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July 2008 - President's Letter

Letter from the President

Hello PMI CVC members and Project Management community. 

Change in PMP®’s Expiration Date
PMI Global is changing the expiration date for all PMPs.  If you are a certified Project Management Professional, you need to read this information and be prepared for the change.  There should be no negative impacts from the change.  Questions are welcomed by PMI Global and the chapter board members. 
http://www.pmi.org/CareerDevelopment/Pages/PMP_Expiration_Date_Change.aspx

PMI Announces Upcoming Credential for Project Risk Management
PMI is working on a new credential for Project Risk Management.  Check out the exposure draft on the PMI website and provide feedback.
http://www.pmi.org/Resources/Pages/Exposure-Drafts.aspx

Friendly Reminder: Keep Your PMI Messages Coming
Our communications to you are dependant on your personal information on file with PMI Global.  Membership data is sent to us from PMI monthly and we use that information to update our database and send communications to you.  Please login to the PMI.org website and update your personal information to stay informed on your local Project Management community, as well as PMI Global announcements!

Upcoming Events
I am very excited about the events we’re planning to bring to you for the rest of this year.

Our Programs Committee, lead by Paul Gilbo, PMP, has some excellent speakers lined up as usual.  The topics just get better and better. Watch the website.  Some of the meetings are not confirmed yet, but I guarantee you won’t want to miss a single meeting for the rest of the year! And, of course, January is always extra special.

Also, if you missed a meeting that sounded interesting, check out our Previous Meetings section on the website:  http://www.pmicvc.org/previous_events.htm.  Some speakers provide us with their presentations and we always make them available to you via this page. Or, if a speaker you liked did not provide their presentation, you can usually find their contact information via the event flyers and send them questions you may have on the topic they presented.

As always, the board would love to hear your comments on programs you found exceptionally useful or any feedback you have concerning our dinner programs.  Please complete the feedback forms at the meetings or contact Paul Gilbo, PMP, at VP.Programs@pmicvc.org.

Our Professional Development Committee, lead by Marshall Shelton, PMP, is also working on a packed calendar for the rest of the year.  You won’t want to miss Lee Lambert, PMP when he visits us again on September 11, 2008 with a new lesson in his PDUs for Pennies series.  This latest installment is called “Defining, Estimating, Scheduling and Status/Forecasting Projects.” 

Unfortunately, our plans to bring you a Saturday Seminar in June did not work out, however, we are working on several other possibilities so watch the website for more information. 

Our Certification Committee, lead by Kristen Baker, PMP, is preparing for the Fall Certification Workshop.  The dates are tentatively September 20, 27 and October 4.  If you want to begin preparing for your certification exam, you cannot beat the price and value of our workshop.  They will tell you everything you need to know, including where the exam is given, what it’s like to take the exam, how to apply for the exam, etc.  We bring top-quality speakers to instruct on all the knowledge areas of the PMBOK.  If you need lots of PDUs, this is a great way to pick up 24 PDUs in just three Saturdays.  If you just want to stay up-to-speed with PMI, there’s no better way than taking this class.

Volunteering
Words cannot fully express the gratitude our board of directors has for all our volunteers. We bring it up a lot, but it is always worth repeating. WE COULDN’T DO IT WITHOUT YOU!!!!

At the May dinner meetings, I presented a short topic on Volunteering and the response was great!  I want to give all members the opportunity to volunteer their time, earn PDUs, network at a deeper level than the meetings usually allow, expand their leadership or other skills and most importantly, have a great time making new friends.

Personally, when I started volunteering with the chapter I never dreamed I would ever want to be President.  I have always felt that I had leadership abilities, but my Project Management style is more motherly and coaching than what I consider dynamic leadership.  I felt awkward attending the first few committee meetings, but the idea-sharing was welcomed and I soon felt very comfortable with the group.  After learning more about how the committee and the chapter worked, I realized we all have something to contribute.  Everyone brings a unique style and perspective to the group and that’s what makes us great!  The board really is here to serve the needs of the Project Management community in Central Virginia.  It has become a great passion of mine and serving the chapter has been tremendously rewarding.  Not financially rewarding, of course, that would be against the Code of Ethics, but rewarding in a number of ways that are more valuable to me than money.  I have a large circle of friends, not just colleagues.  I have many people to turn to when I encounter a career decision, project challenge or even personal struggle.  I have had the opportunity to influence others to advance in their careers, reach toward certification goals, or even attend one meeting on a topic of great interest to them. 

Not everyone wants to be President, but there are so many opportunities to do almost anything you like within the chapter.  A short re-cap of the areas within the chapter and what those committees do:

Programs and Professional Development:  plan events, arrange speakers and topics, create communications on those events, prepare the facility, run the event, contract negotiation with vendors and sometimes speakers, maintain data on our programs and help determine what is of interest to the membership.

Certification: teach and mentor Project Managers, update certification documentation, event planning, speaker selection and scheduling and answering questions about certification for members.  This committee will be revising the certification materials when the new PMBOK is released later this year.  It’s a great opportunity to learn the new edition and help the community by volunteering to help with this large effort!

Communications: light web development, content editing, testing, research, creative development and design, tool maintenance and contract negotiation with vendors.

Finance: bookkeeping, record keeping, organizational registration and filing, budgeting and reporting.

Marketing: promotion of the chapter, planning and preparing for the golf tournament, creative advertising, partnership development and maintaining relationships with sponsors for future events, as well as, planning events to introduce Project Management to K-12 and college students and corporations interested in learning more about Project Management, PMI and PMI CVC.

Membership: working with Marketing on membership drives, maintain member data, answer membership questions, provide membership reporting, communicate with expiring members and welcome new members to the chapter.

Volunteerism: human resources group for the chapter, maintain records of volunteers, track volunteers needs of other committees, fulfill volunteer needs for other committees, match volunteers with needs based on interest, time available and skills and prepare and plan the annual Volunteer Recognition event.

Please consider volunteering.  We are here to work with you and help you find the opportunity that makes you happy and helps you grow as an individual and as a Project Manager.  Even if you think the position you like is taken, we always need back-ups!

Our board members welcome your questions, comments, advice and criticism about the chapter.  Remember, if you are a due-paying member, you have the right to know and your voice will be heard.

As always, if you have any questions about the chapter or any other Project Management related topic, feel free to contact me.

Thanks and I look forward to seeing you at an upcoming meeting.

Best Regards,
Christina Morgan, PMP
president@pmicvc.org
2008 Chapter President, PMI CVC