UMD’s First “VIRTUAL” Project Management Symposium Deemed a Success!The last minute change to a VIRTUAL delivery did not alter the outcome of the University of Maryland’s (UMD) annual Project Management Symposium held on May 7-8, 2020.  Amazing, wonderful, outstanding, awesome, fantastic, exceptional and exceeding expectations were some of the expressions used to describe the two-day event!  Survey results indicated that a whopping 99 percent of attendees stated they would attend another UMD Project Management Symposium as well as recommend the event to their colleagues. Also gleaned from survey results were the top five reasons participants attended the event which included: Gain insights I can implement PDUs Interesting Topics . . . continue reading

Video Conference EtiquetteUsing Zoom video conferencing is pretty simple and a great tool for meetings and discussion. Here are a few tips for a productive session: Technology Be sure that your computer / smart phone / tablet has a good high-speed connection to the internet. We find that the vast amount of the difficulty you may experience with a stable connection is on the user end and not the system. Test your setup before the scheduled start time of the video conference in case you need assistance. If doing this for the long haul, it is worth the investment to get good . . . continue reading

Converting to Online Teaching: A series of short guidance articles for educators and institutionsAn Introduction to the SeriesSince erupting in China in December 2019, the Coronavirus (COVID-19) disease has spread worldwide to become the most devastating international pandemic since the Spanish Flu in 1918. Following devastating outbreaks in Italy, South Korea and other countries earlier in the year, the disease reached the United States in late January 2020.  As infections began to spread rapidly, various city and state leaders took action, issuing stay-at-home orders, shutting down businesses and services, and accelerating various containment strategies.  By early March 2020, a nation-wide emergency was in full swing. Schools were some of the first activities to shut down in order . . . continue reading

Deliver Faster and More Innovative Solutions with Agile Project Management

Agile project management is often overly simplified as the project management practice of varying scope. This simplification loses the emphasis on the true benefits of Agile which are speed, innovation, leadership, and control. Proof that Agile can deliver these benefits in even the most complex environments is shown in its history. Agile project management can trace its roots back to World War II, when Kelly Johnson formed “Skunkworks” within Lockheed Martin. Johnson used his 14 Rules of Management to run Skunkworks and create the world’s first fighter jet, the P-80, in just 143 days. Kelly Johnson’s 14 Rules of Management . . . continue reading

Not Your “Average” Engineer: Project Management Alumni Pursue Nontraditional Career PathsUniversity of Maryland project management alumni wear a wide variety of hats – including many of the non-construction variety. While the project management program is housed within the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and designed with engineers and architects in mind, 80 percent of UMD project management graduate students hail from technical backgrounds other than civil engineering.  Yet, in cases where graduates go on to assume career roles outside the realm of engineering, there seems to be a common sentiment: the skills one masters through engineering education come in handy when faced with a host of problem-solving challenges. “For . . . continue reading

Intelligent DisobedienceWorkshop with Bob McGannon

If you would have told Bob McGannon that his life would turn out this way, he would have never believed it. As the Founder and Principal of Mindavation, McGannon has managed to take his passion in helping others and create a consulting business to guide others in reaching their full potential. Watch Bob McGannon’s Presentation As a certified Project Management Professional by the Project Management Institute, an Executive Project Manager with IBM, and a Certified Project Management Coach for the Boeing Corporation, McGannon has more than 25 years of experience in IT, project management and project analysis. Through the experiences in his professional and personal . . . continue reading

PM Alum Creates Authentic Engineering Experiences for Youth

Michael Addis, a 2015 Master of Engineering (MEng) graduate, sees a need for summer camps that do more than provide kids with fun activities related to STEM topics. That’s why he and two colleagues launched the BeSTEM!! Summer Camp program, which offers full-immersion camps designed to create an authentic engineering experience. Following a successful inaugural season in 2018, BeSTEM! will again offer its four robotics camps for kids aged 9-14 again in summer 2019 (for more information, or to register, visit the program’s website). “The goal was to create an environment where campers could see how science and mathematics are used to make decisions about engineering design elements while . . . continue reading

UMD Risk Expert Contributes to National Academies Report on National Drone Policy

Originally Published June 13, 2018 by Anjanette Riley at eng.umd.edu. University of Maryland (UMD) Professor Gregory Baecher is one of 14 authors of a new National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report calling on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to update its methods of authorizing drone operations. Released June 11, 2018, the report was mandated by Congress and sponsored by FAA. Baecher and the other committee members found that the administration’s current safety regulations are hindering the spread of commercial drones by overestimating the likelihood and severity of the risks posed by their operations. FAA risk assessment techniques, originally developed for manned aviation, . . . continue reading

2018 Project Management Symposium Draws Record Crowd

Project management professionals from as near as D.C. and as far as Australia came together May 10-11 to share best practices, discuss lessons learned, and discover the latest advances in the field at the University of Maryland (UMD) Project Management Symposium. More than 400 people were in attendance, the largest number in the event’s five-year history. Hosted by the Project Management Center for Excellence in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE), the Project Management Symposium featured over 50 technical sessions on a broad range of topics: people in projects, construction management, federal programs, agile/IT, integrated project management, risk . . . continue reading

PM Graduate Student Participates in PMDoS

For the first time since its inception, a project management student from the University of Maryland (UMD) participated in the Project Management Day of Service (POMDoS) which has been held at the Stamp Student Union and hosted by the Project Management Center for Excellence at the University of Maryland for the last three years.  Developed and organized by Project Management for Change, the PMDoS is held each year on Martin Luther King Jr. day and provides project management professionals the opportunity to give back to the community by assisting nonprofit organizations. Using project management best practices, project management volunteers guide . . . continue reading