Nuclear Cleanup To Bridge Upgrades: How Top Projects Get It Done

London Tower Bridge (Pixabay)

Best practices. World class projects. Top performers.

You hear these words thrown around as you attend conferences and training sessions. Have you ever wondered what top performers in project managers actually do and accomplish?

Through 2016, I have reported on outstanding projects and professionals in the field for ProjectManagement.com. In today’s article, you can find links to those resources all in one place.

From AT&T To Project Consulting Success: A Profile of Frank Saladis, PMI Fellow Profile

While I find methodology and method helpful, I’m often more excited by the people who make projects happen. In PMI Fellow Profile: Frank Saladis, you will learn about how this highly successful project manager built his career. While with AT&T, Saladis started to present at conferences which helped him to launch his career. To get ready for your next conference, read How To Get The Most Value From Conferences In 6 Steps. Saladis also played a key role in starting International Project Management Day over a decade ago, an annual tradition that draws participation from project managers around the world.

University Health Network: Lessons From The Healthcare Sector

Governments, companies and patients around the world want better healthcare services. Project managers have a role to play in making that happen. In this ProjectManagement.com webinar – Lessons From An Award Winning Project – you will learn about the processes and methods used by the University Health Network in Toronto, Canada. I’m especially delighted to report on UHN’s success as I live in Toronto. Adopting a “train the trainer” approach was a key approach on this project. The project also brought people together by enrolling them in a University of Toronto educational program.

How Symcor’s PMO Improved Performance and Client Satisfaction

Do PMOs improve project performance or do they simply add bureaucracy? Symcor’s PMO shows that PMO processes and governance can add value! In my article, Insights from a High-Performance PMO, I explore how the organization improved their results. The PMO takes client satisfaction seriously – Symcor uses multiple surveys to understand their clients and ensure the project is achieving the goal. In addition, Symcor invested in outside assistance to better understand risks when it launched a complex program involving multiple financial institutions. It’s a must read article if you run projects in the financial services industry.

Keeping The Fuel Flowing: Chevron’s Project Success

Sustaining production at a major oil refinery is a tremendous challenge. In Project Profile: How Chevron Sustained Production in California, you will learn about Chrevron’s project success. With a budget over $150 million, the project team had to upgrade equipment at the El Segundo Refinery. This refinery plays a key role in California’s economy: it has over 1,000 employees and is a major supplier of jet fuel to the Los Angeles International Airport. Managing a variety of stakeholder in the state while maintaining an excellent safety record are among the project’s significant achievements.

How to Repair Hundreds of Bridges Under Budget: Lessons from Oregon

Public sector projects and programs are often criticized for waste and poor performance. It doesn’t have to be that way. Oregon’s multi-year program to upgrade and improve hundreds of bridges was achieved on time and under budget.  The program’s approach to building talent in the region and working productively with contractors stand out as highlights. The program also made a great contribution in growing the next generation of talent in the trades and engineers who will keep Oregon’s infrastructure running in the future.

To read more about Oregon’s achievement, read How to Repair Hundreds of Bridges Under Budget: Lessons from Oregon.

For Fun: Infrastructure never gets the love and respect it ought to. For a fun take on this theme, consider the satirical movie trailer for “Infrastructure: The Movie” courtesy of John Oliver. The whole video is great – the trailer starts at around 17:30. “In a world where a few feet of concrete makes the difference between life and death…”

Cleaning Up Nuclear Waste and By-Products

For many years, I have been fascinated by nuclear technology and how it has impacted the world. One of my political science professors in university was an expert of the Cuban missile crisis in fact. But I digress…

While nuclear power has many advantages, it does create dangerous waste and other by-products. Fortunately, the River Corridor Closure Project program has made great progress in cleaning up Washington State. In Lessons from a Successful Nuclear Project, you will learn about the program’s safety program. With a $3 billion dollar budget, the program cleaned up multiple nuclear sites in Washington. Even more impressive, the program had to address poorly documented nuclear sites dating back to the 1940s.