Laugh, Learn, Lead - The Project Ecosystem

In this episode I catch up with Kasanndra Rotolone an experienced project professional with a passion for new, innovative technologies, software, big data & the creative digital space.She has delivered small to large scale projects for Government & Private Enterprise throughout Australia, Asia Pacific, UK & Northern America.With a technical background in business intelligence, data driven marketing, business & systems analysis & software application testing, Kasanndra is hands-on and engaged throughout the full lifecycle of projects and works with clients to manage the end to end delivery & beyond.Kasanndra compliments her experience & success in projects with an always optimistic approach, a can-do attitude, an eager eye for continuous professional improvement and a no-bull management style - earning her at times the nickname “rhino”.She recently pressed pause on her career to take on a whole new kind of project with the birth of her daughter, Francesca (Frankie). In the very near

Last two episodes with Sam Higgins were incredibly insightful and honest.We talked about his career journey from programmer to strategic advisor, what excites him about technology, the challenges facing organisations, the impact of a change in program sponsorship and what is a good project manager.Today I want to talk more about trusted project relationships, in particular the project manager and project sponsor. Yes, Sam & I laughed about my professional crush on him and he believes it’s because we trust each other’s expertise and the work we do.Definition of trust:“firm belief in the reliability, truth, or ability of someone or something”.What type of relationship do you have with your project sponsor?When you trust someone, what do you see, hear and feel?JC Three TipsTrust is an investment, take time to get to know themPractice authenticity, vulnerability and empathyBe consistent, follow through on what you say you will doQuote from my conversation with Sam ‘technology becomes so advanced that it is in

Hope you enjoyed last week's Part A episode with Sam Higgins. His passion and knowledge about business technology is extraordinary.Sam is a regular and respected facilitator, panellist and speaker at both local and international conferences. He is widely published in industry journals and is regularly sought by the ICT industry press for his expert opinion. Today we continue our conversation about:The key problems facing organisationsThe lessons from a change in program sponsorship; andWhat is a good project manager.Connect with SamLinkedIn Profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuelhiggins/Strategic Advisor https://ibrs.com.au/sam-higgins See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode I catch up with Sam Higgins with two decades of tactical and strategic experience in the application of information and communications technology (ICT) in diverse industries such as transport, financial services, and education.Through his roles as a leading ICT industry analyst, program consultant and architect, Sam obtained extensive experience in digital transformation, data science, as-a-service (cloud) computing, enterprise architecture (including service-orientation and information management), the open source market, enterprise applications and development, business intelligence, along with ICT management and governance practices such as ICT planning, strategic sourcing and portfolio management.Sam was a major thought leader behind an ICT planning method, associated architecture practices and governance models, elements of which were adopted by the Queensland Government. He was commissioned in 2007 to lead the major revision of the Queensland Government ICT Planning Methodology (Version

Last episode I caught up with Leonie McCarthy retail project delivery specialist and owner of 6R.We talked about the retail online industry, the need to translate technology to make sense of the complexity, building teams and everyday there are lessons.Today I want to unpack our conversation about customer (or user) experience.What triggers a bad experience and what you promote as good experience.JC Three TipsUnderstand different customer personasPut yourself in your customers shoesAsk your customer for feedbackQuote from my conversation with Leonie ‘think about the success criteria, what does it look like, how do we explain it to our customer’. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode, I catch up with Leonie McCarthy Owner of 6R working with retailers on ERP (enterprise resource planning), PLM (product lifecycle management) and e-commerce projects focusing on setting up internal structures and skills so both the retailer and vendor get good results.Leonie has worn many hats from subject matter expert, business analyst and project manager. She loves building great teams, leading people through change and contributing to practical solutions that get to the heart of solving problems.More recently 6R have been working closely with Accent Group digital team to deliver a whole ecosystem from new websites, integration with ERP and logistics including warehousing.We talk about:Working with your client and being the technology translator;The challenges facing the retail industry; andMaking our customer experience simple.You will find more about Leonie and what she does on her website https://www.6r.com.au/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Last episode I caught up with Mike Stapleton Deputy Director-General Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads. He oversees the delivery of safety, regulatory and transactional transport services for the department.It was a privilege to have Mike on the show and I appreciated his openness to our conversation.You must listen to Episode 09 Program Executive Lens for insights to how a government executive leads and his enthusiasm about how technology is changing our lives.Today I want to unpack status reporting and why there should be no surprises for Executives.JC Three TipsUnderstand your project in the organisational landscapeAgree tolerances and report expectationsEscalate earlyQuote from my conversation with Mike ‘some project managers seem to suffer what I call optimism bias, I’ll solve this and get on with it’. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode, I catch up with Mike Stapleton Deputy Director-General Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads B.Bus, MPA, MANCAP, MNRSS, MAustroads, MQLCSG.He was appointed as Deputy Director-General (Customer Services, Safety and Regulation) in January 2016 and is a Champion for Cultural Diversity.Mike oversees the delivery of safety, regulatory and transactional transport services for the department.This division is critical to Queensland’s current and future transport system, managing the State’s regulation, marine and road safety, and frontline services for Queenslanders.He held former positions at Transport and Main Roads as Deputy Director-General (Infrastructure Management and Delivery) & General Manager (Land Transport Safety).Mike has worked in the state public transport sector in finance, general management, infrastructure management and delivery, and transport safety roles for more than 20 years.We talk about:Using data to measure success;The three things he looks for in status repo

Last episode I caught up with Alex Moloney who has over 20 years’ experience in delivery of business and technology change. I’ve been fortunate to work with Alex on two occasions and I know first hand how awesome she is in her leadership.If you haven’t yet listened to Episode 07 Project teams & delivery you may want to catch up on our chat about her journey from study to project delivery, why it is important to build project relationships and advice for progressing your project careers.Today I want to unpack how important it is to invest in an effective project establishment phase and I don’t just mean a kick off meeting.JC Three TipsDefine project successGet to know each other’s strengthsAgree on role responsibilities & processesQuote from my conversation with Alex ‘enjoy what you are doing and make the most of the opportunities when they come your way’. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode, I catch up with Alex Moloney who has worked as a leader and manager in the delivery of business and technology change for over twenty years, with an interest in program/project management, requirements and quality/testing. She has worked across a variety of industries from Banking Finance, health, higher education, government and not for profit. Alex is a wonderful Mum to three gorgeous boys under 11. She enjoys CrossFit, a little bit of very slow running and now that Netflix is a thing occasionally binge watches something fictional.There is no doubt Alex is awesome in her ability to connect with people and get the job done.We talk about:Her journey from study to project delivery;Why it is important to build project relationships; andAdvice for progressing your project careers.Alex Moloney LinkedIn Profile See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Last episode I caught up with Adrian Karzon who is the Chief Technology Officer at Kidsoft a who is a passionate about making the connection between business strategy, digital innovation and technology platforms to deliver success for his organisation.If you haven’t yet heard Episode 05 Deliver customer value you may want to listen to our chat about customer first approach, how to set up your team to respond to the unknown and the importance of strategy.We used a few acronyms that you may not be familiar with:SaaS (software as a service), MVP (minimal viable product), BI (business intelligence), API (interface, a method of communicating data components between applications)Today I want to unpack how important it is to have a post implementation release plan because not everything will get done before go live.JC Three TipsKnow the effort v value criteria for all featuresUnderstand your customers pain points to make good decisionsHave operational budget for post go live activitiesQuote from my conversation with

In this episode, JC catches up with Adrian Karzon who is a passionate Digital & Technology leader thriving in business facing roles, making the connection between business strategy, digital innovation and technology platforms to deliver success for the organisation.We talk about:His career from accounting to chief technology officer at KidsoftWhy there is a need for balancing features and technical debtThe importance of having a 'customer-first' approach.With experience across large corporates, leading Australian brands as well as green field start-ups, Adrian brings a wealth of experience in the digital and technology space including designing, implementing, developing & improving processes & platforms.He is so much more than just a traditional Information Technology Manager, Adrian is a highly strategic and forward-thinking leader whose passion and drive to succeed has seen him achieve great accomplishments in his career.Adrian enjoys working with all levels of the team, from senior management,

Last episode I caught up with Dana Ashe who is passionate about the transformation potential of technology and its ability to positively impact peoples’ lives.If you haven’t yet heard Episode 03 Love of new things you may want to listen to our chat about project management roles, complexity of transformations and has anything really changed.I’ve been fortunate to work for and with Dana on three occasions in IT logistics and Project Delivery. She was my mentor during our time in Qld Government and I respect as well as learn from her insights.Has project management changed in the past 20 years?What we do as project managers hasn’t changed- plan the change, monitor budgets, organise resources, track schedules, report progress…How we go about project management has changed- Adoption of different methodologies- Engagement change model has moved from IT to the business- Resource management is a blend of virtual teams- Enterprise view of digital transformation over a long period of time with smaller steps delivering

n today's episode, I am pleased to have with me Dana Ashe who is passionate about the transformation potential of technology and its ability to positively impact peoples’ lives.Dana has been involved in the IT industry for 25+ years and been accountable for ICT business with an annual $60M budget, over 400 staff, and the delivery of major IT Projects/Programs.She came up through the ranks of the Public Sector in both State and Local government, taking on diverse IT roles including Business Improvement Leader, reaching the level of Executive Director of the ICT branch for a major State Department.Dana joined the private sector 8 years ago to manage ICT programs and projects with full accountability for revenue and profit margins, commercial negotiations, vendor management, and staff in a true matrix management setting. She has managed teams spread across Australia, Vietnam and India.Dana is a highly motivated, articulate, and successful IT management professional who has mentored many upcoming IT staff across

In today’s episode, your host Jeanette Cremor (JC) takes us through The Project Ecosystem ® a learning and growth framework to support others in creating their own project success stories.It was designed from Jeanette’s 20+ years hands on project management experience of what works and what doesn’t.The key ingredients can be applied to all projects no matter the size, complexity or purpose:The lifecycle - strategies, projects, operationsThe drivers - change, capabilities, informationThe attitude - decisions, collaboration, user experienceThe solution - process, people, technologyLeadership – self, practice, solutionThe Project Ecosystem ® forms the basis of all JC’s consulting engagements, training programs/workshops and group mentoring sessions.If you would like to know more about her work and how she may be able to help you, connect with her on LinkedIn or send an email to jc@jeanettecremor.com.auLinks:JC WebsiteJC LinkedInJC InstagramJC Facebook See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In today’s episode, you meet your host Jeanette Cremor (or to most just JC) who has a reputation of being a strategic thinker, fun maker and someone who gets the job done.She is the creator of The Project Ecosystem ® a learning framework to support others in creating their own project success stories.With over 20 years’ experience in government, education, utilities and sport sectors delivering business change by linking people, process and technology she is an expert on project management – what works and what doesn’t.Jeanette offers consulting services to check the pulse of your project and provide a back to health action plan or you can join her program and mentoring sessions to gain hands-on practical lessons to apply to your project.If you don’t find her at a whiteboard, she will be with family and friends indulging in good food and wine or watching sport.She shares her story from farm girl to project doctor and her four career snapshot tips:Be self-awareLook for opportunitiesAccept diversityMaintain you