Greetings NCPMI Members

It’s a great time to be a Project Manager. Life has provided us one of the broadest and deepest waves of change in history. When have we seen our professional, personal and global communities under a more demanding change wave? I would say not in any of our lifetimes have we experience such a sudden demand for change. As stewards of change how are we adjusting? How are we leveraging our collective skills, abilities and influence to help move our society forward as citizens and members of the Project Management Profession?

We have all been led through the shock, denial, acceptance and advocacy curve associated with COVID-19. We will all grow in ways that will improve our lives. The NCPMI Board of Officers has not experienced a single discussion without thinking of the needs of our membership, partners and friends in the PM Community. I am proud to say that NCPMI has been leading changes to support of our membership and the project management profession.

• Virtual Chapter Services – Since March 2020, we have been delivering all Chapter Services in Virtual formats, including Chapter Meetings, Membership Initiatives, Professional Development, Outreach, Certifications and Communities of Practice. We look forward to strengthening our service delivery capabilities to make our virtual experiences as impactful and enjoyable as in-person events. We will provide this to our members for the foreseeable future no matter where the COVID-19 change takes us.
• Partnerships – NCPMI has not only worked across various internal service groups to support your needs but also extended this sense of community to other PMI Chapters as well. Since the month of March, we have delivered a joint Chapter Meeting with our neighboring NC Chapters (Metrolina and Piedmont) and continue to explore other ways to serve our members. We are also partnering with others to deliver a PDD event later this year.
• Outreach –We have provided outreach opportunities for our members, whether it’s Social Good, PMIEF, Charitable or Academic outreach. The global pandemic has impacted many of us financially through our employers that have limited discretionary spending for training, workforce reductions and travel restrictions. Our Certifications team has launched a virtual PMP Exam Prep course that will be offered free of charge starting in the month of June.
• Volunteers – Our outstanding group of volunteers can continue to learn new ways of promoting the Project Management Profession and developing their own skills and contribute to their local communities.

It is my pleasure to be part of this organization. Thank you for remaining engaged and for all you have done thus far in 2020. I look forward to working with the NCPMI membership, business partners and volunteers to power us through 2020 and ensure our collective impact across our global, local and personal landscapes. Let’s adjust our expectations and goals for the benefit of those in our lives that depend on our sense of organization, change, persistence and grit. We will all grow together over the coming months. See you on the other side.

Regards,

Robert (Bobby) Robinson PMP, PfMP, ITIL

NCPMI VP, Programs (2019-2020)

I am reminded of this quote that appears in the opening paragraph of Charles Dickens’ novel A Tale of Two Cities, which opens with:

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair …, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way …”

The story tells about a time of chaos, conflicts, and despair, as well as happiness and transformation.  Welcome to our “new normal”.

We are living in a world where Covid-19 and social distancing requires us to pivot as an organization and transform how we support our membership. Due to the current state of the economy and concerns for protecting the well-being of our members, the NCPMI board will focus on providing services that can be delivered virtually.  Collaboration with other chapters and business partners to create professional development offerings will be at the forefront, along with posting consistent updates to the web pages and calendar of events that will help you earn PDUs, and/or develop new skills.

Some hard decisions needed to be made on this journey to transformation. Our premier Annual Conference at the RCC will be postponed to August 23^rd, 2021.

I am excited to announce that in collaboration with the North Carolina Triad and Metrolina Chapters we will be hosting a virtual event with up to 10 speakers.  Planned for Fall 2020, this event will be recorded for future viewing. This is not a replacement for our Annual Conference.

2020 planned workshops will now be delivered in series of lunch and learns or evening and weekend sessions. We have started with the March/April Stress Management Coaching Series and will continue in May/June with a series for the Agile Practitioner.  Tag the chapter website to your favorites because we will be adding new events on a weekly basis as we engage with our partners to share with you learning and networking opportunities.

Stay Safe! Stay tuned, there’s more to come! Reach out to your Professional Development Team with ideas and thoughts on how we can add value to your membership experience.

Carolyn Evans, PMP, CSM

NCPMI VP of Professional Development, vp_profdev@ncpmi.org

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