Pick the right person to mentor

To learn about how to get into project management read my book Stepping into Project Management (Welcome to the #PMOT World). To connect with experienced Project Manager's from all over the world, get mentored or shadow for a day see the SIPM Community.

How he got his PMP: An interview with Jean-Luc

Jean-Luc has been an IS/IT professional for more that 10 years. He holds a MEng in Telecommunications and a Master degree in Electrical Engineering. Since the early stages of his career, he's been delivering projects for Fortune 500 companies. He is a PMP and if not diving deep into business objectives to frame a vision or solve problem, he can be found scuba diving. He has numerous certifications from entry level to instructor in recreational and technical scuba diving

He can be found at his twitter handle @LatyrF.

Please tell us what inspired you take the PMP exam? How many months did it take you to prepare?

I found out about PMP and PMI on LinkedIn four or five years ago. This certification was nearly unknown in France (nothing on Job Ad). Two years ago, things had evolved and as I re-entered the job market I started having a closer look. Not being PMP did not stopped me to get a new job in an organisation that is promoting the PMP certification along its Project Managers. I then took the plunge and volunteer to fill an empty seat on a PMP BootCamp.

It took me a rough 7 calendar months from initiation to closing, but I really prepared during 2 to 3 months. 

Would you share your schedule for your preparation?

The BootCamp was in June or July 2012 and my original intent was to sit for the exam in September. I started studying but not on a regular base. I let myself being to polluted by my job.

I started the BootCamp without even opening the PMBOK yet after 40 contact hours, the trainer told me that I could take the exam in a month. I did not felt that confident and started really working with the PMBOK along with study materials (book and questions) from Rita and TSI.

At the end of the year, the trainer tried to convince me again that I should go for it but it was not the right time for me. When PMBOK 5th was announced I gave to myself the deadline: March it will be and March it has been :-)

What was the most difficult thing during preparation?

Getting out of work and allowing decent amount of time to concentrate and study on a regular basis. Studying fortnightly one or two process does not get you anywhere.

One must focus and study very seriously on a daily basis compressed in a short period of time after reading once the PMBOK (this can take time the 1st time to digest the content).

Any 3 tips you would give to the readers, what they should do to prepare well for PMP?

1. Read the PMBOK completely. This book has tons of information and prepares your mind to understand the concept of what PMI believes to be Project Management. Read the Appendix F summary and the Definitions in the Glossary. 

I have read it once in the way it is structured and then I have read it twice process by process in a logical order as if I was going through my project from initiating to closing.

2. You need to understand the basic concepts, knowledge areas, process groups and the Mapping to know by reading the question where you are in the project at any particular point. There is no need to memorize all of the ITTO’s but you need to know the important ones.

3. Practice, practice and practice again! Get Prep Questions and Exam simulator and test yourself. I used the questions from Rita Mulcahy. Try to score between 80 and 85% for super confidence yet below that you can still pass the exam. 

Practice also your brain dump that must include formulas, the 42 processes, the types of contracts, etc. 

How does it feel now that you are a PMP?

I can't tell why as it is a bit irrational for with my education background yet I feel proud and also more knowledgeable.

Studying the PMBOK was a unique opportunity to assess the way I was managing project with what is generally recognized as the best practices. It was also a chance to hover a bit above the dust of daily work and identity areas of improvements and/or better interest. It's also a responsibility as these 3 letters after your name set a level of expectation.

Thank you

To learn  about  how to get into project management  read my book Stepping into Project Management (Welcome to the #PMOT World). To connect with experienced Project Manager's from all over the world, get mentored or shadow for a day see the SIPM Community. 

Begin today

How to run a successful team meeting

If you are in and out of meetings all day as a project manager; you should figure out by now the best way to run them efficiently.

• Set the objective- why are you calling this meeting? Email a clear bullet point agenda a day before the meeting. Make sure everyone is informed on the reason for the meeting so they come prepared. 
• Required Outcomes of the meeting- If there’s some decision making happening which is the output of the meeting; make sure you mention it in the email. More information you put there, you make it easier for the members to understand. Any document required to make the decision should be attached in the email when you send out the agenda. 
• Assign a note taker- You want someone to volunteer to take down notes or you can bring in your own note taker during the meeting. You don’t want to miss out on important points discussed during it and send out a detailed minutes after the meeting. 
• Manage your time well- No one wants to get bored. Try standing up for the meeting, manage your team by limiting the meeting and to run your meeting like Google, read up this link.
• Discourage taking sides- Don’t take sides during meetings, beware of what you say and how you say it. Meetings are a great way to learn about human behavior, body language and a way to understand the  reactions even before it happens.

Don't underestimate the importance of meetings, its a great way to learn about the people you work with. So, run them well, learn from them and be an expert in benefiting from them. 

5 ways to get your team to adhere to the incoming change

Change is good. Change is difficult. Change leads to more change.

And you are going through a change with your team- could be team shuffling, can be inclusion of distributed team members, can be a transformation and you want the team to stop worrying and be at ease.

Here are few ways to get it done:

• Provide enough information to stop the panic-If you already know the road map  share it with your team, so no one is in panic mode and work continues. Make sure you answer questions, share your vision and keep them engaged during the change.
• Communicate often- Talk to them on what’s bothering them, look for honest feedback, listen to their needs and keep the communication open. Set up a communication plan with your team- a meeting once  a week or an email update that goes out on Friday 5 pm.
• Naysayers- Keep them in the communication loop. It’s easy to spread discontentment and negative word around much faster, so make sure you know what’s going on at the water cooler.
• Mind your Body language- You don’t want to be the manager who says something and believes in something else. Before you go out on an information sharing crusade make sure you know what you are talking about and know it well to filed any questions coming your way.
• Acceptance- If you want your team to accept the change, make sure you create an environment that allows them to stay positive and get all the right information at the right time. 

(Pic Courtesy: Google images)

To learn more about project management, read my book Stepping into Project Management (Welcome to the #PMOT World). To connect with experienced Project Manager's from all over the world, get mentored or shadow for a day see the SIPM Community.