PM Magazine - Fall 2021

FALL 2021 / ISSUE XVI

PM

magazine

SPRING 2019 | PM magazine A PUBLICATION BY MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY’S GRADUATE PROGRAM IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT

N G A E H C

AG E N T

Trailblazers for Change Change Management in Project Management

Creating Outstanding Results and Withstanding Change

by First Changing Your Mind Page 3 Strategic Leadership: Integrated Approaches to Leading Change in the Education System Page 6 Business Continuity in Returning to the Office Page 9

PM Magazine

PM magazine | FALL 2021

CONTENTS

EDITORIAL MESSAGE

Change, the only constant in life. This magazine discusses many different aspects of change and the activities that are needed from project managers as a result of our new-normal. With almost 2 years in a post-pandemic working environment, workers made adaptations based on many factors such as work, family, and other obligations, while maintaining the work-life balance in their homes. Their changes included having workers shifting their paradigm, reframing their mindsets, becoming change agents within their circle of influence, and having greater resilience because of the dramatic shift in working and living. From this perspective, this semester’s magazine takes a look at this shift from a-typical industries including the educational and financial sectors, as well as looking at change from a business continuity perspective. I would like to welcome you to the sixteenth issue of Morgan State University’s Project Management magazine, a magazine designed by the Masters of Science in Project Management graduate students as part of their capstone course requirement.

This semester’s contributing authors that created the Fall 2021 issue are comprised of graduate students drawing from their experiences as students and as professionals. It includes Kenechukwu Aneke, Ashley Bell, Tamara Combs, Kenneth Hodge Jr., Babajide Kuforiji-Kehinde, Oreva Iliromah, and Gloria Smalls. Using their time, resources, and talent, they have brought this issue to fruition.

As stated earlier, change is inevitable and hopefully with this magazine you will find strategies from a technical and emotional view to help you mitigate the changes occurring in our post-pandemic society. As always, please enjoy our magazine.

Message from the Editor Monica Kay, D.B.A., PMP

Message from Contributing Authors

Kenechukwu Aneke, Ashley Bell, Tamara Combs, Kenneth Hodge Jr., Oreva Iliromah, Babajide KuforijiKehinde, Gloria Smalls

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It has been an honor and a great privilege to matriculate at Morgan State University, Maryland’s preeminent public urban research institution.

As our time here winds down, we celebrate our achievement towards completing our Master of Science in Project Management within the Earl Graves School of Business and Management and developing the 16th edition of the PM Magazine.

During our time in this program, we were diligently guided by the university’s core values, Excellence, Integrity, Respect, Diversity, Innovation, and Leadership, to guide our paths as we aspire to become the future leadership and management professionals in the field of project management.

The COVID pandemic reminded us that change is inevitable, and most importantly, as project managers, change should not be feared but embraced, and this helped us craft our approach

as it related to people, processes, and business environment.

Our cohort chose a theme that focused on change management and how leveraging change in project management would require project managers to adapt to new expectations and realities of a post-pandemic business environment while bridging business continuity and people.

This edition of PM Magazine is focused on how project management professionals leverage change management practices to improve organizational agility and adaptability while deploying a host of new tools, techniques, and resources. Developing this issue of the magazine in collaboration with our peers and esteemed faculty gave us a deeper understanding of the project management knowledge areas, practical implementation skills in real-time, and showed us the importance of building relationships with people as they are the machine behind what drives change. With this in mind, we hope that you will enjoy reading this edition of PM Magazine!

Skilling up: Project Managers and Soft Skills: Why the Soft Part is the Hard Part?

Tamara Combs

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Emergence & Greater Reliance on Digital, Remote Teams and the Hybrid Workforce Professor Joel Weymouth

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Creating Outstanding Results and Withstanding Change by First Changing Your Mind Christina Heath, PMP

Dr. Monica N. Kay, PMP Adjunct Professor, Morgan State University Editor-in-Chief, 16th Edition MSU PM Magazine

MESSAGE FROM CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS

People

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Processes

Configuration Management: The Connection Between Strategy and Product Derek Smith

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Bridging the Gap with ADKAR Lissan Yared, PMP

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Strategic Leadership: Integrated Approaches to Leading Change in the Education System Brandi Nichols

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Business Environment

Change Management in the Financial Services Sector: How Important is it for Organizational Success?

Janice Allen

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Project Management and the Hunt for Murphy?

Clayton Ollarvia, MBA

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Business Continuity in Returning to Office Michael Akanisi Student Bios Kenechukwu Aneke, Ashley Bell, Tamara Combs, Kenneth Hodge Jr., Oreva Iliromah, Babajide KuforijiKehinde, Gloria Smalls Cover Photography by Marcellus McIntosh Graphic Design, Contributing Authors, and Student Biography Photos by Sydney Nicole Kay

FALL 2021 | PM magazine

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SKILLING UP: PROJECT MANAGERS AND SOFT SKILLS: WHY THE SOFT PART IS THE HARDEST PART? Ever y so of ten, we experience a shift in an industry that undoubtedly Támara J. Combs, CAPM will result in seismic changes Principal Consultant in how companies transform Combs Consulting their culture, manage teams, engage stakeholders, and ultimately transact business. These shifts will place a premium on project managers (PMs) who can respond quickly to changing conditions, successfully manage projects, and communicate with teams, especially in times of change. Both project management and change management are necessary tools when implementing a project or change initiative, both practices are rooted in the underlying factor that they focus on the management of people. Managing people requires a keen application of leadership, management, and interpersonal skills to ensure that team performance is timely and at the highest level of quality. The project manager plays the central role in project communication, and it is the one skill woven throughout all of the project management competencies, the mastery of soft skills or people skills. Although hard skills promote effectiveness and efficiency in managing a project, soft skills will inform and impact team relationship building and productivity, especially in times of transition, as we have witnessed over the past 19 months. If this requisite soft skill is essential for project managers, why is it still a tricky spot to master?

“The project manager plays the central role in project communication, whereby it is the one skill woven throughout all the project management competencies, precisely, the mastery of soft skills or people skills.”

Soft skills are the behaviors and tactics utilized to govern interactions with other individuals, including project teams, sponsors, and stakeholders. (Kenton, 2021). Without this skill, project managers would find it challenging to coordinate the required effort needed to bring a project to successful completion, as their ability to manage people would be severely compromised. Soft skills allow the PM to lead the team through the project life cycle. When PMs create an environment of open and fluid communication, it often leads to dialogue that encourages problemsolving and the potential mitigation of risks. “The value of soft skills seems to be implicitly understood; however, the challenges or “hard spot” exists between understanding this concept and allocating resources to support PMs and team members to develop the necessary skills required to manage the team effectively.” (Lewis & Boucher, 2012). “Ninety percent of a project manager’s time is spent formally or informally communicating,” according to the Project Management Institute’s Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), thereby utilizing soft skills to engage in successful interactions with others. (PMI, 2017).

Companies that invest in building a culture of communication often utilize various tools and guidances that support the organization in designing their approach to constructing the company’s culture and developing standards and practices for

implementing soft skills. However, tacit steps alone will not ensure that PMs will achieve the desired outcomes and build sustainable relationships with project teams. Consideration must be given towards the manner in how people deliver and process communication. Research conducted by UCLA professor Albert Mehrabian stated that 58% of communication is through body language; 35% of how words are said; and 7% through the content or words spoken. His findings also concluded that communication, body language, and tonality might be more accurate indicators of meaning and emotion than words themselves. It is with this concept in mind that “Soft skills are heavily associated with the idea of an emotional intelligence quotient (EQ) for the ability to identify, assess and control the emotions of oneself, of others, and groups. “ (Lewis & Boucher, 2012).

Recently, a CareerBuilder survey of more than 2600 U.S. hiring managers showed that a whopping 71% of employers value emotional intelligence in employees over IQ. And 34% of them admitted to placing greater emphasis on EQ when hiring and promoting employees.” (Nativeaccess, 2021).

Therefore, organizations must integrate steps to position EQ for project managers, as their attitude towards the team can influence how the team moves as a unit and communicates with one another. PMs must ascertain that people drive project teams and their needs are ever-changing and evolving. When the PM’s ability to communicate is not in alignment with their team, the project and project team run the risk of delayed project schedules, failed deadlines, increased project cost, and significant breakdown in stakeholder management. Focusing on core values and organizational culture alignment are the first steps to building an emotionally intelligent organization and team. This approach focuses on retooling the organizational culture by focusing on self-awareness, self-management, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, interpersonal management, and leadership, and how these factors impact individual and collective teams. Organizations must understand that the PM is responsible for the project team and is responsible for building and sustaining a cohesive project team that can communicate effectively.

Successful project management requires more than the mastery of technical skills related to processes, frameworks, and discipline while requiring a specific

set of skills to marshal all resources towards the common goal, which is project/product completion.

The organization’s leadership should create a culture where soft skills are practiced, encouraged, and valued with models and behavioral reinforcements.

Emotionally intelligent PMs with strong interpersonal skills can drive projects and build relationships, influence, collaboration, and negotiation to obtain high-performance outcomes, as they assure that the needs of the project team and stakeholders are met. Additionally, PMs who value and understand the role of communication and relationship building can remove the constraints of a project by redesigning a traditional “one size fit’s all” management approach, whereby they can effectively inquire and innovate to manage change within the context of project needs, and organizational change.

“When the PM is not in alignment with their team, the project and project team run the risk of delayed project schedules, failed deadlines, increased project cost, and significant breakdown in stakeholder management.”

The utilization of soft skills is a critical component of project success, as they influence several areas of project management. Organizations and PMs who continue to foster their skill set in this area have the advantage of building higher-performing, functional, and trusting teams to meet the rigorous and everchanging demands of the project team, clients, and stakeholders.

References: Kenton, Will. (2021, February 25.) Soft Skills. Investopedia. Retrieved October 14, 2021, from https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/soft-skills.asp Lewis, Y.R. & Boucher, L. (2012). PM- people management of project management?

Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2021, North America, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Newton Square, PA: Project Management Institute.

Nativeaccess. (2021, April 2). Emotional intelligence may be more valuable than skills in the job search. The Barrett Group. Retrieved October 14, 2021, from https://www. careerchange.com/newsletters/emotional-intelligence-may-be-more-valuable-than-skillsin-the-job-search/.

Project Management Institute (PMI). (2017). A guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) (6th edition). Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute, Inc.

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PM magazine | FALL 2021

EMERGENCE AND GREATER RELIANCE ON DIGITAL, REMOTE TEAMS AND THE HYBRID WORK FORCE

In 2000, the Agile Manifesto was published which had twelve principles. The sixth Joel Weymouth principle states, “The most Professor efficient and effective Morgan State method of conveying University information to and within a development team is face-toface conversation. “ (Beck & Beedle, 2021). Overtime, the agile face-to-face requirement became moot since companies were locating teams to different remote sites. Companies adopted an incremental style, such as the agile paradigm, with their distributed teams. Team members that occupied the same space would attend daily standups, or huddles, onsite while the remote members would dial into meeting. As you can see, the industry has evolved from the original manifesto to adapt to reality.

The global pandemic of Covid-19 resulted in numerous associates working from home, making this the new reality for over a year. Companies that already used remote project teams were not as heavily impacted by this change. However, those companies that needed to transform their approach to team building and collaboration had to utilize various tools and techniques to actively engage their team. Unbeknownst to some and intuitive knowledge to others, most of the tools and techniques leveraged in this past year are derived directly from Project Management Body of Knwowledge, or PMBOK. What was surprising and gave pause was companies saw productivity increase (Gaskell, 2021).

The Hybrid Project Model The productivity of home workers came as no surprise to those of us who have worked in the industry. In my case, I had worked for ten years remotely at United Health Group, interfacing with an offshore team and complementary onshore team with some resources in various U.S. locations.

We coordinated projects and tasks between those teams in such a way that it aligned with our work culture.

Whether remote or onsite, project managers must have the appropriate tools to track projects. As it relates to my ten year experience in the hybrid model, each team had the benefit of state-of-theart KANBAN boards, communication tools, meeting tools, and intranet due to the fact that 60% of our team resided 7,800 miles away and in several different cities. Over the course of my career, I have observed projects from a strict waterfall approach, where the entire IT division was at one location, to the small integrated teams following a rational incremental change-driven process to the current agile paradigm using integrated teams on three continents. Project management has improved greatly since my first project. This is due to the

four key areas that have allowed for this global landscape shift in managing teams.

Agile The adoption of Agile as an industry-standard has forced companies to evolve their software upgrades.

Applying Agile to mainframe development has been a significant milestone in the evolution and improvement of project quality. Projects with a high degree of variability benefit from specialized self-organizing teams that maximize focus and collaboration, leading to increased productivity and innovative solutions. (PMI, 2017).

Specialization It was the standard for a professional to move from developer to business analyst, quality analyst, and project lead early in my career. However, the adoption of the specialization paradigm with dedicated business analysts, developers, and quality assurance analysts, synchronized under a project manager has allowed for a more focused project team (PMI, 2017).

Integration Making project teams diverse and integrated streamlines the information and process flow.

Placing database architects and data modelers on the project teams and developers and business analysts cut a lot of the red tape that blocked projects and wasted a lot of time aligning two separate units in different divisions under different directors. As business analysts identify requirements, data modelers can start creating logical designs available to the developers and database administrators. Even projects designed for mainframe implementation allowed upgrades to fall into sprints and align with promotions on distributed platforms.

as part of the overall project management which illustrates just how necessary this new methodology is becoming. Change is part of business, and change must be anticipated and managed at the program level. Mature companies should include this training in developing project managers. This concept abandons a commitment to consistency for the sake of consistency.

The Hybrid Model should continue to leverage the tools that allow online collaboration. The shared boards, the virtual meeting and collaboration tools are part of the productivity realized during the pandemic. Companies should embrace the virtual meeting from the stand-up to the simple collaboration between two people. Whether presenting a status or doing knowledge transfer, the capability to share screens, and to interact remotely (even when across the aisle) adds to productivity.

Integrated teams which were emphasized with Agile, were also common with incremental projects prior to the advent of agile. Conventional wisdom suggests that integrated teams would be problematic when

“Mature companies are abandoning the status quo along with a blind unconditional commitment to consistency. A new world of eclectic process improvement, program management, and project management should be the goal. “ Communication and Tracking Tools like Planview, JIRA, PROMPT, Microsoft Project, Sharepoint and AZURE create a project environment where all the aspects of projects, delay, success, risks, and issues are transparent to the stakeholders (PMI, 2017). The tracking tools and project folders are all on distributed and shared platforms accessible by any approved team to access the company intranet.

Add to this WebEx, Google meetings, Zoom, or Microsoft Teams with associated video, recording, file sharing, and screen sharing collaboration this diminishes the need to be onsite. (PMI, 2017). There are trivial differences between being invited into a co-worker’s office and watching their screen over their shoulder and using WebEx, for example, to sharing your screen with your co-worker.

Conclusion Looking over the past year and into the future, these are the issues that should be the focus and Agile Program Management must be part of the expertise. The Project Management Institute, PMI, has incorporated Agile Program Management

teams are more fragmented because most are working remotely from home. Companies should no longer confuse a production process environment with a project process environment. The goal should not be to return to normalcy, but to embrace the new approaches that improved productivity over the past year.

Events of the last year showed that mature companies are abandoning the status quo along with a blind unconditional commitment to consistency. A new world of eclectic process improvement, program management, and project management should be the goal.

References: Adi Gaskell, “How Productive Have Remote Workers Been During Covid,” Forbes Site https://www.forbes.com/sites/adigaskell/2021/05/31/how-productive-have-remoteworkers-been-during-covid/?sh=23bdaa57639e Beck, K., Beedle, M., van Bennekum, A., Cockburn, A., Cunningham, W., Fowler, M., Grenning, J., Highsmith, J., Hunt, A., Jeffries, R., et al. (2001) Manifesto for Agile Software Development. https://agilemanifesto.org/ Project Management Institute (PMI). (2017). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide). (6th edition). Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute, Inc.

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CREATING OUTSTANDING RESULTS AND WITHSTANDING CHANGE BY FIRST MANAGING YOUR MIND There are two fundamental truths in project management. The first is Christina Heath, PMP that change is constant. In this post-2020 paradigm, Strategic Alignment Coach our ability to manage for Project Managers change will absolutely MangoFlow Consulting determine whether we thrive or struggle unnecessarily. The second is that your technical (tech) skills will help you to operate effectively, but they are nothing without your non-technical (non-tech) skills (Lewis, et al, 2012). While your tech skills help get you going, your non-tech skills help keep you going. Mastering them gives you a distinctive edge, gets you into rooms you have only dreamed of, and then enables you to maneuver and manage change long after you arrive.

According to the Project Management Body of Knowledge some non-tech skills that set you up to thrive as a project manager include motivating others, conflict management, adaptability, resourcefulness, teamwork, influence, and the ability to inspire project teams to achieve high team performance and to meet the projects objectives (PMI, 2017).

Not only are these skills required in project management, but these skills are also easily transferable to everyday life and conduct as people.

A non-tech skill that is essential to a project manager’s health and happiness in this space, is the ability to manage one’s mind. It is a rarely discussed and a widely untapped advantage, and the focus of what we are discussing in this article.

The Importance of Managing Your Mind Six Sigma helps to simplify business processes through A project manager with a well-managed mind yields a wellmanaged project and team, every time. Without it, results are a gamble at best. This is because the project manager repeats unproductive patterns, and constantly searches for the thing that will help them appear more competent or earn the right to take up space. With a properly managed mind, however, the project manager can uncover their unique way of managing projects, and then translate that to success in meeting team goals as well as personal goals.

Project managers must strike a delicate balance daily between service and leadership. By virtue of the role, we are required to think differently. We must strategize, problem solve, and approach the world in a unique way. This means we encounter unique frustrations, questions, and challenges; many centering around the topics of influence,

more time operating in confidence, ease, and a quiet inner knowing, trusting that whatever happens, they will handle it swiftly and without unnecessary pain or discomfort. These project managers understand their unique way of working, honor it, and create success from it. Simply put: More time in “flow,” less time in “force.” Project managers who can understand their mind are developing what PMI (2017) refers to as emotional intelligence, which is “the ability to identify, assess, and manage the personal emotions of oneself, and other people” (p.349).

So, What is a Well-Managed Mind?

While a well-managed mind and the goals for it look different for every project manager, it can be summarized in a six key concepts “First, understand that you are not a and abilities: 1. The ability to observe your thoughts and actions, as well as the actions of others, objectively and without assigning meaning.

project, and your team is not a project.”

2. The ability to choose which thoughts to keep and which thoughts to toss.

3. The understanding that humans are not projects.

We are more complex, our thoughts and experiences that shape our work are not binary, and we require (and deserve) more grace.

4. The understanding that one person’s way of working and achieving their definition of success may not align with how you work best, your true definition of success, or who you are at your core.

5. The belief that you are responsible for the results you experience, and that you have the power to create the results you want for yourself.

6. The understanding that safety to process thoughts, experiences, and emotions around your work and yourself is vital.

Managing our minds comes down to observing ourselves and our experiences through the lens of objective compassion; accepting we control very little in our work; understanding we have no business trying to control anything outside ourselves; and consciously directing our energy toward, and taking responsibility for, the things that do belong in our realm of control.

How Can We Learn to Manage Our Minds?

As with any skill, learning to manage one’s mind takes practice and some growing pains, similar to building a muscle. While successful mastery is “Find accountability and a safe a process, there are things you can do today to space to process thoughts, emotions start building that muscle and, in time, seeing the benefits in your work and life. and experiences while building the skill of

managing your mind.”

boundaries, efficiency, productivity, agency, and identity. To further illustrate this point, PMI (2017) states, “the project manager needs to be sensitive to both the willingness and the ability of team members to perform their work and adjust their management and leadership styles accordingly” (p. 346). In fact, we spend the majority of our time at this intersection of service and leadership, toggling between the two while trying to mitigate the aforementioned challenges. The mental stressors that come with using our brains in this way take a toll on our productivity, personal lives, ability to manage ourselves and our teams and, ultimately, our projects.

Project managers who understand their mind, reduce the amount of stress they shoulder day to day. They spend less time in frustration, fear, or the laborious search for right answers or a new magical process. Instead, they spend

First, understand that you are not a project, and your team is not a project. In our work, we collect data, assign it meaning, use it to craft a story, and use that story to forecast the future. While these practices translate seamlessly to people management and personal life, when managing our minds and ourselves, we must ensure we adjust the approach for the human element involved. Compassion and objectivity are key.

Next, learn and understand your unique way of absorbing information and managing projects. While the goals for work and personal success may look similar, the tactics must be adjusted to how you work best, and how you determine personal success, health, and productivity. This takes time, patience, and a lot of self-discovery.

Finally, find accountability and a safe space to process thoughts, emotions and experiences while building the skill of managing your mind. Utilizing accountability and safe spaces will help you identify your blind spots, minimize unnecessary pain, cut down on wasted time, and accelerate your growth. Safe spaces for emotional processing are sorely lacking in project management and other STEM fields, but once you find and utilize them, it will show in your work, and your team and leaders will notice the difference.

A Project Manager ’s Ticket to Smooth Change Navigation

A project manager’s entry into the field undoubtedly requires a level of technical mastery. Once you are in, the ticket to smooth change navigation, impressive outcomes, strategic excellence, and not losing yourself in the process, is working to understand yourself and learning to manage your mind. Tuning into yourself as a person and project manager first and getting to know how you and your brain operate, will enable you to better navigate and withstand change, as well as better understand and lead your team.

I encourage all project professionals to look inward first and foremost. Because when you add well-being and selfawareness to your list of priorities, the results you create for you, your workplace, and your team will be outstanding.

References: Lewis, Y. R. & Boucher, L. (2012). PM—people management or project management?

Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2012—North America, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute. https://www. pmi.org/learning/library/interpersonal-abilities-soft-skill-people-project-6095 Project Management Institute (PMI). (2017). A guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) (6th edition). Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute, Inc.

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PM magazine | FALL 2021

CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT: THE CONNECTION BETWEEN STRATEGY AND PRODUCT

Derek Smith is an Infrastructure Technologist and project manager who Derek Smith has worked at Morgan State Assistant Director University for over 25 years of Infrastructure – holding various positions Technology Services within the Department of Morgan State University Information Technology (DIT).

As a mid-level manager, Mr. Smith manages a team of four members on many independent projects supporting a variety of IT functions ranging from: monitoring servers and systems performance, computer patch management, and “day to day” university IT systems requests. One of the major projects Mr. Smith implemented was the conversion of a bare-metal lab environment to a thin-client based Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) campus environment that provides students fully functioning lab computer access to university applications via a single sign-on virtual desktop. Our interview goes into detail on how Mr. Smith handled the changes which affected his VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) project goals during Covid-19 and how the use of the Project Management Institute (PMI) Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) and other project management principles assisted Mr. Smith in developing a project management plan, schedule management plan, scope management plan, and risk management plan to manage his team and future projects in the midst of a Covid-19 pandemic.

Q: Before and post Covid-19, how did you and your team members handle project scheduling and duties coming in and out of the campus?

A: Before the pandemic, my team and I worked 40 hours weekly and met in-person every morning for 30 minutes pre-shift meetings to discuss the daily agenda. During that time, I would assign team members to do specific troubleshooting tasks (new server replacement, systems accessibility, and network adjustments) and give other team members daily or weekly projects (expanding computer mainframes) to complete.

Since post Covid-19, my team members’ work ethic and habits have increased because of online and remote work. I conducted online weekly team and stakeholders’ meetings and twice a day scrum meetings. 90% of my department work is completed online remotely. The only time my team is required to be on-campus is for system equipment upgrades or hardware repairs.

Q: What major projects have you worked as a project manager before during and post Covid-19.

Explain your viewpoint on how you handled completing the tasks?

A: One big project my team and I worked on was the conversion of the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) environment throughout the campus. When Covid-19 occurred, the demand was high for remote access to the Morgan State University system and the prior installation of the VDI environment came in handy for the IT department. My team went to our original VDI environment lesson-learned report, analyzed, and uploaded the original data, plus enhancements for the (setup of) new VDI remote environment startup.

Q: How do you keep your team members engaged to keep your department work performance productivity data rates above standards?

A: To motivate my team members, I used a laissezfaire and transformational leadership approach. I encourage team unity, transparency with project direction and open-mindedness to suggestions when it comes to goal completion. I hold monthly open and anonymous feedback surveys. After each meeting, our transition status report is uploaded for all team member accessibility; and it provides updates on present and future projects, and expectations from my team. I entrust my skilled team members to accomplish tasks and projects independently. My department gives incentive packages, overtime allowance and verbal credibility praise as positive reinforcement encourages work productivity.

“To motivate my team members, I used a laissezfaire and transformational leadership approach.” environment was maintained throughout the campus and served as a reliable tool for students, faculty, and administrators. Mr. Smith also adjusted his leadership style. PMI encourages project managers to develop a new wave of communicating with team members through transparency, being a transformational leader and integrating a hybrid (Waterfall and Agile) technique to ensure team development (PMI, 2017). Mr. Smith continues to develop his communication plan to ensure to remain engaged with all university stakeholders (students, faculty, and administrators) during and post Covid-19.

“When Covid-19 occurred, the demand was high for remote access to the Morgan State University system. “ Q: Since the Covid-19 has there been any changes or impact in the triple constraints (scope, cost, and scheduling) for your IT Department projects?

A: Yes, it did because all systems design had to be upgraded to handle the large amount of IT traffic. All project resources (equipment and manpower) requirements doubled to support the much-needed upgrades for the IT services to function properly campus wide. My department had to invest large amounts of funds to enhance our technology infrastructure. But we were so lucky, because we already offered students access to the VDI environment before the Covid-19 Pandemic, resulting in cutting some of the procedure (implementation) time in half. My department was ahead of the game according to the schedule, but at the same time our cost increased dramatically putting the department way over budget.

The interview revealed that Derek Smith caters to the new “Norms” of post Covid-19 to keep Morgan State University DIT system up to standard operation. According to PMI, Derek Smith can incorporate a risk management plan by identifying, anticipating, appraising the impact, and defining a response to risks for this situation. (PMI, 2017). Mr. Smith prepared for unpredictable circumstances, dedicated long hours, and continued the use of highly skilled personnel to ensure that the VDI

Reference: Project Management Institute (PMI). (2017). A guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) (6th edition). Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute, Inc.

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BRIDGING THE GAP WITH ADKAR In the world of project management, change is inevitable. Any sequence of tasks that must be completed Lissan Yared, PMP to attain a particular outcome can be considered as a project.

Business Process Improvement Consultant A specific outcome implies a result that is not realized, T. Rowe Price which would constitute a change. As change management professionals, we must be methodical on how we address the people side of change and to sustain change within an organization, there are five (5) aspects, that the originator Prosci (2021) referred to as ADKAR (2021): 1. Awareness – Associates are aware of the problem and the need for change 2. Desire – Associates know the benefits and have the desire to change 3. Knowledge – Associates possess the knowledge of HOW to change 4. Ability – Associates possess the skills and behaviors to implement the change 5. Reinforcement – Monitor progress and implement continuous improvement to sustain changes The key here is to understand where your audience is within the change journey, meet them where they are, and address the aspect of change that causes resistance. Easy enough? Not exactly. It is human nature to resist change, but how we manage change will determine how successful the project will be. However, by identifying supportive and leading stakeholders early on in the project, they can become champions in such a way that it ensures the success of the end product, service or result (PMI, 2017). These stakeholders will become actively engaged and help garner support for the project.

I learned this with my recent work in building a mentoring program called Neighborhood Connections with T. Rowe Price (TRP) and the graduate students at the Graves School of Business

at Morgan State. Ashley Bell, a TRP associate and a Morgan State graduate student, saw an opportunity to create a partnership that would benefit both parties and be impactful in a remote environment.

We partnered with Nicholas Fletcher, Associate Director of the Graves School of Business, to build a new initiative that would satisfy the needs of the students at the Graves School of Business and leadership at TRP. Because we wanted to create a long-lasting partnership, we had to be thoughtful in its development, identify champions of the program, and address each aspect of the change process.

Awareness: Based on the article, “Diversity in the Workplace: Benefits, Challenges, and the Required Managerial Tools,” diversity in the workplace brings about increased productivity, increased creativity, employee engagement, and reduced turnover, all leading to an increase in profit margins (Clark, Farnsworth, Green, et al. 2021). Organizations have also been vocal about their lack of diversity in the workplace. T. Rowe Price is no different and they were immediately on board when presenting leadership with the opportunity to partner and engage with high-performing, diverse talent in a more intimate program. Awareness was the easy part.

Desire: Who are the champions to advocate for the program? What are the metrics we want to develop to measure success? What are the specific benefits to both the mentees and the mentors? How do we build momentum around a new initiative?

To address each of these questions, we had to understand the needs and desires of both parties.

From Morgan State’s standpoint, the requirements were to expose students to various career paths within corporate finance, build upon soft skills needed in the workplace, and broaden the students’ network. TRP wanted to diversify its recruiting pipeline and provide mentoring opportunities to its associates. With that notion in mind, Ashley, Mr. Fletcher, and I began planning and building a program with three main objectives: 1. To build awareness around TRP’s business and culture.

2. To develop local talent.

3. To create a recruiting pipeline for diverse candidates.

Knowledge: Now that we had the right participants, we had to build the specific structure around the program to address each of the objectives. We broke the partnership into two parts: informational sessions and mentoring sessions. In the informational sessions, we recruited TRP associates to candidly discuss the various career paths, the leadership and development opportunities available, the overall culture, and the enterprise-wide initiatives in flight for diverse associates. Students worked with a TRP associate for the mentoring sessions to focus on skills they wanted to improve upon. Whether it was developing their communication skills, updating their resumes, or simply engaging with a more extensive network of TRP associates to find a career they wanted to pursue. With these two components, we knew HOW we would implement change.

Ability: Because we were very intentional with addressing desire, we knew both TRP associates and Morgan students exuded the behaviors to implement the change, but they needed more skills.

Do our TRP associates have the skills to provide adequate mentorship? Yes, we were very intentional in selecting the TRP mentors for this program. Most

associates participated in mentoring programs before and openly volunteered and were excited about engaging in this opportunity. Should they need additional resources, Ashley and I created an open pipeline for mentors and mentees to communicate any needs to complete the mentoring program.

Reinforcement: As stated in Desire, we created metrics to monitor the success of the program.

Overall, we increased awareness around TRP by 60%, and out of the 38% of students open to new job opportunities, 40% of students secured a full-time position at TRP. We received such great feedback from both TRP and Morgan State, and both groups were looking forward to being part of the continued engagement. We also received feedback on areas for improvement and have implemented them in our next cohort.

“The key here is to understand where your audience is within the change journey, meet them where they are, and address the aspect of change that causes resistance. ” What led to the success of our program? Leading the people side of change, finding the right advocates for change, and being intentional in addressing all aspects of the change. With proper stakeholder management and engagement throughout all process groups, we were able to implement a program that will create a lasting impression on the firm, the university and, most importantly, the students. Project managers are nothing without the people they work with, and when they can meet people on the change spectrum, anything can happen!

References: Clark, J., Farnsworth, F., Green, K., Kepner, K., Lopez, M., Wysocki, A., (2002). “Diversity in the Workplace: Benefits, Challenges, and the Required Managerial Tools.” UF IFAS Extension. Retrieved October 13, 2021, from pdf\HR\HR02200.pdf (ufl.edu) Project Management Institute (PMI). (2017). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide). (6th edition). Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute, Inc. The Prosci ADKAR Model (2021). Prosci. Retrieved October 13, 2021, from https://www. prosci.com/methodology/adkar

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PM magazine | FALL 2021

Brandi Nichols

STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP: INTEGRATED APPROACHES TO LEADING CHANGE IN THE EDUCATION SYSTEM

Oftentimes, people overlook the education system as being a fully operating business. Like Fulton County Public every business, the teachers, Schools faculty, and staff have specific operational tasks to keep the school functional for the current and the upcoming school years. The 20212022 academic school year posed a different layer of complexity as this was our first full year returning to in-person learning. Therefore, it required implementing a project, “a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique project service or result,” and incorporating all ten knowledge areas throughout the project lifecycle (PMI, 2017, p.4). Our external environmental factors consisted of my school adhering to the district, state, and government policies and procedures and the added components from the CDC. The guidelines this year were magnified to bring about a safe and productive learning environment. Consequently, I had to heavily rely on integration management to make sure I properly coordinated and unified the various processes and activities (PMI, 2017).

Assistant Principal

Examining the upcoming school year required various leaders within the education system to begin planning in early January until the end of July. As an assistant principal (AP), I worked throughout the summer on the necessary tasks to make certain that the school year is off to a great start by having the standard operating processes and an instructional focus that will evolve throughout the school year. This year was no different regarding schedule management. In January, I began building the master schedule of the school, which is our day-to-day function of the content, which included programs such as Special Education, English to Speakers of Other Languages, Gifted and Talented, lunch, recess, instructional blocks, and more. At a high level, the master schedule served as our scope of work as it outlined what takes place and when it takes place in a school building.

We began making predictions in early January based on the previous school year, and the numbers of students are officially released in February. From there, we started assessing the student-to-teacher ratio, which varied per grade level based on state and district guidelines.

When scoping out the upcoming school year, assistant principals have to analyze student data, teacher data, and historical data and then make decisions on any highlighted changes to meet the needs of all students.

This initiation process lasts from January to May.

In June and July, the administration began planning for the upcoming school year. As part of the return to in-person learning, we undoubtedly knew there would be challenges for both the faculty, students, parents, and the community. Therefore, stakeholder engagement and communication management were crucial to the success of the 2021-2022 academic school year. We opted to use the School Governance Council (SGC) to establish communication with our community members, teachers, and parents about the decisions within the charter district. More specifically, we do weekly electronic newsletters that deliver the most up-to-date highlights for the week for the parents.

Typically, our budget consists of local school funding, school supplies, state funding for Title I schools, and much more. This year, due to federal and state government assistance from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act,) our funding on a district level increased significantly. Leaders within the education system were well aware of the difficulties students, faculty, staff, and parents would face when transitioning back to in-person learning. Therefore, my district utilized the funds from the CARES Act to enact several initiatives to ease this transition as much as possible.

“The integration of district, state, government, and CDC policies and procedures in the school system compels me to act as a change agent for my school. I take the added initiative to ensure that faculty, staff, parents, and, most important, the students embraced our new school environment as “the new normal.”

Post-pandemic, one of the district mandates was the application of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) as part of our curriculum to manage the engagement of our students. SEL refers to, “The process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.” (Foundations of SEL, 2021). It was a new layer that I needed to incorporate into the master schedule to assist the teachers in adopting and implementing this change.

As part of the additional funding from the CARES Act, the district implemented Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) to aid with student growth and development. This training educates teachers and administrators alike on the science of reading by describing how students learn to read. The objective of LETRS is to “make a significant improvement in the literacy and language development of every student” (LETRS Overview, 2021). The training focuses on specific administrators, district-based leadership, and teachers, ensuring the proper attention is provided to students at all levels.

As an AP, I have to establish instructional expectations for all content areas for teachers that have completed the LETRS training. As part of the monitoring and controlling phase of the project lifecycle, I have to monitor these

instructional expectations ensuring that they are met throughout the school year. The instructional focus is an important activity within a school. Therefore, this requires daily classroom observations, providing feedback and coaching through areas where growth is needed, and at times, having crucial conversations with staff to ensure that our students’ needs are met. I view myself as an interactional leader in the sense that if my staff has concerns, I empower them by providing an additional layer of support, as well as coaching them up through inspiration and enthusiasm (PMI, 2017).

These are the instances where leadership soft skills, like emotional intelligence, being collaborative and building trust, as well as project management technical skills, like individual and team assessments, are needed to develop and manage my staff (PMI, 2017).

Overall, the return to in-person teaching required an optimal level of change management. As a leader, my visibility into risk management was heightened this school term from navigating through the COVID19 mitigation plan to fostering and nourishing the development of students. I became hypervigilant in my duties as an assistant principal and acted in a non-traditional project manager capacity. The integration management of district, state, government, and CDC policies and procedures in the school system compels me to act as a change agent for my school. I was able to take a non-traditional approach to project management utilizing the various tools and techniques to ensure that faculty, staff, parents, and, most important, the students embraced our new school environment as “the new normal.”

References: Fundamentals of SEL (2021). Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, CASEL. Retrieved October 13, 2021, from https://casel.org/fundamentals-of-sel/ LETRS Overview (2021). Voyager Sopris Learning. Retrieved October 13, 2021, from https://www.voyagersopris.com/professional-development/letrs/overview Project Management Institute (PMI). (2017). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide). (6th edition). Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute, Inc.

FALL 2021 | PM magazine

Janice Allen Product Owner

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CHANGE MANAGEMENT IN THE FINANCIAL SERVICES SECTOR: HOW IMPORTANT IS IT FOR ORGANIZATIONAL SUCCESS?

This quote by Mark Sanborn resonates with me: “Success in life isn’t based on your ability to simply change. It is based on your ability to change faster than your competition, customers, and business.”

(Sanborn, 2017). Working in the financial services industry both in helping individual clients prepare for their financial goals and working in project management to implement digital transformation for over 25 years has given me a front row seat into seeing the negative outcomes of an organization’s inability to keep pace with the ever-changing landscape of new technology, financial regulations, consumer trends and in unforeseen changes such as the COVID-19 pandemic. What I observed when an organization is unable to keep up pace with change is a loss in its customer base to competition, reduced market share, increased customer complaints, and low employee morale to name a few.

Persistent Systems

“Companies that do not pay close attention to change determinants will be caught off guard and experience stiff consequences.”

Effectively integrating change management and project management is crucial to an organization’s success. To be successful in this era of constant change, organizations within the financial services and other industries must have an established and effective change management and project management process that can quickly adapt and respond to any change.

The change management plan strives to make this the case. The change management plan provides the direction for managing changes and documents the roles and responsibilities of the project team, and ultimately the change control board (PMI, 2017).

What does effective change management and project management look like? It understands the differences between the two disciplines and how to integrate their practices to arrive at the intended and desired outcomes (Prosci, n.d).

Change management is referred to as “the people side” and project management as the “technical side”. The people’s side of change management is to help employees embrace, adopt, and use the new solution proficiently.

The technical side of project management is to design, develop, and implement effective, scalable solutions. While change management and project management can work separately, integrating the two approaches will produce the desired outcome on the people and technical side. An organization can leverage the models, processes, and principles offered within the scope of change management and project management to easily manage the impact of constant change.

The financial services industry is an industry

that experiences changes more frequently than other sectors of the economy. These changes are determined by government regulations, consumer choices, technology, market forces etc. Companies that do not pay close attention to these change determinants will be caught off guard and experience stiff consequences.

Regulatory changes are inevitable, consumer choices are unpredictable and market forces can be unstable. Companies that stay informed will be aware of impending changes before they become effective. From experience, regulatory changes are stressful to an organization and often are seen as complex, cumbersome, and extremely restrictive. These changes usually require change to processes and systems. Effectively integrating change management and project management to manage these changes would prove crucial to any financial services company that wants to remain relevant. Integrating the two principles would mean being proactive and keeping abreast of impending changes and begin to communicate and socialize with employees to manage resistance, remove barriers and impediments, and to gain commitment and buy-in. Buy-in can be obtained by collaborating to arrive at simple solutions to complex changes that will satisfy regulators, customers, and employees.

Organizations that successfully integrate change management and project management understand that the right structure must be in place before the integrated process can be in place. Before integration of these two practices can take place, the role and value of change management must be accepted as a critical component within a project, the project team must understand that it is accountable for delivering expected results and the project

“The challenge in today’s project management environment is the lure to sacrifice proper change management procedures as stated above for the sake of fast delivery of project results. ” sponsor and stakeholders identifying the role they play in the successful communication and adoption of project outcomes, and to create a structured and rigorous approach to the people and technical side of change.

The challenge in today’s project management environment is the lure to sacrifice proper change management procedures as stated above for the sake of fast delivery of project results.

References: Project Management Institute (PMI). (2017). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide). (6th edition).

Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute, Inc. Prosci. (n.d.). Integrating change management and project management.

Retrieved from https://www.prosci.com/resources/articles/integratingchange-management-and-project-management Sanborn, M. (2017, October 12). 20 Transformational quotes on change management. Top right. Retrieved from https://www.toprightpartners. com/insights/20-transformational-quotes-on-change-management/

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PM magazine | FALL 2021

PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND THE HUNT FOR MURPHY “In a waterfall planning process project managers had to be much more aware of all facets of a project.”

Project management has been an accepted practice since 1969 (Haughey, 2010). In the 60’s project management Project Manager was largely waterfall based or MetaBank - Atlanta, GA what the Project Management Institute (PMI, 2017) refers to as “a predictive life cycle in which the project scope, time and cost are determined in the early phases of the project and any changes to the scope are carefully managed” (p.19). Project managers of yesteryear “managed” through documentation, documentation, and more documentation. With the introduction of the agile approach in the 1990’s and the creation of the Agile Manifesto in 2001 which condensed all the earlier agile methodologies into a set of defined values and principles, agile has challenged project managers to do away with stagnant thinking. It encouraged flexibility to reduce a siloed approach to projects (Cobb, 2015).

However, it can be argued that not all past processes should be completely “decommissioned” in the world of agile. With that in mind I would like to title this piece…

The Search for Murphy!

Clayton Ollarvia, MBA

Now we all have heard the talking points that agile relies on collaboration, flexibility, and teamwork.

Most see this methodology as a more fluid process that allows for overlapping stages (i.e., development and testing occurring in parallel). Agile allows project teams to split work into sprints and to deliver specific deliverables during each said sprint. Now this may seem wonderful and altruistic, but I would argue that some project managers come to rely too heavily on subject matter experts and/or other developmental teams for information.

Now when we peel the lid back on the traditional waterfall approach, we see something a bit different.

Under waterfall, you typically are dealing with larger initiatives, clear documentation and most importantly more accountability. While some would argue that this approach is antiquated and does not stand the test of time in the current technological landscape, I would argue that in a waterfall planning process project managers had to be much more aware of all facets of a project. And therein lies our wonderful friend… Murphy!

“A project manager cannot be afraid to create artifacts in a project and submit them to become processes and procedures for future efforts.”

You are probably asking yourself, who is or what is a Murphy? We all know Murphy as the all too familiar phrase, “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong”. This transitive property is the bane of most project manager’s existence! There is nothing like making it through all the phases of a project, getting ready for a deployment and BOOM… a firewall is blocked! Or BAM someone missed testing a critical service element. Murphy can poke its head out at any point and wreak utter havoc on a project. But while this can happen in any project it can be argued that Murphy is a more frequent visitor to those PMs relying on agile methodology alone.

How does this happen you ask? Well, we have already discussed some of the brief advantages of agile, however, we have not discussed the disadvantages.

The Project Management Institute (PMI) organization notes that one of the key areas of concern with agile projects is scaling to larger projects (Miller, 2013). Not in any way saying it is not possible to run an enterprise level project in agile, but again Murphy! When you have many resources across a wide spectrum of verticals, a project manager cannot simple schedule scrum meetings and hope that the subject matter experts, or SMEs, will bring this project to completion. It takes extra effort, communication, and a lot of documentation. A project manager (PM) cannot be afraid to create artifacts in a project and submit them to become processes and procedures for future efforts.

In my career I have seen a plethora of agile projects fail because at no point during that project did the project manager ask, “What can fail?” This might seem like a menial question, but I would argue that keeping that question in mind from the very beginning of a project can help save you during your agile projects. How does a PM of an agile organization consistently search for Murphy you ask? Well, that is where waterfall comes into play. As we noted earlier one of the major benefits of the waterfall method is documentation. It cannot be argued that where we often find Murphy, is deep… and I do mean DEEP within the details of a project. To aid in the search for Murphy, we must understand that “identifying risks is an iterative process” (PMI 2017, p. 411) and with that in mind - start and run your agile project with waterfall in mind. Documentation such as a risk register and risk reports that are regularly monitored, reviewed, and updated as the project progresses can aid in the detection of Murphy.

Agile PMs can become certified Murphy hunters by digging deeper into project requirements and with PMs taking the waterfall approach to understanding requirements helps ensure that a PM can ask the right questions from the start of the project planning

phase. Asking questions such as: What happens during development if THIS specific deliverable is altered? What are the downstream impacts if we crash this section?

How is quality impacted by performing development and testing at the same time? Implementing and using various tools and techniques recommended by PMI such as: Design of Experiment, What-If scenario analysis, Alternative\Root Cause Analysis and/or Ishikawa diagrams (PMI, 2017) assists in answering those daunting questions and prevents Agile PMs from becoming more than just glorified note takers but more so, Agile PMs who manage projects and understand the objectives of each of the groups and/or SMEs involved.

Yes, we have already acknowledged that in today’s changing technology landscape the rigidness of waterfall is not readily preferred. However, being proactive in understanding the facets of a project is just one of the main components to ensuring Murphy cannot catch you off guard. PMs must be forthright, be determined, and be inquisitive. These are just some techniques that waterfall project managers must be able to adequately answer at almost every phase of a project and I believe that being able to ask these questions as well as answer them would be of great benefit to agile project managers as well. This blend of agile and waterfall project management styles eliminates rework and project waste and building in these “Murphy” parameters can serve as on-set indicators of risks to be monitored early on for risk mitigation whenever our good friend Murphy decides to ever say “Hi. Remember Me!”.

References: Cobb, C. G. (2015). The project manager’s guide to mastering agile: Principles and practices for an adaptive approach.

Haughey, Duncan. (2010). A Brief History of Project Management. Project Smart. Retrieved October 14, 2021, from https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/ history-of-project-management/brief-history-of-project-management.php.

Miller, G. J. (2013). Agile problems, challenges, & failures. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2013—North America, New Orleans, LA. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.

Project Management Institute (PMI). (2017). A guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) (6th edition). Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute, Inc.

FALL 2021 | PM magazine

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BUSINESS CONTINUITY IN RETURNING TO THE OFFICE Michael Akanisi IT coordinator

Soon after the pandemic started in March of 2020, working remotely for an extended period of time gained momentum and became a reality for many non-essential employees. While there were mixed emotions towards this new business environment, no one suspected that a year later we would still be operating in a virtual workforce. Organizations had non-existent protocols or short-term solutions for dealing with the pandemic. As we slowly approach a post-pandemic society, leaders and decisionsmakers have had to carefully consider what the return-to-office process looks like. The pandemic has forever changed the previous status quo and has presented new opportunities for industries to create new models for work. Collectively, we are more conscious of our immediate surroundings and personal space, and we are constantly doing our best to stay safe while carrying out our professional duties. Although it might initially be difficult for the masses to adjust to change, change is ultimately inevitable considering how workers currently navigate professional environments.

World Bank Group

There have been significant benefits supporting the plan. As we move closer to a post-pandemic era, is engaged at the level that promotes successful work-from-home model. Productivity has improved organizations are preparing and executing their completion of the process. at many organizations. Studies show that 13% business continuity plans which mostly involves increase in performance can be attributed to work Refreezing in the New Normal: moving their employees back to office. To help ease from home model, of which 9% can be credited to the transition, there are several processes and tools Lastly, when it seems like people’s working more minutes per shift due mindsets have shifted and they are to fewer breaks and sick days (Bloom getting comfortable with the new norm, et al., 2015). Working in Information the organization will trigger the Refreeze Technology services has meant that “The pandemic has forever changed the previous status I have had a front row seat during quo and has presented new opportunities for industries to phase and encourage everyone to stay in the new state and avoid a return to the time of transition to work from the prior state (reminding them of the create new models for work.” home. Many organizations made collaborative environment that comes tremendous efforts to find laptops, with being in the office, socialization/ docking stations and monitors, setup networking, engagement, etc.). In this remote access tools, develop and reconfigure the that organizations and companies can implement for stage, it is essential to work actively with the people processes and applications and migrate to cloud creating effective change management. The most in the organization to install, test, use, measure, services to make sure everyone got their job done commonly used strategy is the unfreeze, change, and enhance the new system. It is also important with little or no hiccups. Development of a resource and refreeze method. to provide constant feedback for the senior management plan, resource breakdown structure management team and expect that the people Unfreezing the Current Working System and and physical resource assignments are some of the affected by the new change can implement the new Culture: plans and documents that facilitate the allocation system. In my area of work, some key factors for of resources to the right place and at the right time This could involve establishing a sense of urgency or effective change management in the context of cyber (PMI, 2017). To help this effort, unknowingly, many creating an environment that meets the urgency of security include top managerial support, defining people were working extra hours, taking less time the situation (Brisson-Banks, 2010). As a hybrid work and establishing key roles and responsibilities, off, and reducing instances of tardiness to work and force is now the norm of many organizations since educating and evaluating employees, and activation meetings, which may likely change as we return to the pandemic, in application of this process they will of feedback and continuous improvement. the office. Most employees may be eager to clock create the sense of urgency for employees to return out as early as possible to beat traffic to attend to Office culture as we have known it is no more. It will to office. This is followed by forming a powerful personal issues, or to address mental health issues be beneficial for both employees and employers guiding coalition with all stakeholders. Depending tied to daily commute and dealing with COVID. to come to terms with this fact and begin to on an organization’s specifics, there can be added work together. Having worked and lived on four infrastructure costs to support in-office and at-home Business continuity is the proactive way organizations continents, I had experienced the constant changes employees. “Paying for high-speed internet for 100 plan to address disruption to their operations. The in lifestyle and mindset, so I understand that it different employees so they can work remotely from pandemic was an eye opener to many organizations can be challenging. However, through listening to their homes is an added cost that will be incurred and on the importance of having a business continuity feedback and cultivating an environment where does not reduce or eliminate the need for bandwidth everyone feels as though their voices are heard and at the physical office “(Padgett, 2021). Anything that concerns are adequately met, the goal of developing increases overhead cost, reduces the profitability of a new office culture is attainable. an organization and stakeholders will likely support moves that prevent profitability reduction. With all stakeholders buying into the task at hand, they can References: create a vision which generally signals the beginning of the new norm.

Bloom, N., Liang, J., Roberts, J., Ying, Z. J. (March 2015). Does working Changing the Narrative through Influence: The second step is headlined with communicating the vision that was agreed upon by all stakeholders.

These stakeholders now have to translate this vision to their various business units or departments to act upon. It is important at this stage to plan for and create short-term wins. A short-term win in this sense can be getting 25-35% of the at-home employees back to the office within the first month of executing the return to office plan. A stakeholder engagement assessment matrix will be handy at this step as it helps ensure that every stakeholder

from home work?. Retrieved October 10, 2021, from https://nbloom. people.stanford.edu/sites/g/files/sbiybj4746/f/wfh.pdf

Brisson-Banks, C. V. (2010). Managing change and transitions: a comparison of different models and their commonalities. Library Management, 31(4/5), 241-252. doi: 10.1108/01435121011046317 Padgett, C.M., (January 5th, 2021). How teams triumph: Managing by commitment. New York, NY: Forbes Books.

Project Management Institute. (2017). A guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK guide) (6th edition). Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute, Inc.

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PM magazine | FALL 2021

STUDENT TEAM Biographies Kenechukwu Aneke, PMP MSPM c/o 2021 Kenechukwu Aneke is an industrious and resourceful professional with the ability to adapt to quickly changing business, entrepreneurial and professional environments. In 2012, he received his Bachelor of Science in Management Sciences from Enugu State University of Science and Technology in Nigeria. In December 2021, Kenechukwu will earn his Master of Science in Project Management from the Earl Graves School of Business and Management at Morgan.

Since migrating to the United States, Kenechukwu is a certified Project Management Professional who works in the research community. He is a Registered Laboratory Animal Technician (RLAT) and has worked as a contractor for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) National Institutes of Health (NIH). Most recently, Kenechukwu works for the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) contract for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), where he and his team of research associates support the fight of Principal Investigators against numerous pathogens; most recently mycobacterium tuberculosis and SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19). Post-graduation, Kenechuwu intends to expand his entrepreneurial pursuits.

Ashley Bell, CAPM MSPM c/o 2021 Ashley Bell graduated from the University of South Florida in 2017 with a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications with a minor in Business Administration. She is currently finishing her Master of Science degree in Project Management with an anticipated graduation date of December, 2021. Ashley intends to become a Project Management Professional (PMP) by the end of 2022.

She has a professional track record in the asset management industry where she has managed the financial budgets and forecasts of over $15 million, becoming well versed in record-keeping for individual investors and tracking the engagement of key account client retirement plans. She is also a part of the Diversity Acquisition Team for the T. Rowe Price’s CFO group where she has launched a recruiting pipeline that serves as a mutually exclusive partnership between the firm and Morgan State University’s Graves School of Business at the graduate level. Experiences in these areas have afforded her an integral position to bring about a consultation for process improvement for the firm.

Ashley intends to utilize the Agile SCRUM framework and project management discipline to consult and impact people, processes, and scale technology all geared toward effective change management processes.

Támara Combs, CAPM MSPM c/o 2021 Támara J. Combs is a native of Queens, NY, and obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies for Morgan State University in 1998. Following graduation, she pursued a career in non-profit management, where she worked for the Associated Black Charities of Maryland and the National Minority AIDS Council. Tamara is an experienced senior-level organizational development professional with strategic expertise in developing innovative solutions, increasing operational efficiency, and building organizational and HIV public health infrastructures. In 2020, Tamara established Combs Consulting, an independent consulting practice, where she works to provide organizational development, change management, coaching, and technical assistance and training services to non-profit organizations. She is also a member of the illustrious sisterhood of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Támara is currently enrolled in the Master of Science for Project Management (MSPM) program housed within the Earl Graves School of Business and Management. Upon graduating, Tamara plans to obtain her Project Management Professional (PMP) certification along with the Society of Human Resource Management Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) certificate with plans to transition into consulting management in the private sector.

Kenneth Hodge Jr. MSPM c/o 2021 Kenneth Hodge Jr. is a native of Bronx, NY, and is currently enrolled in the Master of Science in Project Management program at the Earl Graves School of Business and Management, with an expected graduation date of December, 2021. He earned a Certificate in Project Management from Kennesaw State University in 2016 and graduated from DeVry University in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science in Network Communications and Management. Kenneth has over 25 years of experience in the Information Technology field working for companies such as JP Morgan Chase, Scientific Atlanta, and Cisco Systems.

Currently, Kenneth is an IT Project Manager with Black Box Network Services managing video service implementations, migrations, and decommissions. Kenneth became interested in project management during his years at Scientific Atlanta when his manager suggested taking a project management boot camp because of how he organized customer hardware\ software deployments and has been honing his skills managing small IT projects. Kenneth plans on obtaining the Project Management Professional certification and using his certification and degree to enhance his career as an IT Project Manager in Atlanta, GA upon graduation. He is currently a member of the Project Management Institute, affiliated with the chapter based in Atlanta, GA, a member of 100 Black Men of North Metro Atlanta, Inc., and a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.

FALL 2021 | PM magazine

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Oreva Iliromah MSPM c/o 2021 Oreva Iliromah obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Cell Biology and Genetics from the prestigious University of Lagos, Nigeria in 2011. She is currently enrolled in the Master of Science in Project Management (MSPM) program at Earl Graves School of Business and Management at Morgan. She began her career in one of Nigeria’s foremost financial institutions, Zenith Bank PLC, where she served as a banking operations staff person for 5 years where she gained some informal project management experience. Her passion for event planning and coordination birthed her desire for a career change and decision to become a certified project manager.

Oreva is a member of the Project Management Institute and has plans to obtain the Project Management Professional certification before she graduates in December 2021. She is excited at the prospect of working and growing in this new career path.

Babajide Kuforiji-Kehinde, PMP, PSM MSPM c/o 2021 Babajide Kuforiji-Kehinde obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in International Law and Diplomacy from Babcock University, Nigeria in 2010. He began his early career in banking, where he was part of the team that led to the opening of the Nigerian market to electronic payment systems and solutions. He has since worked in the areas of product development, activation and distribution, and advisory services for startups, etc. He is currently enrolled in the Master’s Program in Project Management at the Earl G. Graves School of Business and Management at Morgan, where he intends to further hone his understanding of project management. He is a certified Project Management Professional, Professional Scrum Master, Lean Six Sigma White Belt Certified, and member of the Project Management Institute.

Gloria Smalls MSPM c/o 2021 Gloria Smalls is a native of Baltimore, Maryland. Early in her career, Gloria pursued entrepreneurial endeavors as the sole proprietor of the Tri & Jai Beauty Salon. In 2018, Gloria earned a Bachelor of Science in Health Education from Morgan State University. Most recently, Gloria works as an Inventory Coordinator Specialist within the University’s Procurement and Property Control Division.

Gloria is currently enrolled in the Master of Science in Project Management program within the Graves School of Business and Management at Morgan and anticipates her graduation in December 2021. Upon graduation, Gloria intends to pursue leadership roles and other professional opportunities in tandem with her entrepreneurial passions.

Our Program & Links to PMI 100% ONLINE GRADUATE PROGRAMS IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Morgan State University’s graduate programs in Project Management are offered by the department of Information Science and Systems in the Earl G. Graves School of Business and Management. The MSPM program is suitable for professionals that want to develop their knowledge and skills to move up to senior planning, consulting, and project management positions. Applicants are required to have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university, at least two years professional level work experience, and meet the MSU Graduate School admission requirements.

Students choose three courses from a list of over 40 courses to integrate project management skills in a specific subject area from Architecture; The Arts; Business; City and Regional Planning; Civil Engineering; Industrial Engineering; Information Technology; Science; and Transportation.

The Project Management Institute (PMI) offers membership to full time students in degree-granting programs at a college or university that has U.S. accreditation or the global equivalent.

The program requires 30 credits and a comprehensive examination. Program partici- A PMI student membership also offers discounts on certifications such as the Certified pants complete courses as a cohort. The interdisciplinary feature of the MSPM allows Associate in Project Management (CAPM) and the Project Management Professional students to take three supporting courses that form the focus areas in a wide range (PMP). Additionally, PMI in collaboration with MSU has held CAPM, PMP, PMI-RMP, of fields.

Agile, and ITIL exam prep workshops on the campus of Morgan State and continues to offer the workshops every spring Samples of courses offered include: and fall.

Foundations in Project, Program, and Portfolio Management Please visit us at www.morgan.edu, Project Integration and Scope Management

then proceed to Academic Programs.

Building and Leading Successful Project Teams Project Time and Cost Management Managing Project Procurement, Quality, and Risk 1700 E. Cold Spring Lane, Baltimore, Maryland 21251

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SPRING 2021 | PM magazine

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