I can honestly say that I was never very happy at FRNA.  The culture there was just not a fit for me, and I wasn’t a fan of living in northeast OH.  True, I grew up there, I loved having family close by, and I have tremendous (THE BEST OF) friends still in NEOH, but it just wasn’t where I was meant to be.  So, with the help of a good friend, I connected with someone on the west coast.  As luck would have it, I was out there on business for FRNA, and during some off-time, I was able to meet with the VP of Marketing at the company I currently work for (which, I’ll decline to mention by name so as not to inadvertently reveal anything I shouldn’t.  Just recognize that it’s another Fortune 500 company with a complex organizational structure and a lot of opportunity!  I made the move b/c the company’s culture is one that “fit me like a glove”. 

Why wouldn't I be happy with the move?!?!

I joined this company as a project manager (my choice to get back into PM, rather than traditional marketing) in Interactive Marketing – a field I knew NOTHING about!  Again, the engineer’s brain allowed me to rapidly come up to speed.  I quickly developed a reputation as a PM who worked well with others (except one IT developer who had a bad first-impression of me – you know who you are!! And you adore me now!), and who was able to stick to timelines and budgets.  My supervisor loved having me on his team!  

Then…I was offered an opportunity to lead the Customer Experience (CX) team, and left the Interactive Marketing team.  No love anymore from aforementioned supervisor!  His feelings were hurt.  I, however, have had a great opportunity to learn SO much about multi-channel experience design.  I’ve also had a great time working with cross-functional teams on creating the ultimate experience for our customers.  We’re testing our concepts in Q1 of next year, and I’m really excited to see how everything is received by our customers.  I’m not 100% certain I’ll have the opportunity to do so though. 

Small digression:  As my mother, affectionately known as “Pamcakes” has said…”Kerbehr, you get everything you want.  It just falls in your lap.”  Pamcakes is SADLY mistaken, though I am very fortunate.  I’ve worked very hard to achieve success and to make opportunities for myself that will fulfill my own personal and professional goals.  And, somehow, more often than not, I’ve been able to find happiness, both in work and in life.  Why do I tell you this?  Because…

As I worked on the CX program, I was able to research a lot about various topics – one being social media.  With very little knowledge acquired, I quickly became the resident expert at my company.  That, along with my prior record of success, afforded me the opportunity to be invited, at the request of our parent company’s executive leadership, to participate in a nine month project about the growing impact of social media/networking on businesses.  Our team, comprised of folks from various business units and locations were to define the trend, track it, explain it, project the future of it, determine the implications, and make recommendations to senior executives about how to respond to it. 

We’re about six months into the project, and we’ve had three presentations to the president of our parent company and his direct staff (CEOs of business units).  There is so much excitement about this topic, and definite acknowledgement that we are behind the eight ball.  So, that’s why I say I may not see the fruits of our team’s labor on the CX program.  I’ve been tapped by our company’s president to lead the charge in social media.  Talk about a vote of confidence!!  After our last report out, he gave me an encouraging hug, said “You did a fantastic job and you are so very knowledgeable.  This is a great opportunity, not only for you, but also for [our parent company].”  That’s the culture I moved across country to be a part of! 

So, it’s with mixed emotions that I shift my focus away from full multi-channel experience design to building an effective social media strategy.  Social media naturally fits into a multi-channel design, so I won’t be totally divorcing myself from that program, but I will have to surrender some of my responsibilities in order to effectively execute the social strategy.  My cup runneth over!

My financial client an urgent need for a Business Intelligence Project Manager and a Business Intelligence Business Analyst to work on a Business Objects Report rollout (from a business perspective) replacing legacy reporting solutions with Business Objects Xcelsius. The Business Analyst / BA will scope what is covered by the legacy reporting systems in order to reproduce them using BusinessObjects. The PM will Manage the project.

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The ideal candidates should be an experienced in Business Intelligence Project Management and Business Intelligence Business Analysis respectively and both have excellent knowledge of Business Objects, ideally working on a similar project for another client. Both candidates should have both Business Objects XIR3 and financial sector experience.

Please send CV’s ASAP detailing your experience in the above need including salary expectations and availability.

Regards

Adam Sparey

Business Intelligence and Data Warehouse Manager

adamsparey@peoplesource.co.uk

0117 922 7000

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Project managers often leverage different types of knowledge on projects such as policy, procedures, methodology, domain, and interpersonal knowledge. Most organizations are good at capturing, packaging, and disseminating knowledge related to these areas as well as garnering resources with the right technical skills required to work on a project. However, when it comes to soft skills required for projects, most organizations get a failing grade. Technical skills are required for project estimation and planning, whereas soft skills are used by project managers to handle relationships. A project manager without these soft skills can survive, but not thrive. Soft skills requires the ability to understand the organizational culture, display leadership, problem solve, motivate the team, be flexible, creative, and trustworthy. Another soft skill is the ability to manage stakeholder expectations. Managing expectations is a key success factor on most projects and it requires strong communication skills.

Have you ever considered hiring a freelancer to produce your next marketing piece?  If not, give it some thought.  Freelance project managers, writers, designers, web gurus and others can take work off your plate, solve problems and manage details.   They don’t need a lot of hand-holding and can really make your work life much easier.  Just make sure you know what skill set you need and look for an appropriate fit.  Here are a few things you should know as you start your search:

•  Hiring a freelancer allows you access to expert advice without having to hire a full-time staff person.
•  Despite the title, freelancers don’t work for free (or even peanuts)…but they are more affordable than most ad agencies.
•  Freelancers are generally senior-level professionals with 15 or more years of experience…and they’re the ones who will actually do your work (many agencies pass off projects to junior level people after they win an account if you’re not a high-profile, deep-pocket client).
•  Most are willing to work quickly to finish projects with tight turn-around times.
•  Freelancers are versatile and able to work in a variety of industries.
•  Freelancing is a lifestyle choice – so your freelancer will most likely be around to help you with projects for years to come.
•  Freelancers love referrals!  So if you’re happy with the work they do, pass their name along to colleagues and friends.

–Maureen McCarthy

The successful candidate will have full responsibility for managing and supporting the current online media development operational functions of the business. The Project Manager for Media Development will interface with multiple departments in the creation of video assets. The right candidate will report to the Art Director and is required to have excellent written and verbal communication skills, an ability to track multiple projects, and a facility in dealing with complex metrics. The role demands great attention to detail and a comfort in working with diverse technologies. Knowledge of online poker is helpful, as is an understanding of non-linear editing systems.

 Responsibilities / Accountabilities

• Engage with stakeholders in various departments to determine the goals of upcoming projects
• Develop metrics to track business impact of existing media
• Ensure that media development sticks to established timelines
• Provide significant input into all media mix discussions and analysis
• Pursue significant business objectives and added-value programs. Infuse the media program with innovation and strategic vision.
• Provide excellent client-service to business and management and ensure marketing and other departments apply best practices. Set and monitor media cost and performance benchmarks
• Analyze results of media efforts and develop measures of success. Ensure programs result in highest possible levels of business benefit
• Advise marketing management on development of media policies to ensure maximum effectiveness
•  Monitor the media marketplace to stay abreast of trends, identify opportunities and emerging issues, and understand new technologies and consumer reaction

Skills/Experience Required

• 3+ years project management experience
• Bachelor’s degree
• Ability to adapt to changing priorities in a fast-paced environment
• Quantitative skills, including the ability to generate and analyze reports
• Understanding of NLE video production, including media types and timelines
• Knowledge of poker helpful
• Superior project management skills. Manage and prioritize multiple detail-oriented assignments while keeping an eye on the big picture media objectives. Meet deadlines. Be organized. Follow-through. Respond quickly and effectively to a variety of changes and opportunities that impact media activity
• Analysis. Conduct key media and business analysis. Present data and findings clearly, concisely and accurately, and be able to draw meaningful conclusions and indicated actions
•  Strong communicator. Write and make presentations. Sell ideas internally and influence people both inside and outside of dept to drive quality execution
• Multi-functional Collaboration. Team player within Marketing group and across marketing teams

How much knowledge of their project field should a Project Manager have? I enjoy asking people this question and have received a wide variety of responses. I have had colleagues tell me that they are true project managers and because the tools of project management are the same across different fields they are comfortable managing projects in any discipline—IT, manufacturing, research, etc. Other project managers (who typically primarily identify themselves not as project managers, but as engineers or researchers) are using their specialized knowledge of their field and would not consider managing a project outside their area of expertise. One individual who manages many project managers told me that project managers coming from the outside with project management skills performed better than those who were promoted from within and had deeper technical knowledge of the company’s products. What are your thoughts and experiences?

Author : CIA, CIA

Permasalahan yang umum terjadi di bidang konstruksi adalah kurangnya hubungan antara sumber daya manusia yang terlibat. Tipe kepemimpinan yang tepat dan kepercayaan yang tinggi merupakan suatu faktor kunci suksesnya suatu proyek. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui hubungan antara kepemimpinan manajer proyek dengan kepercayaan tim kerja pada suatu proyek konstruksi. Pengumpulan data dilakukan dengan menyebarkan kuesioner kepada para staff atau bawahan dari manajer proyek pada proyek konstruksi di Surabaya dan kemudian data yang diperoleh tersebut dianalisa dengan menggunakan software SPSS untuk mendapatkan persamaan regresi. Dari hasil analisa data secara umum didapatkan tipe kepemimpinan yang sering dipakai oleh manajer proyek di Surabaya adalah tipe kepemimpinan participative dan tingkat kepercayaan yang terbentuk dalam tim pada umumnya adalah tingkat sedang sedangkan melalui analisa regresi yang dilakukan menunjukkan hubungan yang signifikan antara kedua variabel tersebut sehingga dapat disimpulkan bahwa tipe kepemimpinan participative merupakan variabel yang independen atau mempengaruhi variabel kepercayaan yang dependen pada proyek konstruksi.

Keyword : leadership, trust, construction, project manager

Sumber : http://repository.petra.ac.id/3440/

Author : SANTOSO;, HERRY

Permasalahan yang umum terjadi di bidang konstruksi adalah kurangnya hubungan antara sumber daya manusia yang terlibat. Kepemimpinan dan kepercayaan yang tepat akan mengatasi masalah ini. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui peranan manajer proyek sebagai pemimpin dalam membangun kepercayaan tim kerja pada suatu proyek konstruksi dan membuat model hubungan kepercayaan dengan kepemimpinan. Pengumpulan data dilakukan dengan menyebarkan kuesioner kepada para staff atau bawahan dari manajer proyek pada proyek konstruksi di Surabaya. Sebanyak 61 responden dari 9 proyek berpartisipasi. Hasil analisa data secara umum didapatkan tingkat kepemimpinan dan kepercayaan yang terbentuk dalam tim pada umumnya adalah tingkat sedang. Hasil analisa regresi, dengan menggunakan satu variabel tak bebas (yaitu kepercayaan) dan tiga variabel bebas (yaitu achieving results, acting with integrity, dan demonstrating concern) menunjukkan hubungan yang signifikan antara variabel kepercayaan dengan variabel kepemimpinan. Model yang didapat diuji dengan BLUE dan uji validasi. Hasilnya menunjukkan bahwa model dapat digunakan.

Keyword : leadership, trust, construction, project manager

Sumber : http://repository.petra.ac.id/2836/

Check out the “My Story” page here on my blog. I thought this would be a better way for a prospective employer to get to know me.

Medair WatSan activities in Sudan

Medair brings life-saving relief and rehabilitation in disasters, conflict areas, and other crises by working alongside the most vulnerable. Its staff are inspired by their Christian faith to care for people in need, providing practical and compassionate support, regardless of race, religion, or politics. Medair has achieved the ISO 9001:2000 quality certification worldwide, which denotes consistent and effective project management activities for the well-being of its beneficiaries. Founded in 1989, Medair’s unwavering commitment continues to bring hope to the world’s most vulnerable.

Main Responsibilities

Overall coordination of and responsibility for the management of Medair’s West Darfur water and sanitation project with other NGOs and UN agencies. Support to, and supervision and training of WatSan staff. Lead the transition of the WatSan programming from ‘out-puts and activities’ to “impact” through monitoring, evaluation, and appropriate humanitarian accountability partnership (HAP) activities. Develop high quality WatSan proposals. Contribute to the overall project coordination in the core management team.

Project Overview

A relief response to the needs of approx 200,000 conflict affected people in West Darfur state. Activities include: provision of primary health care, reproductive health; health education & hygiene promotion; improved water quality & access; and support of latrine construction (WatSan component for about 140 000). Some in El Geneina town, however most in rural locations.

Workplace

West Darfur, Sudan (Northern States)

Starting Date              

April 2010

Contract Details

100%, 2 years minimum

Qualifications

• Higher level qualification in a technical field, preferably in water and sanitation
• BSc/MSc in Water, Hydrology, Environmental Engineering or Management is desirable

 Experience 

• 2 years work experience post qualification
• Prior management experience
• 1 year overseas experience in relief work with a NGO, preferably in the water / sanitation sector

 Medair standard working requirements for the field

• Minimum 12 months professional experience in a relevant field
• Committed Christians and strong adherence to Medair values
• Strong English communication skills (oral and written)
• Familiar with Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook
• Able to live and work with a multicultural team under difficult conditions
• Strong character traits, including emotional stability, adaptability, ability to handle stress, cultural and gender sensitivity, honesty
• Single or married – without children, no dependent children
• Successful completion of Medair’s Relief & Rehabilitation Orientation Course (ROC)

Application process

For FULL INFORMATION on this and other positions, please follow this web link, and check the Experienced Relief Worker section followed by Field Vacancies:

http://www.medair.org/en/work-with-us/opportunities/

We request that all applications be completed on line at www.medair.org. Medair does not set closing dates/deadline dates for applications; recruitment is ongoing until the position is filled. Medair reviews all applications and you will be contacted directly if you are selected as a candidate.

This is a 6 month+ contract in Dallas, TX.

Type of Project: This type of project secures that IT services and solutions are available in new office environments.

Project description: Office integration projects occurs when new office environments are set up and comprise planning and establishing of workspaces (workstations, terminals), connectivity & access to applications, file servers, print services and voice solutions.

Typically, one project manager can work with more than one office project in parallel.

Skills & Requirements

Competence category:  Project Manager

Languages:  Good skills in written and spoken English language

Technical skills:  General understanding of IT-infrastructure and network solutions e.g.

• networks (LAN, WAN)
• servers, routers, workstations
• routing
• firewalls
• VPN

Other required competences:

• Master/Bachelor of Science, Master/Bachelor of Engineering or equivalent

• Experience with deployments involving multiple service providers
• Experience of projects in complex environments
• Ability to take personal responsibility for the project
• Capable of planning and managing the project to the assigned goals from the initiation to the termination
• Understanding of the enterprise IT infrastructure
• High tolerance for uncertainty, capability to work independently in a volatile environment
• Ability to works with other project managers, program management, line organization and other interest groups to solve problems

Required traveling:  Readiness to travel to customer sites. Some international traveling may also be required.

Job Description

An office integration project comprises the following tasks:

• Make project plan (in cooperation with real estate, business owner and service experts) which covers

1. Workspaces (workstations, terminals)
2. Connectivity solution (WAN, LAN, WLAN)
3. List of applications
4. Office equipment (work stations, faxes, printers)
5. File servers
6. Print services
7. Voice solutions
8. Office move schedule

• Execute the project plan – service realization phase

1. Order needed hardware and service
2. Supervise that realization is taking place according to plan, take corrective actions when needed

• Secure that all needed services are available at office move time
• Verify status of moved people during minimum one week after office move
• Project documentation and reporting according to requirements from project owner
• Communication with various stakeholders

Our client is an integrated agency growing it’s digital offering looking for a passionate and pro active digital Project Manager to join their team. Lots of education of clients and internal teams.

You will be working directly with the Head of Digital to deliver digital work and help establish really solid digital processes in house.

A keen attitude and a problem solver is required in this role. The Head of Project Management is looking for someone who will work really hard and is keen for the digital team to succeed.

The Head of Digital needs a right hand man or woman to come on board and run the digital projects. So you need to be client facing all the way through to delivery. You need to enjoy evangelising digital to none digital types. If you have any IA skills this would also be very helpful but it is certainly not essential. Also a good technical understanding is also very helpful to them.

Background

- Someone who can manage a small team in-house and freelancers.

- Someone who is able to manage up to 4/5 projects co-currently.

- Someone with a good knowledge of technical issues.

- They must be reliable and proactive.

- They must be prepared to get hands on and QA if required.

- IA skills useful but not essential.

They are lovely small team. So friendly and fun.

The Head of Digital is a top lady and would be a great person to work with. This is a good opportunity to help build up a digital offering and nurture a small digital team.

If interested get in touch

Rachel Murray

0207 420 3540

rachel@wearefutureheads.co.uk

Our client is a very well known and respected independent digital agency at a nice friendly medium size who are looking for a Lead Project Manager to come on board their talented and bright Project Management team.  You are someone who loves the rewards and challenges of managing a team of Project Managers and still happy to keep your hand in with Project Management where needed.

If you are a strong Senior Project Manager looking for a step up in your career who has some line management responsibility then this could be just the opportunity for you to develop that lead role further. Equally of you have been managing a team for some time but want to work for a really ambitious forward thinking agency with lots of opportunity to progress your career this role is also a good opportunity.  The main thing is you need to have a really strong digital Project Management background with a passion for leading and managing a team of Project Managers.

 Essential Experience

• first-rate client relationship and people management skills  
• proven experience of managing £100K+ projects and large programmes of work, including strategy, user experience, communications and technical projects
• experience line managing a team
• significant experience in presenting to senior client management  
• PRINCE 2 (agile experience an advantage)
• experience in a web design agency
• excellent experience of estimates, and proposals

 As Lead Project Manager you will have the opportunity to enjoy the autonomy of owning your own programmes, playing a central role in delivering award-winning work to world-class clients. Earn performance-related bonuses for your ability to grow accounts and deliver projects profitably. Plus you’ll have your own personal development and training plan, and time to keep ahead of industry advances.

Rachel Murray

0207 420 3540

rachel@wearefutureheads.co.uk

Project managers, how has today’s economy affected your career? Towards the end of 2008, we noticed a trend of less interest in employers paying for training for their employees as training budgets were reduced. However, there was also increased interest from project managers in earning their Project Management Professional (PMP) who believed that it was more critical than ever to earn their PMP either to stay competitive or to find employment. A number of project managers have told me they are overwhelmed with their current workload due to their organizations not replacing other project managers who are no longer working there. At our local project management chapter meeting some months ago, a new attendee approached others and asked how long it had been since they had been laid off, apparently assuming that most people there were unemployed. The Project Management Institute (PMI) has published optimistic forecasts for project managers, stating that “the global and long-term employment outlook for project managers is promising” (http://www.pmi.org/CareerDevelopment/Pages/Employment-Outlook.aspx) and cites the trend of many people retiring and the growth of global projects as positive indicators (http://www.pmi.org/Pages/PM-Profession-Thrive-Despite-Troubled-Economy.aspx). Project managers, what have been your observations and experiences with project management in today’s economy?

Assignment Overview

This is a 2 phase project.  Phase I will last approximately 6 months and the second phase is scheduled for 18 months.

Project Overview:

Facilitate the migration of 4 newly acquired manufacturing facilities from their current SAP and Plant floor systems into an existing SAP ECC 6.0 / Apriso platform.  This project has duration of approximately 180 days beginning in January and requires flexibility in staffing and work assignments.

Requirements:

• Minimum 7-10 years Project Management experience.
• Strong knowledge of Project Management Methodology experience
• Must have lead multiple full lifecycle SAP implementation projects involving SAP modules including PP, PM, MM, SD, FI/CO, BW
• Strongly prefer expertise in a manufacturing/plant environment, specifically leading SAP integrations
• A strong understanding of SAP configuration principles
• Ability to provide a detailed assessment and project plan to include costs, timelines, resourcing and deliverables for a large integration project and lead teams to adhere to a rigorous project schedule
• Must have excellent communication and client interface skills
• Experience in managing global activities
• Business analysis and process modeling experienced are also desirable.
• Manage and support testing activities to include integration / regression test scenarios, UAT, and implementation cutover testing.
• Knowledge of Apriso with expertise with a Build to Order and Make to Order concept standardize plant operations

Technical Skills:

• SAP ECC 6.0
• Apriso Manufacturing Operations Management (MOM)
• Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES)
• SAP PP, PM, MM, SD, FI/CO, BW

Education/Certification:

• Bachelors Degree in Computer Science or related field
• PMP certification preferred

Soft Skills:

• High energy, results driven
• Team building, coaching and mentoring
• Managing budgets, resources, work plans and timelines
• Interpersonal relationship and networking skills, influential, and a strong communicator
• Record of delivering results against rigorous project schedules

Ability to travel to US and Puerto Rico to support launches (probably 3 weeks)