Before starting my term as President of KCPMI, I celebrated the New Year in Colorado snow skiing with my family.  I’m an average skier, which means I look like I know what I’m doing… until I fall.  So far I’m still in one piece, but it seems a little riskier each year. 

So why do I go snow skiing every year?  For one, I enjoy the thrill of accomplishing something that is difficult.  Then, there is always the beauty of the mountains, the snow, and the excitement of a being in a resort meeting people from all over the world.  Neither of these, though, are my true motivation. I really do it to be with my family and bond in a way that we can’t when we’re caught up in the day-to-day activities at home.  We ski, we hot tub, we rest, we eat, and we play silly board games for long hours.  And surprisingly, we do them together.

So what has that got to do with KCPMI? It got me thinking about WHY we join KCPMI.  Is it really what our surveys indicate; that we join for the professional development, the dinner meetings, the speakers, the networking, or the credential?  I believe it’s beyond these things and much more intrinsic. 

When is the last time you thought about your true motivation for joining KCPMI?  Is it camaraderie, career advancement, leadership development, learning by teaching, lessons learned from others, or something else?  To get to the real reason, keep asking yourself “and WHY is that important?”

Once you know your real motivation, the next step is to fulfill it.  Some of the fulfillment is what KCPMI does for you and we’d love to hear your suggestions on how we can do it better.  Just as important is what you put into it.  Are you active or passive? Involved or just enrolled? What’s standing in your way?

One of the prime focus areas for this year’s board is to increase involvement in the chapter by members, employers, and sponsors. Soon the board will be planning more specifically on how to do this and would love to hear from you on what it would take to make the chapter more YOUR chapter. Based on previous feedback, we have some exciting new formal programs starting; such as the Registered Company Coordinator, and some more grassroots, informal programs; such as a monthly book club and increasing the crowdsourcing uses for our social media sites.  

Start getting involved by sending us your suggestions. You have several ways of doing this.  You can send an email to me at President@kcpmichapter.org or another board member.  You can join a KCPMI committee in an area that you’d like to see improve.  You can start a discussion on our KCPMI LinkedIn group or our chapter Facebook site. Or just let us know if you’d like to launch a new KCPMI program. 

As we know too well, having the title Project Manager doesn’t make you a project manager; neither does having project management certifications.  Help promote yourself and your profession by getting involved and helping us help you. 

Keep making it happen,
 
KCPMI President - 2012

Thank you to the chapter membership for confirming my election as President-Elect in 2012.  I look forward to working with Cindy Meyer and the Board to introduce and support programs that benefit our members.  I want to "plant the seed" now for you to consider a leadership position in 2013.  Succession planning is critical to providing a high-quality leadership team each year; we do not want to become a "clique" with old programs.  Fresh ideas and perspectives are always healthy.  If you are thinking about a leadership position in the future, give me a call and we can develop a strategy to help you achieve your goal.  Please join me in making 2012 an exciting year for KC PMI.

Nancy Petersen, PMP, PMI-RMP
President-Elect

January 16 – Kansas City Mid America PMI Chapter Dinner Meeting

Happy New Year! We look forward to starting 2012 on January 16 at the Kansas City PMI Chapter Dinner Meeting.  The guest speaker, Narendra Shrivastava, will present “Project Risk Management – A Tool to Deliver Projects On Time and Within Budget.”

How many of your projects are abandoned or suffer from cost and schedule overruns and quality usability issues? In the vast majority of cases, these issues could have been avoided if high-risk elements had been identified and resolved using proven risk management methodologies, helping the project manager deliver on strategy.

The evening’s agenda includes Happy Networking, Buffet Dinner, “Minute to Win It”, Sponsorships, and a Coveted Give Away.

Registration is Open!

Logistics:
Date: January 16, 2012
Time: 5:30 – 8:00

Location:
Doubletree Hotel Overland Park
10100 College Boulevard
Overland Park, KS

New Year - New Goals!
2012 will be an exciting year for the Membership Committee as there are several new opportunities / initiatives for our members!  We welcome any suggestions and/or feedback from you! 

Corporate Outreach / Registered Company Coordinator (RCC) Program
Our Chapter is extending our Corporate Outreach effort through a new RCC program!  If your company is currently considering or in the process of establishing a PMO or project management practice as a whole, please feel free to contact Wyndam Reeve, Director of RCC program, at RCC@kcpmichapter.org!  We'd love to hear from you and help you out! 

Please click here to see the benefits of being a Registered Company Coordinator!

Book Club
Project management is more than just carrying out principles from the Project Management Body of Knowledge.  Project management is also about building relationships, networks, a sense of community, and stretching professional horizons by seeking new information on all aspects of business and leadership.  A chapter book club builds on these aspects, emphasizes and augments existing chapter benefits.  RSVP to BookClub@kcpmichapter.org and give it a try!  There is no registration deadline and no fee involved!  You can join at any time!  This is a great way to earn PDUs! 

Our first book proposal: Real Leaders Don't Do PowerPoint: How to Sell Yourself and Your Ideas! 

Our first meeting: Tuesday, January 31st, 2012 (Please RSVP to BookClub@kcpmichapter.org)

Tentative Agenda for this meeting:

• Introduce the proposed book – Real Leaders Don't Do PowerPoint: How to Sell Yourself and Your Ideas (or suggest a different book)
• Determine discussion format
• Determine group size, if multiple groups are needed
• Nominate book facilitators
• Determine future meeting date/time and location

We are currently looking for a location for our first meeting.  If you have any suggestions, please contact us at BookClub@kcpmichapter.org. 

Membership Ambassadors
We are currently looking for volunteers to be our Membership Ambassadors!  This volunteer position will introduce many networking opportunities through Chapter events and/or activities, earn PDUs, and help stay involved in the Project Management Community!  Please contact me directly at VPMembership@kcpmichapter.org to obtain a position description if you are interested! 

Best Regards,
Yawen Hsu-Brown
VP Membership

I want to start by repeating a big “Thank you” to all the hard-working volunteers who made KC PMI a success in 2011.  All of the board members, officers, instructors, mentors, team members, and other volunteers have contributed their time and efforts without receiving a dime in pay.  The success of our chapter in 2011 is a direct result of their voluntary efforts, and yours.

The new year of 2012 promises even more opportunities for each of us to get involved in the success of our PMI chapter. Attend chapter meetings, even if you have to give up something else to be there. Get involved with mentoring circles and PMP classes. Find a spot with the teams which will bring us another Professional Development Days event in September.

Work was started in 2011 to improve the process to connect willing volunteers with open volunteer positions.  We will let you know when this new process is ready to go. Keep your eyes open for an announcement soon.

Until then I want you to consider these words (paraphrased) from President John F. Kennedy’s inaugural speech.

Ask not what your chapter can do for you - ask what you can do for your chapter.

Ask not what PMI will do for you, but what together we can do for the profession of project management.

I look forward to working with all of you to make this an even more successful year for the Kansas City Mid-America Chapter of the Project Management Institute.

With your help, we can do it.

Tom Milner
VP Volunteers

The dates and the place for Professional Development Days 2012 are set - September 10 and 11 at the Overland Park Convention Center. The team is still being built. We have not yet met to decide on a theme or to begin creating a program. That work will begin very soon. If anyone is interested in helping with PDD, they should contact the VP of Volunteers. There are still a few openings but they will fill up fast. Much of last year's team is returning and taking the key positions. You can mark your calendars and plan to attend and enjoy the time with  your fellow PMs.

Many Thanks to the Professional Development Team
As I begin my new role as Communications VP, I must first take a step back and express my appreciation to the many volunteers that comprised the 2011 Professional Development team. To the directors and all the volunteers on their teams, thank you very much for your service to the chapter, your dedication to the volunteer work you agreed to take on and your perseverance in getting the job done. You are terrific and have my utmost respect!!

• Cindi Carter – Director of PMP Exam Prep
• Lyn Heaton – Director of Study Groups
• Marcy Randall – Director of Workshops
• John Iverson – Director of Knowledge XChange (Jan-Jun 2011)
• Charna Bean – Director of Knowledge XChange (Jul 2011-present)

Transitioning to Communications 
Transitioning into the realm of Communications, I am grateful to Yawen Brown and her 2011 Communications team for leaving this area in such great shape. I am in the process of getting the 2012 Communications team in place. I hope we will have some individuals continuing in their roles, though we know the volunteers in two areas – Webmaster and Newsletter, have moved on to other roles.  At this time, I am pleased announce we have a new chapter Webmaster, Marcus Adinolfi.

Marcus has been a PMP since February 2008.  He started out as a computer programmer with Raytheon Aircraft Company in 1995 and then joined EDS in 1998 as a project lead.  His project leadership efforts at EDS helped the organization to attain CMM Level 3 certification.  Hewlett-Packard acquired EDS in 2008, and Marcus continues in a project management role on the Bank of America account designing telecommunications software for the bank’s internal billing.  Please welcome Marcus to the team and give him your support!

One of Yawen’s many 2011 accomplishments was to launch a marketing plan. In support of that, I am seeking a director and volunteers to help implement the plan. Please contact me at vpcomm@kcpmichapter.org or the VP Volunteers at vpvolunteers@kcpmichapter.org if you are interested in participating!

Membership Survey – Your Opinion Counts!
If you’ve already done so, thank you for completing our chapter’s annual membership survey. If you haven’t yet taken the survey, I encourage you to do so right away since the link expires January 15.  You can access the survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/93TVQS6. We will utilize the information you provide as we continue to improve delivery of services to our members!

Stay Connected with Our Chapter!
Our Chapter is on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.  Sign up as a follower/fan to keep up to date on upcoming events!  I encourage you to post PMI-related information you think others may be interested in on the wall and remember to suggest our page to professional friends and business contacts!

Get engaged or stay engaged in our chapter. Together, we make it the chapter we want it to be.

Thank you,
Sharon Valasek
VP Communications

Avila Advantage

You can ensure success with a Project Management Certificate (PMC) from Avila Advantage. The program is a rigorous set of 13 credit hours for the adult student that develops proficiency with the latest tools and techniques of effective project managers. For more information, visit www.avila.edu/advantage or call 816-501-3737.