Overview
Have you ever had your budget cut, or headcount reduced in the middle of a project? What are your options to respond? Is there a way to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat? Are there opportunities in an economic downturn?
Why you should Attend
The economy threatens rough waters and hard choices ahead:
- Does your organization have the information needed to make them intelligently?
- What proactive steps can you take to prepare for further “belt tightening”?
- How does a tight economy affect the risk profiles of your projects?
Let’s take a short mental vacation Someplace sunny and warm. Gentle breezes waves lapping at the shore, lapping at the bow of your ship. Imagine you are the captain of a ship a 3-masted sailing ship. Not a pirate, not a warship a trading ship. You spend time in the waters of the south Pacific Central America, South America, Tahiti your good ship and crew lead a happy and carefree life the work is hard, but the pay is good, there is plenty of adventure and the scenery is wonderful. You see the benefit of your work in the places you go trading steel and beef for pearls and worked goods. Project management is the furthest thing from your mind
No, it isn’t. Guess what as captain, you are a project manager. Each voyage is a project. You have a goal (get cargo to next port), a schedule (before goods spoil and before the competition gets there), and resource constraints (do it profitably with the boat and crew you have). You may be part of a larger shipping company, you have a boss/sponsor who tells you where and when to go and what to do leaving day to day decisions to you but setting your agenda.
Financial or human resource constraints represent a storm for project managers and project sponsors:
- What can be done to prepare?
- What opportunities might present themselves?
- What challenges can you anticipate?
Areas Covered in the Session
- Understanding resource constraints and how they affect projects in progress
- Project Manager perspective
- Project Sponsor perspective
- Resource optimization
- New and changed risks
- Summary
Who Will Benefit
- Project Sponsors
- Project managers who face uncertain resource constraints
Speaker Profile
Payson Hall is a former U.S. Army Ranger and consulting project manager for Catalysis Group, Inc. in Sacramento. Formally trained as a software engineer, Payson’s early career included software development, hardware/software system integration, and Independent Verification & Validation. As his career progressed, his role shifted to include increasing project management responsibilities, with a focus on technology projects.
Today Payson coaches project managers, teaches project management skills, consults, and performs project reviews in a variety of fields, including transportation, communication, software development, education, financial services, and healthcare.
Payson has consulted on projects in both the public and private sectors throughout North America and Europe during his 40-year career. He has published over 250 project management articles, developed numerous project management and problem-solving classes, written a book on project sponsorship, and is a sought-after conference speaker who specializes in demystifying project management topics and communicating important ideas while entertaining audiences.
Instructor
Payson Hall