PMI Eastern Iowa Chapter

Dear Chapter Members,

An election is commonly defined as a decision-making process in which a population chooses individuals to hold a formal office. As a member in good standing, you are eligible to vote for five new members to serve on the 2011 PMI Eastern Iowa Chapter Board of Directors.

The Board is accountable to the membership and is responsible for strategic planning and establishing policy with respect to the activities of the Institute. The individuals presented on the ballot have been evaluated by the Nominating Committee and have been found to possess the necessary characteristics to meet the demands of the position.

Please read the biographic information provided below to become familiarized with the candidates who are contesting for the 2011 board positions.

An election will be held during our monthly meeting on Tuesday, 09/14/2010. All completed paper ballots will be tallied and results will be announced during the meeting.

Sincerely,
Paddy Puthige, PMP
Bob Sanders, PMP
2010 Nominating Committee Chair

President - Tammy Sweat, MSPM, PMP®

Tammy has over 20 years of IT Project Management experience. Tammy is currently a Senior Business Analyst at ACT implementing ITIL best practices. Prior to this Tammy was a Senior Process Engineer, Lead Quality Auditor, Software Project Manager, Software Developer and Software Development Manager at Pearson.

Tammy received her BA in Computer Science from the University of Iowa, a Master of Science degree in Project Management from the University of Wisconsin in 2006, her PMP® certification in 2001 and an ITIL foundation certificate in 2007.

Tammy has been a PMI and Eastern Iowa Chapter member since 2001. She has served two years as VP of Communications and Publicity. She also served as the Director of Programs in 2007 and the Director of Newsletter in 2008 and 2009. Tammy also serves on the University of Iowa Parent’s Board.

Vice President –Operations, Carol Sherrman, PMP®

Carol has over eight years of Project Management experience, supporting government contracts of varying size and scope. Carol is currently a Senior Project Lead within the Beneficiary Contact Center (BCC) Program Management Office (PMO) at Vangent, Inc. Previously, Carol provided conference and event services management, technical writing, and subject matter expertise on several U.S. Department of Education contracts at Pearson Government Solutions/NCS Pearson.

Carol received her bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Texas at Arlington and her master’s degree in business administration from the University of Dubuque. Carol received her Project Management Professional (PMP) certification in March 2009 and has been a PMI and Eastern Iowa Chapter member ever since. Carol previously served as the chapter’s Director of Professional Development.

Vice President – Education, Srikanth Kamineni

Srikanth has 10 years of experience in engineering, various project management activities and research and development. Srikanth is currently a Senior Software Engineer at Rockwell Collins, and has been employed there since 2001. Currently, Srikanth is responsible for managing multiple projects to track the cost and schedule variance as project activity manager. For the past 6 years, Srikanth has been leading various global teams on assigned programs and projects including managing various project management activities that involve initiation, planning, scheduling, execution, monitoring and controlling.

Srikanth completed his Master’s in Computer Science at Maharishi University of Management, Fairfield, Iowa and Bachelor’s in Electrical and Electronics Engineering at Sri Venkateswara University, India.

Vice President – Finance, Brian Thorn, PMP®

Brian has over 15 years of experience in the engineering, process improvement and quality fields. Currently Brian is a Sr. Financial Systems Analyst for Pearson. Prior to his current position, Brian was a Sr. Process Engineer for Pearson.

Brian received his Industrial Engineering Degree and MBA from University of Iowa and his PMP® from the Project Management Institute (PMI) in 2005. Brian has been a PMI and Eastern Iowa Chapter member since 2005.

 VP Communications and Publicity – Behram Kasad, MBA

communications

The next PMI breakfast meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 10th, 2010 from 7:15 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. at the Clarion Hotels and Convention Center, 525, 33rd Avenue, Cedar Rapids SW. The Clarion Hotel and Convention Center phone number is (319) 366-8671.

PROGRAM: “Multi-Dimensional Behavior” presented by Mark Athas.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM:
One of the more difficult challenges in project management can be found in the interpersonal relationships among project stakeholders. The ability to recognize and respond to the behavior of others (while maintaining your own effective behavior) is one way the project manager can simplify these challenges and keep projects moving toward their objectives. This presentation outlines four behaviors, describes how you can identify them and presents strategies for leading each.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Mark is a 25-year veteran of the information technology industry. This includes stints in consulting, banking and financial services, wholesale distribution and currently educational assessment with ACT. Mark is a member of the IEEE Computer Society and the Association of Open Group Enterprise Architects. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Management Computer Systems from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and is currently seeking a Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from St. Ambrose University in Davenport, IA.

Cost: Chapter Members, $10; Guests, $15

RSVP: Please confirm no later than Thursday, August 5th, to
programregistration@pmieasterniowa.org; use AUGUST REGISTRATION in the subject line. Cancellations must be received by COB, Friday, August 6th to avoid being charged as a no-show for this chapter event.

Program Schedule:
7:15 - 7:30 Registration, breakfast, and networking
7:30 – 7:40 Ice Breaker
7:40 - 7:50 Opening by Chapter President / Chapter Officers
7:50 - 8:40 Presentation / Discussion
8:40 - 9:00 Final announcements and wrap-up

Buffet Breakfast Menu (subject to change):
French toast w/ maple syrup and whipped butter / Golden scrambled eggs w/ Cheddar cheese/ Fresh fruit / Regular / Decaf Coffee/ Hot Tea/ Fruit Juice

communications

The PMI Eastern Iowa Chapter will be sponsoring a Fun Night event. Planning is in process, and as details are finalized, be sure to watch for event details in the newsletter and at www.pmieasterniowa.org . Mark Latta will be our guest speaker for this event.

Mark your calendars now for September 14th. Plan to join us for a fun filled evening. This event is being hosted by the PMI Eastern Iowa Chapter Leadership team. Dinner will be provided. The cost for PMI members will be $15 and for guests the fee will be $20.

Program Schedule for Fun Night

PMI Eastern Iowa Chapter Fun Night Program Schedule

5:00 to 6:00 p.m. Social networking, cash bar, PMI Fun Night Games, members only registering for prize drawings

6:00 p.m. Dinner is served

6:15 to 6:20 p.m. Chapter announcements, PDD Preview for October 21st and introduction of the our guest speaker

6:20 to 6:50 p.m. Speaker Mark Latta will impress us with his wit andhumor!

6:50 to 6:55 p.m. Prize Drawings, including a Grand Prize of a free admission to the PDD event for October 29th and wrap up of chapter business

There will be prize drawings for members only; with a grand prize drawing of one free pass to attend the chapter sponsored Professional Development Day scheduled for October 21st. This prize alone is valued at $229. A cash bar will be available for the event. Networking will begin at 5:00 p.m. and dinner served at 6:00 pm.

Additional details will be published in subsequent newsletters and on our chapter website about this event as they are finalized. If you have question please contact the VP of Education at education@pmieasterniowa.org.

VP of Education Suzanne Prymek

The PMI Eastern Iowa Chapter has a volunteer opportunity for the Director of Certifications. Some of the duties including providing direction for certification questions from our members, recognizing new chapter PMPs, participating in occasional conference calls and attending the chapter meetings. Many of the duties can be handled via email. If you would like to become involved with our chapter and earn free PDUs for volunteering, please contact education@pmieasterniowa.org. Carol Meeks is our current Director of Certifications, and she will work with you to provide training and support while you transition to this role. We will miss Carol as she rotates off. She has done a fantastic job of providing support and assistance to increase the chapter’s value to our members. Thank you Carol!

VP of Education

Tips for Improving Communications

Suzanne Prymek, PMP

Communications is key to project success. Sometimes dealing with difficult situations is challenging, yet it can be rewarding. Many times the difficulties arise from communication issues within the team. In order to protect the project and preserve team cohesiveness, you will want some strategies for dealing with communication issues so that it will minimize the impact to your project and team.

1. Set initial ground rules up for how the team will communicate during your project kickoff. These ground rules can be brain stormed by the team and agreed upon. Doing this up front helps set the expectation from the start of the program.
2. Document communication responsibilities within your team roles and responsibilities and within your project plan. This will ensure that everyone is receiving the same message about project communications.
3. Suggest solutions that the team can agree on with a consensus. Understand that not all solutions will be what every team member would like, but agree to go with what is best for the group. This takes practice, but when you see the positive results, you will use it over and over to resolve issues, especially with the difficult people within the group.
4. Ensure that you are sending out all essential information to team members in a timely manner. If project information needs to be shared with the team, send out a group communication providing the same explanation and clarifications needed.

By implementing one or more of these tips, you should see improvement in your team communication!

VP of Education Sue Prymek