When AI Meets PM

Advertisement [Meet your PDU requirements at #IPMDay2018]( Join the online conference every PM is talking about! Earn up to 26 PDUs and gain actionable insights to improve your projects, all from the comfort of your desk. Attend sessions live on Nov. 1, then enjoy 90 days on demand. Only $49 for ProjectManagement.com members. [Register today >]( [Contact Us](mailto:contactus@projectmanagement.com) [About Us]( [Update Profile]( October 24, 2018 How will artificial intelligence change our industry? As our month-long look at disruption continues, we explore Brexit and the bizarre logic of extraterrestrial projects. Plus, the power of emotional intelligence, alternatives to agile approaches for programs, and some advice to newbies on how to believe in yourself. The Knowledge Shelf introduces program maps, while our Topic Teasers explore a new earned schedule theory. Our blogs share five types of project costs and ask if you're a good influence. And in our forums, readers ask about creative stakeholder engagement and transitioning to PM! Advertisement [How To Avoid These 10 Project Management Mistakes]( Many of the project management mistakes that inhibit your ability to increase profits and successfully scale your company are problematic industry-wide. They are also completely avoidable. [Learn]( how to avoid common project management challenges and watch your organization grow and scale successfully. "The more I like me, the less I want to pretend to be other people." - Jamie Lee Curtis []PM HEADLINES [How AI Will Change Project Management]( Artificial intelligence is not far from becoming a mainstream part of how businesses operate. That’s going to be disruptive, and project management may be impacted more than most areas—and not in the way many of us fear. [What Brexit Might Mean for Your Projects]( Britain leaves the European Union in March 2019. Such a short sentence, such large ramifications! Is your business ready for what this means for projects? Find out what you should be considering now in this article. [The Bizarre Logic of Extraterrestrial Projects]( A national space agency has remained at the forefront of today’s satellite technology not simply by continually developing its technical expertise, but also by harnessing that expertise to an unconventional form of project management—one that has emerged from its most disruptive and challenging projects. [What Is Emotional Intelligence?]( Our emotional intelligence gives us the confidence needed to trust and respect our emotional responses. Trusting and respecting emotions requires us to view all emotions as valid—while giving us the freedom to analyze if that valid emotion is truly applicable to our current situation. So, what can we do to trust and respect emotions? [Alternatives to Agile Approaches for Programs]( If you can’t do “Agile,” you're not cool...right? Wrong. Agile approaches are wrong for some programs—and those alternatives are not strict waterfalls. Here, the author presents some ways to think about the kind of lifecycle that might be right for your program. [Believe in Yourself]( Inexperienced project managers tend to seek out a lot of advice and guidance. But sometimes, the best person to ask is yourself. "In England, I'm a horror movie director. In Germany, I'm a filmmaker. In the U.S., I'm a bum." - John Carpenter SPONSORED ANNOUNCEMENTS AND SPECIAL OFFERS The modern workplace is facing a rapid digital transformation and a generational change in how work gets done. It's time to ditch the traditional and prepare your team for a new strategic imperative. [Join this webinar featuring Dignity Health and Workfront.]( Where we share ways that you can start to accelerate and orchestrate IT work with precision. USC MSPM Informational Webinar – October 30, 2018, 3:00pm ET / 12:00pm PT Learn more about the online [MS in Project Management program]( at the University of Southern California. Earn your degree in one year, no GRE required. Our program is designed for the working professional. [RSVP today]( for this online event! [(More) PMI Postcards from L.A.]( Thanks to everyone who made the 2018 PMI Global Conference in Los Angeles such a success! If you want to revisit the fun—or get a taste of what you missed—check out the latest entries from our [PMI Global Insights blog](, where attendees share their experiences—including [The Magic Continues]( and a challenge to [bring the conference to our online community](! [Exposure Draft Open: Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures – Third Edition]( PMI’s Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures – Third Edition will be open for public review and comment starting 5 October and ending 3 November 2018. Anyone with an interest in good and accepted practices for work breakdown structures in projects and programs is welcome to participate by visiting the [exposure draft page](. []KNOWLEDGE SHELF [Introducing Program Maps]( A program map is a diagramming technique used for showing the relationship between various components (usually operations and project-type activities) of a program and program events plotted against time. Program maps, when properly constructed, can convey a lot of information that stakeholders can easily absorb. [Data Quality Management in Engineering and Construction Projects]( The engineering and construction industry is transforming from a document-driven to a digitally driven sector. Besides the physical assets delivered, managing project data and information is essential to providing better quality deliverables, cutting costs and controlling risks. The mission of [Knowledge Shelf]( is to help project professionals advance our practice by sharing their experiences and viewpoints. It is comprised of practitioners from a wide range of fields, covering both popular and niche topics. From lessons learned and case studies to opinion pieces and articles, this platform gives a voice to peers new to our online community, and allows for longer form contributions. For more information on how to submit your own article, please see our [Editorial Guidelines](. []TOPIC TEASERS Welcome to Topic Teasers, which tests your managerial prowess! In Vol. 112, we explore a [New Earned Schedule Theory](: Question: One of my colleagues told me that they are changing the earned value management (EVM) formulas. We have many projects in progress, with automated charts and spreadsheets configured with the current calculations I was taught to use in my Project Management Professional (PMP®) certification exam prep training. Is this true that the math is being altered by PMI? A. In the light of Bitcoin and other technical options for evaluating project work, project managers are being asked to upgrade the way they decide which projects’ processes are truly successful for their organizations and which ones are fine under old standards—but fail with the new industry guidelines. PMI’s latest publication, Bitcoin and Other Project Disrupters, can give you steps to protect your projects. B. If you work in the financial industry, new governmental regulations for international trade and money exchange means that you will need to calculate earned value in a new way. The deadline for having all of your paper and electronic files changed over to the new system is March 31, 2019. There are stiff fines if your company is found in non-compliance, so be sure to address this right away. C. Your colleagues are having some fun with you. PMI would never change a formula in its publications. They know the time and energy people have spent integrating the current math into their organizational processes. Plus, math never changes. D. In A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)—Sixth Edition, there is an emerging trend to add earned schedule (ES) calculations to your project management skill set. This will not alter the existing formulas, documents, spreadsheets or reports you have in place, but you should take a serious look at it as an additional tool to help you manage projects with greater accuracy. Check the answer [here](, and [send in your own question for consideration]( []THE PM POLL Is there a question you've been itching to ask? [Create a poll]( today to get some PM help from your peers! [Q: What data-gathering technique do you frequently use in your projects?]( - Brainstorming - Interviews - Questionnaire & Survey - Observations - Focus Groups - Checklists - Other (please share) TRAINING SPOTLIGHT Ball State's bachelor's in logistics and supply chain management can be pursued on site or online, except for an internship and a capstone project. Designed with the help of business executives, the program has a 100 percent job placement rate. [Learn More]( [Search for your solution on our Training Finder]( []BLOG IT PMI Global Insights by Emily Luijbregts [Are You a Champion of Change?]( Do you set a good example to your team, your colleagues and your company for how change should be managed? During the recent PMI Global Conference, Emily learned more about what she can do to become a champion of change. The Money Files by Elizabeth Harrin Understanding the different types of project cost is helpful because they help you review the different categories of spend. Our blogger's latest infographic shares the [5 Different Types of Project Costs]( that you should consider for your budget. Voices on Project Management by Cyndee Miller “We are all inherently creative,” proclaimed Google’s Abigail Posner at the 2018 PMI Global Conference in Los Angeles. And yes, that includes project and program managers. Cyndee shares more about the session in her latest entry, [Creativity is for Project Managers, Too](. Game Theory in Management by Michael Hatfield Naturally, your typical PM will seek to avoid disruptions in their projects; unfortunately, disruptions are part and parcel of the profession, and it’s the PM’s job to deal effectively with them. But ["Are You A Good Disruptive Influence, Or A Bad Disruptive Influence?” (Munchkins giggle)](. Easy in Theory, Difficult in Practice by Kiron Bondale If you are fortunate enough to be managing projects where sufficient historical data exists to account for nearly all sources of variation, Kiron envies you. For the rest of us, here are some [estimation principles]( that should apply regardless of the project’s domain or specific context. PM Network by Dan Goldfischer Okay, the robots have not totally taken over all hiring functions, but there’s a fairly good chance that automation could play a role in winnowing down a stack of résumés to an initial cut. What do you do? Dan [shares more from the latest issue](. The Critical Path by Kimberly Whitby PMI’s Project Management Journal (PMJ) is now [accepting papers for a special issue on Project Transitions](. Transitional issue examples include, but are far from limited to, challenges such as the handover of data and knowhow, change in the workforce, and scope management! []Q & A Did you know that help is just a click away? Our discussion forums give you access to the ProjectManagement.com community: more than 500,000 experienced minds and growing! Ask your question today or stop by to help out other members in need of advice, including these recent and ongoing discussions on... [Monitoring Emerging Technologies]( "What is the best source or way to identify and monitor, on a continuing basis, the innovative technologies that are currently or about to emerge that might be impactful to you as a professional?" [Creative Stakeholder Engagement]( "Using the PMBOK Guide® helps with engagement strategies, but what do you do on your projects that is out of the box to creatively engage your project stakeholders, especially the negative stakeholders?" [Transitioning to PM]( "I'm currently an assistant principal where I am involved in many projects from beginning to end or forever changing. I'm currently working toward obtaining my CAPM using a course from PMI. I'm struggling with getting my foot in the door as an associate project manager or at any level. Any suggestions?" [Portfolio Acceptance]( "How do I get acceptance of portfolio management in my organization? What are they key things I can do to ensure that the executives see the value of the enterprise PMO and get behind it and support it? Any suggestions for 'quick win' outputs to demonstrate value?" [Meeting Method]( "Do you, as a PM, schedule meetings for individuals on your team? What are the reason(s) that you do or don't?" "All the real work is done in the rehearsal period." - Donald Pleasence []PM ON DEMAND Did you know that we have an extensive library of PDU-earning webinars? Here's just one of the latest valuable offerings you can check out... [Project HEADWAY: Disrupting Project Management]( Project management should be a discipline that's ripe for disruption. In this webinar, Mark Mullaly dives into project management as it's defined, and explores how it helps and how it hinders. He examines where opportunities for disruption potentially exist, what is already being done and what might be waiting in the wings in the very near future. Most importantly, he imagines what it would take (and what it would look like) if project management were to radically evolve. As always, your feedback and suggestions are welcome. How can we make your experience better? Is there something you haven't been able to find? Something you want to see that we don't have yet? [Let us know](mailto:cameron@projectmanagement.com). We'll handle it. If you do not wish to receive ProjectManagement.com's PM Insider Newsletter, you can [unsubscribe here]( or send an email to unsubscribe-pminsider@reply.projectmanagement.com and let us know. We will exclude you from future mailings. You can also change your e-mail address and other settings in [My Account](. ProjectManagement.com is located at 14 Campus Boulevard, Newtown Square, PA 19073.