Calendar

Professional Development Day (PDD)

Navigating the Future: Project Management Excellence (Virtual)

Up to 12 PDUs (Self-Reporting)  Only $100 for Members and $120 for Non-Members

A Collaboration of 7 PMI Chapters!

Navigating the Future: Project Management Excellence

And what a future we look forward to!  Seldom has our industry seen so much disruption. With AI leading the way, to the continued evolution of Agile as a standard practice for some, followed by new methods and ideas on how to manage teams, stakeholders, sponsors and more.  These next few years promise to be exciting. 

This unique conference brings together 7 PMI chapters who together will deliver a one-day event that promises to stimulate, educate, inspire and deliver PDUs!

We look forward to:

• Innovative Leadership: Featuring speakers who have led groundbreaking projects and can share insights on leading teams to success.
• Collaborative Networks: Focusing on the importance of building professional networks and how they can be leveraged for project success.
• Skill Advancement: Offering sessions that provide PDUs, ensuring that attendees are gaining valuable knowledge that contributes to their professional development.

This conference includes content from top project management experts, interactive discussion groups, and networking sessions designed to foster connections and share best practices. All of our content aligns with the PMI Talent Triangle, covering technical, leadership, and strategic and business management skills.

Event Overview

Keynote Presentation - 9-10am

Track Sessions, one hour each: 10:20am, 1:30pm, 3:50pm  

• Three rooms available per time slot divided by Talent Triangle topics.

Executive Panel – 11:30am – one hour discission with senior executives on the state of our Project Management practice

Group Discussions – 2:40pm – two peer-to-peer discussion groups @ 25 minutes each.  Each delegate selects two sessions over the one-hour slot – from a list of 10+ titles. 

Prizes – draws held throughout the day

Event Recordings - available ONLY to registered delegates after the event and for a limited time period.

Conference-at-a-Glance

Keynote Presentation
9:10 – 10:10am 

Mastering the Art of Strategic Thinking: Your Roadmap to Success
David Barrett

Have you ever wondered what sets the truly successful individuals apart from the rest? What is it that propels some people to reach their dreams, while others seem to wander aimlessly through life? The answer lies in the power of strategic thinking, a skill that can transform your life, both personally and professionally. In this session, we will take you on a journey that will empower you to think strategically and logically about your future. We will inspire you to create a roadmap that guides your actions and choices, leading you toward your dreams and aspirations. By the end of this session, you'll have the tools and mindset to put yourself firmly in the driver's seat of your life's journey.

Executive Panel Discussion
11:30 – 12:30
This session will give us all an opportunity to listen to, and ask questions of, 3 to 4 senior executives from organizations maybe like their own.
We are all encouraged to participate during this ‘conversation’ with questions that we have always wanted to ask our senior management but hesitant to do so.

Discussion Groups
2:40 – 3:40
Here is an opportunity to be heard and to hear from your peers.
Everyone will be given the opportunity to join a breakout room featuring one of the topics below. Each room will have one designated moderator. You will be given 25-minutes to discuss the topic at which time, the room will close, and you will choose another topic.

Two sessions - 25 minutes each.

• How To Manage Projects When They Don’t Value Project Managers
• What Are the Essential Elements of Project Leadership?
• Where Do PMs Fit into Scaled Agile Framework?
• What Are the Key Steps to Successful Agile Implementation?
• How Do You Manage Difficult Stakeholders?
• What Is the Secret to a Strong Project Sponsor Relationship?
• How Can We Add a Fun Element to Our Project Team?
• What Is Next - After Project Management?
• What Is the Secret to Great Communications with A Project Team?
• How Does a Project Manager Lead Up To Senior Management?

Track Sessions

10:20 - 11:20
The Transformative Influence of AI on Project Management - Ways of Working
Amber McMillan

In this presentation, we explore the profound impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on project management and its potential for transforming the way projects are executed. By leveraging AI-powered tools and techniques, project managers can enhance decision-making, streamline processes, and optimize resource allocation. We delve into the key areas where AI is revolutionizing project management, such as risk assessment, scheduling, and team collaboration. By projecting the future of AI in project management, we uncover the immense opportunities and challenges that lie ahead for professionals in this field.

Hard PM Conversations – How to Strategically Manage Conflicts – Power Skills
Paul Pelletier LL.B. PMP, CAPS

Conflict happens. It is inevitable in project management. If ignored or handled badly, conflict can devastate a client relationship or project team. If handled early and effectively, relationships and workplace culture will be enriched. This makes conflict management critical – it takes skill to effectively avoid arguments, clarify misunderstandings, deal with disputes, and repair relationships. Simply put – PM/BA conflicts require hard conversations. This presentation helps PMs and BAs use hard conversations to effectively manage their conflicts.

Building and Maintaining a Strategically Aligned PMO Roadmap – Business Acumen
Michael Frenette, PMP, SMC, I.S.P., ITIL

So you've been asked to define a roadmap of projects that are strategically aligned to the goals of the organization and deliver them using PMO process?   You don't know where to start, right? This session will offer a number of suggestions based on actual experiences on how to engage your stakeholders to set up a road map of programs and projects that will help you help the business achieve its strategic goals.

1:30 - 2:30
Change Begets Challenge – Ways of Working
Panayiotis Melas

No one should ever say it’s easy… but it should be worth it. If it’s not, why change? Truth is, in today’s overly competitive and complex business world, change is no longer something to be tolerated, but rather something to be sought after, planned for, and actively pursued. To be clear, change should have a purpose; a value to be delivered, and not something that is done for the sake of doing it. Often times though, the challenge for a lot of people is not to accept the importance of change; it’s to be an active participant, and more importantly, accepting that the change will influence them, and their status quo, directly. Change, by its nature must be challenging, in order to offer any true value.

Elevate Your Team:  Engage Your Team to Reach Their Full Potential – Power Skills
Nan Gesche

One of the top non-technical job skills desired is the ability to work on a team.  It isn’t enough to be good at your job, you also must be good at working with others and building a resilient team – no matter where you are in the organization chart. So how do you build and maintain a resilient and engaged team? Come join me for this interactive session where you will practice some small communication tweaks that will positively impact your team.

My Project is Cancelled! It is the Strategy’s Fault – Business Acumen
Peter Monkhouse, MBA, PMP, PMI Fellow

My project is failing; my project is cancelled. What is going on? Is your project aligned with your organization’s strategy? I will introduce the Strategy Implementation Circle in this presentation to explain how projects support strategy. While explaining the Strategy Implementation Circle, I will discuss the importance for project managers to understand how the project's product delivers value to customers and benefits the organization. The complete the presentation, I will discuss the role project managers play in communicating how their project support strategy and the importance of project success.