 gantthead is once again excited to be bringing you our annual virtual conference and exhibition. It's your opportunity to learn, network, earn PDUs and gain valuable knowledge all from the comfort of your home, office, or home-office. With today's tight budgets, PMXPO 2009 is a fantastic way to get the trade show experience without all the trade show expense. You'll have the same interaction with experts, peers and solution providers, the same educational opportunities and the same professional networking capability, all within typical work hours, and all completely free. You won't be getting the pens, squishy stress balls and keychains that you pick up at a live conference, but you will get hand-outs that you can use, like product demonstrations and other special offers from vendors at their virtual booths. In five sessions-plus an exciting keynote presentation-we'll offer overviews of common PPM and PMO issues with valuable take-away materials, including templates, checklists, project plans and presentations that you can modify and use in your own practice.
KEYNOTE
Fourth and Goal: Making the Tough Calls that Make Leaders Successful Bill Cowher, Head Coach, Pittsburgh Steelers, 1992-2007; NFL Analyst, CBS Sports 9:45 a.m 
Every year, as summer fades, 32 organizations kick off the same project with the same goal, but only one can finally achieve it. That's what we call the NFL season, and the ultimate measure of success is that elusive Super Bowl ring. As head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Bill Cowher tackled that project 15 times, and he knows how sweet that success can be. He also knows how long and rocky that road is every season and how defining success can be trickier than it seems. A football season, like any project, can start out with a solid, long-term plan that can change in an instant, and the difference between victory and defeat can come down to a single decision and a couple of inches. Join us on May 14, 2009, to hear what Coach Cowher has to say about leadership, risk, building a winning team, keeping them motivated through tough times, and answering to the millions of diehard stakeholders known affectionately as "Steeler Nation." Bill Cowher is one of the most successful coaches in NFL history, who in his 15 years helming the Pittsburgh Steelers won eight division titles, earned 10 postseason playoff berths, advanced to six AFC Championship games (winning two) and made two Super Bowl appearances, winning one. Cowher resigned after 15 seasons as the Steelers'coach on January 5, 2007, just 11 months to the day after winning Super Bowl XL over the Seattle Seahawks. "The Chin," as he was affectionately known for his prognathous sideline grimace, joined CBS Sports as an analyst for the Network's NFL studio show, THE NFL TODAY, for the 2007 NFL season. A native of Pittsburgh, Pa., Cowher was born on May 8, 1957. He played linebacker for four years at North Carolina State University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Education in 1979. Cowher and his wife, Kaye, have three daughters and reside in Raleigh, N.C. Career Highlights, Awards, and Accolades:
SESSIONS
Agile Project Management for Extreme Projects - Getting a Grip on Chaos
Rethinking Project Priorities During a Recession Michael Wood, gantthead SME, Process Improvement 12:45 p.m. After almost 18 months of recession the economic realities have hit hard. Across the board, organizations are cutting costs to the bone and IT is no exception. As projects get cut, project teams run the risk of getting decimated, cutting deep into the marrow of IT's ability to add value to the Enterprise. In this session, Michael Wood will present some tactics that CIOs can take to shelter their project teams by reprioritizing projects, reducing risk while maintaining momentum. This is a must attend session for IT executives facing budget cuts that could ravish their ability meet growing and unmet needs of the organization. Making Successful Decisions: A PM's Path to Success Dennis Buede, Ph.D., Author, The Project Manager's Guide to Making Successful Decisions 2:00 p.m. This session will address three key decision making topics for project managers. First, how can successful decision making contribute to project success? Decisions are the controls that a PM can exert. Decisions result in outcomes. Outcomes are how the PM will be judged but are not entirely within the PM's control. Second, how can framing a decision contribute to decision making success? Framing a decision is a mental process that we all use (either consciously or unconsciously) to define alternatives, objectives, etc. It is important to realize the power of framing a decision as well as the land mines that might be encountered. Finally, what does the landscape of decision making look like for a PM? A decision making taxonomy developed by Robert Powell for project management will be presented. Mind Mapping for Efficient PM Andy Makar, PMP, gantthead SME, PPM 3:15 p.m. This session will demonstrate how project managers can use mind maps to effectively implement six sigma and project management techniques. The session will demonstrate how a mind map can be used to create fishbone diagrams, brainstorm project scope, facilitate lessons learned sessions, and create meeting minutes while facilitating the meeting. Say good bye to formal meeting minutes, boring scope statements, and bland lesson learned reports and say hello to an innovative technique that improves PM effectiveness! Managing Projects to Deliver Maximum Business Value Rodney J. Trent, President, Stratex Services 4:30 p.m. Project managers continue to have an increasing role in ensuring that the full strategic, operational and financial value of projects is delivered to the corporation. This presentation lays out the many different dimensions that can impact the full business value, and the skills project managers can leverage to be highly valued strategic partners with the business |
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Registration is FREE, so take a minute now and make sure you don't miss out on what promises to be one of the highest-value conference experiences in project management this year. By signing up for this conference, you will automatically be registered as a gantthead member. |
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