5 Minutes Podcast with Ricardo Vargas

In this episode, Ricardo comments on the Pulse of Profession® 2017, an annual report published by the Project Management Institute (PMI). About 4,000 professionals worldwide were interviewed and one of the key indicators reported is that financial waste on unsuccessful projects has dropped by around 20%; Until last yet, it was about USD 122 million lost for every billion invested. This year, the value dropped to 97 million. Check out other highlights listening to the podcast. Download the report: http://www.pmi.org/learning/thought-leadership/pulse/pulse-of-the-profession-2017

In this episode, Ricardo, in his traditional annual retrospective of the project management scenario, makes a reflection on how to think about the new year: plan but most importantly, do; seeking to maintain a positive attitude in the face of adversity.

In this episode, Ricardo talks directly from the Zaatari refugee camp located in Jordan, where he is participating in the recordings of the documentary: "Zaatari: The Desert that Became Home" (in a free translation). Zaatari is the largest camp of Syrian War refugees, and, in just four years, it became the third city in the country. Learn more about the documentary.

In this episode, Ricardo explains the differences between project and production/operations management, giving characteristics and examples of both areas.

In this episode, Ricardo explains something that many people still confuse, are risks and problems the same things? He also gives tips on how to manage problems, small or large ones, effectively.

In this episode, Ricardo explains when it's a good idea to split a project into phases/stages. He also pointed out that nothing prevents us from using different methodologies to manage each of these stages, if that contributes to project success, of course.

In this episode, Ricardo explains the differences between the role of an engineer and of a project manager. He tries to answer once and for all the doubts that many people have to understand these two roles in a project environment.

In this episode, Ricardo talks about why statistics is of great importance to the project manager and recommends a free online course at Udacity: “Intro to Statistics” by Sebastian Thrun.

In this episode, Ricardo talks about the most common cognitive biases that may be present in our daily communications, and how can we learn to handle them in negotiations, meetings and presentations. Learn about other biases in this infographic published on Business Insider: http://rvarg.as/bias

In this episode, Ricardo emphasizes that one of the project's main success factors is the project manager's behavior and his sense of purpose, the motivation that drives him/her toward a satisfying future.

In this episode, Ricardo talks about the DICE Framework, developed by Boston Consulting Group members to evaluate the chances of success of your project or of your chance management initiative. The factors on the acronym DICE: D – Duration, I – Integrity, C – Commitment and E – Effort receive a score from 1 to 4 and after a simple calculation, the result will help you compare if your project is more likely to be successful or to fail.

In this episode, Ricardo gives three important tips on how to plan for entropy: knowing when to allow fluctuations in the project tasks; recognize that problems will happen and be prepared; learn how to control the process of disorder.

In this episode, Ricardo explains what is entropy and how it’s related to project management. Next week, he’ll show how we can act in the midst of disorder within a project environment. Watch the video by Prof. Brian Cox: http://rvarg.as/fc

In this episode, Ricardo talks about two terms that appear very often throughout the PMBOK® Guide and usually generate a lot of questions from those who are starting in project management.

In this episode, Ricardo explains what the differences between capital projects, also known as Capex (Capital expenditure) projects, and traditional projects, which are focused on a business operation, also known with Opex (Operational expenditure) projects.

In this episode, Ricardo continues to talk about the "Global Reporting Initiative" and how one can report sustainability aspects in his/her projects and why this is relevant to the organization and to the society.

In this episode, Ricardo talks about the "Global Reporting Initiative", an association that develops standards that help organizations of various sectors to identify and report what they do to build a more sustainable world, which goes beyond the environmental aspect.

In this second episode, Ricardo continues to explain the steps for creating a solid business case and how to 'sell it' within the organization.

In this episode, Ricardo begins to detail the Business Case. He explains why it is important and how to use it.

In this episode, Ricardo asks: can the project manager be subject to criminal or civil liability for something that went wrong on the project?

In this episode, Ricardo talks about the importance that a professional certification can represent in your resumé, but he makes it clear, being certified is not the same of having real experience.

In this episode, Ricardo through the trust tree metaphor shows what the project manager needs to sow and cultivate trust on his work and on the project success, among the project’s team and stakeholders.

In this episode, Ricardo gives tips to improve the way we do networking.

In this episode, Ricardo explains that the risks report produced by the World Economic Forum is a source of rich information about global risks and can help a lot in during a project risk management. Download the report at http://reports.weforum.org/global-risks-2016/

In this episode, Ricardo commented on the types of power and how each one of them can be used in our professional and personal relationships.

In this episode, Ricardo talks about the Logical Framework (LogFrame), interesting tool created by USAID, a United States government agency focused on humanitarian projects. More at https://usaidlearninglab.org/learning-guide/logical-framework

In this episode, Ricardo does a quick retrospective in the project management world. He says we must understand that volatility is part of the game, and we should learn how to work with and around it.

In this episode, Ricardo talks about how neural networks and the analogous estimating can help when determining the project budget, especially when you have access to reliable historical information.

In this episode, Ricardo talks about a article by Dorothy Tiffany, entitled 'Replanning the Performance Measurement Baseline', which addresses the differences between replanning or reprogramming a project that presents problems. The slides are available at http://rvarg.as/ej

In this episode, Ricardo talks about a kind of invisible contract that governs people's relations within organizations and that can have a significant impact on the project's success or failure.

In this episode, Ricardo lists 5 crucial points for those who want to develop an international career in project management.

In this episode, Ricardo talks about one of the most effective forms for displaying graphical information, the Heat Map. He explains how you can use this tool to improve your project’s communication when creating reports such as the risk map and the stakeholders analysis.

In this episode, Ricardo talks about seven principles of stakeholder engagement that will help you better understand the dynamics of that relationship and how to conduct more easily your project to success.

In this episode, Ricardo explains the difference between the mission and the vision of an organization or a project.

In this episode, Ricardo explains the benefits of using the Line of Balance with Start-to-Finish relationships, especially on projects with repetitive tasks. This podcast is based on the latest article published on his site. Read the article at http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/articles/modelling-and-optimizing-schedules-with-line-of-balance-and-start-finish-relationship/

In this episode, Ricardo continues to talk about Change Management. He explains the change curve by giving examples that help illustrate the stages people go when they face change and what is the role of the project manager in the process.

In this episode, Ricardo shares, inspired by a certification course he's attending this week, several interesting points about Change Management. He emphasizes that people hate change and show how the project manager should address the different impacts of the change on his or her projects.

In this episode, Ricardo talks about how to manage those who are NOT interested in the project. He explains that this is not managing those who oppose, but those who often do not see how the project affects them positively. Ricardo give tips on how we can make these people support the project.

In this episode, Ricardo comments on the Strategic Execution Framework® (SEF) directly from Stanford University. He highlights the simplicity and clarity of this framework created by IPS Learning and the Stanford Center for Professional Development (SCPD). Get to know more about the SEF at http://ipslearning.us/content/strategic-execution-framework

On this episode, Ricardo talks about a concept that is related to the management of conflicts, the Abilene paradox. Created by Jerry B. Harvey, the paradox is present in certain group decisions and can pose a risk to the project.

On this last episode of the series on cost estimation, Ricardo talks about the proportionality factor, parametric modelling and neural networks.

In this episode, Ricardo continues to talk about cost estimates, explaining how to use the capacity factor to calculate costs when there is economy of scale.

In this episode, the first in a series of three podcasts on costing, Ricardo talks about the types of analysis that we can do during the project cost estimation.

On this episode, Ricardo talks about the attention we must have with how we communicate because the characteristics of personality, culture and values of the receiver can dramatically change the meaning of the original message.

In this podcast, Ricardo makes his retrospective of 2014. Two of the points highlighted by Ricardo, among others, are the growing popularity of project management and the availability of various types of software to help the project manager, from the amateur to the professional.

In this podcast, Ricardo talks about managing conflicts. Are conflicts always bad? Listen to the answer of this question and know the different types of conflict that can arise during a project.

In this podcast, Ricardo continues to talk about Highly Effective Teams, the subject of his new book. He comments on the trust between members, effective decision-making, conflict management, and how to recognize the work and create opportunities for the team and for each member.

In this podcast, Ricardo gives tips on how to transform a group of people in a highly effective team, a subject he addresses in his new book, in partnership with the author Michael Nir. Stay tuned for continuation of this podcast next week.

In this podcast, Ricardo raises one question and makes assumptions about why some organizations sometimes provide different titles for whom is responsible for the project management.

In this podcast, Ricardo talks about the danger of performing multiple tasks without understanding the implications. He explains that we must always consider the residual time between tasks and the real time (or Takt Time) of each task. The Takt Time concept, according to the www.businessdictionary.com, is an adjustable time unit used in lean production to synchronize the rate of production with the rate of demand. Computed by dividing available production by the number of items to be produced, takt time provides a precise rhythm to run an entire process sequence that maximizes efficiency whereas minimizing wastes. Although popularized by the Japanese, takt time is a German term which refers to rhythm or beat of music.