Managing Effective Meetings

As the pandemic has forced us to meet virtually, I now hear complaints about being “Zoomed out”! People are past the fascination of learning how to physically setup and participate in a video conference and generally probably know the mechanics of proper lighting, camera angles, backgrounds, etc. But do they know the rudiments of running a meeting, starting with do we actually need a meeting? There are many established forms of communication including written memos & reports, emails, telephone calls, and text messages are some of the examples. Each has an appropriate and effective use. We will go into this . . . continue reading

PM Graduate : Why PM Skills Are Just as Important as Technical Degree

University of Maryland alum Maryam Dadabhoy hails from Karachi, Pakistan—one of the world’s busiest and most congested cities. According to a study conducted 2017, 90% of the water in Karachi is unfit to for human consumption—a major problem in a city of more than 20 million inhabitants. Maryam, who believes that “water is every citizen’s basic right,” is hoping to help solve that problem. According to Maryam, “The state of affairs in Karachi is unfortunate and has sparked my interest in water treatment.” She channels that interest into her work—in DC, Maryam is part of a project directly related to . . . continue reading

Individual Time Management

Early in my career at the University of Maryland, I was asked to run a workshop on project management fundamentals for a campus group. Much to my surprise, when we opened the Q&A session, many of the questions had nothing to do with PM basics but rather on how to manage their time! Not the project schedule, but individual time management! So, I started to incorporate the topic into my PM fundamentals presentations and over the years the presentation has evolved. Below is a 42 minute webinar on Time Management presented by John Cable, Director of the Project Management Center . . . continue reading

Can you Increase Student Engagement?A Beta Test of Yellowdig! Crises forces, and also creates opportunity for, change! The COVID-19 pandemic compelled campus classes online, but many faculty simply moved their lectures to online platforms.  They did not understand that teaching online is a totally different educational paradigm! The result is that, sadly, many classes are judged as unengaging and the content difficult to learn by students. While online education is an established and growing trend, the pandemic has changed education forever, resulting in what could become a permanent shift away from classroom instruction in favor of virtual learning platforms. However, this is only the case if classes are designed . . . continue reading

5 Ways Avoiding Digital Transformation can Sink Your Company

Digital transformation is the process of modifying or creating new business by incorporating digital technologies. It is a top priority for large enterprises, especially if they expect to continue growing. But it’s a very risky undertaking. Although most large corporations have digital transformation near the top of their agenda, barriers remain. Without the knowledge and guidance to direct your steps through this transformation, your company could be among many that will have failing digital transformation projects. Here are five important reasons why ineffective digital transformation processes can go wrong — and how to mitigate your risks. Poor planning, communication and . . . continue reading

Do You MOOC?Continuous learning is, or should be, a way of life for project managers and all members of the project team! According to a global survey[i] by Pearson in 2019 a “40-year career is gone, replaced by lifelong learning and diverse career paths”. Even if you have gone back to college and earned a master’s degree, the need to continue learning new knowledge and new skills is ongoing. Work assignments and demands are constantly evolving. According to this same survey, “People expect digital and virtual learning to be the new normal in the next decade” and the “shift to digital delivery . . . continue reading

Student’s Groundbreaking Research on COVID-19 Impact on Construction

Hala Alkhalouf planned to spend only one semester as an exchange student in the United States and then return to her family in the Gulf.  Five years later, she has earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering at the University of Maryland and pioneered groundbreaking research investigating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the supply chain and labor productivity. She was half the way through her master’s thesis on a different topic when the pandemic began spreading, and the country began quarantining. “That’s when I decided to change my thesis, and because I have already spent . . . continue reading

Video Production GuidanceBottom Line Up-Front Make Short Videos (<6 minutes) 2 to 3 minutes must grab them At 6 minutes you start to lose students At 10 minutes they’re all gone! Start with a Point of Interest! Shocking Statistic Remarkable Story or Case Follow the “IDEA” paradigm for inquiry-based design Speak Quickly and Enthusiastically! Don’t talk slowly…you’ll lose the audience Show your love of the material! Add a transcript / subtitles for accessibility     Background The effectiveness of our courses on edX and using short videos for a flipped active learning (blended) classroom is fundamentally based on two things: good content . . . continue reading

PM World JournalA Critical Online Global Resource, Spotlighting Topics and Offering PerspectivesLooking for a global project management resource focused specifically on Sharing Knowledge in Program and Project Management?  Look no further than the PM World Journal. The PM World Journal is an extremely useful online resource that showcases best practices, case studies and descriptions of how others have solved program and project management problems.  Each month about 30 new works are published and all the information is FREE! “Our mission is to promote and support knowledge sharing related to program and project management,” said David Pells, PM World Journal’s Managing Editor. “We also want to offer practicing project managers and those . . . continue reading

Can Virtual classes be Better than in Person?Seismic shifts occur in education when unexpected events force widespread experimentation. Right now, college students have been facing perhaps the most uncertain year of their lives due to closures and restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 virus, with thousands choosing to defer or postpone their studies to avoid taking their classes online. But students are finding out that deferring or postponing isn’t necessary– virtual classes can be as good, if not even better, than in-person classes. The virtual platforms are fertile ground to explore more active learning methods; enabling students to make choices and reflect on their learning individually plus . . . continue reading