Chat Time

Hosted by Karine O'Donnell - Project Delivery Team Trainer and Coach

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Episodes

Latest episode

Feb 2024

Language

EN-AU

About the show

From time management to good governance, communication to productivity, there's always something to learn when it comes to delivering powerful projects. That's why I created Chat Time, as an opportunity to chat with Project Professionals to learn from their experiences as leaders in project delivery.

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18 recent

February 4, 2024Episode 1820 min

Changing your project process

Changing a process on a project usually comes about because you and your team know the current process isn't working. Yet even when people want a new process, they don't always make it easy to implement. Whether they acknowledge it or not, the reality is that the current process is comfortable because it is known - and a new process is uncomfortable because it is not. In this episode, Karine shares her expertise on effectively managing change and what you can do to help ease your people into a new or altered process. We explore:- Common problems people encounter when implementing a new process- When and why these problems typically occur- The first things a project manager should consider and do when changing a process- The importance of communication during periods of change- What you can do to make change easier- How to sustain success beyond this process changeConnect with me: www.projecting.com.auLinked In: www.linkedin.com/karineodonnellInstagram: www.instragram.com/projectingwithpeopleFacebook: www.facebook.com/Projecting With People

January 9, 2024Episode 1732 min

The dangers of assuming

When we plan out a project we always consider the costs, timelines and scope. But what about assumptions? How often do we plan for them and the potential impact of the unknown. In this episode, Karine is in the interviewee seat sharing her insights, field experience on the dangers of projects plagued by assumptions and what you can do to strengthen your position.Karine covers:- The problem with assuming- What assuming can cause- When assumptions typically occur- Who should be involved in addressing assumptions- How should assumptions be treated- How often they should be reviewed- The best ways to prevent and reduce assumptionsFor more insights on assumptions or to discover ways to proactively strengthen your projects request your monthly project update here: https://pwp.projecting.com.auConnect with me: www.projecting.com.auLinked In: www.linkedin.com/karineodonnellInstagram: www.instragram.com/projectingwithpeopleFacebook: www.facebook.com/Projecting With People

November 12, 2023Episode 1641 min

Communication in large organisations

What does a customer engagement and communication expert have to say on the topic of Communication. My guest Alex Berton, a Marketing and Decisioning Specialist shares his experience and perspective on the causes importance of strong communication within large projects and what good should look like.We dive into:- Alex's perspective of communication- The most common outcomes of failed communication in his experience- The causes of communication problems- What examples of 'good' can look likeAlex's extensive career has seen him work with tier 1 corporates through to start-ups, using customer-centric thinking to drive areas as revenue growth, revenue protection, and improved customer satisfaction. Today he works with some of the biggest Asia-Pacific companies to transform customer engagement, challenging organisations to adopt the benefits of forward-thinking strategies like Contextual Customer Engagement and Hyper Personalisation. Let me introduce you to Alex Berton.Learn more about Alex here:linkedin.com/in/alexbertonConnect with me: www.projecting.com.auLinked In: www.linkedin.com/karineodonnellInstagram: www.instragram.com/projectingwithpeopleFacebook: www.facebook.com/Projecting With People

October 1, 2023Episode 1527 min

Prioritising Prioritisation

Emily Grinton is an experienced IT professional and consultant who has worked on IT projects for almost 20 years. Having worked on and for both large and complex projects, Emily shares her experience and suggestions for overcoming and nailing the art of project prioritisation, a topic she is extremely passionate about.Emily shares:- Example outcomes of prioritisation issues- The main causes of prioritisation issues- The gaps between leaders and teams that changes your prioritisation outcomes- How to prevent problematic prioritisation- 3 tips for tackling effective project prioritisationEmily’s varied roles have included User Acceptance Testing, Trainer, Change Manager, Business Analyst, Iteration Manager, Product Owner and Development Team Leader. Emily is currently the Chief Product Officer at Hava, working as Product Owner and prioritising the product roadmap for hava.io. Her biggest superpower is being a decision-maker. In her own words, “I believe a bad decision is better than no decision!”. You can learn more about Emily or connect with her here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilygrinton/Learn more about Hava here: https://www.hava.io/Connect with me: www.projecting.com.auLinked In: www.linkedin.com/karineodonnellInstagram: www.instragram.com/projectingwithpeopleFacebook: www.facebook.com/Projecting With People

September 3, 2023Episode 1436 min

Taking the guesswork out of forecasting

The outcome of your forecasting is often a great measure for the strength and efficiency of your project delivery processes. The more untamed your project processes, the more problematic you will find your forecasting becomes. And while there are many considerations when it comes to effective forecasting, a repeatable and streamlined process is always possible. I was extremely grateful to be joined by my client, Alexis Valenza. Alexis is a Principal Groundwater Engineer, Hydrogeologist, and Managing Director of Valenza Engineering Group, a consultancy firm that specialises in providing technical and advisory services across the domains of surface water, groundwater, and environmental sciences. His specialised team of engineers and back-of-house professionals provide consulting advice and work to international mining companies, environmental agencies, large-scale commercial bodies, and water resource agents. In Alexis' line of work, forecasting is key to minimising severe risk as well as making or breaking their profit margin. He shares with me:* Some of his biggest challenges in forecasting and why* What he has learnt leaders can do more and less to improve the success of forecasting* How he feels project teams can help the accuracy of forecasting* His 3 tip areas to focus on to start improving your forecasting process... because it is a process!If you consistently face challenges or frustration with the accuracy of forecasting, then this episode is a great starting place for you.If you want to learn more about Alexis or the services of his company, Valenza Engineering you can connect with him here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexis-valenza-71779320/Connect with me: www.projecting.com.auLinked In: www.linkedin.com/karineodonnellInstagram: www.instragram.com/projectingwithpeopleFacebook: www.facebook.com/Projecting With People

August 20, 2023Episode 1338 min

The power of great leadership

Great leadership is the pinnacle of any project team success but what makes a great leader? I am joined by veteran leadership trainer and expert Grant Sexton. Grant is the Executive Chairman and founder of 50 year old training company, Leadership Management Australia (LMA). Grant opens up to me on:* The value great leadership can bring* What great leadership looks like* The greatest problem in leadership and why these happen from his perspective* The observations of leadership in a project setting* Recommendations for SME businesses and corporates to solve these challenges * Tips to know if you have a leadership issue Over 150,000 Participants have graduated through LMA’s Leadership Development programs and its Operational Excellence (Lean based) programs. LMA can be contacted on their website: https://leadershipmanagement.com.au.Connect with me: www.projecting.com.auLinked In: www.linkedin.com/karineodonnellInstagram: www.instragram.com/projectingwithpeopleFacebook: www.facebook.com/Projecting With People

July 2, 2023Episode 1240 min

Public Relations on your project

It is important for all projects to receive the right level of stakeholder engagement and adoption to truly succeed. And while this is known, there is less emphasis placed on how to do this. In this episode I invite PR guru and consultant, Jules Brooke from Handle your own PR to guide us on ways we can elevate our project message to increase our reach and get our audience excited about the value of our projects.We cover:* How to plan to be seen and heard* Strategies to have your message received* What to do with the attention* Receiving longevity from your PRJules Brooke is the founder of Handle Your Own PR, a DIY PR service for business owners, and has been teaching people how to get media coverage for their business for over 15 years.Handle Your Own PR has helped thousands of small business owners make millions of dollars’ worth of media exposure by running their own PR campaigns. Using her online boot camps, coaching and PR SaaS platform, Jules’ students have been on TV, radio and been featured in magazines and newspapers nationally. Many have gone on to huge success in their business.Follow Jules on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julesbrooke/Link to Handle Your Own PR website:https://www.handleyourownpr.com.au/Connect with me: www.projecting.com.auLinked In: www.linkedin.com/karineodonnellInstagram: www.instragram.com/projectingwithpeopleFacebook: www.facebook.com/Projecting With People

June 4, 2023Episode 1153 min

Humanising Project Controls

Projects are temporary by nature however projects are constantly failing for very repetitive reasons and almost all of these have to do with humans. Project controls have traditionally focussed on the systems to achieve the project objectives. In this conversation with Founder & CEO of ProjectAI Ray Paulk, we explore ways to integrate our known human behaviour to improve project controls so we can more accurately measure and predict project performance. Ray shares his experience and perspective on:* What project controls are and some examples of them* The notion of humanising project controls and how this helps projects navigate risk* The opportunities to predict human behaviour on projects* What he aims to achieve through the use of Arteficial Intelligence to support people on projects* What anyone on projects can start doing to leverage the human experience to improve project controls, even before thinking of technology* The best way to know if you should consider improving your project controlsRay Paulk is a senior business and project advisor, specialising in the structuring, governance and control of capital investments. He is a global thought leader in the application of technology in project and portfolio management disciplines working to lead innovation in predictive solutions for capital-intensive industries.With 20 years of experience in the Oil Gas and Resources industries, he has advised businesses and project teams of all sizes on six continents, and led global business transformation, systems implementation and functional standardization initiatives for some of the world's largest companies. As Founder & CEO of ProjectAI, his team is transforming businesses and projects through his advisory practice, and building a range of advanced technologies to achieve more competitive and predictable projects. Ray’s Superpower: Engineering, Project Controls, Project Data, Analytics and AILearn more about Ray here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raypaulk/Learn more about Project AI: http://www.projectai.com/Connect with me: www.projecting.com.auLinked In: www.linkedin.com/karineodonnellInstagram: www.instragram.com/projectingwithpeopleFacebook: www.facebook.com/Projecting With People

April 2, 2023Episode 1042 min

Successfully delivering more with graduate Project Managers

Transitioning students into career ready project mangers is not only Guinevere Gilbert's job but also her passion. As a long-time lecturer and now Program Manager for the Applied Science in Project Management at RMIT, Guinevere shares her perspective on what employers and graduates should consider to maximise the success of graduates in project management and the significant gains from this collaboration.We cover:* What makes a successful project manager* What attracts students to project management and the challenges they face when entering the industry* The ways RMIT and the Project Management Institute (PMI) are collaborating to better equip secondary students to deliver better outcomes when following project management concepts - PM4Life* The challengers faced by employers when recruiting graduates and how to overcome them* How to attract and retain the right graduates for your workplace* Steps employers can take to support graduates safely succeed and growIf you are considering a degree in project management, a graduate entering the industry or an employee wanting a technically trained project manager who can grow and expand with your projects, then this is your Chat Time episode.You can learn more about Guihnevere here www.linkedin.com/in/guinevere-gilbert-43991655/Connect with me: www.projecting.com.auLinked In: www.linkedin.com/karineodonnellInstagram: www.instragram.com/projectingwithpeopleFacebook: www.facebook.com/Projecting With People

March 5, 2023Episode 943 min

Project Sponsorship: How to be an effective one and gain the the trust and support of your team

Project sponsorship is a term many of us on projects know but fewer of us understand how to do well or support those who take on this role.My guest Annie Sheehan does not only coach executive leaders to become effective sponsors but she also wrote the book, The Courageous Sponsor, to help sponsors navigate and achieve success in their role.In this segment we cover:* What sponsor means and the behavioural sponsor types to guide effective leadership* The first thing a sponsor should do when accepting the role and common misconceptions* Strategies for time-poor sponsors to maximise their time and input and help the team to deliver project success * What project managers can do to gain the support of their sponsorIf you want to avoid the financial and human costs attributed to poor sponsoship, then this episode combined with Annie's book will help any existing or aspiring sponsor and their teams improve project outcomes.Annie is a certified project manager, board director, and agile coach with 25 years of project delivery experience. Since 2009, her focus has been advising senior leaders to become more accountable as project sponsors to deliver business projects and achieve sustainable change.Using an agile mindset with established project delivery practices, Annie helps organisations find ways to deliver value in manageable chunks using simple, repeatable processes. Her mantra is to “maximise life and stay sane”.Annie has helped several organisations to achieve superior results in sponsor coaching, capability development and improving project delivery methodology for companies including National Australia Bank, JBWere, Superpartners and AXA.Annie is the author of "The Courageous Sponsor - How to overcome challenges to get your project done" and co-author of "Turning Ideas into Impact - Insights from Silicon Valley Consultants", a #1 Amazon bestseller.You can order a copy of The Courageous Sponsor on Amazon or order an author signed copy on her website www.annie-sheehan.com.Connect with Annie on Linked InConnect with me: www.projecting.com.auLinked In: www.linkedin.com/karineodonnellInstagram: www.instragram.com/projectingwithpeopleFacebook: www.facebook.com/Projecting With People