Projectified® Podcast

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.