors go to https://pmi-centraliowa.org/about-us/board-of-directors-2.  Marketing as an Experiment  Joe Dager is a Lean practitioner (Lean Six Sigma Black Belt) that specializes iPublish Post Once published, the post will appear on the blog listingn Service Design and Sales and Marketing. Most of his recent work has been in SaaS discipline working with organizations in the Business Development area and to onboard external groups such as affiliate, re-sellers and reward programs. He has also managed and worked closely with their sales and marketing teams and even been that department for some.  Joe has hands-on experience in the implementation of marketing strategies to include direct and indirect sales development. He is well-versed in digital marketing and the traditional marketing concepts of lead generation, advertising, and public relations. In fact, in today's world, he believes, they are so interconnected, why struggle to separate them?  Grandview University and PMI - CIC Collaborate to Succeed Spring 2018 - Project Grandview University MIS class and PMI-CIC Collaborate to Succeed program have joined forces to develop a technology solution for a private non-profit agency. Grandview University and PMI - CIC Collaborate to Succeed Spring 2018 - Project Grandview University MIS class and PMI-CIC Collaborate to Succeed program have joined forces to develop a technology solution for a private non-profit agency. Grandview's MIS students use the management of the development of technology solution as their capstone project.  Each student has a specific role in the development of the project; roles include Project Manager, Business Analyst, Test lead, Developer, etc. The students have 8 weeks to create the deliverables. PMI-CIC Collaborate to Succeed program connects the Grandview students with a non-profit organization. In addition, PMI-CIC members volunteer to mentor the students on project management skills and support the non-profit representatives in the role as project sponsor.  This years non-profit is a new start up agency aimed at helping women who have been incarcerated and are ready to be released to a supportive re-entry program. The program is called Feel and Implement the Healing (FAITH). Since this is a new non-profit, they did not have any technology solution for a website, volunteer tracking, or donation collection. In addition, they needed a social media present to share their mission and connect with other professionals.  The Grandview students choose to design a website for marketing, volunteer tracking, and donations, create a business facebook page, and a business LinkedIn page. The students met weekly with business founder, Robynne Hayes and/or the PMI-CIC PM volunteers.  The students successfully delivered all three deliverables! One student even offered to support the website for free for the first year. Please check out the website at https://www.reentryfaith.org/ FAITH still has a lot of projects to complete. They need board members to help guide these projects. They need volunteers to help with fund raising. One of the immediate needs is a building to provide supportive housing to women and children. If you interested to help with additional projects or would like to learn more please contact dirc2s@pmi-centraliowa.org  By: Katie Dietz Our chapter wouldn't survive without our members! Every single one of you bring something unique to our group. Today, you get the pleasure of getting to know a little about Bridget Johnson. She graciously agreed to meet me for coffee and donuts and we had the following conversation: {Katie} What is your personal project management story? {Bridget} Recently accepted a new role at Principal. I was born to be a Project Manager, but my parents didn't know it. I was doing backwards scheduling since I was a kid so it comes naturally. My first PM job was not until I was 29, though. I knew the hiring manager at Rockwell Collins and the leader took a chance on me because of my soft skills so that I could get my foot in the door. I accepted a role I was very over-qualified for, so I could have the opportunity to transition into a Project Manager role when one became available. I was able to manage projects for a corporate university, and it gave me a chance to go through a lot of training. I spent 4 years there and loved it. After that I made a decision to move to Indianapolis. I worked remotely for Rockwell Collins for a bit, and ended up taking a contract role with Adidas for a digital asset management project. Unfortunately, it was short lived because the project didn't receive approval for funding. Then I spent time at Performance Assessment Network (PAN). However, my husband and I wanted to move back to Iowa. For the last year and a half I have been back in Iowa, most recently at Businessolver. Most of my project management experience has been in Information Technology projects with Human Resource customers, so I've really mastered the art of "geek speak" and how to make it relatable to who I'm working with. {Katie} Tell us about project management in your current role. {Bridget} At Principal I'll be an IT PM replacing audio and video components in conference rooms across all company locations. Right now it's 2 years worth of work. I've always had a desire to manage construction projects, and I think this will be a good way to experience some aspects of that. {Katie} How have you been involved with our chapter over the years? {Bridget} I'm a new member because it took some time to receive approval from Businessolver for membership expenses. This year I have attended most chapter meetings and was at PDD last October. I hope to get more involved in a volunteer capacity once I complete graduate school next summer. {Katie} What is one thing you're excited about in the field of project management? {Bridget} Continuous evolution – there is always something new and exciting to work on. Agile has been a major topic the last few years but now it's artificial intelligence – doing things smarter instead of harder. {Katie} Tell us 3 random facts about you! {Bridget} 1.I'm a scrapbooker – old school style with paper! Started on books for my kids 15 years ago and for consistency sake I will finish their stuff the same way I started. 2.I'm a constant competitor! I even consider the GPS a challenge to see if I can beat the estimated time to arrival. 3.I grew up on a farm. I drove tractors and showed cows at the county fair. {Katie} What is your greatest project accomplishment to-date? {Bridget} A million dollar savings. At Rockwell Collins, the corporate compliance department required everyone to take 30 minutes of ethics training annually. Our project team worked with the General Counsel to reduce the requirement to 20 minutes. The savings were calculated by the total of employee salaries in those ten minutes. after the next year, they reduced it to 15 minutes. {Katie} Tell me the first thoughts that come to mind when I say the following words: {Katie} Project Sponsor {Bridget} Champion {Katie} Waterfall {Bridget} Traditional {Katie} Agile {Bridget} Quick {Katie} Scope creep {Bridget} Scope court {Katie} Change {Bridget} Excitement {Katie} Wow that's not a typical response to change! Why do you think you see it in a positive light? {Bridget} I grew up with a mom who moved furniture in our house weekly. I've always had the same mindset as her because I believe there can always be a better way to do things.However, I don't rearrange my furniture as often! {Katie} When you tell someone you are a Project Manager, how do you explain your role or duties? {Bridget} I use the "super hero problem-solver" reference. We are constantly asked to do things that nobody has done before, and nobody knows if it will work. There are constant fires, things to solve, and we have an eye for all the moving parts. We see how the change will cause impacts downstream and the relationships between all the tasks and people. {Katie} I love the super hero correlation! What would your super power be? {Bridget} Strength. I've unfortunately never been a home run hitter.​Anthony Reed, CPA, PMP has over 25 years in project management and IT executive positions. His area of expertise is implementing multi-million dollar, international business applications. The business, IT, travel, and sports publications which have featured him include the PMI Today, Dallas Morning News,Runner's World, USA Today, Ebony, Southern Living, and the Journal of Accountancy.​ "The Psychology, Art, and Science of Gathering Business Requirements"   ​Anthony Reed, CPA, PMP has over 25 years in project management and IT executive positions. His area of expertise is implementing multi-million dollar, international business applications. The business, IT, travel, and sports publications which have featured him include the PMI Today, Dallas Morning News,Runner's World, USA Today, Ebony, Southern Living, and the Journal of Accountancy.​ Gathering business requirements is the litmus test for a project's success. Success is defined as being on time, within scope, and at or below budget. If the requirements are wrong or incomplete, the project will be unsuccessful. Unfortunately, while the methodologies work "on paper" and "in theory," they generally fail once people are added to the mix. Anthony Reed's presentation focuses on the psychology, art, and science of gathering business requirements.  The Session 1 will focus on: The Concept Historical Overview of Methodologies Who We Are & How Did We Get Here Managing & Motivating Team Members & Executives Training the Business Analysts The Session 2 will focus on: Selling The Business Requirements Process To Executive The Art Of Managing Difficult Stakeholders Registration for Professional Development Day 2018 is now open, and Early Bird pricing is in effect for a limited time!  Get your tickets here https://pdd2018.eventbrite.com  7 Steps to Mastering Your Mind and Becoming a True Thought Leader 7 Steps to Mastering Your Mind and Becoming a True Thought Leader   Traci Duez is Founder and President of Break Free Consulting. As a recovering self-critic, she knows that self-doubt leads to procrastination, frustration, and discouragement. It kills productivity, profits, and achievement. When you allow self-doubt to control your habits, you not only rob yourself of your dreams, but you also rob the world of the positive difference you could be making right now. She is passionate about helping people quell their inner critic and taking action from their inner coach. ​ Traci will be sharing with us her secrets on how to master our mind and become a true thought leader.   Don't miss the next PMI Chapter Meeting at 11:30 AM on September 20th at the Holiday Inn - Downtown.Don't miss the next PMI Chapter Meeting at 11:30 AM on September 20th at the Holiday Inn - Downtown. Dane Pelfrey will share tips, tricks, trials and tribulations of a twenty year journey from Business Analyst to Project Manager to CIO with all the stops in between. Participants will learn valuable skills in: Stakeholder communications - leading technical decision making, and use of ROI to transform IT Service DeliveryLeadership - leading teams with expert knowledge and limitless employment optionsPrioritization - B2B customer communications when you have Facebook, Tesla, Southwest Airlines, and Lenovo as anchor tenantsTeambuilding – bringing together both small and large teams with technical egos and agendasDuring this lively, direct, behind-the-scenes session, you'll come away with practical approaches and tools you can immediately put to action. Dane has worked for start-ups, mom & pops, Fortune 50s, and companies of all sizes in industries as varied as healthcare, mortgage, property-casualty insurance, public policy, financial services, and even some bureaus in DC he really can't discuss. If you deliver projects in the real world, with real world problems and personalities, this is a session for you.  Register here for the September Chapter Meeting.Climbing Mount Everest is considered one of mankind's greatest feats of human endurance. The two-month expedition to the top of the world's highest peak is a journey filled with unparalleled physical and mental challenges through some of the most extreme conditions imaginable.​ Climbing Mount Everest is considered one of mankind's greatest feats of human endurance. The two-month expedition to the top of the world's highest peak is a journey filled with unparalleled physical and mental challenges through some of the most extreme conditions imaginable.​ Alan Mallory is an international speaker, author and professional development trainer who is passionate about leadership and human performance. He studied engineering at Queen's University and has worked all over the world as a mechanical engineer and project manager but his true passion is in working with people to reach new heights in the way we think and the actions we take. Alan has always had a keen interest in discovering what drives us to do what we do and how we can use this knowledge to improve our lives and the lives of those around us. He will be delivering the afternoon keynote speech entitled "Project Everest: Reaching New Heights in Project Management" (Technical); Workshop 1 "Managing Risk in the Face of Uncertainty" (Technical); and Workshop 2 "Age of Agile: A Hybrid Approach to Agile Project Management" (Technical) .  Watch the video below to get a preview of Alan's presentation.  Make sure to join us this year in our Professional Development Day event to get inspired and learned from the International Change and Leadership Expert, Speaker and Author Alana M. Hill PMP.  Make sure to join us this year in our Professional Development Day event to get inspired and learned from the International Change and Leadership Expert, Speaker and Author Alana M. Hill PMP.   Alana will be opening the event with "Survival of the Fittest" speech.  Her afternoon workshop "Catalyst of Change"  teaches us the Power of Managed Change. Both topics are categorized under Leadership Talent Triangle. Alana M. Hill, PMP is a passionate speaker, author, and learning consultant at 2Hill Consulting Services. Her experience as an engineer and certified Project Management Professional (PMP) in energy and talent development provides real‐world insight into how people and teams can excel, even in the face of adversity. Her international business expertise shapes her perspective of change leadership and seasons her presentations. Throughout her career, Alana has led diverse teams and delivered high-impact workshops all over the world!  You can find out more about Alana by visiting her website at The Miss Engineer Way.     All PMI-CIC Members are welcome to this FREE event on Tuesday, August 14th from 6 to 8:30 pm Click here to register  Gather with your fellow members and enjoy premium quality wines using grapes grown only in Iowa! Not to worry if you aren't a wine enthusiast! An array of brews from Madhouse Brewing Company, sodas, and water will also be available. The evening will include tasty appetizers as you mingle with other Project Managers in the Barrel Room, Tasting Room, and lovely outdoor areas. For the movers and shakers, we will be holding a fast-paced "PM Connection" networking effort in the Main Area where participants have the chance to win fabulous prizes! You must be present to win. We look forward to showing you our appreciation for your support of the Central Iowa Chapter. Registration closes at noon, Monday August 6th August 14th, 2018, 6-8:30 PM, PMI-CIC Member Appreciation Night 6:00 PM Event Opens 7:00 PM First PM Connection Drawing 8:00 PM Final PM Connection Drawing 8:30 PM Event Closing PRICING: Members: $0NON-Members: N/AStudents: N/A LOCATION: Jasper Winery2400 George Flagg Pkwy, Des Moines, IA 50321  Register here   The PMI-CIC Communications & Marketing team had a fun and productive dinner meeting last night.  There was great conversation and exchange of ideas about how to effectively communicate to our Members.  Time well spent!      We had great participation and strong attendance at this month's Board meeting!  Watch the blog for information about this summer's Member Appreciation Event and a slew of other exciting happenings!     In May, the annual Iowa Business Analysis Development Day, or IBADD, event was hosted by the Central Iowa Chapter of IIBA at Prairie Meadows Event Center. We were very excited because this year we expanded IBADD to be a 2 Day event. While we still held our traditional day of Keynotes and Speaker presentations, we added in a day dedicated to workshops.   In May, the annual Iowa Business Analysis Development Day, or IBADD, event was hosted by the Central Iowa Chapter of IIBA at Prairie Meadows Event Center. We were very excited because this year we expanded IBADD to be a 2 Day event. While we still held our traditional day of Keynotes and Speaker presentations, we added in a day dedicated to workshops. Separate morning and afternoon workshops gave our members an opportunity to dive deep into specific topics and work toward truly mastering a subject. Trainers came from far-and-wide starting with our local Des Moines area and coming as far as from Brazil. We got a lot of great feedback, both positive and improvement oriented, on this year's format and are planning on another two-day IBADD next year. In particular, I was excited to once again see the PMI Central Iowa Chapter at their booth in our Sponsors Hall and look forward to being at the IIBA booth at the PMI PDD on October 12th. The relationship between the local Chapters of PMI and IIBA goes back further than my involvement with the IIBA organization and I feel fortunate to have seen the relationship grow over the years. We have traded a booth at each other's Development Day for several years now. In the last year, we've worked together to have joint networking events and speaker presentations. The upcoming year will see our groups continue to work together which is fitting since both domains need each other to be successful. Having spent most of my career in the PM field, I found my most successful projects to also be the ones where I had the best relationship with my BA. Now that I have spent time on the other side of the equation, I understand why. As a team, the PM and BA both manage to the project constraints project albeit from different angles. The BA focuses on the Product Quality – a key factor in any project's success – while the PM focuses on the Cost and Schedule. Both roles have a responsibility to communicate with stakeholders and manage risk. If these two roles aren't aligned, the project will have a bumpy road as the key constraints aren't managed in unison and, ultimately, diverge which decreases the chance of project success. We are true siblings in our marketplace. Sometimes we fight and sometimes we're best friends, but we're always working for the betterment of our companies and communities. We in this together and frequently face the same problems. Agile is a great example because it's a big disruptor in our industry. Agile is an opportunity we all have to show that it's not a title, but the skillset that allows each of us to provide value. For those with a BA or PM skillset, we're valuable members of a team that provide a critical function in communications to stakeholders and organization of deliverables and stories. For those that have both BA and PM skillsets, they are the unicorns that have the ability to fluidly move between teams, systems, and knowledge domains. They are truly Agile and continuously find new ways to add value. These people recognize that skill in Scope Management (PM) improves the ability to perform Solution Scope Definition (BA). They understand that creating a WBS (PM) benefits from skill in Requirements Elicitation (BA) by drawing out that next level of detail. There's just a lot of synergy between the two fields yet each skillset is truly unique in it's domain and audience. I urge everyone to hone your skills in both the PM and BA spaces through practice and through education. Whether you're a member PMI CIC or IIBA CIC, get on the mailing list of both organizations and take note of the speakers each group brings to town. Attend the monthly meetings. Sign up to have a mentor or to be a mentor. Volunteer for both groups. Register for the PDD and for IBADD to take your skillset to that next level. We have a great community here in Des Moines because both organizations are dedicated to advancing the knowledge of their members. I look forward to the continued relationship between the PMI and IIBA Central Iowa Chapters and hope to see everyone at the PDD on October 12thand at the next IBADD in May 2019. Kevin Rose is the current President of the Central Iowa Chapter of the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA). He is a certified Project Management Professional and ScrumMaster and has spent 14 years working in the Project Management field at various companies in the Des Moines area. Several years ago, Kevin jumped at an opportunity to lead a team of Business Analysts and sought to learn more about BA practices. This lead him to join the Board of Directors of IIBA CIC in 2015 as Director of Programs and he became President in 2017. The IIBA CIC is a non-profit organization working to strengthen the presence and understanding of Business Analysis skills throughout Des Moines and central Iowa. To learn more, please visit www.centraliowaiiba.org or www.iiba.org.   Dr. Will Pepper ("The Other Dr. Pepper") speaks and consults with businesses and organizations that want to improve their marketing efforts, get the most out of their technology, and improve their overall leadership through manageable steps, not broad jumps. Register Now!  Don't miss the next PMI Chapter Meeting on June 21th, 2018 at 11:30 AM!   Dr. Will Pepper ("The Other Dr. Pepper") speaks and consults with businesses and organizations that want to improve their marketing efforts, get the most out of their technology, and improve their overall leadership through manageable steps, not broad jumps. He has spoken throughout the United States, as far west as Long Beach, California, and as far east as Savannah, Georgia. He also guides companies both in-person and online in saving thousands of dollars each year through business leadership, marketing, and technology workshops and consultations. His clients range from small, privately owned companies to Fortune 500s.Please know that Dr. Pepper is not a medical doctor, nor is he a delicious soft drink. However, he does have his doctorate in Management Information Systems (MIS) with a minor in Marketing, an MBA with a dual-emphasis in MIS and Marketing, and a BBA with a double-major of Finance and Managerial Finance, all from Ole Miss, as well as 20+ years business experience.For more information, or to contact him to speak/consult with your organization, please call Samantha Pepper, the Queen of Better Than Free, LLC at 662-638-5002, or you can email her directly at samantha@betterthanfree.info.(Note – These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This service is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any medical diseases, only business challenges.) Dr. Will Pepper has been asked to speak, has been published, interviewed for various publications, and has working papers on topics that include (but not are limited to): ​Free and Pay Software Security  Social Media and Marketing Efficiency  Brand Beings, or the Best Way to Create the Right Spokesperson for Your Product, featured at 2014's American Marketing Association meeting.  Trust and structure in e-commerce/m-commerce/app and app development  Online Privacy and Security  Multilingual Translation  Decision Support Systems and Executive DSS (all details available upon request)  Leadership, Character, and Motivation  ABC (Always Be Challenging)  Marketing Superheroes and Businesses S.M.A.R.T.E.R  Marksman Marketing: Leadership Tactics to Keep Your Best Clients and Supporters Engaged  It's Not Just About the Money: Multiple Ways to Motivate Each Type of Employee Dr. Pepper has taught a variety of material at different levels with superior ratings, organization, attitude and professional integrity (evaluations available upon request). Will finished his Ph.D. in Management Information Systems (minor in Marketing) in August 2014, focusing on the Perceived Safety of Free Software in Business. According to the #1 The Wall Street Journal Bestseller's Strength Finder 2.0, and the Clifton StrengthFinder test (a process based on over 50 years of research and almost 9 million people tested), Will's strongest talent is the ability to be Futuristic, which is a top 5 strength found in less than 10% of all those tested and (less than 1% have it as number one). According to Gallup's, he has the ability to see in detail a picture of what needs to happen, the opportunities available, and to use this to not only energize himself but energize others. Someone who is Futuristic is a self-branded person that is a "tremendous value" to any organization. Next is Ideation, which adds to the first strength in that Will can discover elegantly simple solutions and opportunities beneath complex problems. He revels in finding entrepreneurial connections and enjoys new challenges of creating something new where risks scare others away. Then there are his Beliefs, the core values that make him dependable as he upholds himself to higher ethics than most towards the pursuit of meaningful work. Supporting these talents include the Learner trait, which means that subjects that interest him energize his career path and help him thrive in a dynamic work place. A Learner attacks short projects with zest, despite the familiarity of the subject matter, and moves forward to the next challenge instead of dwelling on accomplishments. Finally, "When can we start?", or the Activator talent provides the belief that action speaks louder than words and that once a decision has been made, action must occur. Will believes action itself is the best learning device and, according to Gallup, "You know you will be judged not by what you say, not by what you think, but by what you get done. This does not frighten you. It pleases you."Finally, Dr. Pepper is a former Co-Director / Founding Member of the Oxford Film Fest, now in its 15th season. He lives in Oxford, Mississippi, with his wife Samantha, and their dog Dangerzone Pepper and volunteers his time regularly in his local community and church. Come see the presentation that has been given to groups that vary from in size from local charities to Fortune 500 Leadership teams. It expertly combines the hot topics of superheroes (something he has 30+ years studying) and overcoming challenges that all businesses face. The presentation has been customized to flow for project managers, business analysts, and managers, and incorporates segments of the Talent Triangle, such as how Iron Man used Strategic Planning in developing his battle suit and how he changed his mindset from lone vigilante to leading hundreds as the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., the world's police force!​ Register Now! One of Central Iowa's own was selected as a speaker at the 2018 PMI World Conference in Los Angeles. Dane Pelfrey, PMP, will be presenting a session "Accidental CIO – Lessons Learned on the Journey from Project Manager to CIO." One of Central Iowa's own was selected as a speaker at the 2018 PMI World Conference in Los Angeles. Dane Pelfrey, PMP, will be presenting a session "Accidental CIO – Lessons Learned on the Journey from Project Manager to CIO." "Transformation is high risk/high reward work. During this lively, direct, behind-the-scenes session, you'll come away with practical approaches and tools you can immediately put into action to transform your projects, your skillsets, and your career. Case studies in agile delivery transformation, stakeholder and customer management, and technical leadership will provide real-world lessons learned during an eclectic career. Regardless of your role, industry, or experience level, you're likely to learn and laugh during this session." Dane has volunteered to present at an upcoming Chapter meeting before his Hollywood debut. Stay tuned! Countless studies point to the value of gratitude – when we are grateful, we're less self-absorbed, more inspired, more able to focus on the positive, and more able to make sound decisions in the best interest of the greater good or the situation at hand. Editor's Note:  This is a guest post by Sinikka Waugh from Your Clear Next Step. Countless studies point to the value of gratitude – when we are grateful, we're less self-absorbed, more inspired, more able to focus on the positive, and more able to make sound decisions in the best interest of the greater good or the situation at hand. And many of us as project managers are indeed grateful for much.  We're grateful for fun experiences and great opportunities; we're grateful for the people in our lives and projects who empower us and support us and help us deliver; we're even grateful for the tougher experiences and the trickier-to-navigate personalities and those moments that stretch us and help us grow. But how often do we take a moment to say thanks to those around us?  And how do we make it not feel forced or awkward? Many of us are wired to do our work without a lot of gushy accolades.  Many of us are organizationally trained to equate thanks with monetary rewards of some sort, and as PM's the budget for those kinds of things isn't always something we can control. This saying "thank you" thing is easy enough when someone holds a door, or pays us a compliment, for example, but how do we thank people for being part of our project success? Let me offer a couple of specific, tangible ways to express gratitude from the role of Project Manager. One step I strongly recommend is to figure out what they value.  Dr. Paul White's work on the languages of appreciation at work indicates that there are about five different key ways people like to receive expressions of appreciation.  Dr. White's research indicates that a significant portion of us genuinely like it when others say thank you using words that point to what they specifically appreciate about us, but there are other ways people like to hear us say "thank you," too.  I invite you to spend some time figuring out what other people value – they may like it when you help them out in some way; they may appreciate spending a little quality time with you; they may enjoy receiving a specific gift that's meaningful to them; or they may appreciate a high-five from time to time. Between now and then, knowing that specific, timely words of affirmation are a great starting point for expressing appreciation, here are some specific scripts I can offer to get you going. 1. PM to Sponsor: "I wanted to take just a second and say thanks for continuing to be present in this project.  When you're in the room with the team, I can see them respond well to your input and feedback; and even when you're not there, it's great to know that you're so engaged and accessible and committed to this project.  Just the other day, we had a situation where…[finish the story as appropriate to recognize a moment when that sponsor's level of engagement helped the team reach a good decision quickly]" 2. PM to Project Team Member:"I wanted to take a moment to thank you specifically for the way you handled that situation the other day… [fill in the blank here to cite a specific situation where that person's efforts, decisions, quick-thinking, late-afternoon/last-minute push, courage, flexibility, self-management, etc. made a specific difference in the project outcomes].  Because you… [fill in the blank], we were able to… [finish the story with how their speaking up, raising a risk, asking a question, doing what needs to be done allowed you to achieve a goal, prevent a future pain, etc.]. 3. PM to Business Resource / Subject Matter Export / Stakeholder who is not necessarily an active part of the team: "I wanted to take a second to thank you for participating in that user acceptance testing workshop last week.  I know you're busy, and you've got a lot on your plate.  The fact that you made time for this project allowed us to work through another 50 test cases, find and fix 18 bugs, and helped us produce even better outcomes for the organization.  Thank you! [Or replace this story with one equally specific and meaningful that expresses appreciation for the time they committed.] 4. PM to Resource Manager:"Thanks so much for the opportunity to be part of this particular project.  I've learned a lot about the organization, and it's been great to be able to grow this way.  Specifically, that situation where …. [fill in the blank here with some situation that taught you something specific you can apply in the future about the company, project management effectiveness, the industry, or your own emotional intelligence] taught me… [finish the thought], and I know that will continue to be useful for years to come.  If you hadn't given me the chance to be here, working on this project, I would have missed that great learning!"  There, that gets you started using words of appreciation – specific, timely, relevant, genuine. Once you find what else they value, you can end any one of the examples above with something additional, like… I'm headed out for a walk for about 10 minutes to clear my head, would you care to join me and get some fresh air? (if they value quality time) I was at McDonalds for lunch, and I remembered you mentioned you really like their caramel sundaes without nuts - so I grabbed one for you, too, and made sure they kept the nuts off (if they value receiving gifts) I know you have other things that you need to focus on this afternoon, and I'd be happy to help take care of getting that report over to Joe for you if that would be helpful (if they value acts of service) High-five, buddy for a job really well done! (if they value physical connections) Most of those require very little in the way of extra time, effort, or dollars from you, but they can go a long way to helping others feel appreciated and valued, which, not so coincidentally increases their own gratitude level and engagement level. Admittedly, sometimes it's not easy to express appreciation. We've got an on-demand webinar available from Your Clear Next Step that offers more insights on this, check out "How to Appreciate Your Customers (and Colleagues) When It's Not Easy" for more ideas. In the meantime, know that specific, timely words that express specifically what you appreciate about that other person or their actions, and why you appreciate them is a really great, nearly-universally-valued approach, so at least start there! Don't use that as an excuse to not learn each person's language and learn to appreciate them in their own language, but do try it as a great first step. You volunteered to help with a project that couldn't get fully implemented. Not only did you get the project completed, but you did it while projects were just a small fraction of your "Other Duties as Assigned." Before you knew it, you found yourself lost on the Island of Misfit Projects. Sound familiar? If so, you are not alone.   You volunteered to help with a project that couldn't get fully implemented. Not only did you get the project completed, but you did it while projects were just a small fraction of your "Other Duties as Assigned." Before you knew it, you found yourself lost on the Island of Misfit Projects. Sound familiar? If so, you are not alone.   According to The State of the Project Management Office (PMO) 2016 conducted by PM Solutions Research, PMOs are established in 85% of firms. While that number is impressive, projects materialize within all areas of an organization. Even in large companies, important projects may fall outside the PMO's scope. What happens when small businesses, or smaller units within larger organizations, have limited resources to manage essential, strategic projects? I believe that is precisely when the Accidental Project Manager is born.For me, Administrative Assistant was my title when I closed my first project five years ago. Today, I manage approximately 20 projects annually of varying size, scope, and complexity. While projects have become a formal part of my current role, they still only make up 60% of my overall responsibilities. Below are five tactics I use to create order amid the chaos as I transition from an accidental, to a certified, Project Manager. Expand Your Horizons. First and foremost, gather as much knowledge and as many resources as possible – especially if you are not currently using a specific methodology – to prepare yourself to manage any project that comes your way. Keep in mind, a hybrid approach may be necessary. Don't know where to start? In addition to applying for globally recognized certifications, Project Management Institute (PMI) members can access free webinars and a myriad of online content including sample forms and templates. You can also join your local PMI chapter for networking and mentorship opportunities. In some cases, your company may help pay for you to acquire additional training and certifications. Be a Multi-Use Pocket Knife. While you are acquiring new skills and knowledge, start to channel your inner multi-use pocket knife. What I mean is, each new perspective and skillset can be used for a specific purpose. For example, when our website development project needed additional testing, our team acquired the necessary skills and system access to complete the required testing. As a result, we were able to release the project on schedule. The trick is to successfully and accurately select the most relevant tool given your unique situation. When you establish a good rotation between your tools, one does not get overworked or lose its sharpness. After all, no one wants to open a bottle of wine with a dull corkscrew. Put On Your Listening Ears. Bill Gates said it best in his 2013 TED Talk, "We all need people who will give us feedback. That's how we improve." My most significant improvements have come when I not only solicit, but more importantly accept, honest feedback. To be truly successful in this area, you must be willing to take criticism of your ideas and processes to objectively choose the solution path which provides the greatest benefit to the end product and client. The most successful individuals continue to progress when they possess a willingness to improve. Good Relationships Don't Just Happen. Whether you are the only person dedicated to projects, or part of a fully functional project team, you will work with a variety of individuals to get your project accomplished. The most effective way to do this is by continually developing and cultivating relationships. A simple way to connect is to take a moment to write a personalized "thank you" note. See what impact your genuine appreciation has on your interpersonal relationships, job satisfaction, and project deliverables. As an added bonus, these trusted relationships are often the ones that produce the most valuable feedback. It's Not As Easy As 1-2-3. As an Accidental Project Manager, the most significant challenge I face is executing multiple parallel projects on time and with high quality. Lonnie Weaver-Johnson, CST, with The Braintrust Consulting Group led an exercise as part of our Certified ScrumMaster course this past November which demonstrates the production decrease when multiple projects are managed in parallel. The exercise goes like this: In 10 seconds, write down as many numbers as you can from 1 to 100 (Project 1). Now, take 10 seconds to write as many letters as you can from A to Z (Project A). Then, alternate between the two (Ex. 1-A, 2-B) and see how far you can get in 10 seconds. Notice the difference in output when you alternate between two projects? Imagine the decline in production – not to mention quality – if we throw Do-Re-Me into the mix! While managing multiple projects is often necessary, the "correct" number of projects will vary for each organization. Continue to advocate for the project load that is right for you and your team. No matter what role you are in today, I encourage you to keep learning new skills, listening to those around you, and launching new projects. Did you start your Project Management career as an Accidental Project Manager? Share your experiences, tips, and tricks in the comments below.   Kyra Jacobson, CSM, received her degree in Event Management from Iowa State University. Her passion for leadership, details, and organization quickly led her into Project Management. She joined the PMI Central Iowa Chapter in September 2017, and is expected to complete her PMP and PMI-ACP certifications in 2018. Connect with Kyra on LinkedIn. Al may have been on to something here, and change management has been thrust into the limelight for our community lately. We are expected to come into projects having magically gained the skillset change management takes overnight.   The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.  Albert Einstein   Al may have been on to something here, and change management has been thrust into the limelight for our community lately. We are expected to come into projects having magically gained the skillset change management takes overnight. While always an area of focus, budgets and resource concerns have left project managers executing work that historically was handled by a communications consultants and training teams. Aligning with Mr. Einstein's wise words – we can learn to work smarter when it comes to change.  Here's how: ​ Make sure ALL audiences can answer the question "Why Change?" Every audience may have a different twist on the answer.  If change management is handled well, they will highly resemble one another's and you will not get five disparate responses. Preparing this elevator speech and sharing it early and often is the key. Help Make the Right Decision When It Comes to "What to Change?" Our instinct can be to change more than is necessary or to pay attention to all the little details. My experience is that when the correct "big rocks" are identified and you pull out your PM fulcrum, the leverage you will get can be enough to allow all the other little rocks to fall in place nicely right behind it. Pat Attention to the Momentum Change Impacts Have – And USE it! Aligning with business outcomes means having to watch impacts to all audiences and finding ways to guide the momentum built by action and reaction from those parties. Using Agile principles and planning iteratively allows you to take feedback, make adjustments, and take full advantage of the pace and energy change can have. Focus on Building the Capabilities to Change More Than Execution Give them information - make sure it us easily accessible and bite sized in nature. Give them time – productivity will drop, learning curves vary, don't force all folks into the same timelines. Give them a voice - allow time for teach back and reflection, humans use different areas of their brains to learn and to teach so tap into that. Show them consistent leadership and commitment - there should be confidence that the change compass is leading them in the right direction. Change can be like an impending storm, anxiety about the unknown at the start, chaos and confusion about what to do in the middle and relief and clear skies after it is over – maybe even a rainbow if you are lucky. Is your next project prepared to handle the ChangeStorm?   Jen Carolan, former PMI Central Iowa Chapter Director of Newsletter, is the owner and operator of ChangeStorm Consulting which focuses on helping organizations use a proven and repeatable set of exercises to manage organizational changes and impacts coming from software implementations, process transformations and company restructures. For questions or interest in working with Jen she can be contacted at Jen@Change-Storm.com.   "Exercise Your Mind" and join us on October 12th for PMI of Central Iowa's Chapter Professional Development Day. Alana Hill, our morning keynote, will be kicking off the day with "Survival of the Fittest". Alan Mallory, our lunch keynote, will peak our interests as he talks about "Project Everest: Reaching New Heights in Project Management". Where else will you have the opportunity to earn up to 7.5 PDU's in one day?  Register now!Registration for Professional Development Day 2018 is now open, and Early Bird pricing is in effect for a limited time!    Get your tickets here https://pdd2018.eventbrite.com  "Exercise Your Mind" and join us on October 12th for PMI of Central Iowa's Chapter Professional Development Day. Alana Hill, our morning keynote, will be kicking off the day with "Survival of the Fittest". Alan Mallory, our lunch keynote, will peak our interests as he talks about "Project Everest: Reaching New Heights in Project Management". Where else will you have the opportunity to earn up to 7.5 PDU's in one day?  Register now! ​Time ​​October 12, 2018, 7:30 AM - 4:30 PM ​Location ​Prairie Meadows Conference Center, Altoona, IA ​Tickets ​https://pdd2018.eventbrite.com​ There are idioms in the American vocabulary that should be banned! They should be thrown out with the proverbial bathwater! They should be beaten with an ugly stick and given the cold shoulder!There are idioms in the American vocabulary that should be banned! They should be thrown out with the proverbial bathwater! They should be beaten with an ugly stick and given the cold shoulder! My friends, as Project Managers, I have no doubt that many of us could retire if we had a dollar for each time we heard the phrase, "We've Always Done It That Way". Implying of course that the process is perfect and change is simply unnecessary! As Project Managers we are Change Managers, we walk in the door when there is a change to be made. When…. dare I say, "the change is inevitable". All kidding aside I often wonder why there is so much fear associated with change. I understand fear and hesitation if we are talking about changing careers, money, marriage or children. Those changes definitely require caution and a little fear might make sense. WADITW is commonly a fear based reaction to the idea of change.  WADITW falls out of their mouth before they even know they've said it. When faced with the dreaded, "WADITW" my response is simply to ask the question, "why", why have you always done it that way? Which is usually followed by a blank stare. Once the blank stare has passed, I often see a small smile as the person tells me that they don't really know why WADITW, they just know that that's the way it's done. To head WADITW off at the pass, I broaden the conversation. I ask open ended questions that push them down a path of what they like and don't like about the current process. Those broader conversations open up their mind and allows them to digest the idea or the concept of a change. A better idea may be to avoid the WADITW altogether, by acknowledging that what you are tasked with is a change and recognizing that change can sometimes be difficult. Reassure them that they will be involved in the discussions and decisions being made. So, I'm curious...what do you do when process or system change is met with a WADITW?The Chapter is excited to announce the theme for our PDD this year, "Exercise Your Mind"... As project managers, it is important to have a balance and healthy mental health; this includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. Our state of mind affects how we think, feel and act.   The Chapter is excited to announce the theme for our PDD this year, "Exercise Your Mind"... As project managers, it is important to have a balance and healthy mental health; this includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. Our state of mind affects how we think, feel and act.PMPs can earn up to 7 PDUs from this event.   Event Information:Friday - October 12th 20188:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.mPrairie Meadows, Altoona, IA Don't forget to mark your calendar. Early registration starts on June 3rd, 2018 through August 5th, 2018.Member: $285 (Regular: $325) / Non-member: No early-bird for non-members $484 / Student: $25      Our Keynote Speakers this year are:     Alana HillMs. Engineer Way Alana M. Hill, PMP is a passionate speaker, author, and learning consultant at 2Hill Consulting Services. Her experience as an engineer and certified Project Management Professional (PMP) in energy and talent development provides real‐world insight into how people and teams can excel, even in the face of adversity. Her international business expertise shapes her perspective of change leadership and seasons her presentations. Throughout her career, Alana has led diverse teams and delivered high-impact workshops all over the world!       Alan MalloryProfessional Speaker and Trainer Alan Mallory is an international speaker, author and professional development coach who is passionate about leadership and human performance. A graduate from Queen's University, he has worked internationally with large organizations as a professional engineer and project manager. Living and working abroad has given Alan the opportunity to deepen his understanding of individual and team challenges, better appreciate cultural diversity and successfully adapt to different organizational structures. Through his work and life experiences, he has discovered that his true passion is helping people reach new heights by cultivating effective ways of thinking and taking action This blog will be used to publish content to our members that would have previously been published in the monthly newsletter.  This way, our content will arrive hot and fresh instead of at the end of the month.Welcome to the PMI Central Iowa Chapter blog! This blog will be used to publish content to our members that would have previously been published in the monthly newsletter.  This way, our content will arrive hot and fresh instead of at the end of the month. As we roll out new features, we hope you'll reach out and give us feedback.  Watch this space!  :) Brent Humphries, Vice President of Communication & Marketingvpmarketing@pmi-centraliowa.org