nov 2020 pm essence...2020/11/12 · i read extensively between rita mulchay and the pmbok vith...

Volume - 8 - Issue 8November 2020

Editorial Board

Anirban Banerjee, PMP

Himadri S. Chowdhury, PMP

Mohankumar Rangaswamygowda, PMP

Nibu Thomas, PMP

Subramanyam Krishnamurthy (Mani), PMP

PM Essence

“The mission of PM Essence is to facilitate the exchange of information among professionals in the field of project and program management, provide them with practical tools and techniques, and serve as a forum for discussion of emerging trends and issues in project management. PM Essence is YOUR Newsletter and the Bangalore Chapter welcomes story ideas and/or suggestions to make it better. More information can be found on the Chapter's website”.

Disclaimer

All articles in PM Essence are the views of the authors and not necessarily those of PMI or PMI Bangalore India Chapter. Unless otherwise specified, it is assumed that the senders have done due diligence in getting necessary copyright and official clearance in respect of all letters and articles sent to PM Essence for publication. PMI Bangalore India Chapter is not responsible for loss, damage, or any other injury to unsolicited manuscripts or other material.

"No Matter Howsoever Was Yesterday, Let's Start the New Day With a Song."

Bird in the Photo: Olive-Backed Sunbird

a species of sunbird found from Southern Asia to Australia.

Photo shot at: Jogimatti Forest, Chitradurga, Karnataka

Photo shot by: Mr.Sachin Halemane Linganna

CO

NTE

NTS

Page 2Rajiv Nagarkatti

PM Cartoon

Page 8Himadri S. ChowdhuryPM Quiz

Page 3

Grit, Focus, and Logic: Essential ingredientsto complete PMP Certification

Elizabeth Chen

Arun MalavalliChapter News

Page 8

N R Prasad

Organizing a Virtual Conference – An overview

Page 7Brij Sethi

Secrets of Productive People - Book Review

Page 5

Editorial Content Credit :Nibu Thomas, PMP

Volume - 8 - Issue 8 | November 2020

PM Cartoon

If you are reading this edition, you are

either already a project manager, or

aspiring to be one. And somewhere along

the way, many of us have become certified

project management professionals as well.

Some of us took the test like any other test

we have in the past and got through.

Others were not so lucky, and may have had to make

another attempt and hope to have had better

results.

One thing is certain. You cannot do the same thing

and yet expect different results. Einstein had a term

for it - Insanity. And this applies to certification

programs as well. So if you are re-attempting the

PMP examination, what can you do differently this

time? Even as a first timer, there's one article you

must read.

In this edition, we talk to one such candidate who

attempted and completed the certification - all

online. If you have attempted the exam in the past

and haven't been able to clear it, then his story is

intended to inspire and encourage you to give it

another shot. He also mentions some tricks that

helped him

Nobody remembers Edison because of his failed

attempts. They only remember his success. Which is

what you also need to remember. The PMP exam is a

tough nut to crack. But it's not impossible. A little

grit, lots of preparation and some courage (not to

mention the fees!) Is all you need to try again.

With the pandemic disrupting the way every

business works, PMI has also had to adapt. The exam

can now be taken at home - which is good news for

those who haven't cleared it yet.

The other article we have is about how most events

that were once conducted physically, are now being

done online. What does it take to conduct one of

these events? What are some best practices, what is

the process, and who are the stakeholders

involved? How do you get good speakers? Where

do you look? Who do you talk to? Now that the

events are online, what platforms are popular? If you

are planning to conduct an event online, especially

if you have been conducting them as physical

events in the past, then the article about organising

a virtual conference is a must read. Brij Sethi as usual

will delight you with his book review about

productivity!

And something that's always been a rewarding

experience is sharing your knowledge with the rest

of the community. With so much emphasis placed

on communication, it's an opportunity to improve

your written skills, and be a published author.

Happy reading!

Thanks and Best WishesSubramanyam Krishnamurthy (Mani), PMP

[email protected]


PMP is considered one of the most challenging certifications in the world. Two important reasons being that it aims to test an individual's logical thinking and encourages practical application. As established professionals and a student with a distinction scorecard, not clearing the PMP in the first attempt can be a significant blow for many. In this interview, we hear from Ashok about his endearing five-year journey of clearing the exam in the fourth attempt.

Hi, could you please introduce yourself?

My name is Ashok Choudhury, and I am a Manager, Customer Support in the telecom division of Arvind Ltd. I am also responsible for managing projects operations in the South India Region. As per KRA I work as the Regional Service/support Manager.

Why did you want to pursue PMP Certification?

I hold an MBA degree in Operational Management, and I knew that PMP was the springboard to golden opportunities to accelerate my professional aspirations. My PMP Certification story is that of resilience and commitment.

You received your PMP Certification on the fourth attempt; share your journey with us…

My PMP Certification journey started in 2015 during the PMBOK 5th Edition. I was unfamiliar with PMI hosted classes and completed by 35PDUs from MSME. While I was mentally gearing myself to start the preparations, I heard about the soon to launch PMBOK VI. This also meant that PMBOK 5th Edition was no longer enough. I figured it would be more beneficial to start my preparation with PMBOK VI. During this time, my organization acquired three companies, and as one of the most tenured employee, I was tasked to lead the transition and seamless merger of the companies.

When it was time to give the test, I couldn't dedicate as much study time as required having to balance my professional and personal commitments. I lagged on my study plan and struggled with insufficient time to amply prepare on formula-based questions despite referring to other available study resources and mock tests. My weakness was comprehending the long-winding situation based questions within a short period.

I faced similar time-related challenges in subsequent attempts. Each time I would apply for the test, my professional responsibilities would increase, or some other commitments would emerge, demanding my fixated focus and time.

However, with the onset of this global pandemic leading to the need for working remotely and zero commuting hours, it offered a few hours to invest in my study time. In March this year, PMI connected with me to communicate that my application still stood valid, and I could attempt for the fourth time. Considering this as a positive sign, I enrolled myself for my fourth attempt. To refresh my understanding and basics, I signed up again for the PMP Quest. This was one of the best decisions as I received immense guidance and tips from the PMI trainers.

Quoting Paulo Coelho, "when you really want something, the whole universe conspires in helping you achieve it," and indeed, I experienced the power of such a deeprooted desire.

As luck would have it, on the exam date, there was a broadband connectivity issue. I notified Pearson and rescheduled my test date, which came with additional costs due to the applied conditions. On the rescheduled date, I again faced a broadband connectivity issue due to which I lost 45minutes of my four hours. I was resolute, and despite the time lost, I appeared for my test, and I cleared with above target scores in two Knowledge Areas – Monitoring & Controlling and Execution.

How did you learn about PMI Bangalore Chapter?

While applying for the membership, the PMI website offered the option of registering either as a chapter member or without it, clearly listing the various advantages and perks of Chapter Membership. With a minimal chapter fee, the advantages and benefits seemed multifold. I am an active chapter member and would attend the weekend sessions or meetups unless I am traveling. I am thankful for the Project Management Institute and Bangalore Chapter Team's valuable support to help me achieve this aspirational goal for myself!

Elizabeth Chen

Elizabeth is a PMP

Certified Strategic

Communications Lead

and Program Manager

in Cisco Customer

Experience (CX)

Centers. She possesses

over fifteen years of

experience in Public

Relations, Brand

Building, and Media

Relations, spanning

leading brands in the

IT/Telecom, Consumer

Technology, and

FinTech space.

Continued on Page 4 ...

Elizabeth Chen

Grit, Focus, and Logic: Essential ingredients

to complete PMP Certification


Which Knowledge Area did you find the most challenging? Can you share any tips or best practices with other aspirants facing similar issues?

I focused more on Monitoring and Controlling as I read somewhere that was the most challenging segment, and at the same time, it holds maximum scores and questions. Therefore, unlike my previous attempts, I dedicated more preparatory time to this Knowledge Area.

Secondly, it can be overwhelming being in the exam center and under pressure, which makes even the formula-based questions appear challenging. It is crucial to maintain the cool and approach these questions smartly.

What did you do differently to prepare for this fourth attempt?

I read extensively between Rita Mulchay and the PMBOK VIth edition. I would read a chapter from Rita Mulchay, answer the Q&A and then follow it up with the revision from the PMBOK. I dedicated Sundays to mock tests and other research materials. My planned target was to complete two chapters in a week, studying almost 5-6 hours every day. To break the monotony of reading, I would watch short YouTube tutorials and sometimes even Udemy courses.

You mentioned PMP's fundamental essence is the application of its knowledge. How did you apply that knowledge in your exams?

In my understanding, comprehending the question is critical. In this attempt, I read the question and all its four options

thoroughly before answering. I read the ending of the question and applied the answer option to a specific situation to identify the ideal response. There were 40-50 questions that I read three to four times before answering. Furthermore, some questions would have either have irrelevant information or difficult synonyms of a simple word to test an individual's comprehension. Thus, it is crucial to possess excellent language skills and equally strong knowledge of PMI's terminologies. A Project Manager's critical role is effective communication, and I applied the same principle to my approach. On a scale of importance, comprehension scores, 50% followed by PMI terminologies, and understanding a situation or a project's situation with 25% each.

My learnings from the entire journey:

1. Devise a study plan and adhere to it

2. Practice, Practice, and Practice

3. PMP exam is situation-based and tests your logic and rationality

4. Read the question thoroughly, understand the contextual vocabulary, read the four options, and then attempt your response. Don't jump to answer without reading all the options

5. Believe in yourself, in your capability, and your dreams

I wish the aspirants preparing for their PMP Certification all the very best!

Thanks for the interview!

Grit, Focus, and Logic ... continued from Page 3

The PM Essence team would like to thank Raju for his dedication and

commitment to the newsletter. Raju has been a contributor, editor and AVP since

2017 and without his contributions we would not have seen so many changes

and improvements to the effort. Always ready to take up any task, he was the

person behind introducing and fine tuning several processes that helped

streamline the effort. He was also instrumental in the major redesign of the

newsletter in the recent past. We wish him all the best and hope to continue to

see his articles - whenever the muse strikes.

Thank you Raju!

Be part of the PM Essence Editorial Board

The PM Essence team is looking for volunteers to be part of the editorial board. You need to be

passionate about project management, communications, and stories.

You need to be a PMI Bangalore Chapter member to be a volunteer. If you would like to

contribute and be heard, write to [email protected]


Productive people make a real and measurable difference to the world.

Mark Forster (read blog) is a productivity guru, who IMO stands taller than David Allen because he dismantles the building blocks in ways you can put them together on your own and explores more of them, all the time.

He teaches you to be creative yourself (in solving your productivi ty problem), rather than giving a prescription.

The pillars of Productivity

Mark Forster defines - Productivity = Efficiency x Creativity.

Efficiency comes from productive time management. Creativity rests on how to get great ideas while questioning the problem, you want to solve.

#doableAction - Recognize the three pillars of productivity - Efficiency, Creativity, and Consistency.

#doableAction You can learn to be productive by putting effort into fixing your weak spots.

Start by looking for patterns in what makes any of us

unproductive. And then #doableAction do less of the same.

These usually are - Being unsystematic, No follow through, and overloading yourself.

First Fix your Low-level Systems. Email is #1

Email is an example of a low-level system. It affects everything that is based on it. You need to do it right. Your system is unique to you and only you can fix it.

Look for your 'always' tendencies. If you say, I am always behind or I always forget to check my schedule in the morning – then it is about fixing the low-level system.

Instead of throwing away your current system, tweak

and improve it. It is more likely to work (#doableAction - Did your GTD effort fail? Why?).

Question the system! (and your 'always' or 'never' around it).

Questioning is fundamental to the creative process

Questioning is fundamental to the creative process.

#doableAction Ask the 'why' questions. Why do I forget to check my schedule in the morning?

Then question your answer with another why - repeatedly as needed.

#doableAction Follow up with 'How' question. The 'Why' are necessary, but need to result in a 'How'. That makes it constructive.

You may not be able to answer the question in mind.

Let it simmer in the back. #doableAction - Have a system in place to revisit your pending questions.

Let your questions provide answers that are not just going along with everybody. Think for yourself and fix what needs attention.

Revisiting is a Key Practice - Little and Often

Revisiting is great for generating quality ideas.

#doableAction Write my five best ideas for, 'xxx - whatever you want to ideate on'. Don't think too hard. Write it. Then put it away. Repeat this the next day - without looking at these. Do this for five days. Then see and compare.

This also works for questions that require thought. Make bullet points instead of putting them away for the 5th day.

The core idea here is, 'Little and Often'. And sustained (background) mindfulness.

'Little and Often' cuts both for ideas and time (procrastination). If you have been putting off doing

something, #doableAction Get started and do a little bit. Then come back to it later.

Brij Sethi

Brij Sethi Brij Sethi, Partner -

Dost Expertise LLP.

Brij helps you apply

Head Heart Hands to

work. Head - Build

and Share Expertise.

Heart - Care and

Persist. Hands - Stay

Healthy and Get

things done with

grace and ease.

Secrets of Productive People - by Mark Forster50 Techniques to Get Things Done



Salami Slicing (the name) relies on identifying the first step of a big project and starting on it. It can be (worst case) as simple as just getting the file out.

Hoard your chunks of Discretionary time

To manage time better, look out for chunks of your discretionary time. Where you have control over what you can do with it. All of us have at least some of it. Even in the most tied down of jobs, the key is to use it well.

Treat your discretionary time as a precious resource and manage it accordingly. #doableAction Look to create more of it by skipping meetings and saying 'No' especially if you can demonstrate value from all the time saved!

Mark Forster talks about Distant Elephants too. From a mountain top in Kenya (while on a safari) the grazing elephants look peaceful. So does your calendar a year out from now. Come closer to the elephants and you will find mayhem and destruction. Ditto when tomorrow becomes today. #doableAction thinks well before making commitments far out in the future.

The Crown Jewels - Time Management

Let us now look at productive time management - one of the basic systems we need is how to manage our time.

• Basic daily routines should be under control

• Tasks should be actioned quickly and systematically

• Big projects should be given adequate time.

#doableAction Use these as a checklist to decide if your time management system needs tweaking.

A good system operates in the background and gets out of the way.

Problem with Todo Lists

The problem with todo lists is that they are out of date, very shortly after you have written them.

Then they add to your stress of things not yet done, without any hope of crossing all of them off.

You add things to ToDo lists because you do not want to miss them. So, they also spread your focus all over the place.

A narrow focus is based on the idea that you take on work, if you are able to keep up to date with it.

#doableAction Here is a simple system that works. His blog has many more.

The 5 tasks system

1. To start - every morning – List 5 tasks to do.

Don't feed from a larger list. Start fresh. It is essential for the method to work properly (this requires some courage so before your start, move your essential reminders to some app with an alarm set at the right time - and out of your discretionary time)

2. The tasks can be any size, but doable in a day. They should be with a clear finish point. Example - 'write 1000 words of my novel' instead of simply, 'write my novel!'

3. Do the tasks in order. You don't have to finish a task. Just do some work on it. If you finish a task, cross it off the list.

Else, Re-enter it at the end of the list, still crossing it off. Repeat this process - working in order - Crossing it off.

4. Remember to go back to your list - to cross off every time, re-entering when incomplete - as you work. Crossing gives satisfaction too :)

5. Repeat this process until you have only 2 tasks left on your list. Add another 3 tasks (fresh) and continue as earlier.

6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 every time you are down to 2 tasks.

Worried that you will miss a hard commitment? Set a time reminder for it, taking it off your discretionary time.

The system works because it forces you to repeatedly ask yourself - what matters?

Next day is always a fresh list. On the same day, if things change too much, you can start the list afresh. Believe it or not - that is all!

At the end of the day, your task list shows what you have done in the day.

Ask yourself, is this what you wanted? Learn from it.

This is the gist of the first 10 chapters of this book. The book is a slim one and a jewel. If you liked the review, you'll love the book and may even read it a few times :)

Secrets of Productive People ... continued from Page 5

PMI membership includes many free resources that can help you power your career and earn valuable PDUs.

• 1000+ tools, templates and webinars

• 4 virtual events each year

• Discounts up to 30% off live events, online courses and popular books in the PMI Store

• Networking with project managers around the world

Plus, PMI membership includes free access to these digital publications:

• PMBOK® Guide (available in 12 languages)

• 19 digital editions of the PMI Standards

• 57 digital editions of PMI-published books

Happy Learning and earning PDUs!!! Feel free to revert for any further clarifications.

Member Benefits:

https://markforster.squarespace.com/

https://markforster.squarespace.com/

Work from Home is the new normal with meetings,

discussions, and training, including conferences and

events, hosted virtually. The article below highlights

the salient features of hosting a virtual conference and

can be considered a planning checklist. These are

based on my recent experiences and can be used as a

general template with minor customizations based on

a specific conference.

The first step is to form a core team to plan and execute

the conference virtually. It is preferable to create a team

6 - 8 w e e k s b e f o r e t h e e v e n t . A g e n e r a l

recommendation is to form four sub-teams- with an

overall Lead or Project Manager to run the pre-event

planning.

A simple acronym, CARE, will help to remember the

four sub-teams:

CARE – Communication – Agenda – Reward – Emcee

teams.

Captured below are the salient points for each team to

focus on during the event planning and execution.

Communications team: This team will

plan the communications template and

frequency to cascade to the target

audience. A planned activity calendar

detailing how and when to send such

communications is essential. The method to send

information could be individual/group emails or

newsletter emails, or any other available digital forms.

Two to three weeks before the event, plan to send

some teasers with the registration links, speaker

information, and detailed agenda. It will aid

participants with ample time to register and internalize

the event. A regular cadence of communication is also

an important rule to remember. This team should also

publish a post-event blog or article, including all the

relevant information and photographs. Necessary

notes and data to be collected during the event to

publish this article.

Agenda team: The first and foremost

task is to finalize a theme for the event or

conference, and a good, catchy, and

exciting theme is a necessity. This team manages and

owns the agenda finalization and communicating with

speakers. If you have external speakers, it may be

required to take required legal permissions within your

own company to share and distribute content. The

team is also responsible for blocking speakers'

calendar, informing them of the conference's theme,

and aligning the content. It also involved working

directly with each speaker on the session duration and

the speaker's bio. For Internal speakers, similar

activities are needed except for legal approvals.

Special attention is required if keynote speakers are

Senior Directors, GM, VPS, or Country Heads. In a

virtual conference, the options are expansive because

no travel is involved, so it may be wise to choose

speakers from different sites, increasing coverage and

participation, and adding variety to the event. While

finalizing the schedule, care needs to be taken for

speaker transition, breaks, and other fun activities to

keep the audience engaged and involved. This team

needs to share the necessary information and details

with the EMCEE & Communication team regularly.

N R Prasad, PMP®, PMI-ACP®, CSCP, SP

N R Prasad,

PMP®, PMI-

ACP®, CSCP, SP Prasad is a PMP

Certified Software

Professional

possessing extensive

experience in the IT

Sector. He is a Scrum

Master, IT, in Intel

Technology India Pvt.

Ltd.

Organizing a Virtual Conference – An overview



Template for organizing Virtual Conference

• Pre event emails• Digital signage• Registration links• Calendar Hits• Participants emails• Speaker emails• Post event article/blogs/ comments

• Video platform• Rehearsal/Timing• EMCEE notes• Content mgt• Speaker Intro• Transition• Backup• Competition

• Budget approval• Purchase order• Gifts for event• Core team recognition• Memento to speakers• Ship to home

• External speaker (NDA)• Internal Speakers• Content organize• Speaker biodata• Speaker comms• Pre event competition

COMMS EMCEE

AGENDA REWARD


Valu

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mail@

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Compiled by Himadri Sekhar Chowdhury

CHAPTER EVENTS

28

SAT

28

SATE & C

PM Footprints

Webinar

05SAT

06 12 13SUN SAT SUN

PM Footprints

Webinar

Chapter News

Chapter successfully completed ONLINE INSTRUCTOR LED TRAINING for PMP Certification on 3rd, 4th, 10th & 11th October 2020. Participants from several other countries & India participated.

PM Footprints Webinars and E&C PM Footprints Webinars were conducted.

PM Footprints Webinar: Mr. Harmeet Chawla, spoke on Topic “Business Transformation driven by HR” on 10th October 2020. There were more than 100 participants.

E&C PM Footprints Webinar: Ms. Bindu Bhatia, spoke on the Topic “Personal Branding & Executive Presence” on 10th October 2020. There were more than 100 participants.

Upcoming Events:

PM Footprints Anniversary on 28th November 2020

E&C Industry Symposium on 5th December 2020

Arun Malavalli

Important Online PMP QUEST Training Dates : December 5th, 6th, 12th and 13th

November

November

December

REWARDS team: This team owns the budget approvals and items required to be bought or procured for suitably rewarding the speakers, core team, competition winners, etc. In a virtual conference, digital recognitions in the form of gift

vouchers and coupons are preferred, while the team may also decide to give trophies or mementos. Additional shipping charges, address to ship and other details need to be collected. Distributing any rewards online also involves legal and tax implications that need to be considered and adhered to as per the company policy. The reward details need to be finalized and conveyed to the agenda team to inform speakers accordingly. Notify the EMCEE team to make appropriate announcements during the event on the prizes to be won.

EMCEE team: This team needs to finalize EMCEE or Master of Ceremonies for the event. The person chosen should be a good communicator and should be involved from the early stage of planning to be fully aware of the schedule, flow, speaker

information, etc. a thorough preparation for the event. It may be a better option to select two anchors or emcees to prevent any last-minute exigencies.-. Emcee scripts should be prepared and practiced before the event. Apart from preparation, this team owns timekeeping and managing presentation transitions, etc. during the event. Fun events, playing videos, and conducting competitions during the event should be planned. Though the Agenda team works on the speaker content, this team needs to coordinate with them to ensure the conference's flow and theme are covered appropriately. In a virtual meeting, the platform to use like ZOOM, TEAMS, SKYPE, or WEBEX needs to be decided and tested well in advance to ensure the participants have a great and smooth experience. The number of participants in the conference, geographies from which they attend also determine the platform choice. How the Q&A sessions are managed (Virtual or Verbal), feedback for the conference/individual sessions, and DO's and DONT's for the conference are the additional tasks for this team. Other preparations will include planning for event competitions, surveys, inputs, etc.

As the saying goes, "Planning is the key to success."

The core team is the backbone of the event and should be selected appropriately.

Together you can make it happen.

Organizing a Virtual Conference ... continued from Page 7

nov 2020 pm essence...2020/11/12 · i read extensively between rita mulchay and the pmbok vith...

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