Greetings!
Welcome to the first November edition of the Melbourne Chapter newsletter. Reminder to all members to book for the End of Year Celebration Event. It will be held on 30th of November at one of Melbourne's great historical buildings, the Chapter House. It will be a night to remember and further details are provided below. To register, please click here. There are several announcements for our members, as follows: - Call for Nominations is now open for the PMI Melbourne Chapter Board of Directors Election. The details of the process and the artifacts can be accessed via Chapter's website. Please note that the deadline for the receipt of nominations is 5pm on 19th November 2010. For further queries, contact the Chapter's Election Nomination Committee.
- The Chapter will also run an electronic voting trial to prepare for the 2011 Chapter Board elections and the trial will start very soon. We have already collected expressions of interest during our monthly events. However, if you are also prepared to participate in this activity, please send your contact details to the eVoting Project Manager latest by Wednesday, November 10th. Please remember that you must be a Chapter member to participate.
- We are also pleased to announce that GMT Recruitment have renewed their sponsorship for 2011. We are grateful to our sponsors whose contributions enable us to provide better services to our members.
- Kimberley Martin (who was fulfilling the Secretary position within the Melbourne Chapter Board) has recently resigned. We thank Kimberley for her contribution to the Chapter over the last two years. We can also say that until the new Board is elected, any governance issues should be directed to the President or Vice President.
We hope that you enjoy our newsletters. Remember your feedback is always welcome; we like to hear back from you. Thanks for being part of the PMI Melbourne Chapter community. |
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Don't miss out on the End of Year Event!
 
November 30th, Tuesday - 6:45pm till 10:00pm
"Solid Proof - The Future Will Be Expensive" Speaker - Rob Gell
Book Now! This year's End of Year Event is around the corner. It is an opportunity to wrap up the year on a high note and energize ourselves for the upcoming year. Make sure to reserve your place and come & celebrate our achievements with the fellow members of the Chapter.
Rob Gell will be the speaker for the event. Rob is a coastal geomorphologist by training; he taught Environmental Science and Physical Geography at Melbourne State College and Melbourne University, then for thirty years has presented television weather. Rob will present "Solid Proof - The Future Will Be Expensive". Rob has been quoted as "... an outstanding communicator and a passionate environmental campaigner who is respected for his approach to sustainable development". He is a uniquely qualified individual who has the respect of government, business, environmental groups and the community for his approach to sustainable development. This will be an event to remember, please read the experiences of others here. The event will take place in a truly historic and unique setting, The Chapter House. This striking building, tucked beneath the spire of St Paul's Cathedral, is one of the CBD's most imposing function settings. It is located at 197 Flinders Lane at the heart of the city.
The finest food & drink selection will be served. You will also be entertained by 'The Emily Rosner Trio'. A trio of musicians playing Harp, Cello and Drum.
This will be our last get together for the year 2010 and we look forward to seeing you all. Please mark your calendars and reserve your place for this incredible event.
  
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Upcoming Courses
The Training Committee has finalised the 2011 training schedule and started publishing them as venues confirmed. Please keep checking our website if you are interested in enhancing your skillset. Here is a summary of available courses:
PMI Credential Courses: |
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Upcoming Chapter Events for 2011
February 22nd (AGM meeting) 'Career Trends and Employment Outlook for Project Managers' - Damien Ross; ITCom March 29th
'Leading the Way in Sustainable Organisational Change and Succession Planning' - Karen Tweedie; Pointahead April 19th
'The use of the Design Structure Matrix Method for Innovation Projects' - Richard Payntings; Rapid Invention P/LNote - April mtg is 19th, due to Easter/Anzac Day public holidays |
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PMI Melbourne Chapter Presentation Summary
Dudley Kneller
Partner, Technology & Communications, Middletons
26 October 2010
In his presentation "Outsourcing Agreements; Traps and Pitfalls" Dudley Kneller drew on his extensive experience in major technology, telecommunications and outsourcing transactions in Australia and overseas to provide an informative and entertaining presentation on the subject of outsourcing. Dudley's presentation included reference to several examples from his experience in working with major organisations in their outsourcing agreements. By equating the Outsourcing Agreement to 'A Whirlwind Romance', Dudley brought an added level of interest, and humour as well, to a topic that requires significant focus and attention. Key areas covered in the presentation included:
- The singles scene - don't just dive in
- Dating / Off to Market - Scope contractual and technical terms
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Prepare the RFP -
Assessment
- Engagement - Negotiating the Agreement
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Outsourcing terms; Scope, Flexibility, Quality, Accountability, IPR -
Key Commercial terms.
- Wedded Bliss - The run phase
- Divorce - Disengagement
A couple of interesting statistics provided during the presentation; Off-shoring has a number of challenges with Mumbai being the second most dangerous location for off-shoring and the days of long Outsourcing agreements (5-10 years) are long gone, 2-3 years is now quite typical. The presentation style whilst covering key legal aspects of outsourcing agreements was presented in a manner that was "non-legalise" as possible.
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Going Green
By Gary Hamilton, Jeff Hodgkinson, & Gareth Byatt
Today's society is prevalent with organizational and social campaigns to "go green". This is for good reason. It is, after all, our social responsibility to reduce our carbon footprint, to reduce our dependency on non-renewable energies, and to recycle - not to mention the potential financial benefits associated with going green and green products. There are many things that Program and Project Managers of all industries can take to contribute to this worthy cause as part of following good program and project management processes and practices, but what are the "big ticket items"?
#1 - Direct your outcomes towards efforts such as Energy efficiency, Emissions (Carbon) reduction, Water efficiency and Waste minimization: there are many actions that program and project teams can take to achieve any of these four overall targets. For example, in IT the implementation of software that automatically turns off monitors when not used can lead to carbon reductions. If you work in manufacturing, construction or heavy industry the options for tackling these four factors are many and varied.
#2 - Help make a difference with design: consideration of the environment and sustainable initiatives at the design stage of an end product or solution is crucial - since this is what will determine the end product which the program/project will deliver. As a Program or Project Manager you have an opportunity to influence those responsible for design with "green thinking" (which they will no doubt already have in mind). For example, designing a product (be it a car headlight, a new computer or a manufacturing process) for energy efficiency.
#3 - Make a difference by having a sustainable supply chain: virtually all programs and projects (in all industries) rely on supply chain partners for delivery. The way you procure your partners can make a huge difference on the way a program or project is delivered. For example, make sure your supply chain partners are appropriately certified in sustainable practices and that they will adhere to leading practices. This principle relates to anything - from procuring sustainable timber for construction to ensuring "green thinking" is part and parcel of IT equipment procurement (for example, packaging can constitute a large volume of waste if not thought about in a sustainable way). Advice from governments and non-government organizations is plentiful in supply on actions that can be taken - look them up in the country you operate in.
In addition to these three actions, here are some other examples of smaller "green initiatives" that you may consider:
#4 - Include "Environmental and Sustainability Initiatives" in your Project Management Plan: Including such initiatives in your Project Management Plan will reinforce the project commitment to going green and outline specific tasks the project will be expected to undertake, during the duration of the project. Examples of such tasks may include:
- Procurement - ensure your procurement policies and selection criteria are based on Sustainability and Environmental measures.
- Maximizing the use of virtual team meetings - for example, conducting of virtual training and traveling only when absolutely necessary, such as during a major milestone in a given project. Technologies have progressed to the point in recent years that allow for video conferences, streaming videos and other forms of communication that reduce the requirements for face to face encounters without a reduction in the quality of the meeting
- Ensuring recycling logistics are in place at both virtual and face to face meetings. For virtual meetings, steps could be taken such as a requiring a recycle box for non-secure documents. The Project Manager can also coordinate the collection of the documents from all virtual locations. During face to face meetings, in addition to ensuring recycle bins are in place, the Project Manager may also require public transportation to the meeting and hire "Green Friendly" vendors.
- Requiring the project team to update their signature lines. A good idea is to say words to this effect: Be Green. Please don't print this e-mail unless you absolutely have to. Use this as part of your e-mail signature.
- Include in your project templates, such as agendas, presentations and status reports some "Go Green" statements. Verbally remind project team members to print only what is absolutely necessary.
- Require electronic only copies of project training and other artifacts when possible. Certain project artifacts, training materials and many other deliverables can actually be effectively carried out without printing.
- Fax to PDF services: Using these services is a great idea especially when contracts are part of your project. Low cost faxes to PDF providers are readily available to send to a global audience. When a stakeholder faxes certain project documents, instead of printing them out, they can be converted to a PDF format and then automatically e-mailed to all the e-mail addresses in a given account. Most of these services deliver the PDF versions in real time, which can reduce the paper output by as much as 50% without adding in delivery delays. The PDF received can then be saved in the project repository.
#5 - Use your Project Management skills to improve your community: Try to find opportunities to put your project management skills to suitable use on various community projects, and show an interest in environmentally friendly ways of improving the community. This could be the organizing of a community activity for your project team for the cleaning up of a park or waterway project. Other possibilities include the serving on planning committees for other types of green initiatives.
In conclusion, this article only touches upon the possibilities of "going green". Our main message is that although every appropriate action adds up in terms of sustainability and environmentally friendly outcomes, getting a good understanding of what you organization's most significant environmental impacts are first before you agree what to focus on will set you on the most effective path forward. Regardless of the industry, the organization, or the type of project, opportunities to go green are abundant. Program and Project Managers should take advantage of the possibilities and embrace and encourage their implementation. Lastly, "going green" is good project management. Green initiatives not only benefit the environment, they have positive affects on employee health and well being, and can help to maintain profitability of a project or organization. |
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The Melbourne Chapter of the Project Management Institute (PMI) is part of an international not-for-profit professional organisation dedicated to the advancement of project management excellence through professionalism. With more than 500,000 members in over 170 countries, PMI is the leading membership association for the project management profession. PMI is recognized for the advocacy programs conducted with governments, organizations and industries around the world as they recognize and embrace project management to achieve business results. |
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End of Year Event Chapter Meeting
Tuesday 30 Nov

Subject:
Solid Proof - The Future Will Be Expensive Speaker: Rob Gell
Venue: Chapter House 197 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
Timing: 6.45 pm to 10.00 pm Refreshments from 7.00 pm
Cost: PMI Melbourne Chapter Members $50.00 Guests & Other PMI Members $75.00 Register Here Members - If you login first and then register, you can see the event under your bookings. Please tell us if you have registered but are now not coming! It saves expense for the Chapter (and you).
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Our Sponsors
2011 Gold Sponsor 2011 Bronze Sponsor
PMI Melbourne Chapter thanks its sponsors |
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Probability
Probability is central to project management. We need to understand the probability of achieving cost or time
outcomes and the probability of a risk event occurring. Probability is also closely aligned with possibility and
creativity. Certainty eliminates the need to consider options. Only if you consider there is a possibility the
current situation / solution is not optimal can you investigate possible improvements.
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PMI e-Learning
Need to earn PDUs and can't wait? Check out PMI's e-Learning opportunities including:
eSeminarsWorld:
Expand your project management horizons without leaving your home or office with eSeminarsWorld, an online extension of PMI's SeminarsWorld Program.
e-Learning On Demand:
Take any class, any time you want, anywhere you want, with no additional software to download. Study at your own pace and access course materials when it is convenient for you.
Publication Quizzes:
Test your project management knowledge and earn PDUs with the affordable, convenient PMI Publication Quizzes.
Take advantage of online opportunities that fulfill your educational needs while still satisfying your professional and personal ones. |
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Claiming 1-2 PDU Events via CCRS
Attending the Chapter's monthly events entitles you to claim one PDU per event.
Some members have been requesting information about how to claim PDUs since the events are not listed in CCRS. The answer is that PMI has simplified the process last year and no longer require 1-2 PDU events to be pre-populated.
CCRS user guide provides details in depth about how the whole process works. We also have a summary document posted under Chapter Documents of our website as a brief guideline. Please click here to check it out. |
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