Many of you may have seen those original, brilliant Kiwi TV series, Insiders Guide to Happiness and Insiders Guide to Love. Our theme, "Insiders' Guide to Project Management", shamelessly borrows from them because they represent our vision of our profession.
Both series follow the lives of a handful of people on their seemingly separate journeys. But a common experience draws them together, and their lives become intertwined in obvious ways, as well as subtle ones. Throughout the series, we witness a spectrum of human emotions— happiness being only one, and as elusive as a butterfly. But enough about the project team!
Luc owns a city bakery in Insiders Guide to Love, and Rachel is his assistant. Baking is actually a recurring theme in both series, and this again reminded us of our profession. We know that many ingredients are required in the making of a project. Despite all our planning and using recipes that worked in the past, we never know our projects' outcomes until they are ready to serve to customers.
Why the butterfly, you ask? In addition to being a symbol in one of the TV series, most of us know the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) as another NZ icon. No one is certain how they got here, but they've been here since the 1870s. They over-winter in Christchurch where it's regularly below 10º C. They return to the same sites year after year—sometimes thousands on one tree. They are a delight, and swan plants abound in the gardens of the Garden City to feed them (see www.monarch.org.nz).
We're all Insiders of some kind. As project managers, our aim is to finish our projects on time, on budget and with the desired outcomes. Whether little titbits or big chunks learned in the midst of an ongoing project, we'll bring a lot with us and take away new bits as well. We in the Christchurch branch of PMINZ are excited to invite you to our 12th annual conference. Come prepared to learn, share, and above all, enjoy!!!
Carl L. Mize PMP
Conference Convener
PS: We can’t help bragging that Will Hall, from Christchurch, was featured in both TV series as James from Wanganui. To help him develop his character, Will said he just remembered how he felt when he left Christchurch at 21 and moved to Sydney to pursue his acting.
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