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Learning Solutions for Increased Project Performance
Webinar Recordings
Conversations that Build Stronger Relationships
Download PDFFeaturing Mike Halperin, Senior Consultant with Action for Results, Inc.; this presentation presents a framework for better understanding those difficult and/or tough conversations that often arise in our projects (or perhaps should arise but don't). In this webinar Mike introduces tools and techniques you can use to help ensure have the right kinds of conversations that ultimately lead to stronger working relationships and better results.
Presenter: Mike Halperin, Senior Consultant, Action for Results, Inc.
View the recording of the web seminar by clicking here. You may also download a copy of the slide deck from the web seminar by clicking the "Download PDF" link above.
Building Realistic Project Schedules for Medical Device Projects
Download PDFFeaturing Ron Rammage, Software Engineering Manager at Abbott Medical Optics; this presentation discusses the use of the schedule as a tool to increase predictability of project outcomes and for communication and management of expectations for project stakeholders. You will learn about negotiating the schedule as well as how to deal with the pressure factors surrounding it. We’ll take a look at the benefits of creating and maintaining a schedule and an efficient method for doing so. Also under discussion will be schedule estimation techniques and the importance of baselining.
Presenter: Ron Rammage, PMP, Software Engineering Manager, Abbott Medical Optics
View the recording of the web seminar by clicking here. You may also download a copy of the slide deck from the web seminar by clicking the "Download PDF" link above.
Project Management Discipline Keys to Clinical Team Motivation
Download PDFFeaturing Dee Suberla, PMP and Senior Project Manager at Baxter Healthcare; this presentation discusses the many challenges and obstacles arising throughout the clinical trial process that can frustrate a project team. Find out how you can meet them head on! Dee demonstrates how some project management approaches can be used to help to encourage and inspire teams to persist through challenging clinical trials. She also takes a look at strategies that will help keep teams motivated during challenging times, and how to recognize opportunities to turn a negative situation around. In addition, Dee demonstrates how anticipating problems can help to achieve the desired project results.
Presenter:Dee G. Suberla, MBA, PMP, Senior Project Manager, Baxter Healthcare
View the recording of the web seminar by clicking here. You may also download a copy of the slide deck from the web seminar by clicking the "Download PDF" link above.
Green Project Management and You
Download PDFFeaturing the unique topic of green project management, this webinar describes the “green wave” as well as the role of the project manager in environmental and sustainability concerns. You’ll learn about the “5 Assertions” and other tools and techniques from Rich Maltzman and Dave Shirley’s just-published book, Green Project Management.
The presentation will also help you to consider the green aspects of any project as basic good business and good project management. The presenters are not “tree huggers” but simply project managers who have always seen project management as a microcosm of general business. Today’s organizations have become more aware of green/environmental aspects of doing business – and it’s time for project managers to catch up.
The presenters will highlight learnings from Lean and Green by Pam Gordon, Green to Gold by Esty and Winston, and The Truth about Green Business by Gil Friend. They will connect their presentation to the words of Greg Ballesteros, CEO of PMI, has been addressing the issue, and will discuss some proposed changes to PMI for the 5th Edition of the PMBOK® Guide.
Presenters: Rich Maltzman, MSIE, PMP® & Dave Shirley, MBA, PMP®
View the recording of the web seminar by clicking here. You may also download a copy of the slide deck from the web seminar by clicking the "Download PDF" link above.
Global Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology R&D - Challenges, Opportunities, Pathways
Download PDFWhat factors contribute to increased R&D productivity? What business model best reflects increasing scientific & technological complexity? How can we specifically organize R&D to be more productive, effective, and operationally efficient? This webinar will provide you with an integrated, high level approach to understand the pharma/biotech R&D challenges in the broader context of the entire value chain spanning from drug discovery research, drug development and commercialization.
This webinar will provide an integrated, high level approach to understand the pharma/biotech R&D challenges in the broader context of the entire value chain spanning from drug discovery research, drug development and commercialization. We'll discuss current approaches and opportunities to increase productivity, effectiveness, and realize efficiencies in these highly differentiated areas as well as help you understand the different overall objectives, key outcomes and potential measures relevant for drug discovery research, drug development and commercialization.
We’ll also discuss the hypothesis that individual team members, projects and program teams, team leaders, functional area line managers, governance and decision-making bodies may all need to be organized, managed and led according to the specific objectives within the value chain spectrum. Specifically tailoring R&D project teams and their governance according to the different levels of uncertainty, need for integration and learning required in drug discovery, drug development and commercialization may be a first step towards achieving productivity, effectiveness and efficiency targets.
Presenter: Thomas J Schulze, PhD, PMP®
View the recording of the web seminar by clicking here. You may also download a copy of the slide deck from the web seminar by clicking the "Download PDF" link above.
Redefining Success for Life Science Projects
Download PDFHow should life science companies define program and project success? How can project managers and teams take targeted action to make their project succeed – on every level? How do we change behaviors to ensure sustainability for the longer term, including the metrics that drive critical decisions affecting the pipeline of projects?
We all know what it means to have a project fail in the traditional sense. But what about the project that has been completed, appears to do well on the surface, but has given no real value to the business? Is it still "successful"?
This webinar will introduce a foundation for redefining project success criteria for pharmaceutical, medical device and biotech companies that balances short- and longer term business needs, and allows project teams to set their project on the path to success from the start. Participants will not only learn how to build their project for the right outcomes, but also what the most important factors are that help us know, along the way, whether those outcomes are still the right ones and still achievable. We’ll explore the role of the team in making success happen, and how to get every team member focused on the right results rather than just completing a set of activities.
Presenter: Tarja Mottram, CEO, Action for Results
View the recording of the web seminar by clicking here. You may also download a copy of the slide deck from the web seminar by clicking the "Download PDF" link above.
Best Practices in Scheduling Using Microsoft Project
Download PDFMany organizations use Microsoft Project to schedule their in-house projects but don’t always provide training for either the software or the project scheduling process. In this 1-hour webinar, we’ll look at some scheduling best practices that should be used in order to maximize efficiency when planning, monitoring and controlling your projects. We’ll correlate those practices with functions in Microsoft Project to help you better understand the software, even without formal training. Topics we’ll cover include critical path, lead and lag, constraints and deadlines, work breakdown structure, schedule dependencies, schedule baseline and more.
View the recording of the web seminar by clicking here. You may also download a copy of the slide deck from the web seminar by clicking the "Download PDF" link above.
What’s New with the PMBOK® Guide and PMP Certification
Download PDFOn December 31, 2008, the Project Management Institute (PMI) released the latest version of their Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge. In June 2009, the Project Management Professional (PMP) Exam will be updated to reflect the transition to the new PMBOK® Guide, Fourth Edition. What does this mean for project managers and team members, current PMPs and future PMP candidates?
View the recording of the web seminar by clicking here. You may also download a copy of the slide deck from the web seminar by clicking the "Download PDF" link.
Articles
Protect Investments by Managing Risk
Download PDFOriginally published in Pharmaceutical Formulation & Quality magazine, this article by Jim Stewart and Todd McKee explores risk management in a drug development environment.
Project Blind Spots
Download PDFProjects are often run by subject matter experts or “accidental” project managers who are well intentioned, but lack formal project management training and experience. This article illustrates some of the project “blind spots” that may result because they are unaware of time-honored techniques that will help them to manage projects more effectively.
Project Offices: Levels & Responsibilities
Download PDFVery often, organizations establish project offices using different names for different purposes. This article provides an overview of some commonly used terms and describes the responsibilities and expectations set by organizations around the world to define “project offices.”
Tools and Worksheets
Back to Basics: Project Management Foundation for Success
Download PDFThis helpful document contains a refresher checklist on applying project management basics to your project.
Time Loss Assessment Tool
Download PDFWe all have to deal with a certain amount of unplanned time loss every day. Use this assessment tool to gauge which daily activities are the biggest drain on your time and help determine how best to correct the situation.
Stakeholder Analysis Tool
Download PDFHere’s a stakeholder analysis tool to help you map out your stakeholders and their needs. Before you fill out the table, think about who the stakeholders are, what they need from the project and what you need from them.
Project Kick-off Meeting Agenda
Download PDFOne of the most important project meetings for the team and stakeholders will be the project kick-off. Use this agenda template to help you begin to organize the structure of the meeting and customize as needed.
Change Request Form
Download PDFIt’s for certain that you’ll be dealing with change as you implement any project, so be prepared to explain in your project plan how you will identify and track changes. Be sure to have standardized documents such as this Change Request Form ready when you need them.
Negotiation Strategy Worksheet
Download PDFA successful negotiation not only means getting what you want and need as a project manager, team member or stakeholder, it also means coming to an agreement that works for the other party as well. Before embarking on a negotiation session, use this worksheet to help you formulate what you must gain from the process, what you can live without, and what’s important to the other party.
Project Communication Planning
Download PDFComprehensive and effective communications are vital to project success. This overview of project communications planning includes a template for a communications plan.
Links
Action for Results, Inc.
www.actionforresults.commScholar is a division of Action for Results, Inc. (AfR), an international consulting company working with pharmaceutical, biotech, medical device and other healthcare organizations to connect their strategy and execution to produce innovative products and services that respond to the needs of patients and customers worldwide. AfR's specialties include strategy definition, organizational capability building, product development process optimization and governance, and portfolio and project management.
BioPharmaPM
www.biopharmapm.orgBioPharmaPM is a Pharmaceutical Biotech Project Management group dedicated to the sharing of project management best practices within the Pharmaceutical, Biotech, CRO and Medical Devices industries at a local and global level. They are an independent, non-profit, 100% volunteer based organization with chapters throughout the United States. Their project management philosophy follows the PMI and PMBOK principles.
Scope Crêpe Project Management Blog
http://scopecrepe.blogspot.comThe informative (and witty) blog of Rich Maltzman, PMP, a senior project management consultant with Action for Results and mScholar.
Project Management Institute
www.pmi.orgWith more than 265,000 members in over 170 countries, PMI is the leading membership association for the project management profession. Visit this site for information about project management credentials and certifications, including Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.
Information Mapping
www.infomap.comInformation Mapping helps organizations take control of their information life cycle by analyzing their information issues, needs, and requirements to create a solution that most effectively helps to develop, deploy and manage company and project information.