PMI Belgium

Dear PMI-members, As we are now in the mid of the year, it is a good time to reflect back and to look forward.  Evaluating the first half of 2017, we might say we have initiated and achieved a lot on different tracks.

- We organised a cross-industry event with the Engineering community

- The 1st GROW-program is a success, and had a big uptake. It is now copied in different other chapters in de EMEA-region.

- The PMFair-organisation with the Project Management Compass, is now in full speed. The volunteers are doing a fantastic job to make it a high quality and interesting event.

- On the Educational and Academical outreach, we are attracting more and more schools and other communities that are interested in the Project Management Profession. 

- The last Hackathon-event was a great success, although only 43 participants showed up, there was a lot of interaction and interesting discussions.

- Our number of committed Volunteers is at the highest level ever and they do their utmost best to serve the PMI community.

- Our member-base is growing. We are now 870+ members. 

- With all the European PMI-presidents we have agreed that our members can attend each other chapter events, at the same conditions of the chapter members. This means that for example, you do not need to be a 'PMI-Spain chapter member' to attend a PMI event at Barcelona. So take advantage of this to optimise your EU-network. We are also working on a common EMEA-calendar.

Also the 2nd half of 2017 is looking promising with some more events , as well as the largest Belgian Project Management Congress PMFair to come.

I wish you all very nice summer holidays. Enjoy your time off with your family and friends, and last but not least: Do not forget to register yourself for the PMFair on October 6th. via our website!! 

All the best and hope to see you at our events,

Guy Goossens

President - PMI Belgium Chapter

It was with very entusiastic and professional PMI members that the 1st PM Hackathon was a great oportunity to learn, share and have a lot of fun.

We had a feedback session just after the event and we got some great feedback which will drive us for the next PMI Belgium Chapter Events.

Nexum was our partner co-creating the event and they have a message for our members:

"We at Nexum love interacting with Project Managers, as they bring change and we can help them focus on the people side of change. It was therefore with a lot of enthusiasm that we attended this PMI event.

We were not disappointed at all. Of course, the participants felt at ease when they discovered the case for the Hackathon, which was expressed in terms of objectives and deliverables – they are so familiar with this language. Then we drove them into exploring the people side, i.e. the impacted people, the type and size of impact, the risks of resistance, and the specific activities around this important topic, and that was a magic moment!

To our great satisfaction, all the challenges that we had prepared for them created positive energy in each group. The participants’ engagement to explore the Change Management discipline was remarkable. They demonstrated a high level of creativity in the development of their solutions, and even more, the discussions were so many occasions to openly discuss Change Management best practices, including communications, sponsorship, coaching, resistance management, and change reinforcement.

In the end it was clear to everyone how Project Management and Change Management integrate, not only as disciplines but also as practitioners: a real climate of friendship."

Many thanks to PMI for this great evening!

Vincent Piedboeuf

Advanced Prosci Certified Instructor

Thank you all for a great evening!

PMI Belgium Chapter

UGent & PMI Belgium Chapter

It is becoming a tradition, each year round April-May PMI awards a group of students for their big thesis effort.

We get three titles presented to us by Mario and some of the board members read and evaluate the texts. The purpose is to make a list of choices. Some years it can be difficult, this year was very easy. Everyone choose for the RISK analysis for an event stand thesis. It was a very practical thesis approaching a subject that remains difficult for most project managers.

The students presented their project and got their award afterwards.

We and UGent are looking out for the next year thesis award.

Jacques Neyns

PMI Belgium Education Foundation

PM Fair 2017 - News Update

Dear PMI Member,

Time is running fast and we are getting closer to our annual congress, the PM Fair 2017 that will take place on Friday, 6 October 2017 at De Montil, Affligem. The PM Fair team is very excited about it and is working hard to give you a very valuable and memorable experience during this very special event. 

Our content team has received many proposals from speakers around the world and they will select the best for you.  They have already finalized the two very special keynote speakers who will give you a deep insight on project management from their own perspective. They are Jan Verheyen and Harley Lovegrove.

Jan Verheyen is one of the Belgium's most famous movie directors, renowned for “Alles Moet Weg”, “Het vonnis”, “Team Spirit”, “Vermist”, “Dossier K.” etc… He is the winner of several awards including the Montreal Award for best director, Chicago’s Silver Hugo and Cairo’s best screenplay. He has also authored two books and appeared on multiple TV and radio shows.

Jan will demonstrate “Project Management in Film-making” in a clear, comprehensive and exciting way with real examples from his legendary movies.

Lights! Camera! … Action!

Harley Lovegrove is an expert in change, program and project management and is well-known for his highly entertaining and motivational speeches. He is a dynamic 'we can do this' kind of person with a successful track record of working for a wide variety of companies in all kinds of sectors. He is one of the founders of The Bayard Partnership  and the author of four books; 'The Change Manager's Handbook', 'Transition', 'Inspirational Leadership’ and ‘Making a Difference’.

Harley will take us through the Eastern track of Project Manager Compass and will talk about “Looking East” to help us find the answers to big questions - about finding ourselves, understanding diversity, seeing the world differently and so on…

We will share more information about other speakers in the coming months. You can always find the latest information about PM Fair 2017 on the PM Fair website: www.pmfair.org.

Register now 

Please also check our special group and corporate discounts at: http://www.pmfair.org/#registration

We look forward to welcoming you!

The PM Fair Team

How did it all started ... ?

On a given saturday, I found myself listening to colleagues during an introductory meeting about Mentoring.

Mentoring, what’s that ? It’s a  initiative from PMI aiming at bringing experienced and more junior people  together to share their experience, their views on specific problems, in order for the mentor to guide and advice his mentee on the adequate PM approach.  

It gets promoted  as a “Grow” type activity, and organised with volunteers.

Why volunteering ?  Because  I recently retired, officially at least, having more time to spend “freely”, on one side, and whishing to let younger PM’s possibly benefit from my own past errors , on the other side.

How did we establish the pairing relationship ? Well, in fact, it’s my future mentee who came to see me during the break. We engaged a conversation, discussing differences between our respective cultures, some PM experiences, and tips on our PM approaches. .

Then, quite simply, having jointly a drink, my mentee  expressed the wish to establish this pair, explaining to me the nature of what he wanted to be coached on and his expectations.

I did not have to think hours about it ; when you are open to others, and conscious of why you are there, you’ll rapidly find people to establish relationships with. It’s also a matter of feeling.

When writing this short story, we are now two months later, and it evolves nicely, exchanging ideas, and sharing much more than just professional advice.

In summary, something to recommend ! 

Michel  Vanbrabant, PMP

April 2017