PMINZ

The Waikato Sub-Branch is part of the Northern Branch.

The Waikato Sub-Branch meets in Hamilton on the 3rd Tuesday of every second month.

February, April, June, August, October, December

See Waikato Programme for full details.

Waikato News

posted by pmi_admin on Sat, 30/06/2012 - 6:45pm

June 19, 2012 Sub-Branch Meeting Report

Topic: The New Holy Grail of Legal Practice: Project Management

Shaun Plant is a solicitor with Tompkins Wake. He has a Master’s degree in project management and over 15 years’ experience in managing large capital construction and infrastructure projects. He is also leading a programme for the Project Management Institute to develop an organisation process asset library of legal project management tools. Shaun has also recently published an article on this topic in the New Zealand Lawyer magazine.

Synopsis:
Shaun came to law later in life (than most) after a lengthy career as a professional project manager. While he was curious to see how those skills and experiences could add value to the legal services that he would provide, his expectation was that much of his previous experience would be redundant.

No longer would he be required to undertake a detailed analysis of a client’s requirements, distilling and documenting their goals and expectations, facilitating planning workshops to map out project delivery, and drawing on a wide range of tools to ensure that all resources, costs, and risks were managed to satisfy the client’s requirements. Instead, he would become a subject matter expert in his chosen field of practice (environmental law), focusing on technical legal detail and, to ensure he was acting in the client’s best interests, pursuing many legal avenues to advance his client’s position.

How wrong he was! It soon became apparent that much of the practice of law is not about technical legal detail, but managing projects.

This was a very informative and entertaining session, with Shaun having a great deal to share with both the members present,
and the legal profession as a whole. In his promotion of Project Management into the legal profession, he has been able to successfully
dispell some common myths:

- Lawyers don’t need project management!
- The practice of law is unique and doesn’t lend itself to business models that are used in other industries or professions.
- Lawyers don’t need to plan.
- Legal work often involves other parties who have their own objectives and secret agendas and therefore there are too many variables to accurately plan upfront the work that is required.
- I’ve been practising this way for years, so I must be doing something right.

We would like to thank Shaun and Tompkins-Wake for hosting the meeting and the informative discussion.

Note: This meeting was video recorded and is available on YouTube. (PDU information at the end of the session for those who missed the meeting in person)
posted by pmi_admin on Wed, 16/05/2012 - 3:35am

April 17, 2012 Sub-Branch Meeting Report: Life After PMP/Sub-Branch Planning

In the April meeting we covered two topics: "Life After PMP" and "Sub-Branch Planning".

We also welcomed Grant Goodman, the new Waikato sub-branch coordinator. Grant
is new to PMI but brings with him a wealth of knowledge in project and program
management. He is also an enthusiastic volunteer and is looking forward to growing
the involvement and influence of the Waikato sub-branch.

Life After PMP

The group was mixed with less than half of those in attendance having their PMPs,
so the discussion ranged from the benefits of having your PMP and helpful hints
on how to obtain it - with most present expressing a desire to start/join a local
study group. We even had one person who is wanting to go for their PGMP. We are looking
forward to the 2012 study group getting off the ground soon.

We also discussed "Life after PMP" - what benefits people observed in the NZ market
in terms of credential profile, and many practical methods of gaining PDUs through
learning opportunities and giving back to the profession.

Sub-Branch Planning

The planning meeting was very productive with those in attendance actively engaging in the
group discussions and providing many valuable ideas for how to improve the visibility
of the sub-branch locally, and to provide more value to members. Items discussed included
joint speaker opportunities with other local groups and companies.

The level of energy in the room was infectious; although the meeting was scheduled to
end at 7:15 it wrapped up closer to 8pm, with people lingering well afterward to continue the conversations.

We are looking forward to a very dynamic 2012 with Grant at the helm.
posted by pmi_admin on Tue, 13/03/2012 - 5:39pm

February 2012 Meeting Report

Lynda McGregor presented an insightful and interactive session on Herrmann Brain Dominance instrument (HBDI), developed by William "Ned" Herrmann while leading management education at General Electric. HDBI helps identify different thinking styles through completion of a questionnaire. This can be insightful in unlocking the collaborative strength within a team and identifying whether individuals are more analytical, sequential, interpersonal or imaginative in their thinking. While none of these styles is "wrong", Lynda explained why different styles may act in different ways and require different information in their decision making. Some of the meeting attendees had been exposed to HDBI and there was discussion on the use of this technique to assist in stakeholder analysis and staff management. All attendees were grateful for Lynda's explanation of the practical application of the tool and her outstanding presentation.

Calum Robertson, the PMINZ Northern Branch Chair, thanked Frances, Sheryl, Maria and Gary for their volunteer work following the departure of John O'Donoghue as PMINZ Waikato Sub-branch Coordinator. Calum explained that PMINZ members from the Waikato area would be invited to apply for the Sub-branch Coordinator role to build on the excellent legacy left by John.
posted by pmi_admin on Wed, 22/02/2012 - 10:54am

December 2011 Meeting Report: Networking Speed Dating and the It’s Not PMP Project Manager

Tuesday, 13 December, 2011

Topic: End of year Social - Networking Speed Dating and the It’s Not PMP Project Manager

At the Christmas meeting we thought we’d have some fun with networking. We also be discovered the real
project manager in us with some non-serious activities, like the (not) PMP project manager quiz. Truthful
answers were not desirable and we were encouraged to bribe the judge. Any resemblance to project
management best practice was be avoided. Hamilton member Sheryl Morgan facilitated this completely
informal session.

Networking – Speed dating

We paired up and spent five minutes telling our speed dates what we do and what we like about our job. You
could date your way around your own industry (like IT) or you could date random strangers in PMI – your
choice!

(Not) Best Practice in Project Management
We had a range of activities, completely untouched by any link to PMBOK, that worked well for project
managers when practised with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. There was plenty of laughter, but no
guarantees of relevance for your PDU credits.
posted by pmi_admin on Wed, 26/10/2011 - 11:21am

Welcome to Waikato Sub-Branch

Please come here for all of the latest news regarding the Waikato Sub-Branch.