Great Practices

Hosted by Chris Kopp

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May 2026

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About the show

It’s hard to say when something is a “Best Practice”. It’s much easier to know when something is a “Great Practice” and that’s what this Podcast is all about. Interviews with PMO and Project Management Leaders, who, through years of trial and error, have discovered their own Great Practices and are now sharing their insights with you!

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57 recent

June 15, 202633 min

EP 58 - Run Your Career Like a Business Without Quitting Your Job with Chris Kopp

In this episode of Great Practices, I’m joined by…myself…as I talk about how you can run your career like a business without quitting your job. Here’s why this is a bit of a different episode. I was recently asked to speak at the Atlanta PMI Event. One of my favorites topics to talk about is how you can act like an entrepreneur within a large company, something I like to call an Intrapreneur. Why is this such a relevant topic? Differentiating yourself as a project manager or PMO Leader is critical in this economy and that’s what I discuss during this presentation. You’ll learn how applying the principles of Operations, Marketing, Sales and Finance to yourself personally will help you treat your career as a business that always has plenty of customers. One caveat…this is a dinner meeting so you’re going to hear plates and forks and knives in the beginning, but it settles down as the presentation continues. And, if you’d like to watch the presentation along with the slides, you’ll be able to find the link in the show notes. I hope you enjoy the episode. Download or watch the video of the presentation: https://www.projection-central.com/interviews Want to get in touch with Chris?   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christiankopp/ Email: chris.kopp@gmail.com

May 15, 202641 min

EP 57 - Designing High Performing Teams with Edwin Choi

In this episode of Great Practices, I’m joined by Edwin Choi, Founder of Jetfuel Agency, a marketing / growth company for 7-9 figure brands. Listen in as Edwin talks about the 4 pillars that make Jetfuel’s culture so unique, how he zigged when others zagged (and how that worked for him) and his system of onboarding and training. Plus, you’ll find out his perspective on giving feedback as well as the absolutely absurd question he asks his employees. Want to get in touch with Edwin? LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/choiedwin/ Website: https://jetfuel.agency/

April 15, 202635 min

EP 56 - How to Future Proof Your Career with Jake Woodward

In this episode of Great Practices, I’m joined by Jake Woodward, a community builder and AI educator that draw on over 25 years of experience leading product and technology teams. Listen in as Jake talks about his very personal experience of what it’s like to find a job in this economy, and how AI is changing the job search game. You’ll also discover where most of us are on the adoption of AI scale (hint: it’s pretty low) and a couple of areas we can focus that will make a big impact in our day-to-day work. Plus, Jake discusses two things you should be doing today to set yourself up for success in the future and find out what Legos and Superpowers have to do with not getting blind-sided with a change in employment. Want to get in touch with Jake?   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobwoodward/ Website: https://jacobwoodward.dev/  

March 15, 202628 min

EP 55 - How to Minimize Impostor Syndrome with Charles Cain

In this episode of Great Practices, I’m joined by Charles Cain, an IT Strategy Advisor and Fractional CIO who helps companies reduce delivery risk. Listen in as Charles talks about Impostor syndrome, the different ways it manifests itself within PMOs and most importantly, some of the steps you can take to so the feeling of faking it turns into a feeling of making it. Plus, find out the importance of boundaries, talking to others, as well as a statistic about how many people experience impostor syndrome and how many people are diagnosed with diabetes. You can decide f it’s mere coincidence. Want to get in touch with Charles?   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachcharlescain/ Website: https://www.coachcharlescain.com/ Email: charles.cain@coachcharlescain.com

February 15, 202629 min

EP 54 - How PMOs can Provide 20/20 Vision for Your Company with Bert Gregory

In this episode of Great Practices, I’m joined by Bert Gregory, an executive advisor who helps early and growth stage companies sharpen their go-to-market strategy, solution sales and adoption of emerging technologies. Listen in as Bert discusses the importance of organizations having a Vision, the challenge of getting buy-in to that Vision, and what part a PMO can play in getting the word out to everyone. Plus, find out why it’s so critical to help teammates understand how their jobs contribute to the big picture, and what you should do if you find that YOUR job has been crossed out in the family photo. Want to get in touch with Bert? LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertwgregory/

January 15, 202633 min

Ep 53 - Making Sure Your Processes Stay in the “Goldilocks Zone” with Chris Tinsley

In this episode of Great Practices, I’m joined by Chris Tinsley, Director of Creative Production and Operations at SharkNinja. Listen in as Chris discusses common obstacles that get in the way of things getting done, the importance of getting Processes just right to overcome these obstacles, and the difference between a workflow management tool and a project management tool. Plus, you’ll understand why you can’t take things personally when people may not like the process that YOU built and why you should always have Goldilocks looking over your shoulder when things start going off the rails. Want to get in touch with Chris?   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-tinsley/

November 15, 202543 min

Ep 51 - AI? AI. OH! What It Could Mean for PMOs with Noel Pennington

In this episode of Great Practices, I’m talking with Noel Pennington, Director at Microsoft of Partner Strategy and Industry Cloud. Listen in as Noel discusses the AI Journey that most organizations take, the biggest challenges they are having, and most important to you is what impact this could have on PMO Leaders and Project Managers and what you need to be doing right now to stay ahead of the curve. Plus, you’ll learn what you can do to make sure you “AI Responsibly”, find out what AI won’t be able to do in the PMO space and you’ll hear two very different experiences Noel and I had when we tried to order food with AI! Want to get in touch with Noel?   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noelp/

October 15, 202517 min

Ep. 50 - 5 Steps to Implement a Successful IoT Project with Tom Clement

In this episode of Great Practices, wait, wait, wait what am I doing? This is a very different episode of Great Practices for two reasons. First, it marks my 50th episode of talking with great PMO Leaders, project and program managers and industry leaders who have shared their insights and great practices over the past four years. Second, this is the first episode where I’ve been asked to be the guest podcaster at an industry event, the IoT Innovation Summit. OpenText hosted this virtual conference that focused on predictive power and AI Operations. I was asked to interview Tom Clement who is OpenText’s Vice President of IoT Solutions. The following episode is a recording of that conversation. You’ll hear about the problems companies experience when it comes to an IoT deployment, 5 Great Practices Tom has developed to ensure it’s successful, and the biggest mistake people make that can be avoided. Plus, you’ll learn the secret of how to become a triple-crown guest on Great Practices. I hope you enjoy the episode. Want to get in touch with Tom?  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ptcii/

September 15, 202530 min

Ep. 49 - Shifting Your Worry Curve Left with Clint Padgett

In this episode of Great Practices, I’m talking with Clint Padgett, owner and CEO of Project Success Incorporated. Clint is a seasoned entrepreneur with over 30 years experience in the PMO and Project Management space. Listen in to this conversation as we uncover a catastrophic problem that plagues most PMOs and projects, the 3 phases of every project that succumbs to this catastrophic problem, and how you can prevent this from happening. Plus, find out why face-to-face meetings are still important and well worth the investment, reasons your project spidey sense may be tingling and why it’s never good to airfreight concrete blocks to a construction site. Want to get in touch with Clint? Website: https://projectsuccess.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clintpadgett/

August 15, 202531 min

Ep. 48 - Eliminating PMO Bloat with Russell Miller

In this episode of Great Practices, I’m joined by Russell Miller, a professional Scrum Trainer, Product Manager, Project and Program Manager. Listen in as Russell discusses some of the reasons why PMOs become bloated and lose sight of the original reason why they were created, and even more importantly what can be done to bring them back to creating value. Plus, you’ll find out why nothing fails like success, the importance of accountability for a PMO, and the lesson a PMO can learn from Sully Sullenberger and the Miracle on the Hudson. Include this on the  Want to get in touch with Russell? Email: russell@scrumsimple.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/russellamiller/