The articles in this newsletter do not necessarily express or represent the views of the PMI Central Indiana Chapter.

All copyrighted material has been republished with the permission of the author(s).

(c) 2008 PMI Central Indiana Chapter. All rights reserved.

PMI CIC 2007 BOD Update
Laura Connelly, PMP

Welcome to a new column in PMPerspectives.  We plan to bring you a behind the scenes look into the PMI CIC Board of Directors (BOD) priorities and activities for 2007. Each quarter we will provide an update on our chapter’s recent accomplishments and what is planned for the upcoming months.  We’ll track progress with the Chapter Scorecard.  The Scorecard page will be made available on www.pmicic.org soon.

PMI CIC Editorial
Ronald Lacy, PMP, MBA

As a project manager, what do you set as your career goal? Do you feel your organization is keeping you from your goal?  In this editorial, I’ll explore personal experience of an organizations objectives, its design and the impact is has on a project leader.

Thoughts on Risk: Results and Response
Lee A. Peters

Project Managers should really be called Magical Controllers of Uncertainty! Why? Because that is our gestalt -- our form, our being! Our purpose is to make Uncertain things Certain! We organize chaos to make it predictable. Our real job is to reduce variation in each of our 500 project activities so the final duration and final cost fall within the range of our estimate. In reality, we adjust scope, use contingencies, work overtime to influence (control is probably too strong a term for what we do) the trajectory of the outcome so it lands within the estimated range that we fixed months if not years before. Self fulfilling I would say we prophets are!

Project Risk Management: It’s Either Contingency Planning Now or Emergency Relief Later
Christopher J. Wright, MPM, PMP

Several years ago, I was concluding a project risk review meeting, and I received a text page from my project’s executive sponsor (“Jim”) summoning me to his office. As soon as the meeting concluded, I went to the Jim’s office where he launched into a lecture about the need to cultivate a “positive environment” for the project team. After a few minutes of his diatribe, I explained to Jim that I did not know what triggered this discussion. Jim then explained the regular risk review sessions I was facilitating had created a “negative vibe” throughout the project team, since we were focusing on reasons that the project could not be done. He went on to request that we limit our discussions on project risks and focus on the things we can control instead of those things we cannot. As a seasoned project management professional, I was admittedly stunned that our project sponsor advised his project manager to virtually eliminate our risk management efforts from the project!

Fusion Alliance: What is “The Word”? - Scope
Kimberle Seale

PMBOK defines scope as the sum of the products and services to be provided as a project.  A Project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result.  Project scope is the work that must be done to deliver a product with the specified features and functions.  Product scope is the features and functions that characterize a product or service.  Per Wikipedia… (my new definition tool)… Scope in the terms of project management, is the sum of all projects, products and their features. Including limitations and inclusions of expectations, responsibilities, and objectives of a project or project plan.