Speakers and Workshops

SAVE THE DATE!

Coming to the Overland Park Convention Center September 8 & 9! Two Days featuring 2 Keynote Speakers, 30 Workshops and much, much more. . .Don’t miss this awesome opportunity to add to your Project Management Knowledge. Experience our captivating Keynote Speakers!

Make the Right Choice: Creating a Positive, Innovative, and Productive Work Life

As a national speaker and humorist, Joel captivates audiences with a unique blend of improvisational comedy and essential ideas on work and life. He makes audiences laugh, but he also makes them think.

Organizations nationwide seek Joel out to energize employees on such topics as creativity, communication, teamwork, passion and fun derived from his first hand experience with technology and telecommunications companies.

Joel Zeff

His first book, Make the Right Choice: Creating a Positive, Innovative, and Productive Work Life, was published in 2007 by John Wiley & Sons. Joel will appear frequently throughout the conference as emcee, workshop presenter and to wrap-up the event.

Change Management, Innovation and Creativity:

Even Monkeys Fall From Trees-Learn From Your Mistakes and Embrace Change-Lessons From Disney

Douglas Lipp is an internationally acclaimed expert on customer service, leadership and diversity. Join him as he takes us on an entertaining and insightful journey behind the scenes to discover both the magic of Disney's success and how it has overcome spectacular challenges.

Formerly the head of training at Disney Studio's Walt Disney University, Doug also worked at Disneyland where he provided the well-known “Traditions” orientation program. Pivotal in his career with Disney was when that organization changed from the arrogant: “we're the best, why change?” to the progressive: “don't rest on your laurels” powerhouse corporation that it remains today. He will motivate and challenge the project managers to open our second day.Doug Lipp

Mr. Lipp is the author if six books including his most recent book The Changing Face of Today’s Customer, which proclaims the use of “cultural sense” in addition to common sense.

MS Project/Project Server - Jeff Almloff

With Microsoft Office Project Server 2007 and its clients, your company can more effectively manage and coordinate work ranging from one-time projects to complex programs across the entire project life cycle. Learn how this EPM tool can help you and your company be more successful in managing projects and programs.

Speaker's Bio:Jeff Almloff is the Practice Leader for Project Delivery Services for Sogeti in Kansas City. He is also President of the Kansas City chapter of the Microsoft Project Users Group (MPUG). He holds a Bachelor degree in Computer Information Systems and Masters degree in Project Management. In addition to his PMP certification, he also is certified in Microsoft Project, Project Server, ITIL and RUP.

Through his knowledge of the tools and processes related to Project and Portfolio Management he helps companies improve their overall effectiveness in project management through PM Transformation, PM training and mentoring, methodology development, organizational project management process improvement, and Project Management tool selection and implementation.

Jeff has helped companies implement and/or improve their use of Microsoft Project Server for companies including Sprint Nextel, Garmin, Perrigo, Pfizer, American Century, the Iowa Department of Transportation, and Kenneth Copeland Ministries.

Understanding Thought Processes for Effective Project Management - Tracy Duez

Discover How the Science of Axiology (study of human value) Can Bring to Your Project Management & Leadership Skills.

In this presentation you will discover:» How your brain works and how you release its magic for you.» How to identify the thoughts that are supporting you and those that are sabotaging your success.» How Axiology and the 3 Classes of Value affect your productivity, poise, passion and peace of mind as well as your project(s).» A New Way of looking at the thinking and choices that affect you, your team and your stakeholders. » How neuro-axiology can improve your leadership abilities, your critical thinking and your productivity by helping you THINK clearly all the time.

“Excellent information. Traci was able to bring the subject from a pure science to practicality.” - A.C., PMI Galveston, Clear Lake, TX“Original material that I had never seen before. Relevant and useful to my profession.” - R.R., PMI Houston, Houston, TX“Traci is a true professional. She is a fabulous speaker, and knows how to present information in a manner that is both informative and interesting. - A.W., PMI Alamo, San Antonio, TX

Speaker's Bio:Traci Duez, CSAC, is a thought-improvement expert who provides education, coaching and workshops to project managers, business owners, executives and their teams. Prior to starting her own company, Traci had 17 years of project management experience. She was also the director of consulting for an IT consulting firm and responsible for over 100 consultants. She worked closely with the PMO to achieve a CMM Level 3 rating. She has a bachelor's degree in Chemistry from Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, OH) and is a certified coach.

Today, Traci uses a mathematically-based tool to measure your thought processes and customizes a practicum to strengthen your strengths while overcoming the thoughts that may be interfering with your success. Her approach is NOT touchy-feely, hyped-up and motivational. It is based in science and works like magic!

Earned Value Analysis - Randy Bentele

An interactive workshop explaining Earned Value Analysis and showing how to use EVA as a tool to for determining the health of your project.

Speaker’s Bio: The presenter, Randy Bentele, is a PMP and experience project manager. He is currently the manager of the Enterprise Program Management Office for the EDS account at Black & Veatch.

The Magical Innovative Project – It Begins with the Discovery of Requirements - Brian Cook

Many business and IT projects claim they are innovative. However, the industry track record tells a different dismal story. Most simply do not live up to their billing. Join Brian Cook in an interactive presentation that describes the problem including almost universal unexamined assumptions about requirements. We will discuss how a global project reached consensus in three months among 50 business and 50 IT stakeholders by organizing requirements using the PMBOK areas of knowledge. You will come away with innovative requirement discoverymethods - some you can implement immediately. Other methods will give you approaches you can consider championing internally going forward. You will experience how innovative discovery of requirements can lead to truly innovative projects for your organization.

Speaker's Bio:Brian J. Cook – Business Architect, Strategic Sourcing Organization, Zurich Insurance. Brian was responsible for developing a requirements methodology to discover, document, simulate and test requirements for business and IT projects. Previously, Brian was a representative to the committee that set the Unified Modeling Language standard at the Object Management Group.

Sprint Campus Project...on time...on budget... now that IS magic -- Teena Shouse

Speaker’s Bio: Teena G. Shouse, CFM, IFMA Past Chair, Senior FM Consultant, Leawood, Kansas.

Teena has more than 23 years of experience in service-related fields. Before joining FEA, she held the position of VP Strategic Partnerships with ARAMARK overseeing collaborative strategies of the corporation across a wide customer base. Prior to ARAMARK, Teena was the General Manager of Employee Services at Sprint Nextel where her responsibilities included management and development of the national audio visual, food services and fitness center operations. She also had oversight responsibility for the procurement and maintenance of the Sprint Nextel fine art collection. Additionally her department managed Sprint Nextel's conference center services – including technology integration and executive support services. She was part of the design and construction team which researched, planned and built the 240-acre Overland Park campus. In 2002, Sprint Nextel bestowed its highest employee honor on Shouse when it awarded her the Paul Henson Award, based on community service, leadership, teamwork and ethical standards. From 2005-2007, she served as the Chairman of the IFMA Board of Directors after completing five years in other positions on the board. She has and st ill creates and teaches facility management courses for IFMA and is a guest speaker at both North America and International conferences and universities. She was recently appointed to serve on the Global FM Board of Directors, a global federation of FM organizations based in Brussels , Belgium . Her free time is spent working with both church and community organizations especially working with the homeless. Teena resides in Leawood , Kansas with her husband, David, of 34 years.

Agile Project Management - Mike Turner

It is that time of year to listen to debates. Does the debate rage on in your company about which Project Management Methodology is best? Traditional waterfall approach vs. Agile. Does it have to be one or the other? This workshop will talk about the differences, and pro's and con's of each. Bring your stories and experiences about the approach your company embraces. When thinking about trying something new, remember the words of the author of the best seller "The Peter Principle" (Laurence Peter). "The man who says he will meet you half way is usually a poor judge of distance."

Leadership and Teambuilding- Three Tools and Techniques

Projects and organizations demand more and more from team members and project managers today. Project managers who have good leadership and teambuilding skills are more successful in developing high performance teams and meeting demanding project objectives.

There are many tools and techniques “out there” to help in leading and building high performance teams. In this presentation we will look at three that have been used very successfully inside and outside of the workplace. Each will be presented using real-life examples and the audience will participate in several exercises designed to apply and practice the techniques. Covered in the presentation are: a “new” three step approach to improvement that can be applied to most any situation, using positive focus, and using effective questions.

Whether you’re a project manager or project contributor, you will benefit from and enjoy this interactive presentation.

Jesse Freese is well known for his interactive presentations on the topics of project management, leadership and change management. He has presented at the Project Management Institute (PMI) national symposium, PMI Chapter symposium, and PMI Chapter meeting levels. Many of Jesse’s presentations include audience participation and deal not only with the “hard” side of project management, but also with the “soft” side. All of his presentations include “real-life” stories that are relevant and entertaining.

For the past 17 years Jesse has been a partner with Fissure Corporation. Since joining Fissure, Jesse has successfully guided over 5000 students through a variety of project management and leadership related training workshops. Prior to joining Fissure, Jesse spent 17 years in engineering development and management for a major computer and software development company.

Jesse is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Minnesota in the Master of Science in Software Engineering Degree Program, a member of the Project Management Institute (PMI), is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and a founder of the Twin Cities Software Process Improvement Network (TwinSPIN) organization.

Project Integration Managementa skillful predicament escape

Be a Project Management Houdini- Lisa Peck

How do successful project managers pull it off? What is the magic of putting all the pieces of a project together? Project managers share the foundational understanding of the project management knowledge areas and that integration management is the key to itall. Learn how strategic leadership can be the secret to escaping project predicaments and launch you to confident project completions.

Speaker's Bio:

Lisa J. Peck, PMP-- Assistant Vice President, Program Manager with Midland Loan Services, Overland Park, Kansas. Lisa joined Midland in 2001 and has managed high profile client and internal projects; she has been responsible for the execution of a variety of software development, document imaging, and process reengineering initiatives. She currently manages the technology project portfolio and provides training and oversight to project management resources.

Clarity –Make IT more efficient through best practice project

execution, resource optimization, and cost management Bill Potts

In order to effectively manage your IT projects, you must make sure that your strategic investments are in alignment with corporate priorities, and that the success of your projects can be measured and communicated according to the goals established at the beginning. With corporate priorities continually evolving due to rapidly changing market conditions, strategic IT project management becomes daunting, if not impossible, without a centralized project and portfolio management system.

CA Clarity Project and Portfolio Management solves many of these issues by facilitating a stronger relationship between your IT department and your business units.

So You Think You're an IT PMP? - Steve Gorman

Come play a Jeopardy! style game with Project Management and IT answers provided. You provide the questions. Fun, interactive session for all participants.

Stakeholder Management Challenges (Lawrence Loop & Grandview Triangle) - Terry Flanagan

PM Job Hunting - Merle Nuss

The current economy is wreaking havoc on corporate projects and the project management profession.

As a result, many Project Managers in the Kansas City metro area are unemployed and seeking permanent or contract positions in project management.

Merle Nuss, PMP, reviews some basic do's and don'ts on your job search, interviews, and networking. A resident expert recruiting consultant will be available for interactive dialog on effective job search methods.

The Magic is in the Shoes- Gloria Durham

Have you ever thought about wearing the shoes of your team members? In some cases Project Managers do perform work on their projects in order to help the team to achieve success, but is this a rare event? This session provides a deeper insight to team motivation and provides tools for the seasoned project manager to gain commitment from the team members assigned to your projects. We will use class activities to learn how to apply theoretical principles to positively influence team members while exploring the Human Resources side of project management.

Primavera- Charlene Thompson

This presentation offers a brief introduction to Primavera, providing an overview of the features of P6 and Web Access, including resource loading, base-lining, tracking actuals, and EVM indices. Although we can't support a hands-on experience, the presentation will include a short demonstration to illustrate the software functions.

Speaker’s Bio: Charlene Thompson is a registered Professional Engineer and Project Management Professional with 15 years' experience in Project Controls. She has a BS in Civil Engineering from Purdue University and a MS in Project Management from Colorado Tech, and is a member of the PMI College of Scheduling. She started scheduling in 1993 using Primavera v1.1 (pre-Windows!). Currently, Charlene works for the Washington Division of URS and administers P6 for Alliant Techsystems (ATK) at the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant.

Do what you do best: Stay in your lane!Sprint Center Operations

- David Pulford

No matter the event, the job or the profession it is imperative to do what you do best. Play to your strengths and let those around you play to theirs. Otherwise too much time, money and effort are spent correcting mistakes and doing work twice. Assembling a team that can be successful is as important as the project itself!

Good project estimation requires the ability to understand the relationships between the five key project estimation variables: schedule, effort/cost, quality, size/functionality, and productivity. Participants will learn these relationships and how to use them in “balancing” their project objectives.History data is a key to getting better at project estimation. We will look at “why” we don’t collect history data and “why” it is important to put the effort into not only collecting history data, but analyzing it and using it to generate better project estimates. Jesse Freese is well known for his interactive presentations on the topics of project management, leadership and change management. He has presented at the Project Management Institute (PMI) national symposium, PMI Chapter symposium, and PMI Chapter meeting levels. Many of Jesse’s presentations include audience participation and deal not only with the “hard” side of project management, but also with the “soft” side. All of his presentations include “real-life” stories that are relevant and entertaining.For the past 17 years Jesse has been a partner with Fissure Corporation. Since joining Fissure, Jesse has successfully guided over 5000 students through a variety of project management and leadership related training workshops. Prior to joining Fissure, Jesse spent 17 years in engineering development and management for a major computer and software development company. Jesse is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Minnesota in the Master of Science in Software Engineering Degree Program, a member of the Project Management Institute (PMI), is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and a founder of the Twin Cities Software Process Improvement Network (TwinSPIN) organization.

Project Estimation – The Hard and the Soft

Improving your ability to estimate projects is a key component in completing projects within schedule and under budget. Project estimation need not be an art - you can, as an individual or an organization, get better at estimating project cost and schedule. There are key concepts and techniques that you can learn and apply over time that will significantly increase your ability to accurately estimate your projects.

Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) - Panel

ITIL addresses pretty much all of the identified limitations of IT. It provides a service oriented framework that meets the business needs of the customer in the least-expensive and highest quality way possible, and it enables the IT organization to perform competitively with the very best service providers in the world. But, in order for ITIL to be implemented, and in order for ITIL to provide adaptability and change capability, a rigorous Project Management methodology must be implemented as well.

Come hear a panel of IT folks discuss the implementation, the challenges, and the rewards of ITIL! Ask questions and interact with this team of experienced project managers.

Panel Members:• Cindi Carter• Mike Higgins• Sandy Tally• Shelly Brown

Leadership and Communication – Joel Zeff

Experience more of Joel's unique blend of humour, improve, games, and lessons in a smaller group with more direct interaction.

PMP / PgMP / CAPM Certifications compared– Merle Nuss

In today's competitive job market, it is paramount that Project Managers be certified with PMI to remain competitive. PMI offers several levels of certification for the Project Associate, the Project Manager and the Program Manager. The Kansas City Chapter of PMI currently offers certification preparation classes for PMP and is researching certification preparation classes for the Program Management Certification. KCPMI offers the PMP Prep class three times per year. In this session, one of the Prep Class Managers, Merle Nuss, reviews all of the certifications available through PMI and the Prep Class offered through KCPMI. Merle will also briefly review PMP recertification processes.

MS Portfolio Management– Jeff Almloff

Microsoft Office Project Portfolio Server 2007 helps your company realize its potential by identifying, selecting, managing, and delivering portfolios that align with your strategic priorities and objectives. Office Project Portfolio Server 2007 integrates with Microsoft Office Project Server 2007 to provide organizations with an end-to-end project portfolio management solution. The bidirectional gateway enables administrators to link multiple Office Project Servers to Office Project Portfolio Server 2007, providing executives with a consolidated view of all projects within the company.

Speaker's Bio:Jeff Almloff is the Practice Leader for Project Delivery Services for Sogeti in Kansas City. He is also President of the Kansas City chapter of the Microsoft Project Users Group (MPUG). He holds a Bachelor degree in Computer Information Systems and Masters degree in Project Management. In addition to his PMP certification, he also is certified in Microsoft Project, Project Server, ITIL and RUP.

Through his knowledge of the tools and processes related to Project and Portfolio Management he helps companies improve their overall effectiveness in project management through PM Transformation, PM training and mentoring, methodology development, organizational project management process improvement, and Project Management tool selection and implementation.

Jeff has helped companies implement and/or improve their use of Microsoft Project Server for companies including Sprint Nextel, Garmin, Perrigo, Pfizer, American Century, the Iowa Department of Transportation, and Kenneth Copeland Ministries.

Bodies Revealed - Linda SegebrechtThis presentation will walk you through the trials and tribulations of bringing Bodies Revealed to Union Station in Kansas City.

Come hear Linda Segebrecht talk about this project and learn the gory inside details.

“Forget the Pixie Dust: Speak the Language of Business”“How to talk to your sponsor”

- Paul Sapanero

PM Careers in KC - Diane Stafford

PlanviewThis session offers a brief overview of the Planview Project Management tool. Come learn about

the options available with Planview.

Six Sigma - PanelProject Management and Six Sigma are a set of mutually beneficial professional practices. They bring value and are best applied in conjunction with one another.Project Managers that are well versed in the tools, techniques, and theory of Six Sigma will find

projects more successful and, personally, find themselves more marketable in a tight job market.

This panel will provide:• An overview of Six Sigma• High level discussion of tools and techniques that would assist in any Project Management

environment• How to obtain certification in Six Sigma• How to prepare for your next career move

The panel will take questions from the audience during the last half of the workshop.

Panel Members:• Deb Denavs, Six Sigma Black Belt, John Deere• Jason Lehtinen, Director, Adams Gabbert• Dr. C.W. Russ Russo, Consultant, Six Sigma Coach• Bob Tarne, Sr BPM Program Mgr, Lombardi Software