Directors

 * 2-year terms began in January 2007

** I had so much fun learning about the BOD, I officially became part of the team on 3/12/2007.

Strategic Chapter Goals

• Finalize the chapter scorecard measurements.
• Clearly define roles, responsibilities, processes and procedures for the BOD positions.  This will be done within the scope of the Process Improvement committee.
• Analyze chapter budget, planned expenses, and projected revenue so BOD can make strategic decisions for the chapter.
• Review and update the chapter bylaws.  One item planned for review is whether or not term limits should be instituted for the chapter.  This will be done within the scope of the Process Improvement committee.

Outreach Committee

• Increase the awareness of PMI and the PMBOK methodology for project management.
• Enhance the perception of the project management profession among the Central Indiana Community.
• Build a network of professionals to share ideas, experience, and lessons learned.
• Serve as project management ambassadors to individuals and organizations interested in increasing their understanding of project management.

1. Create a PM volunteer bank for Non-Profit organizations.
2. Develop a unified training calendar with other professional organizations such as APICS, ASQ, etc.
3. Establish a Speakers Bureau.
4. Grant a $1000 chapter scholarship to promote PM education.
5. Implement a chapter Mentoring program.
6. Represent PMI CIC at the SupplyNet Conference booth.
7. Start POD meetings for informal networking among PM professionals.

Non-Profit Volunteer Bank of Project Managers

Do you need some project management experience to catch an employer’s attention?  Would you like to gain some additional PM experience so you can apply for your PMP certification?  Can you give something back to the community or expand your experience beyond your current employer?  Are you interested in expanding your professional network within Central Indiana? The volunteer bank brings opportunities and project managers together to perform pro bono work for Non-Profit organizations.  PMI headquarters has the information our chapter can use to implement such a program.  The Outreach committee has a need for a PM to lead the project and manage committee needs.  Committee members are also needed to assist the PM.  

Unified Training Calendar

The Outreach committee is interested in exploring potential relationships with other professional organizations where PMI CIC can offer additional training opportunities for our membership to obtain PDU’s.  The goal is to build bridges between these organizations and our chapter to increase the recognition and value of project management.   The committee would pursue opportunities to cross-promote the professional organizations and PMI CIC through our individual web sites.  The committee would seek newsletter articles to share with both organizations expanding the reach beyond PMI CIC. The Unified Training committee has a need for a PM to manage project activities and identify additional volunteer needs.  

Speakers Bureau

One of the future PM trends shared in the January 2007 chapter meeting was the need to bring education about the project management field to schools at all levels.  PMI headquarters has made some standard presentations available that could be tailored for delivery with minimal effort for the volunteer speaker (estimated 1-3 hour commitment). A PM is needed for this committee to manage requests and coordinate speakers.  Additional volunteer opportunities can be available to manage a list of chapter members willing to present information about project management or make themselves available for career day presentations.  There have been some initial thoughts to allow schools to request speakers through a form on the PMI CIC web site.  The committee PM would establish the scope and phases for rolling out a Speaker Bureau program so it can best be managed with the available volunteers and speakers.  This scope could also include how our chapter can bring PM training to grade school children to create an early interest in the field.  

Mentor Program

The Outreach committee would like to determine if a Mentor program is of interest for our chapter.  We realize our chapter members come from a wide range of company sizes from large to small and across many industries from construction to IT.  We plan to gauge the chapter member interest in an upcoming survey. We know several chapters in our region have implemented Mentor programs.  They have information this committee could use to initiate a Mentor program.  This committee may consider meeting with those chapters to learn about their program.  Assuming the survey finds an interest in this program, a PM will be needed to setup, organize, and manage the program.  Volunteers would also be needed to administer the program.  

Chapter Scholarship

Each year the PMI CIC plans to award a $1,000 scholarship to someone in Central Indiana who may pursue a career in project management.  The application and selection process for this program is managed by PMI headquarters.   The deadline for applications is May 31, 2007.  More information can be found at:  http://www.pmi.org/pmief/scholarship/scholarship-indiana.asp  

SupplyNet Conference

The SupplyNet Conference is sponsored by APICS and University of Indianapolis.  It helps bring awareness of project management to the supply chain management field.  The Outreach committee has a Lead Volunteer need for someone to staff the PMI CIC booth at the conference.  This Lead would also coordinate volunteers to staff the booth and answer questions.  The conference is planned for Fall 2007; the actual date is TBD.  

Pod Networking Meetings

Have you ever wanted to meet with other PM professionals for an informal lunch to just talk?  To have a place where you can talk about issues and challenges with others who may be able to offer suggestions, or at the very least understanding?  Are you a one person project office and would like the opportunity to network with other PM’s?  If this sounds interesting, may we suggest a pod Meeting? 

So what exactly is a pod meeting?  It’s an informal networking lunch held at least monthly where chapter members and other interested parties (bosses, coworkers, etc.) can come together and get to know one another, talk about work challenges, brainstorm ideas, share experiences, commiserate, vent, and in general, help keep one another sane. 

Why is it called a pod meeting?  A pod is a term for a small group of (usually marine) mammals that support and protect one another.  The term was chosen to convey the sense of belonging to a larger group and the camaraderie that participants in these meetings can enjoy. 

The PMI CIC Outreach committee is looking for a few good people to volunteer to be “hosts” for a monthly (or more often if you like) lunch meeting where PM practitioners in your geographical area can meet and talk. The hosts will be expected to:

1. Select an eatery.
2. Email invites to other chapter members in your area that are interested in meeting for lunch.

 The expected time commitment for hosts is about 2 hours a month.  

Summary:  Outreach Volunteer Needs

1.     Project Managers (Estimated effort:  5-10 hours/month)

• Non-Profit Volunteer Bank
• Unified Training Calendar
• Speakers Bureau
• Mentor Program
• SupplyNet Conference Lead
• Pod Meeting Hosts 

2.     Committee Members (Estimated effort:  1-5 hours/month)

• Non-Profit Volunteer Bank
• Unified Training Calendar
• Speakers Bureau volunteers and speakers
• Mentor Program
• SupplyNet Conference

  Anyone interested in committee volunteer opportunities should email outreach@pmicic.org.  

Programs Committee

• Identify and provide quality speakers every month that not only inform but energize the membership.
• Ensure meeting facilities can adequately accommodate the monthly events.
• Preserve event quality at a reasonable program cost to the membership and chapter.
• Offer volunteer opportunities to the membership to increase recognition within the chapter.
• Improve the monthly meeting check-in process to assure prompt registration.

Monthly Programs

One challenge for the committee has been to improve the meeting check-in process to eliminate congestion when entering the meeting room.  The issue may have been resolved at the February meeting by moving the check-in table to the entry lobby at Five Seasons. 

The committee is investigating additional check-in improvements for meeting fee payments.  Research is needed to determine if the chapter could accept credit card payments at the door for meetings.  There is a fee to the chapter associated with this type of credit transaction so this will be considered in the assessment and recommended actions.  

Program Volunteers

Did you know Program committee volunteers gain free access to that monthly meeting by volunteering as little as 30 minutes per month? 

Each monthly meeting has several volunteer needs.  Volunteers can vary month to month so if you are only available certain months, you can still be a volunteer.

• Check-in station:  Two people to manage the check-in station.
• Meeting emcee:  One person to emcee the meeting including speaker introduction.
• Speaker assistant:  One person to assist the speaker as needed.
• Sponsor setup:  One person to setup the meeting Sponsor area.  Sponsors are organizations that either provide educational opportunities to our members or are specific to project management.  They also help offset chapter meeting costs with a $150 sponsorship.  Since networking is a big part of the meetings for our membership, the sponsors enhance this opportunity.

Facility Project

The Programs committee has initiated a project to evaluate the chapter’s needs for a meeting facility.  This project will determine if changes will be made for the monthly meeting after reviewing factors for capacity, location, and cost. 

The chapter has approached near-capacity levels at our current meeting venue.  The chapter meeting on average draws over 150 people.  The January 2007 meeting alone had nearly 200 participants.  With over 1,200 members in PMI CIC, any significant increases in meeting turnout could severely challenge our ability to adequately house everyone. 

The Board has also questioned if the existing north side location is ideal for the meetings.  Additional research is needed to identify membership requirements related to meeting location.  This research will be incorporated into an upcoming survey. 

Meeting cost is also a factor.  The Board felt it was important to keep program fees the same as in 2006.  I was surprised to learn our chapter, and most other PMI chapters, often lose money on the monthly programs.  Our chapter is impacted because the venue cost (with dinner) is more than the meeting fee charged.  The chapter offsets the cost with sponsors and revenue generated from other events.  When factoring in the Board’s interest to offer more out-of-town speakers at our monthly programs, the current meeting fee structure doesn’t make this feasible at our current venue. 

We’ll know more in a few months as the Programs committee progresses through this project.  

Summary:  Programs Committee Volunteer Needs

1.     Monthly Meeting Volunteers

• Check-in station
• Meeting emcee
• Speaker assistant
• Sponsor setup 

2.     Facility Project

• Volunteers with knowledge of local meeting venues  

Education Committee

• Develop, communicate, and implement unique educational opportunities for the chapter members that have a positive impact upon their knowledge, skills, and abilities.
• Offer educational event opportunities at reasonable expense to the PMI CIC membership and interested individuals.
• Develop the Education committee and encourage monthly member and student participation.
• Continue to learn and understand how PMI CIC can maintain the quality and integrity of the chapter within the finite financial resources of chapter members and the community of donors and supporters.
• Focus on attention to quality of the educational experience in conjunction with identifying opportunities to expand participation of the programs.
• Communicate with local libraries to develop a program to donate Project Management books for the community to learn about PMI and Project Management.
• Increase awareness of the Central Indiana Chapter and vision within the membership and local community. 

• Schedule and manage the 5th annual Professional Development Day.
• Schedule and manage four (4) educational events for the PMI CIC chapter.
• Manage and coordinate the annual book drive.

Professional Development Day

The 5th Annual Professional Development Day (PDD) is planned for October 5, 2007.  The 2006 PDD sold out one month in advance, so interested attendees should plan to register early for this popular event. 

Mark your calendars for a full day of great speakers and powerful networking with your fellow project managers and business professionals. You'll get PDU's, lunch, presentations, and new ideas to revitalize your PM career.  

Additional Education Events

The Education committee currently has three (3) additional all-day educational events planned for 2007.  They are working to identify a fourth event. 

Event 1:  Effective Project Control Techniques, April 19, 2007 

Event 2:  Neal Whitten No Nonsense Advice for Successful projects, June, 21, 2007 

Event 3:  Charlotte Frank, Bringing “Stake” to the Stakeholder, July 19, 2007 

Event 4:  TBD  

Book Drive

This project will donate Project Management books to the Indianapolis Public library for the community to learn about PMI and Project Management.  Donations for the book drive can be made from the PMI CIC membership and companies that want to sponsor the program.  

Awareness

Recently the Education committee successfully partnered a marketing relationship with IUPUI and the IUPUI Community Learning Network (CLN) class catalog will include information about the PMI CIC chapter. The PMI CIC website also has IUPUI listed as a sponsor along with information about their programs and a link to the IUPUI CLN website.  

For more information about PMI CIC Education events and the Education Committee volunteer meetings calendar, see http://www.pmicic.org.   

Summary:  Education Committee Volunteer Needs

1.     Professional Development Day

• Registration table
• Event program creation
•  Vendor fair
• Team lead
• Proposal and speaker coordination
• Advertising / Marketing
• Attendee assistance 

2.     Educational 1-Day Events

• Registration table
• Team lead
• Attendee assistance

In Closing