Project Management Happy Hour

PM Happy Hour is the place for frank and honest discussion about real world issues in project management. We do it in a way that’s not too dry, though it may get a bit salty from time to time. Each episode, we will cover a problem faced in project management today, and share practical advice, real-life examples and the occasional project horror story. Not only that, but every podcast is also an online class! Our host is a PMI Registered Education Provider, who has structured each podcast as an easy-to-listen-to lesson. To get credit, go to our web site at PMHappyHour.com, purchase your class, take the test (based on the content from our podcast) and you get your PDU certificate instantly!

103 - Lessons not Learned: State of Maine HR System Project Debacle 06/04/2025

103 - Lessons not Learned: State of Maine HR System Project Debacle 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 Happy Hour What We Cover Why Maine’s 2016 “$15 M, 2‑year” vision looked reasonable on paper Vendor #1: Infor hired for $13.5 M … then fired after two years with nothing working Vendor #2: Workday lands a $15 M deal—hope (briefly) restored 2019–2020 red flags: missing staff, test cycles where 50 % of paychecks were wrong, “rosy” status decks Feb 2021: Maine’s 30‑day ultimatum & $22.16 M demand letter to Workday (spoiler: lawyers ensue) Project culture bombs: 400 % team turnover, a toxic manager, and a “rescue PM” married to the sponsor Independent audit slide‑deck gold: zero items “ready for go‑live,” chaotic configs, no data owner Accenture steps in (another $10.9 M) while employees still depend on the 1980s mainframe 5 Brutal Lessons You Can Use Tomorrow 1) Write it down or write a check – fuzzy requirements = infinite rework. 2) Freeze configs, then test – moving targets make every cycle worthless. 3) Own the data – bad source data means bad payroll, period. 4) Toxic leadership kills progress – harassment & turnover wipe out continuity. 5) Audit early, not post‑mortem – an external sanity check at first failure could have saved millions. You Might Be in Trouble If … Your payroll test run is half wrong but the go‑live date stays. A core requirement (e.g., labor‑cost distribution) is “coming later”—after all testing. Status decks stay green while teammates are crying in their cars. The new “fix‑it” PM just happens to be married to the exec in charge. Nobody can explain entrance‑/exit‑criteria, yet QA keeps restarting. Ad‑hoc reports only work if you strip every security role. Steering committee = five‑minute victory lap + fifty‑five minutes of blame ping‑pong. Backup plan is still “keep the COBOL mainframe running indefinitely.” If any of those hit home, open your RAID log—now—before your $15 M idea turns into headline fuel. Why listen? Rolling out HRIS, ERP, or Workday? Spot the landmines first. Tired of sanitized “success stories”? We tell it like it is—with a dash of salt. Exec or sponsor? See how weak governance detonates budgets—and morale. 👉 Subscribe for more Lessons Not Learned, salty PM rants, and practical tips. 💡 Grab our free RAID Log template & on‑demand training at https://PMHappyHour.com Sources & References Maine Legislature. Government Oversight Committee Report on Workday Implementation (2021). Maine Legislature. IJA Strategies Independent Assessment (2020). Portland Press Herald. “System failure: Inside Maine’s $35 M HR software meltdown” (Jun 20 2021). Sun Journal. “Maine hires new contractor to complete long‑delayed software upgrade” (Jun 7 2022). The Register. “Maine threatens to terminate Workday contract over delays” (Mar 31 2021). The Register. “No accountability for Workday’s HR system failure, officials claim” (Apr 14 2021). Views are the hosts’ own. Brand names belong to their respective owners. #ProjectManagement #LessonsNotLearned #Workday #ProjectFailure #PMHappyHour JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR! Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! /episode/index/show/pmhappyhour/id/36836380

102 - Kim's first day working for the Empire: Kate runs another Project Management role-play 04/01/2025

101 - The Project Behind: Not Impossible Labs with Mick Ebeling 03/11/2025

101 - The Project Behind: Not Impossible Labs with Mick Ebeling 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 ability to make an impact, this conversation will prove otherwise. Cheers to embracing audacity—tune in now! 🍻🎧 About our amazing guest, Mick Ebeling: Named Fortune’s Top 50 World’s Greatest Leaders and honored with the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian of the Year Award, Mick Ebeling is a groundbreaking innovator dedicated to changing the world through innovation and story. As the Founder of Not Impossible Labs – an innovation incubator disrupting the status quo and tackling seemingly impossible problems – Mick has spent over a decade driving a movement of positive impact for the sake of humanity. Through his “Help One. Help Many” approach, Mick and his team have created some of the most internationally celebrated inventions, including The Eyewriter, Project Daniel, and Don’s Voice, as well as their most recent spin-off companies, Bento (formerly Hunger: Not Impossible) and Music: Not Impossible. His work has been recognized as a 3x recipient of TIME’s Best Inventions and Fast Company's World Changing Ideas. Mick continues to inspire, empower, and teach individuals, organizations, and communities to take bold action, so they too can make the impossible, NOT impossible. JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR! Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! /episode/index/show/pmhappyhour/id/35573590

100 - Retrospective: Our 100th Episode 02/27/2025

099 - The Iron Triangle of Getting a PM Job, with PM Career Coach, Kayla Quijas 01/14/2025

098 - Don’t Eat the Prickly Pears: Learning how to prioritize with James Louttit 12/24/2024

098 - Don’t Eat the Prickly Pears: Learning how to prioritize with James Louttit 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, MoSCoW or the Eisenhower matrix ;-) About our amazing guest, James Louttit James Louttit knows what it’s like to have to deliver complex projects under pressure, and what it costs when we get it wrong. In 2016 he ended up in hospital because he was trying to run his projects with effort rather than IMPACT. That story, which forms the introduction to his book “Leading Impactful Teams”, inspired him to figure out how to deliver projects better. He learned everything he could around the subject, from the PMP and Agile worlds that we all know and love, to Design Thinking, Facilitation Techniques, Psychology and Human Nature and everything that might be useful to people delivering projects. His career took off. He became the Head of Project management Competency at a large Bank and then Chief Information Officer of a major PLC in Ireland. What he learned, and put into practice made a huge difference to the effectiveness and stress levels in his teams. People kept asking him for help, so he found an artist and started drawing cartoons to explain the concepts in more human, memorable and fun ways. He wrote “Leading Impactful Teams” to help anyone who is managing any type of work or project that involves real, imperfect people in real, imperfect organizations. Now he works with the biggest companies in Ireland to help their teams cut through the noise, and build a toolbox of practical techniques and approaches that reduce stress, improve outcomes and help people face the challenges of project delivery with confidence and positivity. You can connect with James and check out all his amazing content and the knowledge he shares at the links below: James’ book Leading Impactful teams: And on Amazon: James Linkedin: His website: The Brilliant Beaver Guidebook - The Brilliant Beaver Audiobook (😊) - JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR! Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! /episode/index/show/pmhappyhour/id/34590580

097 - PMO: Friend or Foe? 09/30/2024

097 - PMO: Friend or Foe? 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 expecting from you? With all these questions, we thought we should reach out to a couple of the most well known minds in PMO: Lindsay Scott and Eileen Roden. Their UK based “House of PMO” organization does some great things in the PMO space (plus they are a lot of fun!) so we feel very fortunate that Linsay and Eileen agreed to join us and help us understand a bit more about whether PMO’s are our friends or foes. About our amazing guests, Lindsay Scott and Eileen Roden Lindsay has worked in and around project management and PMO for over 20 years and is a Director at PMO Learning, a training company focused on PMO. She is Co-Founder of the House of PMO, a professional membership organisation for PMO practitioners. Lindsay is the co-author of the PMO Competency Framework and editor of the Handbook of People in Project Management. She speaks regularly on project management and PMO career topics – and provides 1-2-1 coaching for those looking to advance their careers in PMO. Eileen has 15 years practitioner experience in a variety of project management roles (predominantly PMO management) along with IT and functional HR roles, with a variety of UK, EMEA and global responsibilities. Her practical experience is supported by both academic and professional certifications including a Masters in Applied Project Management (with distinction), AIPMO-E, PRINCE2®, MSP®, MoP®, Managing Benefits®, Better Business Cases®, Programme and Project Sponsorship®. She is now a Consulting Director of PMO Learning and co-founder of the House of PMO. She is the author of P3O® Best Management Practice and lead author of the PMO Competency Framework, co-author of Knowledge Management in a Project Environment, along with contribution to many APM publications. She is a frequent conference speaker throughout UK and Europe. You can learn more about all the amazing things that Lindsay and Eileen are doing around PMO and even join their great community at JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR! Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! /episode/index/show/pmhappyhour/id/33262082

096 - Design thinking: don’t take things at face value or you will face plant, with guest Erik Rueter 08/20/2024

096 - Design thinking: don’t take things at face value or you will face plant, with guest Erik Rueter 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, 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: Learn about 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) JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR! Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! STUMP THE PM’S! We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at [email protected] or on Linkedin and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour. /episode/index/show/pmhappyhour/id/32616127

095 - The 5 Foundational Behaviors for Developing Informal Authority, with Kory Kogon of Franklin Covey 07/02/2024

095 - The 5 Foundational Behaviors for Developing Informal Authority, with Kory Kogon of Franklin Covey Although an essential part of our project-driven world, most project leaders didn’t set out to be one. For many of us, our first steps into project leadership won’t come with an official title. So, if we are not ‘officially’ project managers, how are we supposed to lead the project? There are a lot of answers to this question, but one approach all project leaders need to master is the art of managing with informal authority. Without being people’s ‘boss,’ we need to pull a team of seemingly random people, give them common purpose, build a team and help them successfully deliver a project. But, seriously, what really is ‘informal authority?’ What’s involved and how can I master this mystical art? To help us understand this superpower, we are joined on this episode by Kory Kogon, author of the book, “” Kory takes us through the 5 pillars of informal authority which include: Demonstrate respect Listen first Clarify expectations Extend trust Practice accountability About our amazing guest, Kory Kogon Kory is FranklinCovey’s Vice President, Content Development, and a Senior Leadership Consultant. She is a co-author of the #4 Wall Street Journal bestseller, The 5 Choices: The Path to Extraordinary Productivity, in addition to Project Management Essentials for the Unofficial Project Manager, and Presentation Advantage. Kory has been featured on Inc.com and in its Productivity Playbook online series, on Fast Company.com, Forbes.com, and in Investor’s Business Daily. She has also appeared on NBC’s TODAY with Hoda Kotb. Kory has over 25 years of business expertise from frontline positions to serving as an executive team member for a global franchise organization. This provides her a unique perspective on the application of FranklinCovey’s world-renowned content within organizations. Kory not only understands the strategy and principles necessary to build great leaders, systems, and winning cultures, but she understands how FranklinCovey’s blended learning offerings deliver practical solutions that enable the behavior changes required for transformational results in organizations with both formal and informal leaders. To learn more about the amazing things Kory is doing and to get her great book: Learn about the Project Management for the Unofficial Project Manager Course: About Kory Kogon: Connect to Kory Kogon on linkedin: JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR! Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! STUMP THE PM’S! We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at [email protected] or on Linkedin and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour. /episode/index/show/pmhappyhour/id/31968392

094 - Agile vs Waterfall Smack-Down! 05/14/2024

094 - Agile vs Waterfall Smack-Down! For the first time, Kate and Kim find an Agilist brave enough to join them on the podcast to talk about some really hard questions about working Agile vs Waterfall. Let’s get it on! We ask the questions that PM’s want to ask - frustrated, annoyed PM’s who are told to work “agile” by people who maybe don’t even understand Agile - or Waterfall, for that matter. In this refreshingly honest talk about the reality of ways of working, Kate, Kim and their guest Agilist, David Asch, talk in real-world terms about Agile, Predictive and the reality in-between. About our amazing (and brave) guest, David Asch David Asch has a 36-year career in startup and mid-stage commercial software companies. He’s worked in various industries, including transportation, supply chain, retail analytics, scientific marketing, blockchain, and secure communications. From his experience with the challenges and successes of delivering software over a long career, David founded 10xPrinciples, a management/organizational consulting company, to help technology companies navigate the transition from startup to mid-stage. During a time of rapid growth and change, teams typically find that the ”wearing many hats” culture from their startup days is no longer the best approach to honoring commitments. David helps these companies weave Agile practices into the fabric of their cultures. David’s recognized expertise in companywide Agile-driven management makes him invaluable to clients who need to implement Agile principles and methodologies into their unique business environments. Get David’s book, The Agile Enterprise: Applying Agile Principles to Drive Organizational Success, on Amazon here: Connect to him on Linkedin: And check out his website: JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR! Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! STUMP THE PM’S! We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at [email protected] or on Linkedin and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour. /episode/index/show/pmhappyhour/id/31231462

093 - Rising from Tactical PM to Strategic Advisor, with Gregg Richie and Ralph Kliem 04/16/2024

093 - Rising from Tactical PM to Strategic Advisor, with Gregg Richie and Ralph Kliem Project Management is weird. You can have the same job title and be a very tactical execution-minded project manager - which is the way most of us start. Or you can be a strategic part of the leadership team, recognized for your ability to help executives make their vision a reality. So, how do you develop yourself from tactical implementer to strategic partner? This episode we are joined by two experienced leaders, Ralph Kliem and Gregg Richie, who have made this transition, and rose to provide pivotal strategic partnership roles with executive teams to help them develop Disaster Recovery capabilities. In fact, they wrote the book on it: Ralph and Gregg will talk us through how to step beyond the mindset of a tactical project manager and engage with our leadership teams as a strategic partner. About our amazing guests, Ralph Kliem and Gregg Richie Ralph Kliem, M.A.,PMP, CBCP, is the author or co-author of twenty books, including the Management Lessons of the Great Explorers; Political Risk Management and the Global Supply Chain; Business Continuity Planning; and Leading High Performance Projects. He has also published in the Project Management Journal and PM Network. He managed numerous business continuity projects and programs for major airplane programs at The Boeing Company as well as financial, operational auditing, and information systems projects. He is now retired after over 40 years in the private and public sectors. Gregg D. Richie, has over 40 years of experience in project management. His education includes a MBA with a specialization in Project Management from Indiana Wesleyan University, a BS in Workforce Education and Development from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, and a Master’s Certificate in Applied Project Management from Villanova University. He has managed, participated in, or consulted on more than 1200 projects in his career, and He authored three books on Microsoft Project. As a retired member of the US Navy SEABEES, he uses real-world experiences in teaching project management concepts. You can follow or connect with Gregg at: @GreggDRichie You can find their book on Amazon at JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR! Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! STUMP THE PM’S! We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at [email protected] or on Linkedin and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour. /episode/index/show/pmhappyhour/id/30830643

092 - Goblins in the room! Managing meeting misbehaviors, with Rich Maltzman 02/16/2024

092 - Goblins in the room! Managing meeting misbehaviors, with Rich Maltzman Meetings. Love them or hate them, they are core to what we do as project leaders. We need to pull people together (real or virtually) to discuss, plan, check-in, and get things done. But as we know, when we get people together, sometimes their misbehaviors - “goblins” - tag along, too! Being able to manage effective meetings can make or break us as PMs. And learning how to manage these misbehaviors in meetings can make or break each meeting. Fortunately, we have help! This episode we are joined by Rich Maltzman of Boston University. Rich and his colleague Jim Steward wrote the book, “Great Meetings Build Great Teams: A Guide for Project Leaders and Agilists.” In this book, Rich and Jim write about these “meeting goblins” - how to identify them, and how to respond effectively to keep your meeting on track. Join us and learn how to tame the meeting goblins! You can find Rich’s book on Amazon here: And check out the website here: You can connect directly with Rich and his co-author, Jim on linked in here: Rich: Jim: And if you would like to study project management with Rich at Boston University, you can read about their globally respected program here: About our amazing guest, Rich Maltzman Rich considers himself a ‘pracademic’ – and is now Master Lecturer at Boston University, an author, and a consultant, providing clients with a deep learning experience and improved results. He had a 40-year career in telecom, mainly in engineering and project management. At the University level, his focus is always on converting weaknesses into strengths while teaching clients/students how to apply learned skills to everyday situations. Rich co-founded EarthPM, LLC, a company devoted to integrating sustainability thinking into project management. His integration of a holistic, global view of project management has resulted in international consulting and speaking engagements in which the focus is the long-term success of projects, with an eye towards ecological and social systems. His blog at the projectmanagement.com site has become very popular. A co-author of seven books on project leadership, Rich is a former VP of Professional Development for PMI Mass Bay (the Boston area PMI Chapter), and was on the Review Committee for the 7th Edition PMBOK® Guide, helping to assure that sustainability thinking finally made it into the Standard and the Body of Knowledge. JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR! Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! STUMP THE PM’S! We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at [email protected] or on Linkedin and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour. /episode/index/show/pmhappyhour/id/29972963

091 - The Perfect Status Report: How to measure percent complete 12/26/2023

091 - The Perfect Status Report: How to measure percent complete “What percent done are you?” <the team moans and rolls their eyes…> Status reporting is a core skill (and responsibility) of project managers. It is an opportunity for you to check in with your team, and to build rapport and engagement with stakeholders. But it’s also something we often take for granted. In this episode, Kate and Kim talk about how to approach status reporting whether your project is big or small, and how to leverage this key communication point to help with overall project success. Why Status Reporting? Essential for communicating project progress and challenges Builds trust with stakeholders by demonstrating progress Tailoring Status Reports Reports should be adapted to audience needs Understanding the audience (executives, team members, stakeholders) is crucial! Components of an Effective Status Report Executive Summary: A clear, concise overview Accomplishments: Completed tasks or milestones Upcoming Tasks: Planned activities or next steps Risks and Issues: Key challenges and potential problems Go-to-Green Plan: Strategy for addressing significant off-track areas RAG Status: Red, Amber, Green indicators for project health Budget Status: Financial overview (where applicable) Timeline Overview: High-level graphical representation of key events Approaches to Percent Complete Debate on the utility and accuracy of percent-complete metrics Preference for tying status to key milestones over percent completion Status Report Frequency and Medium Weekly status meetings with teams Different report cadences for different audience levels (e.g., executive status monthly) Possible mediums: Email, PowerPoint, Slack, or other communication tools Challenges in Status Reporting Ensuring stakeholder engagement and consumption of reports Potential pushback on RAG status, especially when reporting red or amber Importance of team input and alignment on report content Additional Recommendations Focus on highlighting value and progress in reports Importance of clear, effective communication in status reports Using status reports for accountability and project alignment JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR! Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! STUMP THE PM’S! We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at [email protected] or on Linkedin and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour. /episode/index/show/pmhappyhour/id/29231533

090 - How to tell other people what to do 09/19/2023

089 - Reorgs and Restructurings: sailing the waves of organizational change chaos 08/10/2023

088 - The CHAOS Report: Measuring project failure 07/06/2023

087 - Creative decision making: do you have the right 4 voices in the room? with Teresa Lawrence 05/17/2023

087 - Creative decision making: do you have the right 4 voices in the room? with Teresa Lawrence Creative decision making is key to what we do in all our projects. According to FourSight, there are 4 distinct voices in the decision making process. Do you have these voices in the room when you make decisions? Do you know when you need all 4 voices - or only a couple specific ones? We are joined today by Teresa Lawrence who gave one of the most fun and engaging talks at this past year’s PMI Global Summit in Las Vegas. She talks us through the FourSight approach to creative problem solving, the 4 voices in decision making, and also reveals the results of Kim and Kate’s FourSight assessment on the air! Best of all, you can do this too! Check out our page at and sign up to get your own FourSight assessment and join Kim, Kate, Teresa and your fellow Happy Hour fans as we get our results and learn how we can better approach creative problem solving ourselves and with our teams. About our amazing guest, Teresa Lawrence, PhD, PMP, CSM Teresa Lawrence is an influencer and SME on the integration of creativity and Creative Problem Solving (CPS) into Project Management. Since 2017, she has facilitated, trained and consulted to over 85K people since 2017. Investing years of experience in you. She was a 2019 Small Business Administration Home-based Business of the Year. A cognitive diversity trainer, she joins us today from Florida. Find out more about the Teresa’s work and FourSight You can read more about Teresa's work and even engage her to help facilitate your team here: You can read about the FourSight assessment here: JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR! Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! STUMP THE PM’S! We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at [email protected] or on Linkedin and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour. /episode/index/show/pmhappyhour/id/26858262

086 - The project behind a Disaster Response, with the ITDRC 04/07/2023

086 - The project behind a Disaster Response, with the ITDRC “I know the world is ending, but do you have wifi here?” Sounds funny, but it’s deadly serious. Natural disasters impact critical infrastructure that we depend on every day: shelter, fresh water, food distribution, and power. These are the ones we think about. But what about communication? How do relief agencies, police, fire, and government coordinate a disaster response when there is no power, no cell signal, no wifi? How do community members communicate with each other, find out where to get aid, or reach out to loved ones who are worrying about them if there is no functioning communication infrastructure - or even a place to charge your phone? Enter the ITDRC! The Information Technology Disaster Resource Center is a non-profit organization that sends teams and equipment to disaster areas to provide communication and technology services. The PM’s involved are truly project management heroes, and we get to hear from one of them today, Charis Mayhorn. About our amazing guest, Charis Mayhorn Charis Mayhorn is a Network Architect. In her day job, she designs IP networks, advises leadership and boards on infrastructure best practices, and guides cross-team collaboration. In her free time, she volunteers with ITDRC. Find out more about the ITDRC here: Volunteer and read more about the ITDRC on their website, Check out this video of a 2 day ride along during Hurricane Ian response: Read about the ITDRC’s other activities at JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR! Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! STUMP THE PM’S! We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at [email protected] or on Linkedin and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour. /episode/index/show/pmhappyhour/id/26471394

085 - Deciding on how to make good Decisions, with Kandis Porter 02/28/2023

085 - Deciding on how to make good Decisions, with Kandis Porter Decisions make or break your project - starting with the decision of whether or not to even do your project. Beyond that, we have planned decisions / phase gates and ad-hoc decisions that happen throughout the entire life of our project. And if you’ve been around long enough, you know that one bad decision can sink your whole project - or at least have it taking on water, fast. So, how should we approach decision making in a logical way which helps ensure that: The right decisions get made Decisions get made by the right people Decisions are not revisited any more than they absolutely have to To help answer these questions, this episode we are joined by Project Management mentor, consultant and YouTube PM star Kandis Porter! If you don’t know Kandis, you must check out her extensive youtube channel covering a lot of great Project Management topics. In today’s episode, Kandis will help us understand: Why should we care so much about project decisions? How should you approach decision making? Kandis shares her “D.I.D.I.” framework for decision making How do you ensure your decisions stick? What are some “worst practices” for decision making that we should avoid And along the way, we may throw in some horror stories about bad decision making that we can hopefully learn from About our amazing guest, Kandis Porter Kandis Porter is the Founder and Managing Director of Effective Flow Connections (EFC), a management consulting company that helps transform organizations through project management, process improvement, change management, facilitation of key meetings, and training. Kandis also works one-on-one with clients, focusing on Leadership development and growth. EFC enables organizations to do what they do, even better! Kandis Porter has more than 18 years of experience managing people and large projects in both the government and private sectors. She has supported clients in various industries, to include the Department of Defense, Federal Aviation Administration, utilities, medical device, health care, non-profit, and learning & development. Kandis has a Master of Science Degree in Project Management (MSPM) from The George Washington University and Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Human Resources. In addition, she is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), PMP Exam Prep Course Instructor through Project Management Institute, Prosci Change Manager, and Six Sigma Green Belt. She is also certified as a Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Practitioner, Thomas-Kilmann Instrument (TKI) Practitioner, and is a Wiley DiSC Workshop facilitator. Before joining the consulting industry, Kandis proudly spent more than seven years on Active Duty in the United States Air Force and is passionate about giving back to veterans and their families. Check out some of Kandis’ amazing content here: YouTube: Website: Kandis also has a book being released in early 2023 called ‘Good Decisions Equal Success’; coauthored with good friend and CEO, Damon Lembi JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR! Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! STUMP THE PM’S! We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at [email protected] or on Linkedin and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour. /episode/index/show/pmhappyhour/id/26016183

084 - OH, We Forgot About Change Management! What to do when you get caught with your ADKAR down, with Tim Creasey 01/10/2023

084 - OH, We Forgot About Change Management! What to do when you get caught with your ADKAR down, with Tim Creasey Yeah! One of our favorite guests, Tim Creasey, returns! This time we are talking about what happens if you realize, too late in the game, that you really didn’t consider Change Management enough in your planning cycle. It’s such a universal experience of a project manager to not have change management, and so many of us end up in these situations where we struggle to see the real benefits of a change we’ve implemented. We figured: why not start where most of us end up: in trouble! Join Kate and Kim as we talk with Tim about how to recover. About our amazing guest, Tim Creasey An author, researcher, change expert and human, Tim focuses on the people-side of change with process, wit and vigor. Tim’s work forms the foundation of the world’s largest body of knowledge on change management. His role as Chief Innovation Officer at Prosci gives him unparalleled insight into change management challenges, trends and futures. Having spoken to hundreds of thousands of people around the globe, Tim is authentic, knowledgeable and unassumingly funny. He enables audiences with valuable data and actionable information. And here are some links to some of Tim’s other amazing content: While formal approaches to Change Management are a must for people-dependent projects and complex transformations, sometimes simple adjustments can help teams and colleagues remove roadblocks and enable rapid change during uncertain times. People are the common denominator for achieving project success and business outcomes and the research is clear: Initiatives with excellent change management are six times more likely to succeed. Prosci’s Taking Charge of Change 1-day program will help you get started on delivering change success through people. Connect with Tim on LinkedIn and keep the change management conversation going! JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR! Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! STUMP THE PM’S! We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at [email protected] or on Linkedin and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour. /episode/index/show/pmhappyhour/id/25401594

083 - The 30 Minute Executive Meeting: Make it count 12/22/2022

082 - The Project Behind a Tech Startup, with Pete Bernardo from Punchlist 09/29/2022

081 - The Project Behind an Emergency Covid Vaccination Site, with Aaron Bellinger, PMP 08/30/2022

081 - The Project Behind an Emergency Covid Vaccination Site, with Aaron Bellinger, PMP When the first Covid vaccinations were released, massive vaccination sites were launched, seemingly overnight, to vaccinate millions of people. If you volunteered or were vaccinated at one of these sites, you may have witnessed how huge, sophisticated and well run these sites were. But how did they do that? How (and who) planned, organized, stood up and ran these massive sites vaccinating thousands of people a day - at a time when you couldn’t even hardly hold an in-person meeting? Kim volunteered at one of these early sites at a football stadium parking lot with dozens of lanes of people getting vaccinated, thousands and thousands a day. Since then, we’ve been trying to find someone to come on the show and talk about how these were organized so well, so quickly. And he had no luck doing so - until now! Our guest, Aaron Bellinger, was project manager for one of these emergency Covid vaccination sites and walks us through how the whole process went down, from conception to execution, operation and tear-down. It’s an impressive, once-in-a-lifetime project that affected the lives of thousands. OUR AMAZING GUEST: Aaron Bellinger, PMP Aaron Bellinger was born and raised in Phoenix, AZ where he lives with his beautiful wife Tanya and their sweet dog Ollie. Aaron has an extensive background in project management where most of his experience was gained “on the job”. His first job was roofing houses with his dad where he learned you can survive 110 degree days outdoors. Aaron also helped business users with technical computer hardware support which gave him great insight into the “customer”. Most recently Aaron has been a project manager in a healthcare environment where he is helping improve end user experiences and serving his community for impact. It didn’t take Aaron long to realize that by asking “do you want it good, fast or cheap, pick two”, he could turn anyone’s plan into action ensuring he executed for impact and mitigated risk with a purpose. Aaron is a certified Project Management Professional who believes that a defined scope will set you up for success. When Aaron isn’t Project Managing something at work, he is taking his truck off road, SCUBA diving, or competing in the United States Practical Shooting Association matches at the gun range in a fierce, blasting competition. JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR! Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! STUMP THE PM’S! We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at [email protected] or on Linkedin and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour. /episode/index/show/pmhappyhour/id/24205365

080 - First PM on the Beach: How to succeed when you are the first Project Manager in your organization 07/19/2022

080 - First PM on the Beach: How to succeed when you are the first Project Manager in your organization This episode is based on feedback we’ve had from our member 1:1 coaching sessions, one of the benefits we provide our PM Happy Hour members. Many PM’s find themselves in a position where they are the first project manager in their organization. Whether you are a newbie or an experienced pro, this will be a challenge. The organization probably has a low (or no) level of project management maturity, no organizational concept of what project management is or how to make projects succeed, and probably as many different expectations of what a PM should and shouldn’t do as there are people in the organization. Where do you even start?! Before you whip out your PMBOK or Agile Practice guide and start reading it to your team, let’s step back a moment and talk about how to approach this situation pragmatically. And let’s do it with one of our favorite PMO mentors Joe Pusz, “PMO Joe!” In this episode, we talk with PMO Joe about how to approach you new role as the pioneer project manager in your organization and how to set yourself, your team and your organization up for success - in the short and long term. OUR AMAZING GUEST: JOE PUSZ, “PMO JOE” Joe Pusz, PMO Joe is an internationally recognized leader in the Project Management and PMO community. He is a frequent Keynote Speaker, Author, Project Management Innovator and was recently named one of the Top 8 PMO Influencers in the World by the PMO Global Alliance. He is the Founder and President of , a Phoenix based PMO and Project Management Consulting firm serving clients across the United States. He is host of the and Podcast providing Project Management Leaders a voice within our community. Now in the 5th season the show has over 40 million plays and downloads featuring guests from around the world. Joe is also Co-Founder of , the Veteran Project Manager Mentor Alliance which is a 501c3 Non-Profit Organization assisting Veterans seeking to transition into civilian Project Management careers. Joe is the Founder of global community. The site is the only global ecommerce community for PMO Leaders and teams to share content, gain knowledge and exchange experiences. He is a Judge for the Global PMO Awards, a member of the PMI Executive Roundtable on PMOs, and is a long-time member of the Project Management Institute. He has been a PMI Volunteer, Sponsor and Mentor. Social Media JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR! Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! STUMP THE PM’S! We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at [email protected] or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour. /episode/index/show/pmhappyhour/id/23777993

079 - Welcome to the Dungeon! Kate and Kim do Project Management RPG (D&D) 06/14/2022

078 - Recommending Change Without Getting Chased out the Door 05/24/2022

077 - Behavioral PM: the Feakonomics approach to project delivery with Dr. Josh Ramirez 04/19/2022

077 - Behavioral PM: the Feakonomics approach to project delivery with Dr. Josh Ramirez Wouldn’t it be cool if everyone followed all the processes we built? If everyone on our team followed the PMBOK or SCRUM methodologies perfectly every single time and every estimate we ever received was perfectly accurate? Of course that doesn’t happen. But did you ever stop to think - why? Well, our guest today has. Dr. Josh Ramirez has combed the scientific literature on human behavior and combined that with his love of project management to help explain why people do the things they do - and don’t. Today he shares with us how to use human psychology to change the way we approach project delivery to account for the weird ways humans behave. OUR AMAZING GUEST DR. JOSH RAMIREZ Dr. Josh Ramirez is the founder and CEO of the Institute for Neuro & Behavioral Project Management Building an organization (www.nbpmi.com) that is working on redesigning project management with behavioral, social, cognitive, and neuroscience, toward an emerging field of Behavioral Project Management. In addition, he is currently researching application of science to project management to build a foundation of project science under existing practices. The future of project management is in redesigning around the beings that predict and deliver projects: humans. He is also co-author of NeuralPlan with Dr. Shari De Baets, and an adjunct professor of project management, with experience that includes business operations management, project management, and project controls, including work at several national laboratories and other projects throughout the U.S. Department of Energy complex, as well as private sector project work. Read more about Josh’s great contributions to PM here: The Institute for Neuro & Behavioral Project Management: Behavioral PM Membership Site: behavioralpm.com (new membership site) Neural Plan: JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR! Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! STUMP THE PM’S! We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at [email protected] or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour. /episode/index/show/pmhappyhour/id/22808330

076 - Imposter Syndrome: Diagnosis and Treatment 03/02/2022

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