Projectified Folgen

PMI’s annual Future 50 shines the spotlight on rising project leaders who are creating a better future for all. Projectifiedâ spoke with three 2022 honorees: Kathy Johnston, chief chocolate officer, Mirzam Chocolate Makers, Dubai: Johnston discusses tackling challenges to build the company’s second chocolate factory with hybrid teams, how she’s learned to be a change-ready and flexible leader, and how she’s become more comfortable with her leadership style—and how that’s helped her take more risks.Christian Leke Achaleke, executive director, Local Youth Corner Cameroon, Yaoundé: Achaleke shares how his teams turn policy into real-world change in Cameroon, how his work in peacebuilding and conflict resolution has influenced his leadership style, and how rising leaders are changing how projects are run with technology and daring approaches.Lovy Bhatia, PMP, program lead for product and strategy, Amazon, London: Bhatia discusses how she keeps cross-functional teams and stakeholders aligned to a unified goal, her experience helping Airbnb build its operations and hone its vision in India, and how becoming a problem solver can help project leaders be successful—no matter the industry.Key themes[01:45] Leadership lessons learned: Be change-ready and flexible[06:19] How failure can help project leaders grow[08:48] How teams are turning policy into groundbreaking projects in Cameroon[13:48] Using conflict prevention skills in project leadership[17:30] Aligning stakeholders and team members to a unified goal[19:53] Embracing new opportunities and solving problems as Airbnb developed operations in India

With omnichannel shopping on the rise, consumer behaviors are changing. This is paving the way for a tech-fueled reset in retail, spanning brick-and-mortar stores and ecommerce alike. We discuss this with: Saad Siddiqui, COO, Veeve, Seattle: Siddiqui shares what inspired his team to create a smart shopping cart, how customer and retailer feedback helped the team iteratively improve the cart’s functions and design, and how the team is handling implementation projects as operations scale up.Simon Molnar, founder and CEO, Flagship, Sydney: Molnar discusses why his team developed tech to give brick-and-mortar retailers real-time data on their products, how customers and in-store staff are responding to this tech in a pilot in Sydney, and why he believes teams should be looking to innovate both in-store and online.Key themes[01:03] How changing customer preferences are fueling innovation in retail[02:22] Taking a customer-centric approach to develop the Veeve smart cart [06:28] Using data, first-hand customer feedback for iterative improvements[10:34] How tech can bridge customers’ in-store and online experiences[12:42] A new way for brick-and-mortar retailers to get real-time data on products[15:22] Merging digital and in-store shopping in the Edit Collection pilot 

The climate crisis is impacting coastlines across the globe, with communities facing threats from rising sea levels and more frequent extreme weather events. In response, teams are launching projects to mitigate risks and build resilience. We discuss this with: Swarna Kazi, senior disaster risk management specialist, World Bank, Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Ignacio Urrutia, senior disaster risk management specialist, World Bank, Bangkok: Kazi and Urrutia discuss a project that aims to bolster sections of Bangladesh’s coastline, how considering risk at all stages of the project helps them create a cohesive strategy, and how the challenges they faced will influence their approaches to future coastal resilience projects.Catherine McCandless, climate change and environmental planning project manager, City of Boston Environment Department, Boston: McCandless talks about leading coastal resilience planning projects for two neighborhoods in Boston, how her team adapted community engagement during the pandemic, and how she and fellow project managers work together to manage not only multidisciplinary stakeholders but also team members.Key themes[01:19] Projects around the world aim to mitigate effects of climate change on coastlines[05:25] Stakeholder management: Using data and community input in project planning[09:26] Tackling a changing environment and futureproofing coastal resilience projects in Bangladesh[13:41] Planning coastal resilience efforts for Boston’s 47-mile shoreline[17:57] Adapting and digitizing community engagement during COVID-19[19:44] Managing multidisciplinary stakeholders and project team members