Top Five Tools

1. Chapter Email
2. Google Suite
3. BambooHR
4. Whatsapp
5. Zoom

Chapter Email

Email accounts are assigned to volunteers holding a title of manager or above. Chapter emails will be granted to qualified volunteers after the 60 day introduction period.

IT audits all accounts and will suspend any that are inactive for 30 days.

The volunteers@pmisfbac.org email list is also an important tool to get the word out to all Active Volunteers.

Google Suite

All the standard Google applications are included, but in a more secure environment. Important Operations data and documents are stored in Google Drive. IT will assign you access to your team's shared drive.

BambooHR

If you've made it this far, you've already had some interaction with BambooHR. BambooHR provides services such as Chapter Directory and Org Chart, database of volunteer information, onboarding and offboarding, chapter-wide announcements, and reports for managers. BambooHR is administered by Volunteer Management.

Whatsapp

The social app Whatsapp is used for both social and business purposes within the Chapter. As a new volunteer, you will be added to the PMI-SFBAC Volunteers Group.

Zoom

You may be familiar with Zoom, a conferencing platform used to conduct virtual meetings.

Team Leads can set up meetings using Zoom. All Active Volunteers can participate in Zoom meetings by installing the Zoom app on their computer or phone.

Star Chapter

Star Chapter is an enterprise management system designed for Associations (non profit, professional, social).

Star Chapter is used for …

• Marketing (Newsletter, Web Site, Email Blasts)
• Events, Professional Development (Registration, Attendance, Revenue Tracking, Surveys)
• Membership (Member Data)
• Volunteer Management
• Finance (Event Revenue Data)
• Star Chapter includes tutorials and has a responsive support unit.

If your position requires the use of Star Chapter, your Team Lead will arrange your access.

VRMS (Volunteer Relationship Management System)

VRMS is PMI’s volunteer system, and resides on pmi.org. All chapters and members can use it, and an advantage is it links into the larger PMI database to match volunteers with opportunities by location and interest.

DocuSign

The electronic signature service is used by the Chapter for contracts with presenters and other vendors.

Other Applications

Specialized applications may be requested if there is a demonstrable Chapter need.

Example: Photoshop for marketing.

2018 PMI LIM Update

Project Management Institute -- Leadership Institute Meeting (PMI LIM) is a three day conference that offers an opportunity to network and share ideas with birds-of-a-feather PMI community members around the globe. This year LIM was in Los Angeles, California, and with the theme: Change Makers, PMI LIM brought up the significant concept of change and change management. With the slogan Champions of Change, LIM purposefully guided us on how to embrace the consistent disruptive change.

The conference featured keynote speeches, educational sessions, Chapter Learn and Share sessions, and hands-on workshops. This was one of the best leadership meetings, and it was an honor for me to attend, so I want to share my first-time experience with the chapter.

Day 1 (Thursday, October 4)

The conference opened with remarks by Michael DePrisco, Vice President, Global Membership and Chapters, PMI. He asserted that many organizations have come up with ideas to adopt and adapt disruption, and highlighted the three key concepts to cope with change:

1. Be willing to rethink fundamentals
2. Embrace technology and new ways of working
3. Transformation is a journey, not a destination

Together with the opening session, 2018 PMI Board of Directors were welcomed and introduced. The keynote speaker for that day was Matthew Luhn, one of the first story creators at Pixar Animation Studios. By sharing his thrilling professional and creative experience as an animation artist, Matthew pointed out the importance of good storytelling, asserting that "Beyond everything, there's a story." In addition, he emphasized the need for a caring employee environment: "Unless you have the environment, you can't be creative."

The two afternoon sessions by featured speaker Spencer Horn were really beneficial. By relating to neuroscience, his lectures provided the skills to recognize, interpret, and manage emotional drivers, which in turn can help achieve effective leadership.

The Learn and Share session of the day, a case study of organizational agility from the PMI Chapter of Antioquia, Colombia, was comprehensive and pragmatic. They showed how they tackled their toughest challenge when adopting Agile project management.

Day 2 (Friday, October 5)

The SFBAC Team at LIM.

The session organized by the PMI Ethics Member Advisory Group taught me how to embrace the two Cs (Conflict and Change) to be an effective leader. The presenters suggested that by efficiently using the third C (Communication), we can enable and increase positive and productive conflict as well as collaboration.

The second session, Emotional Intelligence (EI), covered several useful tools and techniques for Chapter leaders to foster productivity. The featured speakers explained how emotions can drive our behavior, and also shared how to analyze our EI. The four key EI factors to consider are: Self Awareness, Self Management, Social Awareness, and Relationship Management.

The afternoon session that I attended was Rules, Regulations, Responsibility: Understanding Your Role in Chapter Governance. The featured speakers from Chapter Member Advisory Group (CMAG) revealed the purpose of the chapter board and fiduciary duties. Furthermore, I had a chance to learn the governance challenges from different chapters and keys to building trusted member relationships.

The second day keynote session featured the touching words of the 2012 Paralympic Gold Medalist Mallory Weggemann. By sharing her inspiring story, she insisted that everyone keep a mindset of "We all have the ability to change the world".

The second day ended with an ideal dinner at the LA Marriott’s Diamond Ballroom. The dinner with live band was held in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of PMI. Our PMI SFBAC team really had a good time enjoying the music and building the network with other PMI community members.

Just after the dinner, our NextGen Leaders group headed to the Grammy Museum to attend the Emerging Professionals Networking event. The event gave us an opportunity to network with young PMI leaders from different parts of the world. The museum exhibits the special collections of the famous musicians and singers of all ages. We all had a wonderful time exploring and building our global network there.

Day 3 (Saturday, October 6):

The last day began with the keynote speaker Jon Dorenbos, known as the NFL's Magic Man, one of the finalists of America Got Talent 2016. He inspired us by sharing his life experiences, relating them to his jaw dropping magic. He also discussed the importance of discipline, teamwork, and the acceptance of failure in achieving a common goal.

After the keynote session, some of us tried the PMI Escape Room, which was a fun team building activity.

The first afternoon session was Artificial Intelligence and Project Management: Beyond Human Imagination. The presenters focused on the evolution of PM, the role of AI, and the future of PM. They are optimistic that AI could help project managers to improve PM processes at every level.

The last session, The Happiness Equation, was a wonderful and entertaining presentation by Dr. Dennis Cummins, the author of the book Turning Terrible into Terrific. The session gifted us with interesting takeaways including how happiness can increase the bottom line, decrease employee resistance, and create a culture of positivity in the organization.

LIM 2018 fulfilled my aspirations of learning, sharing, and networking as a NextGen leader. Throughout the conference, I gained leadership knowledge, industrial expertise, and organizational management skills that I can definitely contribute to the chapter and the society.