Artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data, collaboration tools—project managers are using a bevy of new technologies to boost efficiency and improve project outcomes. We discuss this with:  Niral Rajani, project manager, Aristocrat, Sydney: Rajani discusses how tech tools can increase efficiency and reduce cost and time on projects, and how he uses machine learning to predict risk, complexity and resources on future projects—plus the steps he takes to ensure a smooth implementation...

Resilience is a must-have for teams delivering projects in today’s disruptive and volatile world. So how do you build resiliency on teams? We discuss this with: Ray Jones, PMI-ACP, PMP, program manager, SMX Technology, San Antonio, Texas, USA: Jones discusses the new context for resilience in a more complex and ambiguous world, how project leaders can build team resiliency by leaning into a learning mindset, how he helped make a team more resilient by changing their work processes and...

For International Women’s Day, Projectified® hosts a roundtable with three women project leaders to discuss what it’s currently like for women in project management, how teams benefit from diversity and how organizations can better support women leaders, plus questions they had for one another as fellow project leaders. Our guests include Janete Faustino, PMP, PfMP, portfolio management leader of operations strategy and performance, TAP Air Portugal, Lisbon; Bharti Ochani, PMP, IT project...

Financial services companies—from established giants to new startups—face disruption from all sides. And as organizations explore new innovations to meet evolving customer needs, they must do so while considering risk management. We discuss this with:  Ashley Butao, PMI-ACP, PMP, project manager, Capital One, Toronto: Butao discusses the biggest disruptions she’s seeing in the financial services sector, how agile approaches allow her teams to experiment and adapt fast, and how knowing your...

As we kick off 2023, project leaders are looking ahead to new challenges and opportunities as well as looking back at what they accomplished in 2022. Projectified® reconnected with previous guests to discuss the biggest changes they have seen in the world of projects over the last year, their top lessons learned, plus what they’re excited about—and the skills project managers need to succeed—in the year ahead.  Guests include Elton Soares, PMP, project manager, General Electric,...

To deliver an organization’s strategic objectives, project leaders must be able to look across the portfolio and decide which projects provide value and should be pursued, which go on the back burner and which are abandoned entirely. We discuss this with: Sunando Chaudhuri, PMP, PgMP, PfMP, director of IT, Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company Group, Abu Dhabi: Chaudhuri discusses why project leaders must understand their organizations’ goals to best prioritize projects, the different types...

From feats of engineering and art to exploring the unknown, the 2022 Most Influential Projects showcase innovative and creative efforts from teams across sectors and regions. We discuss two of these projects with: Alicia Tkacz, partner and architect, Stufish, London: Tkacz discusses how producers, animators, architects and pop superstars ABBA collaborated to create the immersive ABBA Voyage show and the bespoke ABBA Arena, how clear decision-making processes kept team members aligned, and...

Project management offices (PMOs) are evolving, taking on a greater strategic role to deliver value. We discuss this with: Fiona Lin, PMI-ACP, PMP, VP of the enterprise PMO, agile PMO and business transformation, Snap Finance, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA: Lin discusses why PMOs must support organizations across projects, programs, portfolios and processes, the importance of including PMOs in strategy planning, and how PMOs can help adopt and encourage new ways of working. R. Rooban Annamalai,...

Artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic concept. Project leaders are putting AI to use on everything from automating day-to-day tasks to analyzing risk. We discuss this with: Milie Taing, founder and CEO, Lili.ai, Paris: Taing explains how project leaders’ perspective of AI has changed over the last few years, how AI is helping project leaders deliver more value and what impact a larger AI ecosystem will have on project management moving forward. Syed Ahsan Mustaqeem, PMP, senior...

It’s time to lean into the power skills—communication, problem-solving, collaborative leadership and strategic thinking—that help project leaders influence stakeholders and deliver successful projects. We discuss this with: Swapna Yadavalli, PMP, PgMP, PfMP, VP of technology program management, Mastercard, Pune, India: Yadavalli discusses how leaders with power skills help their teams succeed, how strong communication and collaboration helped her team deliver a large-scale program and ways...

In today’s uncertain business landscape, companies must be more agile than ever, embracing new ways of working and nurturing a changemaker mindset across teams. We discuss this with: Anne Cherouny, organizational change management leader, Boeing, Arlington, Virginia, USA: Cherouny discusses the benefits of organizational agility, how a lack of coordination and structured change management can hinder organizations’ agility, and how project leaders can embrace new ways of working on their...

As urbanization increases worldwide, the public transportation sector is evolving. Teams are launching projects to meet changing consumer demands and employing new technologies with the goal of making public transport systems more sustainable, accessible and efficient. We discuss this with:  Graham Currie, director of the Public Transport Research Group and professor of public transport, Monash University, Melbourne: Currie talks about innovations in technology and public transportation...

The energy sector is evolving, with organizations and governments alike rethinking their options to push for a more sustainable future. We discuss this with: Meriem Lhammoumi, senior project manager, Jesa, Casablanca, Morocco: Lhammoumi shares how green hydrogen can impact the world’s decarbonization efforts, must-have skills to execute these projects, and the need for innovation in hydrogen storage solutions. Iván Jara, head of engineering, procurement and construction, Atlas Renewable...

Organizations worldwide are putting greater focus on ESG (environmental, social and governance). As companies ramp up their efforts, leaders are determining how to integrate ESG into their projects. We discuss this with: Mauricio Bolaños, PMP, ESG operations and program manager, VMware, Heredia, Costa Rica: Bolaños discusses how his company’s ESG office works across business units to collaborate with project leaders to integrate and track ESG efforts in their projects, the value of...

Organizations are facing a massive shift in the workforce as people reevaluate what they want from their jobs. It’s up to project leaders to keep teams on track and to continue to deliver value, even amid high attrition. We discuss this with:  Kierstin Gray, PMI-ACP, PMP, program director, Argodesign, Brooklyn, New York, USA: Gray explains how project talent turnover can impact a team’s deliverables and cohesion, and how adopting an agile mindset and strengthening communication and trust can...

PMI’s annual Future 50 shines the spotlight on rising project leaders who are creating a better future for all. Projectifiedâ spoke with three 2022 honorees:  Kathy Johnston, chief chocolate officer, Mirzam Chocolate Makers, Dubai: Johnston discusses tackling challenges to build the company’s second chocolate factory with hybrid teams, how she’s learned to be a change-ready and flexible leader, and how she’s become more comfortable with her leadership style—and how that’s helped her take...

With omnichannel shopping on the rise, consumer behaviors are changing. This is paving the way for a tech-fueled reset in retail, spanning brick-and-mortar stores and ecommerce alike. We discuss this with:  Saad Siddiqui, COO, Veeve, Seattle: Siddiqui shares what inspired his team to create a smart shopping cart, how customer and retailer feedback helped the team iteratively improve the cart’s functions and design, and how the team is handling implementation projects as operations scale...

The climate crisis is impacting coastlines across the globe, with communities facing threats from rising sea levels and more frequent extreme weather events. In response, teams are launching projects to mitigate risks and build resilience. We discuss this with: Swarna Kazi, senior disaster risk management specialist, World Bank, Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Ignacio Urrutia, senior disaster risk management specialist, World Bank, Bangkok: Kazi and Urrutia discuss a project that aims to bolster...

Over the last decade, governments across the globe have launched digital transformation projects, from digitizing services to revamping their online presence for better citizen engagement. We discuss this with:   Katrine Maria Krzeminski, program manager, Agency for Digital Government, Copenhagen: Krzeminski discusses her project to create personal pages for each citizen on the country’s public sector portal, how her team builds support from and collaborates with multiple government agencies...

The events of the past few years have wreaked havoc on the global supply chain. Organizations are responding with innovative projects to increase their resiliency. We discuss this with: Leefke Grosjean, senior researcher and project manager for 5G-Smart, Ericsson, Stockholm: Grosjean discusses how the 5G-Smart project is testing 5G’s potential in manufacturing, ways the team improved communication and collaboration, and how solutions from the three pilots can be adopted across factories....

In the past few years, teams have had to rethink events of all types—conferences, award shows, concerts—to virtual or hybrid formats, innovating to keep attendees and audiences safe as well as engaged. We discuss this with: Nadja Burkhardt, supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest, European Broadcasting Union, Geneva: She discusses how her team handles constant change to plan and execute the annual Eurovision Song Contest, how the event adapted during the pandemic, and how her team manages...

The time to act on climate change is running out, putting pressure on nations and organizations alike to help heal the plant. Project teams around the world are helping care for our planet. We discuss this with:  Karl Campbell, director, Latin American Pacific Islands, Re:wild, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador: Campbell discusses the program he’s leading to rewild 25 islands over the next decade, projects that are underway in the Galápagos, and how teams are collaborating with partners and local...

Project leaders make decisions on a nearly non-stop basis. But they also have access to a wealth of information that can help them make the right call. We discuss this with: Reuben Oshomah, PMP, regional director, West Africa, Avanti Communications, Lagos: He talks through what kinds of information project leaders should consult, and the role team members and stakeholders play in making smart decisions. Ramyajit Dasgupta, PMP, global analytics manager, Concentrix, Kolkata: He discusses the...

Women have faced an uphill battle in the workplace, especially during the pandemic. But they continue to make strides with game-changing projects across sectors and around the globe. We discuss the state of the state for women project leaders with: Nontobeko Mathenjwa, project manager at South African National Roads Agency, Johannesburg: Mathenjwa discusses the challenges she faced early in her career as a project leader in construction, what changes she’d like to see and her advice to women...

Even with disruption and economic uncertainty, the job market for project talent is booming—and it doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon. We discuss the changing world of work and career opportunities for project professionals with:  Elton Soares, PMP, electrical engineer and project manager at General Electric, Florianópolis, Brazil: Soares discusses the rise of people-centric leaders, the increase in digital transformation and the growth in the energy sector. Malong Dong, PMP,...