Crisis Management

Informal discussion with Albert Einstein Hospital executives about the future of project management and their case study presented in the book PM Next Generation, published by Wiley.

In this week's episode, Ricardo talks about "Zoom In" and "Zoom Out" in projects, that is, how different perspectives on a problem can dramatically change our ability to solve it. Making an analogy with a photo, when we use Zoom in, we can see in more detail a small part of that photo. This Zoom In helps us understand "surgically" when in a crisis scenario.

This week we return to the theme from a few weeks ago, how technology projects are riskier than most people imagined. Surprised by the paralysis of Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp, we were more than left out of communication. The damage caused throughout the world by the hours out of the air on these platforms is incalculable. What to learn from what happened? How to deal with this dependence on companies today?

In this week's episode, Ricardo shares three tips that can help align disagreements and accelerate action when a project is in crisis. Listen to the podcast to learn more.

Ricardo tries to see the incident from different perspectives. From the standpoint of Evergreen Marine (ship operator) to the other shipping companies. From the perspective of the Egyptian government to the perspective of countries that rely heavily on global trade. Finally, he discusses your view as someone managing a project that relies on equipment or supplies coming from the other side of the world.

Most organizations are not well prepared to deal with a serious crisis. The end result of a crisis can either help transform the organization or leave it in a very dangerous position. Crises can emulate fight-or-flight conditions, which are physiological reactions in response to perceived danger, attack, or threat to survival. In animals, as well as humans, this is a natural response mechanism that helps keep us alive.

"Life will never be the same after COVID-19.” You hear that a lot these days. For many organizations, life will indeed be different after the outbreak as it had a severe and long-lasting impact on its ecosystem. For some organizations, there were even more immediate pressing concerns. A question about survival.

"Life will never be the same after COVID-19.”
You hear that a lot these days. For many organizations, life will indeed be different after the outbreak as it had a severe and long-lasting impact on its ecosystem. For some organizations, there were even more immediate pressing concerns. A question about survival. 

The Covid-19 pandemic reminded us how fragile our societies, businesses, and our lives are. It turned things upside down in a matter of weeks. It required governments to provide dramatic emergency support. It forced people to enter self-isolation to protect themselves and others. It pushed organizations to reimagine how they do business and how they would survive.

Many people want to change the world, few actually succeed.

Some, imbued with an extraordinary light, are capable of, even more, go to great lengths to bring more prosperity to the lives of others and not just to their own businesses. During crises, economic challenges, or pandemics, they account for a good part of the economically active population's work on the planet and conduct their followers with mastery. 

Ricardo Vargas was one of the collection participants, sharing his professional experience and his work in change and crisis management.

Whether you are managing a project to bring people back into full participation in the economy following a pandemic, or you are merely overseeing the deployment of a new information technology solution, you will need leaders who can demonstrate the necessary compassion and empathy to cultivate confidence. 

In their new book, Ricardo Vargas and Vince Molinaro discuss how to regain control over our projects through a new leadership contract.

Whether you are managing a project to bring people back into full participation in the economy following a pandemic, or you are merely overseeing the deployment of a new information technology solution, you will need leaders who can demonstrate the necessary compassion and empathy to cultivate confidence. In their new book, Ricardo Vargas and Vince Molinaro discuss how to regain control over our projects through a new leadership contract.

Only 35% of projects today are completed successfully. One reason for this disappointing rate is the low level of maturity of technologies available for project management. This is about to change. Researchers, startups, and innovating organizations, are beginning to apply AI, machine learning, and other advanced technologies to project management, and by 2030 the field will undergo major shifts. Technology will soon improve project selection and prioritization, monitor progress, speed up reporting, and facilitate testing. Project managers, aided by virtual project assistants, will find their roles more focused on coaching and stakeholder management than on administration and manual tasks. The author show how organizations that want to reap the benefits of project management technologies should begin today by gathering and cleaning project data, preparing their people, and dedicating the resources necessary to drive this transformation.

This week Ricardo talks about some unimaginable examples of how the current crisis accelerated the business and digital transformation dramatically.