Projectified® Podcast

As we kick off 2023, project leaders are looking ahead to new challenges and opportunities as well as looking back at what they accomplished in 2022. Projectified® reconnected with previous guests to discuss the biggest changes they have seen in the world of projects over the last year, their top lessons learned, plus what they’re excited about—and the skills project managers need to succeed—in the year ahead.

From feats of engineering and art to exploring the unknown, the 2022 Most Influential Projects showcase innovative and creative efforts from teams across sectors and regions. Guests discuss two of these projects: one bridges the physical and digital worlds to create ABBA’s immersive concert experience, the other pushes agricultural innovation to deliver the world’s largest vertical farm.

Project management offices (PMOs) are evolving, taking on a greater strategic role to deliver value. We discuss this with:

Fiona Lin, PMI-ACP, PMP, VP of the enterprise PMO, agile PMO and business transformation, Snap Finance, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA: Lin discusses why PMOs must support organizations across projects, programs, portfolios and processes, the importance of including PMOs in strategy planning, and how PMOs can help adopt and encourage new ways of working.

R. Rooban Annamalai, PMP, project management and PMO lead, Christie’s, London: Annamalai explains how he’s seen the PMO’s role evolve to include more strategic decision-making, how PMOs can help push teams and organizations forward and his vision for the future of the PMO.

Artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic concept. Project leaders are putting AI to use to boost efficiency and collaboration on projects. Guests discuss how project leaders are benefiting from AI—from automating tasks to analyzing data—how it can help teams deliver more value and how AI will change project leaders’ roles and the skills they need moving forward.

It’s time to lean into the power skills that help project professionals drive success. Projectified guests discuss why power skills are so essential, how they’ve used them to deliver more value and improve their teams’ results and ways to further develop these skills.

In today’s uncertain business landscape, companies must be more agile than ever, embracing new ways of working and nurturing a changemaker mindset across teams. Guests discuss the ROI of organizational agility, challenges enterprises face when building agility into company culture, and how project leaders can foster collaboration on their teams.

As urbanization increases worldwide, the public transportation sector is evolving. Teams are launching projects to meet changing consumer demands and employing new technologies with the goal of making public transport systems more sustainable, accessible and efficient. Guests discuss innovations in technology and infrastructure, how greater governance could impact projects across the sector and a pilot project that streamlines customers’ access to several urban transportation options.

The energy sector is evolving, with organizations and governments alike rethinking their options to push for a more sustainable future. Guests discuss how green hydrogen can impact global decarbonization efforts, how innovative tech is boosting efficiency on solar projects, and the skills teams need to execute projects across the renewable energy sector.

ESG is becoming both essential and fully integrated into every aspect of operations and culture. Learn how project teams are incorporating ESG into their work and benefiting from it.

Organizations are facing a massive shift in the workforce as people reevaluate what they want from their jobs. It’s up to project leaders to keep teams on track and to continue to deliver value in the face of high turnover and other challenges. Guests discuss how attrition can impact project teams, tips to keep team members engaged and ways to build resilience to resourcing challenges into projects.

PMI’s annual Future 50 shines the spotlight on rising project leaders who are creating a better future for all. Projectified spoke with three 2022 honorees about how their leadership styles have evolved, their lessons learned from their careers so far, and how they’re seeing fellow rising leaders change how projects are run and are making their mark.

The climate crisis is impacting coastlines across the globe, with communities facing threats from rising sea levels and more frequent extreme weather events. In response, teams are launching projects to mitigate risks and build resilience. Guests discuss a 10-year effort to bolster portions of Bangladesh’s coastline and the project’s impact on local communities, plus how a team is engaging with stakeholders, including citizens, to plan coastal resilience efforts in the city of Boston in the U.S.

Over the last decade, governments across the globe have launched digital transformation projects, from digitizing services to revamping their online presence for better citizen engagement. Guests discuss projects to improve efficiency and transparency between citizens and their government, building buy-in for e-government initiatives, and advice for project leaders leading digitization projects in the public sector. 

From COVID-19 to materials shortages, the events of the past few years have wreaked havoc on the global supply chain. Organizations are responding with innovative projects to increase their resiliency. Guests discuss projects using technologies like 5G and AI to boost manufacturing capabilities and better predict—and respond to—change, whether due to consumer demand or supply chain disruptions.

In the past few years, teams have had to rethink events of all types—conferences, award shows, concerts—to virtual or hybrid formats, innovating to keep attendees and audiences safe as well as engaged. We’ll hear how the Eurovision Song Contest adapted to keep the competition going through COVID-19, while another guest discusses using virtual tools and venues across the globe to host online and hybrid hackathons.

Project leaders make decisions on a nearly non-stop basis: which resources to tap, whether to crash a schedule (or not), which feature might have to be cut to make budget. But they also have access to a wealth of information that can help them make the right call. Guests discuss where project leaders can get the information they need, and how technologies like AI and big data can help fuel decision-making.

Women have faced an uphill battle in the workplace, especially during the pandemic. But they continue to make strides with game-changing projects across sectors and around the globe. Guests discuss how women are redefining what it means to be a project leader, the ways organizations can offer better support as well as their advice to other women.

Even with disruption and economic uncertainty, the job market for project talent is booming—and it doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon. Guests discuss how the changing world of work has brought new opportunities—and new demands—for project professionals.

As digital transformation accelerates, companies may be leaving behind some users: the 1 billion people who experience some form of disability. Whether their project is in gaming or financial services, companies must ensure the digital world is an inclusive one. Guests discuss integrating accessibility into projects—right from the start.

COVID-19 has healthcare providers pursuing innovation like never before—but they must also ensure those cutting-edge ideas and technologies deliver value to patients. Guests discuss a European megaproject that infuses data science and healthcare, how project leaders can improve collaboration, and how one organization iterated and innovated to provide care to cancer patients through the pandemic.

As 2021 comes to an end, project leaders are looking back at what they’ve accomplished—and looking ahead to 2022. Projectified^® reconnects with guests from the last year to discuss the lessons they’ve learned, the biggest changes they’ve seen, the emerging must-have skills and what lies ahead in the new year.

The financial services sector is evolving—using new technologies to meet changing customer preferences. Guests discuss the demographic shifts prompting new fintech projects, the need to keep customer habits front and center, and the influence of emerging tech like AI and machine learning.

Change is constant in The Project Economy. And that means leaders must adapt and evolve, too. Guests discuss how leadership strategies are shifting and offer hands-on advice for bringing out the best in teams.

Buckle up—the world is entering a new era of spaceflight as startup commercial ventures join forces with government agencies. Guests from Virgin Galactic and the European Space Agency discuss turning out-of-this-world ideas into reality and what’s next for space exploration.

PMI’s 2021 edition of Most Influential Projects highlights nearly 250 initiatives that deliver serious innovation in everything from healthcare to mobility. Guests discuss two of those projects: one delivering a first-of-its-kind NFT package for music fans, the other delivering Kenya’s first systematic wildlife census.

Infrastructure projects form the bedrock of modern society­—delivering expressways, clean water supplies, internet access and a bevy of other essentials. Yet project leaders must also ensure these initiatives deliver value now—and for decades to come. Guests discuss how they think about future-proofing infrastructure projects, the need for meaningful stakeholder engagement and the potential for true social impact.

As the world grapples with the effects of climate change, consumers are increasingly interested in electric vehicles. And that means lots of projects, not just to deliver cool new products, but also the underlying infrastructure that supports them. Guests discuss the current state of e-mobility—and what’s next.

Data fuels collaboration and innovation—but it can also be a vulnerability. Guests discuss the cyber threats organizations are facing, how teams can keep data secure, and why security—and risk—should be top of mind from the start of any project.

When the pandemic hit, many hallmarks of city life—public transportation, skyscrapers with shared amenities, bustling streets—flipped from pros to cons. But don’t count cities out. Guests discuss how project teams are reimagining the urban environment—making it more sustainable, equitable and resilient. 

Companies aren’t the only ones that can tap the power of a great brand story. In today’s competitive world of work, career-focused project leaders are learning to set themselves apart from the pack by crafting their own personal brand. Guests share how to build a brand that reinforces your mission and how to use that brand to boost your career.