096 - Design thinking: don’t take things at face value or you will face plant, with guest Erik Rueter
Release Date: 08/20/2024
103 - Lessons not Learned: State of Maine HR System Project Debacle
Project Management Happy Hour
Think your project’s on fire? 🔥 Come hear how Maine tried to swap a 30‑year‑old COBOL HR/payroll system for something cloud‑friendly … and wound up with six years, two vendors, and ± $35 M spent—with no live system to show for it. (Psst—Love this kind of real‑world PM talk? Join our member community for templates, monthly problem‑solving Happy Hours with us, and coaching: PMHappyHour.com/membership.) 👋 Your Hosts Kim Essendrup – PM coach, speaker, project‑failure super‑fan Kate Anderson – coffee‑powered realist & co‑host of Project Management...
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102 - Kim's first day working for the Empire: Kate runs another Project Management role-play
Project Management Happy Hour
Our D&D-style project role play was such a hit, we did it again - in a different universe. One far, far away… This time, it’s Kim’s first day as a project manager working on a secret government project for the Empire. As he shows up, he finds that his predecessor… well, let’s just say he didn’t get-on well with his exec sponsor. Kim’s new project is behind schedule, roadblocked with supply chain issues and is out of funding. Can he get the “RTDU” project back on track by the end of the day, or <gulp> will he have to give an awkward project update to his...
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101 - The Project Behind: Not Impossible Labs with Mick Ebeling
Project Management Happy Hour
Ever had a moment where you saw a problem in the world and thought, “Someone should fix that”? What if that someone was you? Mick Ebeling, founder of Not Impossible Labs, joins us to share how he turned a bold promise into world-changing innovation. From helping a paralyzed graffiti artist create art again to launching life-changing tech solutions, Mick’s story is a masterclass in fearless problem-solving. In this episode, we dive into what it takes to commit to the impossible, build the right team, and use project management superpowers to change lives. If you’ve ever doubted your...
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100 - Retrospective: Our 100th Episode
Project Management Happy Hour
We cannot believe it! It’s been 100 episodes of PM Happy Hour! In this very special episode, we have a retrospective, looking back at when we first decided to do this crazy podcast, to our highlights, lessons, and favorite episodes. We are so filled with gratitude for our amazing community who have supported us these 100 episodes, and the many incredible leaders who have joined us as guests over the years. Note: we recorded this episode as a Linkedin livestream. If you want to watch the video version, it should be out there on Linkedin! Cheers! JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!...
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099 - The Iron Triangle of Getting a PM Job, with PM Career Coach, Kayla Quijas
Project Management Happy Hour
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099 - The Iron Triangle of Getting a PM Job, with PM Career Coach, Kayla Quijas
Project Management Happy Hour
If you are looking for a PM job or considering doing so, you are definitely not alone! The project management field has always had a good amount of mobility, but it sure seems like change has been accelerating the last couple years. And if you are in the hunt for a job right now, it can feel like the market is harder than ever! So what do you do? Focus on getting more certs? Get a recruiter? Submit 500 more applications through Linkedin? To help understand how to land a great PM job in today’s job market, we talk with Kayla Quijas, practicing project manager and...
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099 - The Iron Triangle of Getting a PM Job, with PM Career Coach, Kayla Quijas
Project Management Happy Hour
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098 - Don’t Eat the Prickly Pears: Learning how to prioritize with James Louttit
Project Management Happy Hour
As a professional in today’s working environment, you are constantly bombarded by things that demand your attention, your action, the very limited moments in your finite life. (wow, heavy). OK, so there are infinite demands on our time, but finite time. How do we balance those? SWOT analysis?! Of course not! To help us understand how to effectively prioritize in today’s crazy world, Kate and Kim are joined by James Louttit, author of Leading Impactful teams. We talk about prickly pears, paw-paws, and practical ways to prioritize in today’s demanding world. Spoiler: It’s not SWOT,...
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097 - PMO: Friend or Foe?
Project Management Happy Hour
AUDIO QUALITY NOTICE! Apologies, we have a little static on one of the mics during our recording - sorry for the occasional audio issue. As a project manager, an organizational structure that will have a big impact on your life is the PMO. But if you aren’t used to working with a PMO, what should you expect? Are they going to make your life and projects easier, or crush you with red tape? If you are interviewing for a job where they have a PMO, what questions should you ask to get a better understanding of how they work? And, what should you expect from a PMO - and what are they...
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096 - Design thinking: don’t take things at face value or you will face plant, with guest Erik Rueter
Project Management Happy Hour
In this episode, Kat and Kim talk to Erik Rueter about design thinking in our projects. What’s design thinking, you may be thinking? Design thinking is a methodology that focuses on the end users of a system when we are problem solving. Erik will share 5 different design thinking methods for understanding user needs in a way that not only helps your project provide better deliverables but can also help build a better project team. About our amazing guest, Erik Rueter Erik K. Rueter, PMP, PMI-ACP, has over 20 years of experience in diverse industries, including tech startups,...
info_outlineIn this episode, Kat and Kim talk to Erik Rueter about design thinking in our projects.
What’s design thinking, you may be thinking? Design thinking is a methodology that focuses on the end users of a system when we are problem solving. Erik will share 5 different design thinking methods for understanding user needs in a way that not only helps your project provide better deliverables but can also help build a better project team.
About our amazing guest, Erik Rueter
Erik K. Rueter, PMP, PMI-ACP, has over 20 years of experience in diverse industries, including tech startups, academia, healthcare, and entertainment. Currently, he serves as a senior project manager at the American Marketing Association and has held multiple senior staff positions at various organizations. Erik holds a BA in neuroscience from Wesleyan University, with further education in digital design, Irish studies, and MicroMasters in Design Thinking and Project Management from the Rochester Institute of Technology. He is also certified in diversity and inclusion by Cornell.
Erik's contributions to the field include co-authoring papers on health inequity, lecturing at Boston and Emerson Colleges, and advocating for diversity and inclusion with organizations like Medtronic, VSP, and the San Antonio Spurs. He has spoken, in person and virtually, at PMI Greece, PMI Michiana, and PMI Western Michigan, among others. He has appeared on podcasts such as “Confessions of a Higher Education CMO”; and “I Wanna Work There!” and contributed to “The Evolution of the PMO”, a key resource for project managers. He founded Human-Centered Success LLC to promote inclusive leadership which is National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce certified as an LGBTQIA+-owned business.
Residing outside Pittsburgh with his husband and two dachshunds, Erik enjoys marathons, gaming, and sharing his insights. Contact: [email protected].
To learn more about the amazing things Erik is up to:
Check out his website at: www.humancenteredsuccess.com
Learn about solution delivery: Mastering Solution Delivery
Erik’s Upcoming Speaking Engagement:
PMI Global Summit 2024
Rock Lobster Leadership: Lessons from The B-52s
Resilience and Relatability: A New Paradigm for Project Leadership (With Jake McGaffin and Olivia Montgomery)
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