Education is the First Step in Reducing Project Failure

New plans require change. Change is difficult. Employees, contractors, vendors, and even customers need to change how they work to adapt to your new plans. What is in it for them? Attempting to implement new plans without reinforcing the goals, reasons, and benefits to each stakeholder will result in people reverting back to their old ways. To help people assimilate change and truly move forward, we provide a series of seminars and workshops that address improving change adoption. Our unique Visualizing Change workshops not only help you understand the problems at hand, but also teach you effective techniques for addressing the motivations of all parties involved, so that you will successfully implement lasting change.

For more information please This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Todd Williams or call us at 1.360.834.7361

If you want educational keynote many of our presentations can be keynotes or track sessions. In the example below, the presentationVision to Value: Executing Strategically Focused Initiatives is given as a track session. This video shows the flexibility to work with the audience in ways that generally cannot be done in keynotes.  

This session was given at the 2014 Instant impact Conference hosted by PMI Olympia on September 5, 2014. It was given twice that day. This is the afternoon session.

If you want educational keynote many of our presentations can be keynotes or track sessions. In the example below, the presentation People or Process: Which Impacts Project Success More? is given as a track session.  

This session was given at the PMI Sioux Empire Professions Development Day help in Sioux Falls SD on September 9, 2014.

The What Would You Do? series of presentations have two goals: 1) educate the audience, and 2) get them involved with developing an answer. They are built on the premise that any audience has a wealth of knowledge and that we need to get away from the talking-head and engage the attendees. The example below is the presentation $305 Million Failure (At the time of this presentation, since it was still in litigation, it was only a $250 Million Failure). There are also ready-made presentations on sponsorship, ethics, and change management. If there is another topic you would like to see, please let us know.

Visualizing Change presentations have the impact of physicalizing inanimate objects and events. They are fun and involve many of the people in the workshop or presentation. In general, it is easy to get people interested in attending since mentioning that there are rope, chains, whips and blindfolds have a tendency to pique people's interest. But don't worry, as you will see from the video, this is a child-friendly event. The props physicalize constraints, chains of command, slave drivers, ignorance, and the like.

Many discussions are held ahead of the event to ensure that the correct issues are addressed. This presentation can model nearly any problem or change by helping define the current and future states in a very jocular and interactive manner.

Visualizing change presentations and workshops cannot be done online.

Have you ever had a boss that simply wants to stand in your way? They avoid making even the smallest decision, never providing enough information to understand their objections. It is more common than most of us would imagine. In fact, this behavior is the central to every sales interaction. Even though you may be repulsed at thinking of yourself as "selling" to your boss, that is exactly what is required with any idea you are pushing. Therefore, it makes perfect sense to employ the same techniques used to sell large systems. If you think this is rubbish, as one of my esteemed readers once eloquently said, I will posit that you are already using sales techniques, just the wrong ones—the ones car dealers use. Changing this approach will subdue your unruly boss

People, who know me, are aware I am less than enamored of certifications and titles. Therefore, when I got my PMP many were taken aback, some laughed aloud, and, since I seemed to get it overnight, all asked why and how I got it. However, it is not just my situation, this is a perennial question in online forums and groups and it is a common topic at local project management meetings. In many of those discussions, people try to analogize the PMP to a CPA or MBA; without question, the requirements to get a PMP have none of the independent educational rigor of college level degrees. The PMP's worth is visceral and personal—it depends on each individual's goals and their project management experience.