PMI-Milwaukee Breakfast Discussion - Career Planning for Project Managers

I am invited to be a guest speaker/panelist tomorrow at my local Project Management Institute (PMI-Milwaukee) Chapter.  The topic for tomorrow's discussion is: Career Planning for Project Managers. The event is hosted by Direct Supply from 7:00-8:30AM at their offices in Milwaukee.

Presentation Summary:  

Project managers need to manage their careers over the long term just like anyone else. If an organization has more than a few project managers then there will be a mix of people with different skills, experience, and aspirations. It's natural for some people to leave and others to take their places.

How do organizations manage that mix over the long term? What do project managers aspire to do after they've gotten really good at their jobs? What opportunities can we create for them that will use their strengths while helping them to get what they want from their careers?  

If you are interested in learning more about this topic as a blog post, please leave your comments below.

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Do you have what it takes to be a Lean Sensei?

To understand the term "Lean Sensei", lets start with the context of this blog post, defining what lean is, and what Sensei means. In the context of this blog post I am speaking on the topic of lean six sigma in manufacturing. Lean Six Sigma is a powerful and rigorous business transformation methodology that combines the principles of Lean & Six Sigma. The primary principle behind Lean is to reduce or eliminate waste from a process and make it efficient. The primary principle behind Six Sigma is to reduce process variation by identifying the root cause of the problem and eliminating defects.

Lean Six Sigma helps an organization to streamline its processes by utilizing a combination of lean & six sigma principles. A Sensei is a teacher or coach in the Japanese language.  A Lean Sensei essentially is a teacher or coach that is well versed in the principles of Six Sigma & Lean and is able to facilitate, lead, and is passionate about teaching others these concepts selflessly. A Lean Sensei can be a role within a manufacturing organization, or it can be that of an outside consultant.


Original Image Courtesy of Freedigitalimage.com

An experienced Sensei has the ability to recognize and baseline a current situation by asking "what is getting in your way of doing this right" or "where is the process failing or differing from an ideal state". Most lean practitioners are trained to look for "waste" in processes. That seems like the most obvious thing to do. But, to be truly successful in practicing and teaching lean, we must look deeper at the root cause and what is causing the process to deviate from the ideal state. A Lean Sensei is a relentless, passionate and dedicated leader that can help lead organizations as they transform and adopt a lean culture holistically.

So, do you think you have what it takes to be a Lean Sensei? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

I am a Certified Six Sigma Black Belt and have led several process improvement initiatives over the past few years. I also co-teach a Six Sigma Green Belt Online Certification Program online through the American Foundrymen's Society (AFS). So, when I get asked the question, "Are you a Lean Sensei?", I almost always respond NOT YET! That is an honor I reserve for my client or my employer to bestow upon me some day.

If you would like to learn more about the principles of Lean Six Sigma and other process improvement methodologies, please contact me. You can also read How a Commercial Photography Studio Successfully Applied Lean Principles to Tackle Waste

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Career Management: 5 Helpful Tips to Successfully Negotiate in a Tough Job Market

Back in December 2011, I was invited by Disability.gov to contribute as a guest blogger to their Career Connection Series, Ask the Expert. I developed an article that offered tips on how to successfully negotiate in a tough job market. This was almost a year ago. The current employment market as we know it is changing. There are new models being created and born almost every day. Below is a link to the original article as it appreared on Disability.gov. Did you find the article helpful? Please leave your comments below.

Career Connection Series: 5 Helpful Tips to Successfully Negotiate in a Tough Job Market

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I cleared my Project Management Professional Certification Exam (PMP)

The cake I took into work the next day. Vanilla Buttercream Frosting, was yummy!

I am so happy to announce that I achieved my Project Management Professional PMP certification from the Project Management Institute, PMI last Wednesday. I got the authorization/confirmation to take the exam in February and I scheduled my exam for July. I must say it is very challenging to study in the summer, but I was brave and continued my study game plan. I was so relieved to see the "Congratulations, you passed" on the screen after the gruelling 4 hours and 30 minutes. The exam is preceded by a 15 minute optional tutorial and followed by a 15 minute optional survey. 

I have already been requested by some of my colleagues to coach them as they prepare to take this exam also and I have gladly agreed to help them!

Are any of you readers also preparing for their Project Management PMP certification credential or perhaps are considering it? Please feel free to leave your comments below.

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Blog Updates: New feature- A Job Board!

I am pleased to announce my newest service to all my blog readers-- a job board feature powered by Job*a*matic, a Simply Hired career management service!  The job board is called "Get me hired now!".  Job seekers are able to browse through all available jobs in Wisconsin, search for a specific job by keywords, and also see the most recently posted jobs on the site.  Employers and recruiters can post jobs on this site for a small monthly subscription fee.  I would love to hear your feedback on this new career management feature! Please post your comments below.

Also, if you would like to get help in setting up a job board service for your blog, drop me a line below.  Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend so far!

Get me hired NOW!

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Media Event: Department of Workforce Development DWD - Reemployment Services Session

Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development Website

Today, I was invited to attend and participate in a 2 hour session from the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development's Reemployment Services.  RES is an important program that has proven effective in helping job seekers.  This program was made possible through a DOL grant.  For those of you interested in learning about this program, view this PowerPoint presentation.  The letter I received mandated me to attend it and that I was randomly chosen due to my layoff in 2009.  I also had to take a survey and create a candiate profile on the Job Center of Wisconsin before the session.  I found out that it did not matter that I am currently employed.  They are offering this as a useful resource to everyone that has been, is, or will become unemployed. I am glad I attended, as I found a lot of great information at the event!  The session was held in the MATC, Mequon location at 5555 W. Highland Ave. on the West Campus. I had to sign in and then received a bright pink parking permit to put inside the dash of my car. The receptionist informed me I can use the same permit for future events I attend at that DWD Center.  There were atleast 10-15 other attendees today.  We were escorted by Mr. Ken Moravec, our RES coach to a classroom down the hallway.  We received helpful handouts on resources that are available through DWD, local networking groups, calendar of events for training, career workshops etc. It was all very useful information.  Ken presented our orientation session offering various helpful resources that are available, interviewing tips, networking events, career workshops, and the National Career Readiness Certificate Program (NCRC Certification Program). I will be doing more research on this in the upcoming weeks to see if that is something I might be interested in acheiving for my jobskills portfolio. Overall, it was a very helpful session.  I picked up a lot of good resources from the center.  If my blog readers are interested, I can blog about topics of interest such as: networking for job seekers, dress for success, job resources for persons with disabilities, How to get started on LinkedIn, how to setup a blog and use it as a tool for your job search etc.
If you are interested, leave a comment below with your topic of interest and I will queue up my posts per your requests.

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My Career Interests & Background

I wanted to blog today about my career background and professional interests. You will also find this in much detail on my website, ShabanaWollin.com and also reading about me here. 

I am an IBM Certified Advanced Application Developer - Lotus Notes & Domino since version 4.x. I am also a Six Sigma Black Belt. I am in the process of getting my PMI Certification (just have to schedule the exam and take it!) I have spent 14 years of my career in IT & Manufacturing, developing solutions & helping companies improve their processes, maximize their ROI and acheive measurable results. Some of the industries I have worked in include: Finance & Banking, Risk Management, Insurance, Metals & Mining, Business Consulting Services, County Governments, & Government owned companies.
I started my own consulting practice in 2009, Bluefrog Technologies LLC after suffering a layoff. I got involved with various technologies besides IBM Lotus Notes & Domino, expanded my business development skill set, maximized on social networking, volunteered in the community, mentored other IT professionals,served on my son's school advisory board, got involved with my Alma Mater, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee Alumni, reconnected with old friends, read, re-explored my hobbies of Crochet, Knitting, & Jewelry Making & spent time reconnecting with my family! I realized I was learning a lot more from the people I was meeting and the connections I was making. Learning that would not have been possible while I was employed. I strongly believe everything in life happens for a reason, be it good or bad. You have to remain strong, have faith and learn from it. Its easier said than done! While I was unemployed, I continued doing a lot of volunteer work and explored industries that I have never had any experience in.
Today as a result, I have an opportunity to be working as a Project Manager consultant for a company in the Healthcare Insurance field implementing a social media solution. You can learn about my current employer, Independent Care Health Plan, iCare by visiting their website. As a result of this project I am gaining new expertise in Social Media Marketing for healthcare & persons with disabilities, creating employment opportunities for youth with disabilities, utilizing social media to interact with physicians etc. Hence, on my blog you will find resources and posts related to these topics.
I am available to start on new projects in the First Quarter of 2011. If you are interested in learning about my consulting engagement process and hiring me, feel free to contact me or email me directly!

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